St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-03-05
THE TAX QUESTION.

The Fosterites. being no longer
able to use their great and only l.
sue, the revenue amendment, and
being very hard put to find some
thing else to drop back on and
some reason to give why they should
exist, are trying to furnish up . tax
issue for the campaign. claiming
that Gov. McEnery wants higher
taxrtion, whereas Foeter can &C
complish all that is needed for the
State with the present revenues.
1t is a very weak issue for many
reasons, but it is the only one they
can find, and they must have some
excuse for their campaign, some is
sue upon which they can appeal to
the people.
When the question Of increased
taxation is raised, the FOsterites
thereby call the attention of the
people to the fact that it has been
since Gov. McEnery left the gub-
ernat0rial chair and their own friend,
Gov. Nichols, has been IN it that
We have seen the greatest increase
in taxation Louisiana has known
since Republican days. The Mich
oils administration represent higher
taxes, for more than half q dozen
measures increasing the tax rate
have been passed since it went into
power. Not only have the licenses
been largely increased and the COM
mercial and industrial classes load
ed with heavier burdens, but the
special taxes for the levees have
been made far heavier and more
general. The amount thus raised
has enormously increased through
out the alluvial districts so as to be-
come extremely burdensome. for
the taxes are various, and, in many
cases, inquisitoral. Under the au-
spices of the Nichols administra-
ton and in conformity with it's pol
ICY, an amendment to the Constitu-
ton has been framed allowing the
levy Of additional school tax to the
amount of five mills.
Thus it will be seen that the pres
ent administration, which is con-
spiciously Fosterite in its aims and
tendencies, and that nearly every |
proficiency official has been re-
moved, is distinctly one of higher
taxation, and that act after act has
been passed under it laying
heavier burdens on the people and
there is every reason for believing
that Fos.~-, should he come into
...~ gubernatorial chair, would fol-
low the policy Of HE predecessor
with whom he is SO closely identifi-
ed, and would continue after the
fashion Of Nichols to levy new tax
Is. II
In one Of his last messages Gov.
recommended . small in
crease of the tax rate to meet the ,
needs Of our levees and schools.
The money for the levees has been
obtained through taxes ordered by !
he Nichols Legislature, and the
llluvial districts of the State are to- I
lay paying over thrice as much h
IS under McEnery. The provision !
or the schools--authorizing the
ewing of five-mill tax for their q
to be voted on soon. S
{ will be seen, therefore, Gov. n
Iicholls has done exactly what :
sov. McEnery proposed-increas- =
d the taxes. The latter did it OPEN =
y, laid the matter before the peo- q
lie and pointed out what was best b
u them. Gov. Nichols SAID moth Z
,g; apparently favored no in I
rease, and yet when he got into u
lice his administration levied more p
lxes than had been known in the Il
revious twelve years. b
These are facts before the peO- Il
le and on this issue they are not to ii
e deceived. Gov. McEnery has Il
cen in Office before and they know al
lat under him no additional bur- f.
ems were thrown on them, whereas d,
nder Nichols, although he did not If
'eak out on the subject, the taxes ct
i've grown heavier and they know "
rther that Foster will follow in o
e footsteps Of Nichols, that he is 81
edged to the same policy as the Al
tier and that the same results are p:
be expected from them, and the IN
venues are three or four times as A
uch as McEnery proposed four pa
ars ago. N
The F0sterites, when the lottery NJ
,endment was before the State, ca
asted Of the large revenue Louisi- FL
q wss receiving, and pointed to vi
} increased assessment. the heav- to
licenses, the new levee taxes, pa
>, all accomplished, they insisted, tie
,ough their representative, Mich tn
.. After having shown that he az
largely increased the amount tic
lwn from the people through sir
,ation, they cannot well pretend ms
day that they have favored, or Eli
favor, q low tax rate. Tie trs
.hollsS administration has not pie
ken i'm favor of higher taxes. co,