St. Landry democrat., 1882-01-07
Saving at the SpigOt and VAST
ing ut the Bung.
lTaXpayer's Organ.l


Taxpayers Organl
One of the worst features of the sys-
stem of spending the money wrung
from the toll and sweat of the people at
present existing is what may be called
saving at the spigot and wasting at the
bung. tt is paying high salaries and
large perquisites to ornamental pOliti-
clans, office holders and favorites, who
though they may not come exactly I'M
der the head of those who neither toll
nor spin," yet manage in some way or
other to grow rich out of the money of
the taxpayers, and who render services
altogether disproportioned to the sums
they receive, while, at the same time,
those transformations and often hard
washed employees who really perform
most of the work their employers are
paid to do, receive comparatively small
salaries. Institutions every way meri-
of well-regulated, civil society are
pinched for the means of subsistence,
and their usefulness curtailed, while
vast sums are squandered upon the
managers of electioneering rings who
get into the fat places and receive,
sometimes in the shape of enormous
fees, sometimes jobs and contracts, the
money which, bestowed where it ought
to be, would confer benefits upon the
community instead of being as it so Of
ten is, the source Of manifold evils.
This system calls loudly for reform.
Let the money paid by the people go to
those who really earn it, not to reward
wire-pullers and professional politicians
who live upon the industry OF others.
Let the money wasted in enormous fees
and upon fat jobs to favorites go to
support the schools for the proper edu-
cation of the peoples children, to sup
port institutions for the blind, the in
sane the sick, the lame and the halt j;
the unfortunates who cannot take care
grudge money for these purposes, and
an ample amount for their creditable
sustenance, and upon the basis of a
low rate of taxation, could be raised,
provided it should be faithfully applied
to them, and not prohigately squan-
dered as it now is. The system in vogue
pays those most who do the least actual
work, and those least who do do it.
Every intelligent and impartial citizen
knows that we utter merely the simple
truth, nothing extenuating or setting
down aught in malice.
| We cite in illustration the case of the
Asylum for the Insane at jackson. 1t
appears by the report of the admins
traitors that the whole amount paid by
the State for it's support has been only
$38, 155 for two years, the institution
containing on an average 1856 inmates.
The administrators have been COM
PEELED to borrow money to keep the
poor unfortunates from starving and
freezing, while the buildings are insult
ficient and too small. Now place in
Ijuxtaposition with this the fact that
the people, pay every year $4,000 in sal
aries to the heads of departments of
Gus that the services Of men equally
competent and faithful, to say the least
Of it, could be obtained for one-half or
one third of this amount. Take the
$4,000 per annum which might thus be
saved and apply it to the relief of the
poor inmates of the Insane Asylum.
Some one will probably exclaim, "Ah
| that's State affair, we've got nothing
to do with that" AS if the citizens Of
New Orleans did not every year pay
three ffths or two thirds of all the
taxes levied in Louisiana; and as if it
makes the least difference whether they
pay as citizens Of New Orleans or
citizens OF the State Place
| also alongside of the $4,000
paid for the support of the Insane
Asylum for two years or $4,000 per an
mum, the proposition to pay three law
| yers of the city $4,000 for attending to
cases of the State in the Supreme Court
at Washington whose labors, Of course
well and faithfully done, amounted to
4 little more than filing briefs, and refer
ing the court to its own decision in a
similar case already rendered.
1 We will venture to say that counsel
eqally able could have been found who
would have rendered the same services
for fee of one thousand dollars each
and been glad Of the chance. The $780,
600 might have been saved and bes-
towed on the Insane Asylum, the Blind
Asylum, and to pay the hard worked
and poorly paid teachers Of the public
schools who realize, many of them, not
over thirty-fve dollars per month, and
often have to wait a long time to get
even that. is there any justice in a sys-
tenn OF disbursements Of the public mo-
/ ney like this 2 Is it creditable to our
/ intelligence? Is it honorable to the
Stateq Have the taxpayers not good
reason to complain Of it, and to demand
that it be reformed altogether
| THE DANGERS OF SLEEPING To-
GETHER.-More quarrels arise between
/ hrofhnrc hpfUaQn SiSfQFs hotroop