The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1902-09-27
The SCHOOL QUESTION.
Facts aud Figures Relative
to the Contention that the
Parish Supports the
Town Schools.
To the Lafayette Gazette:

To the Lafayette Gazette:
It has long been the belief of
persons who have not taken the
pains to inform themselves prop
erly on the subject, that the
town of Lafayette has been
receiving an undue proportion
of the public school funds dis
tributed by the School Board, in
comparison with the rest of the
parish; and this impression has
served to foster an attitude on
the part of some mem berS of the
School Board that threatens, at
times, to dissolve the existing
harmonious relations of the town
and country schools and their
interdependence.
The basis of this contention is
that the corporation of Lafayette
does not pay any parrish taxes
and, consequently, is not fairly
entitled to receive any funds
from the parish for the support
of it's schools If this were
correct statement of the PROPOSE
ton it's reasOna bleneSS would be
readily conceded, but the real
facts underlying the whole CUES
ton do not justify such a conclu-
sion.
Under the terms of a legisla-
tive enactment that has long
since outlived it's purpose and
usefulness, the parish of La
fayette collects yearly a 'crimi-
nal tax" of three mills on the
dollar on the entire assessed
valuation of property in the
corporation of Lafayette. amount
ing to S3OOO.OO. The intent of
the law was to make incOrpOr-
ated town bear an equitab BILE
share of the cost of administer
ing justice through the machin-
cry Of the courts conducted for
its benefit in common with the
was entirely appropriate at the
time of it's enactment and as
long as the original conditions
continued to exist that made
such a law desirable: but the
town of Lafayette has long
since OutgrOwn it's swaddling
clothes,' and continuous growth
of population and rapidly chang
ing conditions have necessitated
several important amendments
to the original charter of the
town. At the present time the
only rightful claim the parish
can have against the town is for
actual expenses. the parish may
incur in the trial of cases in the
district court for attractions of
the law committed within the
limits of the corporation of
Lafayette, and the number of
such cases and their attendant
expenses is very small, as is
clearly attested by the court
records which show that in
nearly every instance the cases
furnished by the town belong
, to the class that pays all costs
and fines. thus becoming a
re7'eH"e to the parish instead of
source of expense.
OF course, it is but right that
the town should bear a reason
able part of the expense bo1-He by
me parish of operating the ma
chinery of the district court,
such as the services of the sheriff
and the care of the courthouse,
Jail and clerks office: all of which
is entirely out of proportion to
the three mill tax now collected
from the town by the parish, if
viewed in an intelligent and
unbiased light. To those who
have made careful study of the
subject $500 a year will suggest
itself as being an altogether
reasonable figure at which to
place the Indebtedness of the
town to the parish; but let this
amount be fixed at 81 900 year,
to make the proposition entirely
safe for the parish, and we are
confronted with the cold fact