The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-06-28
A Suicidal Policy.

i ClQp III Tile ulhLbtI VI IoN yIhS aNOoS
taxes, and has very nearly sue
ceeded. lin addition to necessary
nd raloYem taxation she taxes al
most every possible species OF trade,
profession, occupation, vocation and
calling. Not satisfied with thus
hanging a milestone around the
neck of every man who tries to
make living by baud work and
brain work she goes further, and
when two or more persons form a
partnership for such labor, she com
pels each partner to pay the full
amount of the license tax upon the
partnership trade, profession or Oc-
cupation, even if the partnership
has but one place of business.
A striking illustration of the sui
cidal character of this policy offolly
and madness came under our per
sonal observation last week. A
mercantile firm, composed OF two
partners, desired and intended to
engage also in manufacturing
business, by buying out one of two
partners in that business. The
manufacturers did also a general
country store business, as an adj
junct to their business as manufac-
turers. If the mercantile firm pro
posing thus to buy into the manu-
featuring firm had contaminated
their proposed purchase they would
have taken new partner into both
branches of business. On inquiry,
just as the proposed change Of'busi-
ness was about to be effected, the
proposed purchasers ascertained
that if they did embark in the pro
posed business there could be ten
State licenses to pay annually, be-
sides parochial and municipal IL
censes. They would have had to
pay two State licenses on their orig
inal mercantile business-One for
each partner-four State licenses
on the manufacturing business
onefor each partner-and fourState
licenses on the mercantile business
already connected with the manu-
featuring business--one for each
partner! AS the manufacturers Ii.
cense was very heavy, and the ag.
gregate of these ten State licenses
amounted to seven hundred dollars
to say nothing of the parish licenses
and town licenses zone place 81
business was in town and one il
the country the proposed purchas
ers concluded that the burden was
greater than they could hear, ant
the proposed purchase was aban
doned.
4 IfLouisiana needs onething NOR,
than another it is the establishment
4 of domestic manufactures. Civ
her q chance to manufacture he
raw materials-her lumber, cotton
\ wool, hides and everything else s.
easily and abundantly raised an,
produced here, and relieve her pee
pie from the crushing weight fthi
barbarous and suicidal license Ia
system, and in less than ten year
she can pay her State debt, inclul
ing the funded part of it, and ID,
i, come in less than fifteen years til
richest state iii the south. Ial
!. about the importance of irnmigr,
r ton to Louisiana, and the necessit
!, of developing her grand resources
T What encouragement has any in
+ migrant to come here and illvel
j his skilled Labor orAis capitalamOl
: u.s. Thousands of them are an
Ii0us to come, and hundreds of the
have come and have turned sad
away, appalled, by the gigantic bu
dens and the memorable fette
which Louisiana proposes to Ia
! and fasten upon them.
II There are states, and southe,
ones too, which offer a bonus ]