The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-03-06

Representatives, by the committee on
ways and means, the third being nov
under consideration, one,of which ar,
unacceptable ito the house majority. Ths
only unanimity ON this important ques
ton seems to be in the above commit
tee. Its members, recognizing the ne
cessity efrestricting taxationfor all pur
poses to six mills ON the dollar, onelhal1
of which will undoubtedly be required
for the interest on the State debt, and
conscious of the difficulty of defrayine
the ordinary expenses of the state gov
.ernment with a tax of only three mills
and al:ccnse tax, have put literal,
and novel construction ontthe declara-
ton in Art. ao3 of the present consti-
tuition that "all property shall bettaxetl
| in proportion to its valne-". They
have therefore embraced in each rev
enue bin, so far offered, specific emu
mcration oftaxable property including
! in that enumeration every kind and
description of property" they could
think of, not expressly exempted by
the constitution from taxation. In
their anxiety to Justify this action,
they have given an explanation, in the
revenue bill, of the word property"
itself, as used in the constitution, and
that explanation is the enumeration of
everything which they can think of to
be taxed.
The opponents of these views, con-
spicnous among whom is Hon. S. lP.t
Henry, of Cameron, contend that these
bills are unnecessarily sweeping and
harsh in their provisions, that they tend
to invade the sanctity of domestic Spri-
fvacy, and that their practical effect
would betto enforce the collection Of a
revenue threettimes as large as that re-
qnired by the previous constitution.
There Gamble no Doubt that the above
construction of the words "AlI prop
-crty shall be taxed," ETC., placed on
them by the committee, is a strained
and novel construction. Thcvery same
expression, "rall property shall ibetaxed
in proportion to its value,n is found in
the constitutions of 1864 and 1865,
but no one before everithought. of con
STRUNG it literally. On the contrary
the natural and obvious construction,
and that which has always oobtainediin
the courts, is that "all property 1Geed
shall be taxedinpropor itsyalne.."
Werecognize and approve the nc
eessity of an impartial and Just assess
ment Of property, and of rrigidly
thorough enforcement of the collection
of taxes thus assessed, but we fail to
see the necessity or propricty of twist
ing the new constitutional reduction of
the rate OF taxation to six mills, by a
forced and novel construction. into a |
measure for increasing the burdens of
and thereby turning d prom
ised relief into a practical oppression.
There is surely ia more excellent way''
ont of these difficulties in raising i,
revenue, and we hope our democratic
majority in the general assembly may
haze the wisdom and discretion TOD find |
it. IL seems to us that the true seln-
ton of this revenue problem is to be
found, not in limiting up new objects
Of taxation, but in just and equal as
easements, Of property therefore, asses
sed, and in o rigid and impartial COL
lection Of the taxes so levied, making
the payment of taxes as sire as death.
Il there is one question ON which
the masses Of the people are more sen
sitise than easanotherit is the question
of taxation, and we suggest to Our de-
Representatives that if ttheyIl
are not careful aud prudent in this !
natterftlsy may alienate support from
their party at "a time when it willgbc
most needed.
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Washington NOfes.
Washington, Feb. 2I.The execu-
i've session of the Senate .ea,,f;rmed II i