St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-08-08
Gov. McEnery and the Item.
City Item.

Gov. McEnery does not accept in
good part the very excellent suggestions
rendered him by the Item day or two
ago. Taking as basis the report of
the State Auditor, that State tax collec-
tors had neglected or refused for sever
al years to pay over to the Treasury the
money collected for taxes, the Item
ventured the advice that it would be
better that our Governor first set his
own political household in order, and
take measures for the removal Of State
officials who have for years been guilty
under our laws of embezzlement (sec.
rs, act SO of 1882 before he concerns
himself in President Cleveland's busi-
ness to turn the rascals out" of the
Federal service who have never stolen
anything at all.
The issue between his ExceIlency and
the Item is a very simple one. We de-
sire to see the laws of this State scare
fully executed" and naturally and
properly look to the man who has been
named in the Constitution to stake
caPen that they be so, to attend to that
duty. Cart. 72) But Governor Mem
cry, who, unfortunately, is no jackson,
virtually pleads his inability to do any
thing, because, forsooth, tax collectors
in the country parishes are "cOnstitu-
tiOnal officers !" The Item confesses its
inability to understand Why a sheriff,
WHO, for economical purposes or other
wise, has been directed to collect State
and parish taxes, should be allowed to
collect the peoples money from year to
year, and put it in his pocket instead OF
paying it into the Treasury, even
though he may be rated in the unmean-
ing political phraseology OF the day as a
constitutional officer" Yet the Cover
nor virtually places such wrong doors,
as reported by the Auditor, above the
Executive authority, and exempt from
punishment, without reference to the
amount of their populations or the
length of time they have been keeping
the State out OF it's own. He helplessly
implores the Item to ''devise way by
which a constitutional officer can be
removed other than that provided"
We do not think it necessary to do SO.
Had the Governor given as much effect
to article 70 of the constitution as he
does No. 119, he would have found the
means to hold tax collectors to TespOn-
sibility no matter by what authority
appointed. If Gov. McEnery can show
that he has directed the AttOrney-Gen
eral to proceed under the penal clauses
of the revenue acts of 1877 and 1882
against delinquent tax collectors, and,
after bringing the proper evidence to
bear before the courts, been defeated in
his efforts to "take care that the laws
+. be faithfully executed we will admit
that there is more Justice than gram
matical elegance in his counter charge
against the Item :
It's illusions to me are not only common and
vulgar and disclose an ignorance OF q law that
has been in force since 1879. but articles Of q
similar nature have frequently appeared in
this paper, of a similar import, referring to the
removal of officers.
The Item is aware that the Governor
can not any longer, by the mere exer-
else of barefaced power, removed even
a country tax collector; but the auth
ority which deprived him of the chance
to abuse the executive function OF re-
mOval, provided sufficiently certain
way to get rid of defaulters and embez-
zlers of the public revenue. He has all
the power truly wise and good ruler
ought to wish for and though we are
aware of his impOrtunate appeals to the
Legislature to be made sort Uf dicta-
tor, we fully approve of the refusal of
! that body to comply with his iterated
requests. If it be really true, however,
that the Governor does not know how
to put stop to the acts Of nonfeasance
and misfeasance complained of by the
Auditor, and his constitutional adviser.
the Attorney General, will not help him
out of the difficulty, then the Item will
prepare comprehensive manual, show
ing how to wisely, faithfully and ac-
ceptably administer the duties of his
great Office. Let him exhaust his other
resources, however, before he applies
to US.
Without desiring to see our neigh
Dor impaled upon the Governors goose
quill, tits only fair to State, in self-jus-
tification, that the basis of our offend
ing was obtained from a special dis
patch from Baton Rouge, which ap-
peared in the Times-D Democrat of July
60 certainly not source unfriendly to
the State administration to which to
apply for current news. On the author
ity of Auditor Steele, the delinquent
tax collectors are stated to be "sOme
twelve or thirteen in number"