The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-03-19

(aces into state OF ekllllul ana IN
,lligent cultiv alton. We must also
ave capital invested In manufsc-
Tres. and not send our products
orth or Eastlfor manufacture, pay
10 price OF shipment, and then OF
10 restipment OF the same pr0ducts
n consumption at home.
Assessments and Taxes.
[Colfax Chronicle.]
Now that the assessment OF the
,roperty throughout the parish 70
bout to be made it 10. perhaps. not
Together out Of order to venture .
eW remarks relative to the utter
rant Of uniformity which has here:
ofore prevailed 10 the valuation OF
,roperty subject to taxation. Our
errltory is limited In comparison
nth many neighboring parishes ana
more than three fourths Of the LANDS
n Grant parish are OF very poor
,uality and sterile. Those lands
ronting on Red river, on the con-
rary, are very fertile and productive
under thorough cultivation,
m abundance. Unfortunately for "
Inc greater portion Of the best LANDS
nj the parish are owned and con.
trolled BY q very few individuals. 1n
other words, we suffer from one OF
the most deplorable evils that can
Dossibly beiall q community-a land
ed monopoly. The Citizen'e bank
and the heirs Of Merideth and Mary
8. Calhoun control two tmmense e.
tates lying contiguous to each other
With an almost unbr0ken front OF
near ten miles on the river, These
two properties managed by TWO M
dividuats, comprise 1890 acres &C:
cording to the assessment roll OF
1880 which are not accurate. The
burden Of the land, II not quite all OF
It, lies beteewn the Bayou Darro ana
Red river; and IL as productive a.
any land on the river under proper
cultivation. In 1880 these Is, 600 acres
Of land, nearly all Of which Is open
and ready for the plow-were assess.
ed at the sum Of $88,s50 w, ana
Welded to the State sum amount
Inc to s53l 80 and the parish $8e5 50.
aggregating 81, 4l6 80. So 1t vii! be
seen that the lands were assessed at
less than five dollars per acre and
paid q tax for all purposes Of less
than eight cents per acre.
When this land Is leased the lessee
who expends bis time and labor upon
It gets It at tho price and sum q Tour
dollars an acre per annum. There.
fore these two little principelities
would yield to their lords an annuity
Of $4,000 90 provided ell the lands
were open and cultivable and that
| too without tho expenditure OF one
cent for fencing or other things 10.
cessary for the protection OF grow.
| ING crops, For It is Q fact beyond
ali dispute that these contiguous
properties are not protected either
bv fence or by law, from the en-
oroachments OF cattle.
No man knows what would be the
rent OF lands here IL the necessary
fences were up and 10 good oondi-
ton.
The Citizens Bank leases 10 prop
ertY in large tracts, to q few indivi.
duals at reduced rates and realizes,
We presume, not more than S6oOU W
per annum. The Calhoun people LET
theirs In from ten to one hundred
acre lots and 'gobble up about ~
600 90 year. And this too, let 1t be
remarked, when not half tho proper
ertv is In cultivation, and whom
none OF It 10 protected from the IN.
roads Of the beasts Of the fields"
Therefore these two happy tnstl-
tutions can cit With folded hands
and with all their possessions unen-
numbered by the ordinary expen 70
attached to such property. coouy
and calmly put away 4l3. $50 80 tnelr
tax reoeipte making up the detlclen'
cy on the round $4,000 90 income.
Nov the question arises land It ID
. 4 very important question 10 our %.
! timetion.j We naturally ask-"What
:. is the value Of this property eap
: pose they hid their money invectec
10 United States per cent 6onds
What amount Of capital would thel
9 be required to have invested 10 OF
] der TO realize an income OF u, 500 w
Q The solution is simple. They mus
nave q capital OF $685., 500 90, to %,
o nothing OF that valuable portion o
= their property for which,. through
. their own negligence and want {
10 energy and good sense, they reellz
. nothing but the glory OF "broa'
,. Again. suppose the owners Of the!
~ IL. 800 acres OF Red river land shoul
To conclude that they were rich enoug
ID | land they certainly do not considl
~ themselves poor people noW) On
~ suppose they should take 9 ree
ls az It were. from their ardu0us labor
70. and give forth no evidence Of IL
kh l!other than q grim determtnatton
y. cling to their land. What could tnt
10 do? They could lease SIS acres
land at n per acre-pay their tax
a, With the proceeds and have $3 - le
~ to buy cigars with:
nj T. Would be vain TO venture . su
'm mise az to what would be the val
no ~ these estates II tho same belong
~ tn ave hundred men instead OF tn
," And vet It 10 within the province
the t taxing power Of this State to
ny regulate tho assessments 81 20
ri. nnire the proper cash valuation
lch this property. When that u dof
,re when % acre Of land e pei %'.;as,
rec the Calhoun estate or to the O'tlzel
Ehe Rank or to any other person eltt
re- artificial or otherwise can be put J!
ith the balances and weighed With !
sts same exactness and precision VI
lng which the poor decreptd negroS
ON tie insignificant Texas pony y We!l
20 ed. then will the mighty landloroo
I'd. found wanting. Then and nov "
10 then will lands be offered for ss'e
the this section. Until then these
mi. brick chimneys, monumen0 ..
my glory and enterprise that ere re- g 3!
TO viii stand keeping useless vlgllS Q
the 4 desolate waste and tho Drsm
low and the thorn bush Will grow I,
mt, flourish 10 Q land that ought 70 q
lin. aom like tho rose.