The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-08-07


Our R,ad Law.
Response to the styfctnres ofn snperficaa
Critic.
Our niercarial cOuteiar ersry, 81 Lostet
assis Of st. James, has had consilsfall
70 say, in ito psculiar Cpl rasn,s.tie styis
on the subject Of HE Ascension Snnda1
Law, and recently e INDUCED ID I'll,
following commei.t4 81 ~ ~ orJIi
nance adsptsd IS olts ury rsla,
tive - ths nelnt4 ~ 4 public rosds
Our neishbofa III Ascension IN j,
age, but simple~ That 4, they u
masters ct Themselves. And tlssey have
= Police Jury ....1et, IL tho Sunday law
AsceMsion; And of nona lsonyil1o partic.
ularly tLe road oriiDance ~ Ssslesi III ii
th6lr Jury 10 eve1f moro @jsfa 1tsfui
IHh1k crlinance il 81 re-estabII k.i,,snf =
Old law of forcing the people 1fAni.
eaily to do unproatable work. =.
i 4nffes Of every citizen Of tho I1t3sE,
black or white, rich or poer. m X
holder or not, twelve days work ri
for the maintenance and reparaf sol
the roads. One csn, be it well m SS "a;
stood, exempt himself from it with n i,
But il it il true that the Republicts u
belong to every one and that tho i1f1
needy among MS has before him IT. ~
six thOusanl leagues of public roads n
equally true that the tax should ID nh
p0rtiOned and Mr.. burnside, owner M
| many vast plantations, scarcely assossed
ut one-guarter of their value. has 10re
to do with such work than q poor devil
who has but beggar's sack and stick.
We shall not follow the example Of onf
neighbors. In doing so we will bo Dem.
Qeratic.
The inference first essayed 10 that, in
enacting the road ordinance objected to,
the Police Jury Of Ascension has pro-
ceedea upon its own sole yolition and
authority. Such is not the case. The
ordinance is modelled upon and Is strictly
WIFI fAGt NO LIZ III tUG Scll-
eral Assembly of 1880, which requires
that
It shall he the duty of the Police Jnries
to divide their parishes into as many dis
tricts as they may think proper, for the
appointments of Oyerseers of roads, They
shall, annually, appoint overseers of
highways or roads, who are to summon
| n III ma frnrp In ~
to fifty Except ministers Of the gospel
and such other persons as are or shall be
exelnpt), to meet ut such places and
times, as to them, the said Uverseers, shall
seem convenient to work on the public
roads, etc.
The ordinance does not require twelve
days road work annually Of each citizen:
it says no one shall be compelled to work
more than twelve days in year-a dis
tinction involving . deal of difference.
1t is safe to say that not one case in q
thousand will occur where the citi-
zen will be called upon to labor on the
public thorouglfare during the full limit
prescribed, nor one in hundred when
he will be expected to work half the al
lotted period.
If, as Lie Louisianais truly infers, the
public roads belong to every one" why
should not all contribute something to
their maintenance aud repairi As a
matter of fact, the doctor, the CONNER
cial traveller, the pedler or the small
farmer who comes to Donallsonville to
do his trading, have generally a greater
interest in the condition Of the roads
thar the wealthy planter who crosses
them occasionally to reach the steamboat
landing. He may venture upon the roads
only when the weather is fine and tie
travelling good, but others must go in
foul weather as well md brave the
dangers Of mud holes and broken bridges.
Upon the same principle that men
owning no property are each assessed
81 annually for the benefit Of tho public
school fund, they are likewise required
to contribute mite, in labor or money,
towards keeping the public roads in Or
der.
OF course the property and wealth of
the country should sustain tho creator
portion of the burden Of taxation, but the
humblest and poorest citizen should not
shrink from making some return for ben
Gifts which he enjoys in common with
his wealthiest neighbor.
The road ordinance will not be found
oppressive if it is administered faithfully
aud impartial1y. Similar laws exist in
nearly every State in the Union and citi-
zens of all classes obey them eheerfully.
Shall it be said that the people of Louis-
lana are less law-abiding or public spir-
tied than those of other States
Like lie Louisiaaeis, Eve wish to re-
'pect the liberty Of toll and trade,' but
We endeaver not to confound liberty with
license, nor to mistake the pernicious
doctrines of communism and socialism
or the fundamental principles underly- |
ng wholesome state of society. We
ire not puritanical, as LIZ Louisianois
would have its readers believe, nor are
We licentious and communistic. We aim
or the middle course, that determines
The true duty and responsibility of every
;itizen and demands their loyal perform
tnce and assumption.
List Of Letters
Remaining in the Donaldsonyille Post
Office August z. 1890.