The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-08-28

Oentnc6nC fute VI tno DOUBTFUL AHS
Democracy.
The great organ which has assumed
the praiseworthy task Of developing
the material resources of our com
monwealtb, does not essay a refuta-
ton If any Of he following PROPOSE
tions advanced by the CHIEF:
l. That sugars worth IL and Is cents
per pound during the Warmoth and KEEL
logg regimes bring now barely and S-a
decline of nearly SO per cent. in value.
Considering decrease III cost Of provisions
and labor, there is still q net diminntion
Of rs per cent. in value of the product Of
sugar lands.
2. Tho basis of assessment is actual
cash value, which is to be estimated by
sales Or by regular net income.
3. That nine out Of ten Of our sugar
planters have not received from their
notwithstanding the results OF the
last three yenrs--0ue dollar of net in
come.
Ii the representations Of the Demo
crat are correct, the sugar planters Of
Louisiana are a wealthy and prosper
GUS class, who, rolling in luxury and
riches, sy Systematically swindle tile gov
eminent and Cypress their poorer fel-
low citizens by assessing thoir estates
far below their true value. Any one
familiar with the real condition of
things in the sugar growing section
Of Louisiana will recognize ut once
the enorluity of the libel. Individual
instances If profitable crops and Of
parsimonious assessments, we freely
admit, are by no means rare, but it is
unfortunately an undeniable fact that
for several years past majority Of
our sugar planters have had Il hard
struggle to make both ends meet and
keep their property out Of the hands
ofSheriffs aud foreclosing MOI tgagees.
To attack these people and denounce
them rs swindlers because they do
not voluntarily increase the assessed
valuation of their taxable possessions
is simply brutal injustice; and the
outrage is heightened by the fact Of
its cnanation from a source which,
for the sake Of political effect,
would have defended them Il
few years ago with as much zeal as it
assaults them now.
In order to nuke some pretense Of
founding its sweeping animadversions
upon fact, the Democrat cites an ex-
ample of alleged differentiation:
In 1869, or thereabout, the Riverton
plantation was quoted in the market at
S75, 900 to 100000. The owner, how
ever, being much embarrassed and COM
| peeled to sell, MI. burnside succeeded III
| getting the property for $50, 900, This
was its va}ne naked. There was no crop,
no machinery, no fences. Since then
there has been added to the place over
800, 600 in machinery and improvements.
Last year the place made q crop which
| brought in the market about 500, 900
cash. There are about 5000 acres in
the tract, 1000 being open and under
cultivation. 1t has capacity OF $500
! hOgsheads Of sugar, or, say, u crop Of
100000; yet this magniticently i'm
proved property is handed III to the AS
SCISSOR, under oath, as being worth only
/ $4,000!
The mouthpicce of the Wilt Burke
administration is as unfortunate il its
attempted statements Of fact as it is
in it's argumcntative position on this
subject. Tho Riverton plantation
contains only $500 acres of land, 500
Of which are in cultivation. No new
machinery has been added and only
such ordinary repairs as are usual and
necessary on all sugar plantations
from year to year, and the sugar house
and it's fixtures arc in worse condi-
ton now than Whon Mr.. Burnside
bought the property. The largt St crop
ever made on the place was in 1862
1886 lloSsl,eads the largest since the
war was that Of lS76-650 hogsheads
the yield Of 1879 was 425 hogsheads,
which sold for So ,35l, and GOO bar
rels of molasses, worth slO,OsO, to-
tai product Of s42,43l. The assessed
value of the plantation, fixed accord
ing to the methods provided by ex-
listing State laws and governing the
asse ssment Of all other property, is
! s3G 1875. The total valuation Of Mr..
Hurnsile's six plantations in this par
isll on the assessment roll of 1880 is
1854 600, against sIso 900 for 1879. an
increase Of 81 ,O6n, ar about 40 per