The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-07-15
An TntoIerable Condition.

The resolution adopted by the pc
lice jury of this parish at the session
held last week for the purpose of per
forming the empty duty and idle for
mality Of reviewing" the assessment
rolls OF taxable property for the cur
rent year, directs attention to ane
emphasizes the existence Of a con
dition of affairs that is doubtless
without parallel anywhere in the
United States outside OF Louisiana
and which would probably not be
tolerated by the people of any other
state.
The important function of listing
and assessing property for purposes
of state, parochial, municipal and
special taxation is vested by law in
the assessor, an officer appointed by
the governor of the state. The police
jury is designated as a board of re-
view and charged with the duty OF
examining the assessment rolls, and
heretofore the board has had the au-
thority to revise and alter the figures
of the assessor, raising or reducing
valuations in instances where it seemed
apparent to majority of the mem
bers that error or injustice had been
committed towards either the state or
the taxpayers. The law has been So
amended, however, as to deprive the
boards of review of this discretiona airy
power, and hence it was that our po-
lice jury, after discussing and con-
sidering the subject in all its bearings,
approved the assessment rolls for 1906
with this proviso: sour approval,
however, being given under protest,
considering our disapproval Of the
same would be of no effect under the
power vested in the assessor under
the laws OF the state. u
Hon. Walter Lemann, one of the
representatives of Ascension parish in
the general assembly, called attention
to this important defect in the law and
sought to have it repaired at last
years session, but was unsuccessful.
There is much reason for presuming
that the trainers OF the present law
purposely eliminated the provision
vesting the police jury with revisory
authority, in pursuance OF a deliberate
scheme to centralize the control of
property assessments in. the hands of
the governor and his appointees.
Whatever may have been the in
tentions or motives underlying the
legislation, the results achieved are
patent and unbeatable. The governor
Of the state has the arbitrary power,
through assessors who hold their
Offices subject alone to his will and
pleasure, to fix the valu alton OF all the
taxable property in the state. and the
taxpayer has no recourse from OPP
preston and Injustice in this respect
save the expensive and tedious alter
native OF an appeal to the courts. II
is a matter of common report and be-
lief that the assessors throughout the
state were given to understand that
considerable increase of assessments
was expected Of them, and that they
would be held responsible for fail
ure to meet this expectation.
These assessors also have arbitrary
and autocratic power in the matter
Of registration OF voters, and it is
notorious and incontrovertible fact
that they exercise it in a way that dis
franchises thousands of citizens who
have the qualifications prescribed by
the constitution and laws of the state
as conferring upon the possessor the
right to vote.
Two of the most important rights
and privileges OF the citizens OF Louis
iana-those pertaining to the tax alton
of property and the exercise of
the franchise-are absolutely under
the control Of the governor. No
wonder a prominent member of the
general assembly who is high in the
councils Of the Blanchar ard administra-
ton has declared his willingness that
the governor shall be shorn Of all his
power provided his right
to name the assessors is retained.
This is the prerog alive, above all
others, which should be taken out of
the hands of one man, no matter whom
he may be, and restored to those
of the people, where it properly be-
longs. In Russia or Turkey it might
not make much difference, but it is a
travesty on American institutions and
h0n A<l 80 ,SA 1I.s-
that our property and suffrage rights
should be SO completely subject to the
dictum OF a governor.