The Louisiana populist. [volume] (Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, La.) 1894-1898, 1895-08-23


of 1896 being properly balanced, or of
an equilibrium being established by
the Ribot ministry, so that the finan-
cial condition of the country is causing
alarm, not only to those who have the
reins OF the government in hand, but
to all parties.
Patriots are ransacking their brains
for new devices by which the empty
Golfers of the state may be replenished.
Among recent lucubrations which have
been taken into serious consideration
by the minister of finance are the taxes
on noblemen, a heavier tax on alcohol,
and, finally, the project of taxation on
bachelors. A World correspondent has
had an interview with the originator of
the latter system of taxation. which ap-
pears to have been his hobby for the
past thirty years. NJ Decroix, founder
of the league against the abuse of to-
bacco, has forwarded his petition to the
Chamber of Deputies, where he hopes
it will be examined before long. Said
he:
"The idea of taxing bachelors is an
old one with me. Although my latest
petition is only half forwarded to Par
Lament, l have been thinking the mat
ter over for the past thirty years. This
is how it came about. / was a veteri
nary surgeon at the time, in regiment
of chasseurs, in Africa. | noticed that
the chief of squadron in my regiment,
married man with family, had the
greatest difficulty in making both ends
meet. On the other hand, his col
leagues of the same grade, receiving
the same pay, with no private income,
were leading a most agreeable life.
ut was from the observations of these
two men that derived my idea of i'm
posing a tax on bachelors. expressed
the opinion that the difference between
the lives of two officers Of the same
rank should be lessened Ever since
l have conducted in France a cam
paign in favor of a tax on bachelors, in
the same way, but not with such good
results so far as I have achieved in the
campaign against the abuse of tobacco"
"My first petition was forwarded to
the Legislative Assembly in 1862 and
met with a very Indifferent reception.
Three years later prefect of police en-
couraged me to continue my efforts, so
I persevered with my petitions. And
although people say that within the
past thirty years times have changed
considerably from an economic point of
view, my principal argument in the
sixties was precisely the same as it is
In the nineties.
Il tried to make clear to the repre-
sentatives of the people that, at an
epoch when everybody is pinched by
the want of relative luxury, bachelors
enjoy veritable privilege. They pay
less taxes than the poorer classes. Con-
sequently they have more money at
their disposal for all kinds of dissipa-
tion, which is more injurious than use
full to society at large. In my opinion,
there is no excuse for bachelor when
he has attained the age of thirty-five
years. From that period of his life un-
til his death, unless he should marry,
propose that he should pay an addi-
tional 10 per cent Of the amount of his
ordinary taxes.
This would be far from making
things equal, but 1t would be step in
the right direction. OF course, officers
Of the army, sailors and the clergy
would be exempt from this bachelor
taxation"