St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-12-01
HE'Ezaesyss State Board OF
Equalization
Shreveport Democrat.

Governor McEnery in his message to
the General Assembly, 1T the extra SEES
sion. recommended the establishment
of "a State Board Of Equalization. The
way had been cleared for him by elabO
rate arguments in favor of such an in-
| stitution, in the columns of the New
! Orleans Times-Democrat, whose edito-
! rial management was in the hands OF
| a member of the Governors cabinet.
| In fact Senator Marston, in his speech
| in Shreveport, said that the message was
| taken from the columns OF that paper.
| We have never compared the two
| STYLES; but we readily admit that the
| Governor is just about as able to do his
own writing as his Secretary OF the
! Treasury.
The alleged cause was the failure of
/ the revenues, under the existing system
| of taxation to support the government.
! After the hard work TO get their offices
| it wntlld indeed be d burning shame 1t
| the incumbents could not receive dollar
| for dollar OF their salaries. The poverty
and struggles of the taxpayers in raising
the money, in their estimation, are mat
| tiers of miner consideration.
This State Roard Of Equalization is a
choice Republican flower sought to be
transplanted to Louisiana from the
Northern Republican States. 1t might
work well in Il thickly settled commu-
nifty, where all property is improved in
about an equal manner, thus atfordlng
an easy basis OF assessment and eqnall-
zati0n. But we are not sure that 1t
works we'll even there. We have read
OF loud complaints of the system in lii
nois, where it has existed for some time,
and in Vermont, where they have re-
| o,,, tl,y nc h ShnS az, lad ypotbni
OF the same nature. But it would never
work equally and justly in Louisiana,
with her great variety of soil. unequal
| distribution of population, and differ
ences in the degrees OF Improvement OF
property of similar natures. A State
Board of Equalization would simply
amount to central engine OF oppres-
sion, composed it might be. of men ig-
norantof values, whose only aim would
be to make the people contribute as
much money as should be needed,
| whether they We're able or not. A fell
1 low would stand at the wheel, yell ont
how much do you want" anu when
| the answer came would grind out the
sum, no matter how many poor taxpay-
ers should be broken in the revolution.
His board was SO vigorously fought
! by determined minority in the House,
- !,
/ Chretien, Robertson, Henry and others,
/ that it was abandoned i'll favor of a
/ board composed of the police juries Of
| the ditferent1parishes. We have watch
ed the operations of this board. The
assessment has not been materially in
creased under it. There has been an
increase, it is true. but tits just such an
increase as we should expect from the
increase of prosperity in the state, cans-
ed by an abundant crop. And the rea-
son is plain. The police jurors, taken
| FROM the masses OF the people, know
that they are taxed as heavily as they
can bear, and that their property is as
sessed at it's cash value, as required by
the constitution. They do not believe
/ they have any right to violate the con-
stitution in going beyond its cash value.
| This work the State Board of Eqnaliza
/ ton would be charged with performing
We may expect. then, thatth net OF
/ the governor will appear again before
the General Assembly at its session in
| April. We may expect the usual TRADES
of his friends about the nnfairness, not
to say the dishonesty, OF the taxpayers
| in giving in their property below its
cash value. The people Of Shreveport,
particularly, may expect to hear them
selves again denounced by them as CIV
ing in their property at Il value below
its freight bills on the railroads. Are
the people ready for this State Board of
Equalization Is not one central grind
ing machine-the Howard Lottery com
pany-enough for Que state? Ii they
do not want it, they must not elect Nc
Emery or Burke or a legislature OF their
way of thinking.