The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-04-07
"CLD BOB" HAS HIS SAX.

preferred the request to amend the law re-
lating to the tax election III aid OF the
railroad. it is publicly announced that an
application is to be also made to exempt
tie property of the corporation from the
payment of Parish taxes. | had deemed
the last proposition real live issue which
was worthy of discussion, and was foolish
enough to think that perhaps. the town
had as much interest in getting rid of a
ten mill tax as i'll imposing five mill one.
1t seems that must have been mistaken,
as there is in last Saturdays issue of the
Toua TAX several columns devoted to the
railroad tax and exactly five lines are
given to the Parish tax question. One
doughty warrior, who signs himself 'AleX-
andrian," sees fit at the close of a column
of stupid puerility and empty vaporings.
to attempt to bring me into contempt and
ridicule. | propose to pay my respects to
him. He is not the first careful warrior
who has avoided the din and danger Of
the actual conflict to rush up when
the fight is over to plumber the dead and
wounded and to claim share in the hon
ors of a field which his valor has not won,
and to grab the spells when apparently
there is no enemy to fight and no risk to
run. This belated and hlantant Knight of
the Curryconb and Esquire of the Crup-
per, waited until more than two weeks
after the truce was sounded before he
makes his hoastful appearance on the
scene of the battle, and then drawing his
rusty .troe, which he imagines to be
shining scimeter, he lays ON with the
hrawny arm of the hostler and slasies
with approved skill of the stable boy flush
ing his maiden shovel. This BombaStes
fN'ioSo assumes that he is progressive"
because he advocates the tax and that all
who oppose it are cold fogy," are in a
| nut" and some more of the same sort Of
vaingloriOus assumptions and frivolous
gratuities. Does he know that che people
OF this State are now paying tax of .
mills in perpetuity to raise the sum of
| 'f4SD, 600 per annum interest on State
debt largely created by this State In aid
| OF railway enterprises and public works,
| and that the Constitution of 1879 made
real progress when it prohibited all such
rulnous and oppressive grants of State aid
in future! OF course he did not know
this, for he deals in boasts and bombasts
and anything like an appeal to reason or
resort to facts is beyond the range Of his
benighted dissatisfaction and laudatOry
complacency.
Again, does he know that many towns
in the North and West were absolutely
ruined by their contributions to railroads
prior to 1873, and that after the inflated
bubble burst as it then did all over the
! United States, that it has been considered
by all thinking people in the United States
to be the height of folly to levy taxes in
aid of sOulless corporations to whom graf
itude is unknown and with whom self-in-
terest is the ruling passion Does he
know that the light of experience has
shown it to be progress to refuse such aid
and that granting it is considered to be
retrOgression everywhere else Does he
know that political economy teaches as an
axiom that light taxation means progress
and social wealth and prosperity, and that
all history teaches the same lesson2 Does
he know that the greater burden property
has to bear the less valuable it is, no mat
| ter where 1t is situated or how it is cir
cumstanced2 OF course he knows none of
these things or he would not vaunt him
self so loudly about riding on the car of
progress when he is in fact astride mule
with his face to the tail.
He sets himself up as a leader and aspi-
ring to role which have never pretend
ed to assume, he offers presumably himself
to the people i'll my stead. An old adage
says "Put heggar On horseback and he
will ride to the DEVIL With such ideas
of progress" as he announces he would
soon ride this town to the devil if by some
mischarce he was given the direction of
its affairs.
l think | know some other loud mouth
ed patriots who would be equally gener-
Gus in levying taxes for other people to
pay and whose political aspirations induce
them to always endeavor to be upon what
they imagine is the popular side.
This sO-called writer, whose silly vapor-
ings may pass for wit with equally silly
and vacant minds, and whose empty and
maudlin assumption of progressive ideas
may impose upon those who take assertion
for fact and slush for sense, calls me a
'balky horse" and cold Bob" and he
wants me Graded Off for more progress
sive horse-meaning, no doubt, the long
cared animal who holds himself up to adj
miring eyes in the borrowed garb of the
racer, and who names himself "Alexand-
rian." | don't know who he is, and in
that respect he has the advantage of me,
as have signed ny proper name to all !
have written OH the subject of this tax. |
will wager, however, that the following
deductions | draw from the article itself
are correct:
Eirst-That if the tax is ever levied no
part of the burden will fall on him. This
! deduce from the fippancy with which
he treats what is Il serious question to the
people of this town whose property would
be affected by the tax.
Second-That he has aspirations to be
sent to the Legislature himself. This
deduce from the apparent desire to pull
me down III order to build himself up
Third-That he is unused to the socia
amenities which make polite intercourse
agreeable and render public discussions
possible. This infer from the clOwnsl
instict, whose most delicate conception o.
courtesy was the designation of an adver
sary as "Old Bob and whose highest idea
of legitimate characterization suggested
the comparison of the "balky horse.
Fourth-That he is more used to hand
ling the currycomb than the pen. This
discover from the propensity 'tO trade
he displays and from the evident relish
and gusto with which he congratulate.
himself rpon the hope of "laying dow
forever" the pen which had apparentl,
cramped his unused fingers as much as hi
feeble attempts at wit must have exhaust
ed his infantile intellect.
Fifth--That he is man of small discre
ton Else he would not have taken III
that self same pen so late to lay it dow
so soon.
do not know why this inflated criti
should have assumed to treat my name
with the unwarranted familiarity used il
abbreviating.i to "Bob' at all-it nigh
have been pardoned if the criticism hat
been. friendly or playful, as it was not
nor do | l,no1r u.hern mr. how he finds fh