St. Landry democrat., 1883-07-21
Taxation! Taxatfon!!.
Alexandria Express.

For the last ten days the Police Jury
has been in session as a board OF review
ers, under the act OF 1882, summonlng
people from all parts OF the parish to
show cause why their assessment should
not be changed; in other words. to1
show cause why it should not be raised
TO what the said reviewers imagine to
be its cash value.
The similarity of this board of review
ers to the central board OF assessors,
which was attempted to be created ID
1880, reminds us foreibly OF a prophecy
made by Governor w Warmoth to DIS
quislled gentlemen about three and a
half years ago. Said the Governor Z:
Your convention OF 1879 has attempt
ed to reduce taxation, but your taxa
tion will be higher than it was under
my administration. 1ou think that I'M,
der mine taxation was robbery. 4 Will
not attempt to defend it; but let me
tell you that, in spite OF your constltn-
ton, you will be robbed under the next
administration worse than you We're
under me. At the first legislature
there will be created central board OF
assessors, or revisors located at New
Orleans, who, by the assessment OF
your property, will nullify the llmita-
tion of your constitution and make
your taxation more oppressive than 1T
was under me. But have this apology,
which your government will not have:
During my administration it was the
policy at Washington to plunder the
South until she submitted but under
your government the State Will be plum
dered by your own people for the sake
o. plumber alone" 7s.9
sIn 1879 it was difficultto believe that
any government emanatlng from our
own people, could be as heartless In
taxation as fhe Warmotll admlnlstra-
ton; that any government chosen by
us would seek way S and means and OBJ
iects of taxation unknown and nntrIed
by the avaricious carpet sbaggers but
it is not SO difficult now. The land grad,
by which at on fell swoop, Louisiana
lost more than half her public domain,
tributed out of the public treasury to
patriots, very much resembling the pat
riots of -bagism, have dwarfed
the grandest schemes of Radical pun
der, and we are prepared to believe the
prophecy may be true.
We know that the central board OF
assessors was presented and defeated
before the Legislature OF 1880, and the
country was lullcd into the belief that
It was defeated forever. But the fami-
ly likeness between the central board
and the boards Of reviewers OF 1882, is
so striking that no one can mistake Its
lineage. The central board was to be
appointed by the Governor. The same
Legislature was careful to provide that
the Police Juries, whom it has con-
yerted into board of reviewers, should
be sappointed by the Governor. The
central board was a political body
with judicial powers, and their decIs-
ion as to the value of property final
Such is equally true of the present
board of reviewers. The central board
was the representative and creature OF
of the. Executive; SO are the Poilce
Juries. It may be that the board oi
reviewers appointed from among rs Is
preferable to a central board in New
Orleans. and is not what the designers
OF the central board preferred; but az
an. achievement after thorough de.
feat in 1880, it is wonderful success, ,ant
these deep, designing schemers OF tax
alton are confident OF achieving thel
end at last; namely, low taxation, bu
assessments double and treble the us
sessments which the trainers of the Con
stitution contemplated when they llml
ted taxation to six mills.
Whether the board of, reviewers i
session at the court -hOusesWill fulfil tn
prophecy of Gov. Warmoth, we do no
know but snmm0nlng clClzeHs Iron
every portion OF the parish to shoy
cause why their assessments should no
be changed, looks very much in that dl
rection but we warn them of the pro
phecy, and warn them not to trust
a government which squandered th
public money under the fraudulent an
notorious Acts93 and the public domai
under the fraudulent pretext OF payln
a lawyers fee. If we are to be take
nntil our supplies are scant, and on
= -. - -. g = g. %. J, a.,,,,,, i, -, I