Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-10-10

1oAsd use throws the workman out Of
employment, overstocks the labor met
kct, lowers wages, causes pauperism
and the vices consequent, or Incidence,
Or the want Of healthy excitement We
must do something bad or good: then
let US give every encouragement to do
ing good.
Let us now consider the consequence
OF laying all the taxes on land. The
landholder would then have so much
| less interest in keeping the land by the
extra amount of taxes levied on it. To
make it equally profitable it must be
better cultivated, and If they can not
! or will not do it themselves, it will be
their interest to sell it, or hire the Gull
tivation to be done. This will give en-
ployment and food, instead of diminish
ing them, as in the taxing of personal
property. Look at the dreadful condi-
ton of France at the present moment.
Thousands of her heroic sons digging
up stones in one part Of the streets and
| removing them to another, just to keep
the people from anarchy! Will this
give permanent and profitable employ
ment to the unemployed? Is this tho
| way to tighten the burden of. taxation
and make it easy for the taxpayer?
Who can foresee the poverty. the bank
! ruptcy. the misery, the crime, that must
follow the continuance of such course?
The workmen now look to government
! for employment and wages. How can
the wages be continued without tho
land being made productive? How can
the land be made productive without
the requisite labor? Then why not
make it the interest of landholders to
have the land cultivated by laying all
| the taxes on the land, and thus throw
| the speculation in personal property?
What care we how much personal prop
erty any one has, if we have the use of
the land to make the same for our
! selves? If the legitimate landholders
| are wise. they will see to this before
| the work1nen assert their claim to tho
soil. and enforce it by arms
Ought taxes to be raised in such q
way as to encourage industry? Now,
| II two persons own equal quantities Of
land, say eighty acres each, one puts u
thousand dollars worth of improve
ment on his land, the other one hun.
dred dollars, the improvements arc
taxed according to their value; conse.
quently the one who has made thon-
sand dollars Improvement has ten times
the taxes to pay for industry that tho
other has to paw for his Incidence. Docs
not the industrious man pay off the idle
mans taxes? AS they each occupy an
equally valuable portion of land. why
should they not contribute equally for
its use, to defray the necessary expenses
of government?
Let us look at the economy. Ono
valuation. less difficult than va}uiug
what personal property you can find,
would suffice. No one would be inter.
ested in denying what belonged to him.
We have now several valuations for
different taxes: l think three, with as
many different sets of officers to pay,
which is inquisitorial and vexatious.
Now, as to the moral results. The get
ting rid of paying tax by smuggling
or false swearing seems almost consid-
cred smart, which lessons respect for
all law and honesty. Three of our prit-
clpal merchants swore off their per.
sonal tax last year. others have to pay
their tax, which encourages them to do
the same. till the habits of all become
more corrupt. One OF the three mer-
chants got up 4 petition this year to al
low the merchants to swear off what
goods they owed for, SO that while the
owner of a house must pay his tax,
though he owes the full amount of it,
the merchant may evade the tax by
swearing he owes for his goods
Please, as soon as convenient, obligo
us with your views on this subject
Right or wrong, am anxious to know
it--Edwin Burgess.