The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1883-09-29
A @nd CoEmEnamEarY.

kcHo, and to many Of the best citizen
of Lake Charles, the election last Mon
day, for the purpose Of ascertaininG
whether the taxpayers of the towr
would submit to a special tax Of fiv,
mills, for term of two years, thu
same to be expended in the erection
of public school house, resulted il
the defeat of the measure by vote Of
eleven to thirty. If this is not sac
commentary upon the enlightenment
and intelligence of our people, thcr
what would be a more appropriate
construction to place upon it? Lake
Charles proper has population Of
some 800 souls, and aside from the
! Catholic buildings, and one small pri.
vatc school building, there is not a
school house in the town. Yet when
the opportunity is given our people to
remedy this crying evil, by imposing
trifing tax upon the property
holders, they vote it down, and the
announcement is hcralded abroad that
the inhabitants of Lake Charles arc
opposed to education, to enlighten-
lnent and to all the other benefits that
accrue from adequate school facilities
These are plain words, but truthful
ones. The result of last Mondays
election will have exactly this effect
abroad, and there is no earthly use to
deny it. The first question asked by
the stranger when he comes among US
to become resident and invest his
means, is in regard to schools and
school buildings. When he learns the
true state of affairs, feeling Of dis
gust comes over him, and be does not
tarry long, but goes where a more
progressive and enlightened senti,
ment auimatcs the people. What has
made Kansas? And what iss4naking
Texas to-day the Empire State of the
Union7 If it is not her splendid free
school system, this is doing as much
as all of her other advantages com
bned. There are few towns, if any,
in Texas and the Western States, half
the size of Lake Charles, that cannot
point to their commodious and hand
some public school buildings. But
here in our little "city by the lake"
because of few misguided, (albeit
welI-meaning) citizens, those of us
who desire to keep abreast Of the
times and see our town grow and cx-
pand, must bow to the will of the
minority and be content to move along
in the old grooves, fifty years behind
the age But not without another
effort to remedy the existing evil.
Those who favor this tax, and who
took but little interest in the election,
never dreaming that it would fail to
carry, will now 60 to work in earnest
Inasmuch as it is claimed that Mon.
days election was illegal, owing to
the fact that the town council passed |
the ordinance without first having
been petitioned to do SO by the tau
payers and residents of the town, a
petition will now be circulated for
signatures and presented 10 the coun-
Gil. That it will receive recognition
the Echo is assured, aud similar or
ainance passed and a new election
ordered. In the mean time, it is earn
estly hoped that the opposers of the
measure will reconsider the stand they
have taken on this all-important qucs-
lion, and join hands with those who
favor the tax, and let US all pull to-
gether, not only for the welfare of the
youth, but for the material growth and
development of our town.