The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-07-03
coIFAx GRANT PARISH, La, SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1880.
RELATIVE TO TAXES.

try and put the matter before our
readers so that they may talk and I
act as reasonable men,
The following is the law under
which the police jury acted in levy
ing a tax of nine mills for the gen.
eral expenses Of 1880. and one mill
additional for school purposes. max
ing total parish tax of ten mills. 1t
is article 200 of the constitution OF
1879, on page 81:
The State tax on all property for all
purposes whatever, including expenses
of government, levees and interest,"
shall not exceed in any one year ak
mills ON the dollar of its assessed val
uation, if tue ordinance regarding the
bonded debt of the State is adopted
and ratified by the people; and If said
ordinance is not adopted and ratined
by the people, said State tax for all
purposes aforesaid shall not exceed III
any one year five mills on the dollar
of the assessed valuation of the prop
erty: and no parish or municipal tax
for all purposes whatsoever shall ex-
coed ten mills on the dollar of yalua-
ton; prorided, that for the purpose OF
erecting and constructing public build
ings. bridges and works of improve
mept in parishes and municipalities
the rates of taxation herein limited
mav be increased when the rate of such
! increase and the purpose for which IL
is intended shall have been submitted
to a vote of the property taxpayers Of
snch parish or municipality entitled 70
a vote under the election laws OF the
State, and majority voting at such
election shall have voted therefor.
The above conclusively settles the
right of our police jury to levy tax
of ten mills, and as to the necessity
for going to the full limit Of parish
taxation. every one who is at all in.
formed as to the financial condition
of the parish knows it is right
Now, for the benefit of those con
= stitu.ional GROWERS, who fail to keel
up with what goes on within thel
own State and parish. yet who neve
fail to find fault and abuse what the.
know nothing about, we will give
few facts regarding State and paris
taxation for the past three years:
= The State tax for 1916, collected
: 1877, was 14i mills; while under To
- Radical constitution of 1868, the Ia
at that time, there was no limit
q parish taxation, some of the parish
= going as high as 20 and 81 mills. al
70 in Grant the parish tax for 1876 "
M fixed at 8 mills, but by ruling
Sc the Manning bench it was decid
on that under existing laws only MI
in could be collected. The Legislatu
les afterward passed law limiting :
e,t parishes to 10 mills tax, which v
ty. the limit in 1877 and 1878, and
tn same limit was Incorporated IN
ro- constitution of 1879, in article 2
ar which is quoted above. 10 1877
Tho State tax, which was collected
NV 1873. was ID mills; the State tax
nm. 1878. collected in 1879, was ! nj
;est Previous to the installation OF
Nichols government both State !
parish taxes were ruinous, rang
tate all the way from i4l to 81 mills.
. to there are hundreds Of persons 7
the in Grant parish who have paid o
Mo- State and parish taxes when
g is stood at the last named figure.
lisi- We take it that the main caus
DISQUALIFICATION with the most OF u
the who grumble is to be attributed
naa Misunderstanding of facts They
s.;, LII nosed that the parish tax bad
Heed reduced, whereas it remains at
that m;lls. the same as in 1877. IL Is
AIDED State tax only that has been redu
which is now elk mills. when 1t
|; the | II and 10 mills in the years 1877
held 1878 This is handsome reduc
ay Of aud leaves little room lot comp
imam Whenever our parish shall have
Judge the debts that now nang ose'
: the have sufficient latin 70 osie'e
the police jury will see that P
taxes are reduced proportionate
I the -.
70 Dc James A Garfield. the keput
b day ,.,,,,er n the