The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-01-28
COLFAX GRANT PARISH La, SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 1882
RECREAET DEMOCRACY.

Well. the proposed board of equal
ization has been defeated, and it is q
draw whether We are sorry most for
its failure or for the legislators who
were so short sighted as to strange
it. We advocated. and still contend
that something of the sort is sadly
needed in Louisiana. The fight that
has just been gained in the Legisla-
ture may be counted q victory for
the country members, but it is one
which they are not entitled to much
credit for gaining. If they had in
sisted on fair and just equalization
for the city as well as the country,
and had an eye to meeting the hon.
est obligations of the State, instead
of whipping the devil around the
stump, 90 as to allow the country
folk another opportunity to turn an
honest penny BY giving in false valu-
ations of property. they could have
accomplished something of benefit to
the State. Gentlemen may beg the
question as much as they please. we
will have to inaugurate q System of
this sort in Louisiana yet The cry
Of Getty vs. country taxation" raised
in the legislature was . sham and .
fraud. It. was very easy to frame .
q law embracing both city and coun-
try. The trouble il that it is fight
between the rich and the poor, and
the wealthy city merchants and bank
'ers we're hand in glove with the
kealthy land owners in defeating .
Measure which would require them
to pay the same just proportion of
taxation on their immense posses
sions that the small planter add prop
eriy owner has to pay on his.
We charge the Democrtie members
Of the Legislature with having been
false to the trust imposed in them,
and We base our charge on article
203 Of the constitution which says:
"Taxation shah be uniform through
out the territorial limits of the an
thority levying the tax, and all prop
erty shau be taxed in proportion TO its
value, to be ascertained az directed By
lag; provided, the Assessment of all
property shall never exceed the actual
cash value thereof; and provided fur
Their, that the taxpayers shall have the
right Of testing the correctness of their
assessments before the courts of JUS
tice. In order to arrive at this equali-
ty and uniformity the General A sscmbly
shall, at it. first session after tie ad0p-
ton Of this cOnstitmfios, pr0Cide a sys-
tenn Of equality and uAiformity IN as
sessments, based sp0n tie rcIatire vaIue
Of property IN the different portions Of
the State. The valuation put upon
property for the purposes of State
taxation shall be taken - the proper
valuation for purposes of local taxa
ton in every subdivision of the State"
The Democratic members we're
elected by constituency who rati6-
ed the above article, and in failing to
provide system Of equality and
uniformity in assessments, based mp
on the relative value Of property"
they have been recreant
A number of our State exchanges
have been priding themselves upon
opposing the equalization scheme.
but we imagine the time lie not far
distant when they win see the error
of their way. We pride ourselues
upon having first nooted this ques-
ton through the columns Of the
CHRoSrcLE, and. although our pet the
ory may have been defeated this
time, yet we feel confident that il will
gain thousands Of advocates when the
tax paying bone and sinew of the
land begin to appreciate the shame
ful way in which they have been
bamboozled and hoodwinked by self
interested tax resisters, who brought
all their lobbying powers to bear on
our late Legislature. We bide our
time. in the certain faith that the
people viii assert their rights and
have the provisions Of their constitu-
ton carried out.