St. Landry democrat., 1881-12-31
State Board of Assessment.
lDonaldsonville Chlef.l

view OF tlR Cnle1 upon VIC aeoot.uo 40
sumed by that anomalous gathering.
Our contemporary offers no explanation
why such an unseemly convention
should have met, and does not attempt
70 explain why the tax payers OF the
State we're not deemed worthy to be
consulted when il matter OF such mo-
mentions interest to them was to be con-
sidered. Must it be taken Tor granted
that A mere Executive appolntee, com,
4nissioned as an Assessor, is inspired
with heaven born fitness To act upon
Great questions of taxation in a body
which has under taken to arraign and
assault in the severest manner the
great body of the tax paying people or
Louisiana -,
The Sentinel asks, if we think the
property of A, of the same kind and
ralne of that Of B, should be assessed
for less? We have never advocated
such a doctrine, directly or indirectly,
and are surprised that tfe question
should be propounded. Onthe contra,
~, we contend for true, Orrect and
equitable assessments. anC MAINTAIN
that those can be best made BY the peo-
ple of the parish in which tie property
is situated. They are tar m're compe-
tent to deal with the problem than any
other authority whatsoever Our es-
teemed contemporary JOINS iands Win
the New Orleans Democrat II support
ing the project OF a State Board or
EQUALIZATION. In other words 1t propo--
ses to invest Il commission slttlng at
some central point with thelpowcr TO
assess every mans property ad to say,
arbitrarily and without apRal' "ha'
amount of taxes shall be pali by each
~, fnf
IS sought to be justified on the ground
repeatedly advanced by the Democrat
in it's able series of editorials n the as
Sessment uuestion-that the pcal an-
rhorities and people of the parish can
not be trusted to make fair Aluatlon.
Ergo, if we can not trust Local aauthorl-
ties, we must centralize the goYrnment,
and the matter OF taxation must De
governed by State cOmmlaOn and
not by local agencies.
It is true that our fathers knw moth
ing of State Boards OF Equllzatlon
and were able to support theirgovern-
ments without resort to suchtnqulsl-
torial institutions; but it is sd that
three or four States have established
these boards. Suppose they hay; what
does that argue in favor OF til plan :!
What of the thirty-odd Sta,s that
have not found it necessary to ksort to
this extremee If it is claimed hat we
are to give up our local self-govt tnment
in questions of assessment Iecause
three or four other States have pne so,
we can answer that the argumht has
no force, since more than thirtypf our
sister commonwealth have retsed to
relinauish the valued prerogatlv1
4 State Board to examine lID and
ascertain the value of the priority OF
everv tax payer from the Arkanss line
to the Gulf would have a mostrous
labor imposed upon it. How Wfld 1T
proceeds AS it's action is to btfinal,
certainly the tax payer oughtp be
heard before his rate OF assessnnt is
established. Must the tax payer spear
in person? Must he trudge dow from
Caddo or Claiborne, from Calcasn or
West Carroll to appear before TN for
1nidable council which has the rist to
double or treble what he may colder
lust valuation of his property Per-
.haps the honorable board might sten
TO the tax payer if representedly a
LAWYER, or possibly broker. TlB we
would find the farmers Of North pui-
siana and the prairies and the fton
and sugar planters, when conslllng
their crops to their merchants, chat
them to be careful to select some tor
ney or broker to represent them HOre
the autocratic arbiter of the yalu ion
of their property.
How is this State Board to be c@ti-
tuteds Shall the Executive appof 1T.
and thus be able to reward and pfshl
his every friend and enemy in the Ste
lie the members are to be elected bthe
people, you 90 back to the rigl Of
self-government, but you ask pills
cite overthrowing local gOverntnt
and establishing commission v{ed
with greater powers than NapolA's
dynasty ever executed.
We oppose State Board of Equaa-
tion because we favor just and equitle
assessments. If local influences DR.
ate in one part Of the State to dimBh
assessments, we can conceive OHIO
reason why they should not operati in
like manner in all other localities. be
law fayOrs no section, no interestpO
man; it contides the great questioDf
assessment to the people themsels
where Of right it belongs.
Local interest and influences denld
and obtain fair valuation in this Id
other parishes. 1t individual instats
of injustice to the tax payer occur, t
are mainly due to his own inaction
failure to take advantage Of the Il
lities afforded for his protection by |.
listing laws; and if the injustice be /
ficted upon the State, it must be /
cribed to the natural proneness of ST
men to dishonesty and the utter imE
sibility of framing laws that Wilt
perfect in all their operations.
parish treasury pays dollar for do
and has discharged heavy debts I
had accumulated in past years.
hear the same account from nearly
tho country parishes, and if the| pal
can maintain itself upon the ass
ment roll surely the State should d.
as well.