The Opelousas courier., 1882-03-11
How the Present Assessments
Work.
LNatcllitoches Yindicator.

such parishes as are situated I'D the nlLl
parishes of our State such as Vernon,
Sabine, VIM. Lincoln, Bienville, etc,
will examine the tax rolls of this State,
they will at ono see the gross inju@
tice being done them under the present
assessment system which we are sorry
to say a majority of their representa-
tives insist upon retaining.
We can conclusively prove that the
rich land owner, that is, the owner of
the rich productive lands of the State,
is assessed shamefully low while the
chief burden of taxation is now being
borne by the poor classes and small
farmers.
Here in Natchitoches parish, where
the increase of assessments has been
in the past five years from something
near one million to more than
two million dollars, the increase
has been brought about by adding to the
ualues of the rich property ocner, while
the poor and small farmers are assessed
for no more than they were formerly.
And yet the assessments with US are
still ridiculously low. as to real and
more particularly as TO personal pro
perty. TO-.
Under the oath system2ai system
unknown to any people but Louisiana
the values are fixed by the simple
affidavit of the owner, and lands of the
same class in the same parish and
neighborhood are valued at different
amounts, because there is not one
person in a thousand who knows
what value is, and not ten as
SCISSORS in the State, even, as far as that
goes. Under the " oath system" hill
lands requiring 4 to 5 acres to produce
IA bale of cotton or 40 bushels of corn
are assessed at from 50 to Sc per acre,
while river and bayou lands producing
a bale of cation or 40 bushels of corr
to the acre are assessed at from So to
$S and sometimes livery seldom) SIC
per acre. The average of poor land
valuationis about $4, while thas of rich
land valuation is only $3.50. If the poor
flands are properly valued then 500 pei
acre is the fair cash average value,
taking productiveness as the standard
of the rich lands. The oath system
completely let's out the rich who dc
not own lands but whose wealth con
sists in notes. mortgages, judgments,
jewelry. silverware, merchandise, fur
niture, money, etc. And to point Will
a fact this statement, we beg to cal
the attention of the people of this
State to the city of Shreveport and the
parish of Caddo, and we would not dc
so if we were not called on to read day
after day of shreveport's greatness as =
money and commercial center !; hel
growing wealth and population.
Cadde parish, according to the oath:
of her business men. has in merchan'
disc all told, $5l2,665 and yet hel
Standard brags that Shreveport aLon'
paid the Pacific railroad atone, in thai
same year $4s7,OOO for freight bills
Caddo parish has $4,40O in household
furniture, painting, jewelry, silverware
etc. just about one half as much a,
Natchitoches, bat little more thar Bos
sier, less than DeSoto, than Claiborne
about the same as Red River, and les.
than Richland. Caddo parish has NJ
judgments assessed, no machinery. anG
no railroads, and yet she can talk o
taking Sl5O,O0O from the pockets o
the people of the Union to build
court house.
Does Caddo want this system chang
ed Rich and prosperous Caddo? Oh
no! It's awful, but nice. And yet thu
parishes of VIM. of Sabine, If DeSoto
of Richland, of Red River and of Yer.
hon are supporting by the votes 0
their representatives, this shameful
valuation of property. Caddo parish
1866, assessed her merchandise a
$s14,76O and paid $3l 49,. as into the
State Treasury. Is she worse off now
than then !?
We tell you these people, the larg'
land owner and the person whest
wealth 10 not in lands, will fight to tn,
last for the "Oath system" and a
long al they can get the support they
are now getting the small farmers ant
poor man will continue to pay TIL.
taxes as they have paid them in tn.
past.
Ackien has taken time by the fore
lock, and secured the nomination foI
the Third Congressional District. In
accepting it he effulges with consider.
able of studied brilliancy on the grea'
issues now before the country, includ.
ing civil service reform, the tariff, in,
ternal improvements, educational mat
tiers, etc.-N. o. City ITEM.
1 - Ar 49, - 9E "