The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-12-08


We have before us the budget OF 1895
estimated to be $l2,395, including
$2625 of outstanding approved claims
against the parish, aud none of the
items appears unreasonable. On scru-
tinizing the budget, however, We find
that the estimated expenses for carry
ing on the court are as follows:
Sherif's fees in criminal matters :. s 800 co
Witness TESS 1000 90
Jurors fees 1000 90
JAN lees ...--..-..: ..----...-.- iooV w
Sheriffss fees for serving processes
outside. conveying convicts TO
penitentiary and lunatics to asy-
lums Observation-Disclosures. 400 90
sheriff's fees for waiting on court $ $50 90
Total 8 1850 90
Taking out the S2,625.00 outstand-
ing claims against the parish from the
budget of 1895, or $12, $4,000, we find
that is estimated by our Police Jury
that il will lake very nearly half of
the budget of next year for the admin
istration of justice and the maintc-
nance of the prisoners. Ii is crying
shame, but in this matter the Police
Jury is helpless, for what can they do!
When il takes from $50 to $75 TO try
and perhaps not convict negro ac-
cuscd of stealing chicken, other petty
offences in like manner, the parish has
TO pay and the Police jury to provide
for it. All such petty offences should
be tried by Justices of the Peace i'll
their respective wards, thus doing
away with the summoning Of wit
nesses, witnesses and jurors fees
This is radical defect in the Judiciary
system, which should have been REM
edied at the last session of the Legis-
Iature. Meantime The Taxpayers have
10 pay for that defective system.
The budget shows that $12,S95 have
to be raised on total assessment of
$i,012,834, and as the Police Jury cam
not raise but ten-mill tax. it will
leave yet, if their estimate be correct,
a deficit of $2,267 in the treasury at
the end of 1895. Useless to say then
that they can levy tax less than ten
mills.
i Apart from this Consideration, If the
parish assessment is reduced, say, to
$40 on open lands, why should the
other parishes in the levee district pay
taxes on the same lands at an assess
mert rate of $50? Why should they
pay taxes on swamp lands assessed at
81 as they arc in Madison parish, if the
assessment on ours is reduced from
so cents TO 10 cents an acre? Owing
to the peculiar position we occupy in
the district, at the head of the system,
: il has been the wise policy of the
Levee Board TO spend in Carroll par
islI a great deal more money than
in the other parishes, whilst we
pay less taxes than each one of them
does. If we begin reducing the assess
J ment of lands in this parish, will it not
be the policy and logical consequence
of our action for the other parishes tn
/ reduce also their assessments; and
! then, without revenues, what will be-
/ come of our levees?
; Ii is we'll now to speak of reducing
j the revenues when the river is at low
, ebb and the sand bars look so com
, forting but later on the mighty rivel
, may come and crawl inch by inch OF
/ our neglected levces, and then the par
, ish and the Levee Board will have (
: raise money at a big interest, and d.
work at high price, or let the leve'
5 go. drowning cattle aud people per
r haps, carrying off every improvement
7 running our lands, and destroying on
I last nope.
Q Before you do anything rashly
j. gentlemen of The Police Jury, tax
! your time, think, reflect aud consider
: Sec every feature of reducing the as
' sessmeni, and take it into your mind
n that, when it is noised abroad that tn
Police Jury of East Carroll parish
4 after advising with the Assessor an'
s at the request of the people, hav
0 come to the conclusion that the bes
d lauds in the parish are only worth 81
c an acre. then, by that very fact, yo
r viii have stopped every borrowing Q
t, money on those lands, aud the furnish
l. ing Of every plantation in the paris
d by merchants. for neither real estat
is men, nor merchants will consent t
= lend anything on lands that hay
fallen in value more than half in on
$, year.
'e The freight on bale OF cotto
Is from Rayville to New Orleans