St. Landry democrat., 1879-05-10

tnat time VIC nave Hau occasion Lt
examine the annual report of the audito
Of public accounts for 1878. At page!
1876 and 1877 will he found statement
showing the amount of taxes due from
each parish for the years 1870, II, '72
-, IA, -, '1G and ~, down to 31s
December, 1873. These are the bach
taxes, of which the article in question
speaks. They amount in the sever
years ending on December 3lst. 1877, tc
the snug little sum of tro million twl
| Lundrcd und twenty-oHe MoHsGnd one
hund,cd AMI cighty-.frc dollars arc
tuenty- one cents. We do not include in
this the taxes of 1877, due and collected
in 1878, and of which on the 31st OF
| December, 1878, there was due ont
million t,ro hundrcd oHd scrcnty-niEt
thousnud Hrce hundycd and .fJty-ont
| dollars 0nd scrcnty. fire cents; because at
the settlement of the tax collectors in
january, 1879, considerable sums Oh
these taxes were no doubt paid into the
treasury. Granting that half the amount
was paid in, Oh the January settlement
there would be an outstanding tax due
on that year of $604,7115 81, which added
to the outstanding tax OF previous years
would make the total amount of delin-
quent taxes from 1870 to December 31st,
1878, aggregate S2,S25,9G5 OS.
This shows one of two things plainly
and that is, that, taxes have been either
altogether beyond the means of the
people to pay or else the revenue laws
of the State are mockcry and sham.
We believe this state of things is partly
attributable to both these causes; COM
bincd with the pernicious custom which
has prevailed for many years past of
legislatures granting relief to delinquent
tax payers almost annually. This state
of things should cease, and the sooner
the better. Every man who has prop
erty should be made to pay taxes, or
else nobody should pay. There can be
no greater injustice than that the burden
of taxation should be borne by few
property owners, whose ncighbors make
a habit of not paying, in hopes of the
legislature coming in eventually with
acts for their relief.
One of the very first duties OF tke
convention should be to devise means
to get rid of this immense delinquent
tax, either by ordinance to that effect
or by directing the fist legislature to do
so as soon as it assemblies. 1t should
then provide the very lowest possible
rate of taxation, and see to it that the
collection of taxes is made as certain as
death, to use the expression of the Echo,
for the future. This could be done
easily and efectually by suits before
competent courts, say within three
months after the close of the fiscal year
for the amount Of the delinquent taxes,
to be followed by execution and imme-
diate delivery of possession to the pur-
chaser, as i'll ordinary shcriff's sales. At
the same time the Legislature should be
prohibited from granting relief to de-
linquents, unless by four-tifth vote
of both houses. The State is now in
default to every one of its creditors. It
is unable to pay the interest on its
bonded debt; it cannot or will not pay
its officers; it is directing its creditors
to como forward and make an offer of
compromise, both as to the bonded and
floating debt Of the State in fine, it
cannot or will not pay any thing it owes;
and all this with the fact staring it in
the face, that in seven years past, the
list of delinquent tax payers has run I'D
to nearly $3,000,000. What ever may be
said as to the frauds perpetrated in
funding the debt of the State though
creditors were compelled to deduct 40
per cent of their claims, we reckon no
such charge can be made as to major
part of the floating debt of the State,
represented by warrants and certificates
issued in accordance with the constitu-
ton since 1875, and for which the State
got value received.
Only within the last three months, in
a case coming before it at New Orleans,
involving the transfer of certain funds
from the Estate house fund to the
general fund.-" our supreme court, COM
posed of the first lawyers of the State;
lawyers whose practice was each worth
more than the salary Of the office, and
many if not all of whom, accepted the
appointment at the time itwas rendered,
actnated solely by sense of duty to the
people Of the State, in the then existing
and who in 1878, rorhe0, as
no other court ever did work; were
compelled to enter formal remittitur
on the minntes of the court, to any
part of the sum in controversy, because
they were an holders of warrants issued
to them for salaries for the year 1873,
against the same fund. And yet to-day,
these judges are cody asked to walk up
and propose settlement to Capt. Kidds'
committee. This may be expe9ient,
but it is not koRest, and should make
the blush of shame crimson the cheek
of every honest man in the State. There
is no plea of fraud or failure of con-
sideration as to this part Of tue floating
All
u.v.. ror every dollar Of it, the State
and the people have got value received;
yet with nearly s3,ooo,ooo Of assets,
which requires only little common
sense to make available, such creditors
are told "walk up gentlemen; we owe
you; we owe you honestly; you are
entitled in justice to every cent you