St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-08-24
st. gaadrg 9en1afrat
OPELOUSAS !:
The Police jury and the Mer-
chants.

CMamHS,
EDITOR DEMOCRAT The Capital Item
seems to be in high giee at the manner
in which our Police Jury disposed OF the
cases Of some OF our merchants. II
seems to think that after the merchant
has given in his stock of goods andel
oath, the right thing to do is to add fifty
to one hundred per cent. | am, as you
know, a farmer, bnt, unlike a majority
of farmers, [ entertain no prejudice
against merchants. 1t is rare, indeed,
to find a merchant who is not man OF
strict integrity and veraclty. Tt serves
no good purpose to intensity the. bad
feeling which prevails among different
classes. There is no real antagonism
of interest. The true interests Of the
human race are harmonious.
1t is useless to tell me that merchants
bleed farmers when they get them in
their power. Farmers lend their less
fortunate brothers corn, exacting three
barrels for two and in some cases two
for one. They sell q beef on credit at
OF per cent. per month interest. Far
mers even Of the same Sub Union bleed
each other just as femorselessly as do
merchants. If we look about us we be-
hold state of affairs which lead US to
infer that tho object of mans creation
was that each should prey upon the
other. We attribute mans selfishness
to the will of God. But it we consider
the harmony of the material universe
we may with safety conclude that the
laws Of the moral universe are Just as
harmonious, if we consider them atten-
lively and act according to them.
1t is self-evident that no man has the
natural right to reap profit from the
labor and investments OF other men.
The concession that he has is violation
of the natural order of the universe and
must wreck our civilization. 1t is be-
cause society is organized on a plan that
contravenes the natural order that we
behold all this strife and bad feeling.
When tho inevitable catastrophe comes
it will matter little whether q man rides
in q chariot or trudges barefooted on
the dusty highway. The seeds Of ineyi-
table destruction are s0wn in our social
system, and, unless we eradicate them,
time will add another wreck to those
which mark the history of the race.
We already regard false swearing as
light Offense or no of1ense We re-
gard the parading of the names of men
accused OF perjury as q matter of no
consequence. The system that produces
that result always has produced such
results, and is surely bad system. The
assessment of personal property has
never been accomplished with honesty
and never can be. 1t is contrary to the
natural order OF things that men should
be taxed according 10 their enterprise
and industry 1t is a crime against ia.
ture to attempt it, and nature takes her
revenge upon those who contravene her
laws.
Man ehOul0 nav fayou 4,p An. I,,.e.. |
they receive from society and not for
discharging their duty to it. Every !
grant OF land was made for the purpose |
of encouraging the best nse of land. |
Saving and excepting to be used, there |
never existed any authority to make |
grant of land. That man who makes |
the best use of his opportunity most |
complies with his contract.
most completely accOmplishes his mis-
sion ON earth and fulfills the purpose of
his creation. And yet for such we hold
ia reserve penalty in fines and taxes.
Evidently those who control opportu-
aities for producing the wherewithall to
pay taxes should pay the taxes. They
should pay in proportion to the value Of
.he opportunity as expressed in the
value OF land. Those who control the
opportunities are justly responsible to
/ 1
hall be needed to meet the public ey-
,enses. So long as they pay their dues
ociety has no concern with them ex8S,
;ept to see that nobody is injured, Joy
he use or the manner of using.
Our present system is the reverse OF
his. Men hold grants of land in vary {
ng value. Those remote from any CEN
re of industry are worth but little.
hose in the midst Of industrial centres
re worth all the way from So per acre
0 $500 per square foot, or $4,000, 900 9
er acre. Wesay to those who ase their |
opportunities, "Y0u have been useful, g
on have complied with your contract, !
t least in part; therefore, you must be .
ned Ia proportion as You have been 9
seful." To those who hold opportuni-
es out OF use with the expectation of
gaping profits out of the labors and in G
estments OF other men we say, sit is =
lr will that those who obstruct the !!
rogress of the community by holding II
aluable opportunities out Of use should 8
rosper. 1t is not in accordance with 1
ltnral laws that they should, but we ?
i've abolished the laws of nature. Go 3
! and prosper. Every improvement, Y
lblic and private, will increase the
llue OF your land. In the by and bv U
9 shall have q cultured class who have 2,
,ver done any usefnl thing to whom u
If hearts warm.n e.
But in the meantime natures laws 90 &c
arching on and those who oppose fi
EN- shall surely die! To avert this e
lamity we have but to turn to nature's 1T
VS.. Tax only opportunities accord
: to value and give to those who pro-
ce the fnll results OF their labor
act nothing except for the oppor- A,
1ity held and the full value Of the nj
whether used ornot. There M,
40 guess work about this system. The ia;
lessor can point out in his office the en-
let value Of every mans land. Col A.
t from them and it may be left to If
IN whether they use the land or not.
it is capable of producing it will pro- X,
,e, and if not capable, the owner will no
Q no tax. The market, with free la
npetition, will regulate that.
RUsTIcUs. we
-~------ for
Transfers of Property. orc
-s- 81.
Furnished by @. III. Terwilliger
,np ysyrrts rNnr&-5, Arrr. 1000