The Opelousas courier., 1899-02-04

10 DfkIN u "a &ASktt HphNS ooS wv
| cannot say. The question was recent
ly asked twice by n of our local pa
pers, but no answer was eve made to it.
rs far as | know. vas disappointed
when tho paper, having failed to elicit
the information asked for. quietly,
let the matteg drop. Possibly "A.-G."
can enIighten uN
But "a G." entirely misapprehends
the purport-the gist and marrOW-0f
my questions, as quoted above, when he
says:
"'Inqnircr' desires to know why We are P4Sl
ing so much taxes within Incorporated tov@as:
The reply to this is as easy as rolling Of a round
log. We are putting on city airs, ana IN orueF
to dance to this tune we have to pay the piper.
With an unpaid balance on onr school house,
and the WaterwOrks tax, we pay for these TWO
items one and q half times as mlcti.~tS l5 our
town tax proper
Aud tlIen he produces his town tan re-
ceipt Cor 1897 and triumphaDhy ex-
claims: Now you have reply to the
question why we are paying SO much
taxes in town.
But that is not the question at all, my
friend. Read that quotation more care
fully and you will see that what L de-
sired to know was why the rate of par
ish taxation had not been reduced to 7
or 8 mills, as is the case in Il mum
Der of parishes, and why the parish was
| not even on a legitimate cash basis, as
! most of them are, | believe. With the
largely increased revenues OF the past
two years, and with a careful, economl-
cal and business-iike administration or
our affairs, | think that both OF these Ie'
snlts could have been reached ere this.
If | Am mistaken, it is all homes mis-
take-an error of the head, not OF the
heart. But when | see other parishes,
to whom a heavier legacy OF debt had
been left by Republican mlseovernment
than fell to our lot, completely out of
debt and reducing the rate of taxation
year after year, and contrast their hap
py condition with ours, | cannot help
thinking that something is radically
wrong sOmewhere-and | have been
thinking for many years that there Is
some chronic defect in our police Jurles.
1t may DO that the fault lies in the
system under which they operate, which
| has always been more on less loose and
unbusinesslikc, and that more OF less
nonchalance and carelessness has been
bred by this Misser. aLer style OF at
tending TO business. 1t may be thatthe
( majority of the men who composed
these bodies were not properly equipped
| to grapple successfully with the COM
pick problems which perpetual|y con
front the rulers and administrators OF a
great parish like this. 1t may be that
this body is too large and uhWleldy,
and that u smaller number would at
tend to it's duties more efficiently !; for
not only lisa high order of ability re-
uuired for the proper performance OF
these difficult duties, hut an earnest,
alert and unwrarying care and scrutiny
should be constantly exercised, and
these desiderata could more readily he
found in II small body than in IL large
one, where the responsibility is more
widely diiftsed and divided. But, be
all this us it may, our condition Is n de
Dlorable one, anG the most staIwa,t
heart might we'll geld to discourage
ment and despair il we snpine'y sit
down and admit that it cannot be
| greatly ameIiorated. Surely onr .lto-
pie POSSESS enough wisdom and states
manship, enough humanitarian'sm and
philanthropy. enoug|, patriotism and
public spirit To find some means of drag
cling lis ont of the qnagmire III which
we have t%1Dundrresi, though left t." our
" resources, during the 90 years
that have followed the close OF the
dreadful construction era. Let these
matters he further discussed. "Du cluc
utS llctS JhtlIIU IL ilbIt ACt 'h'
parish press take them up, aud nndeI
its powerful tntelage a healthy pnblic
sentiment will be aroused and these
heaven-born attributes of our people
will be set actively to work in the
proper direction.
AMT Grumbler" is evidently a maj
Of ability, and were his manifest talents
tuuled in the proper direction he could
undoubtedly prove OF great value to
his people. If. de part pris, be will
still resolutely shut his eyes to the par
ticular abuses l have pointed out, | beg
him to look dispassionately around him
and see if, in his presumably wide
scope of vision, he cannot detect others
in town, or parish, or State. A discus
sion Of such matters ut this time. be-
fore the approaching political campaign
opens, would prove Of more public ben
eft than later, because of being free
from the partisan anc and bitterness
which are always aroused when the
question Of filling our public Offices is at
stake. / would also appeal to the press
to take up the consideration OF such
matters, and if they cannot all be set
tied in advance, public sentiment may
be SO shaped that a correct solution will
be reached when the proper time comes.
INQUIRER.