The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-06-27
QUERY

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that body has not the money in the
treasury 10 pay for them 2-ECHo.
AEswER.-We are rather inclined
to the opinion that the Police jury i.
decidedly at fault, first, for not having
the small sum Of money intready cash
necessary 10 procure these abstracts
which the law makes it its duty tc
procure next, with heenormous sum
of money each year collected by way
Of taxation from the people of this
parish, largely IN excess Of the amount
required, If economically expended,
ten times the sum necessary to pay
for these abstracts could have been
saved. 1t appears that So, 1862 93,
exclusive Of poll taxes have been col,
lected for the year 1884. This is a
good showing, indeed, for a parish
containing no greater population than
Oalcasieu, audtwe dare say that such
sum, prudently administered, ought
to go a long wsys towards paying all
the necessary expenses of the parish
10. G. Commercial.
To Judge from the above "aBswer''
of the Commercial to our query, the
public would naturally infer that the
present Police Jury of Calcasieu par
ish is composed of reckless and in
competent individuals, whose main
object is to squauder the peoples mon
ey, unnecessarily, regardless of conse-
qnences.
Our esteemed contemporary at
tempts 10 cast odium on the Police
Jury by saying it is at FAINT for not
having the necessary funds on hand to
pay for these abstracts, by imputing to
them extrayaganee anda want of econ
omy in the expenditure of the ''enor-
nous" revenues tS23,362.93) yearly
collected for parocbial purposes, which
sum the Commercial considers as
largely in excess of the actual necessary
amount required.
Onr usually dociie coatrere in his
'ianswer" 10 our query has not only
attempted to cast reflections on the
Police Jury, but he has displayed an
inter want of investigation as to the
facts in the premises. If the erudite
editor Of the Commercial had taken
the trouble to refer to the budget Of
expenses for the year 1885, which is
advertised in his columns, he might
have avoided the ridiculous position
which he assumed. The budget places
the probable expenditures of this par
ish for the current year at 500, DIGIT,
not including the amount necessary to
procure these abstracts, which is ST25,
and ten tunes this amount would make
81 $4,000, which the Commercial says
could have been saved. From this
statement our learned coafrere could
have readily seen that the "enormous"
revenues which be refers to will fall
short of the actual expenses of the
parish for the current year, in the sum
of 5,653.84, that is, if we take the
collections for the year 1884, as a
basis for our calculations.
Now, in order to fully refute this
unjust and unea!led for attack of the
Commercial upon our Police Jury,
which is composed of gentlemen Of in
tegrity and ability, let us see what the
financial condition OF the parish was
when they went into Office. At the
time of the induction into Office of the
present Police Jury we find that there
was an outstanding Indebtedness
against the parish Of 81 ,442.7s, to-
gether with acerning obligations of
$500, balance due on the Jail, all
of which has been promptly met by
the present Police Jury, with the ex-
eeption of $4,000, which amount falls
due as follows: 81, 500 on July /,
1885, and $500 on September ] ,
1885. Still with this Indebtedness 10
meet, according to the Parish Treasu-
res's report, dated May II, 1885, we
find that the parish was, at that date,
indebted only in the SUN of s., 6l6.77,
including the two notes falling due
July !, and September !, 1885, re-
spectiyely. Does the reduction of a
debt of SIG, 742. Is, in something like
one years time, some Sll, l26.08, out
of a revenue Of s23, 362.93, and run.
ming the parochial government, too,
show any want Of economy on the
; part Of our parish legislators! We
should say not, and we dare say a
majority Of The good people of Cal
easieu parish viii bear us out in this
assertion.
!! We fully appreciate this unealled
for attack upon the Police Jury by the
Commercial, and the public will reeog.
nine in it an old and familiar tune
which it has been singing for 10, these
many months-that is, anything to
abuse the present administration
whether deserving Or andeseFging.
The antizadministration organs il
this State continue 10 grind out tht
sameao old music with which they fur
nished the public during the last guber
natorial campaign, claiming for them
! | salvaa nntnaricai a0nariorifv avar al,