The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-03-17

FRANKLIN, La, Marcn 10, 19UO.
DR.. T. F. Frere, President, |
Mr.. E. A. Hanson, Secretary,
Good Roads and. School House {
League, Franklin, La. J
GENTLEMEN: Your circular let
ter Of March 9th was received by
me on the 18th. AS it is an open
letter | shall reply to it by an open
communication to you.
| like the name Of your league,
"Good Roads and School Houses, "
and if it's name correctly defined
it's purpose, feel sure nine-tenths
of the citizens Of st. Mary would
array themselves under it's ban
ner. But your communication
shows that its name does not de-
fine its purpose, for you say: "Op-
court house at Franklin, and the
building of new one, is the
reison d'etre of this league"
Following up this declaration of
purpose, you continues: eve be-
lieve that the parish cannot stand
at this time the financial drain
and burden of the court house
project; and that, if we can, we
owe it to ourselves and the COM
munity to spend the money to a
better purpose.
If you had carefully examined
into the financial condition of the
parish you would have found that
you are mistaken as to the first
part of this declaration. For the
year 1906 there will be collected
in taxes and licenses by the par
ish, after deducting the three mill
school tax. and after deducting
the commission of the sheriff, APP
proximately 100000. The ex-
penditures Of the parish will not
exceed $4,000 to $4,000, which
will necessarily leave a surplus of
from $4,000 to $4,000.
With part Of this surplus the
police jury propose to build new
court house.
But you take the position that
even if the parish is able to build
a court house without increasing
taxation that: 1--WE owe it to our
selves and to the community to
sp nd the money to a better pur-
pose"
Pray, in what better cause can
the money be spent? You say for
good roads and school houses. |
am as great an advocate of the
construction of roads and school
houses as any one, but under
the laws of organized society the
maintenance Of a suitable court
house stands ahead of both. The
court house of a parish is the tenn
pie of Justice; it is the place where
the guarantees to each citizen un-
der the constitution and laws are
enforced. 1t is there the cit
izen goes to secure redress for
all injury done him in his person
or his property. 1t is there the
assassin is called to answer for his
crime. The laws are dead letters
unless they are enforced-organ-
lied courts are the only means of
enforcing them, and the mainten-
ance of suitable building in which
justice may be administered is one
of the first duties the people of any
parish owe to themselves. Such
building should be in keeping
with the needs of the people and
their ability to pay.
Your letter seems, however, to
waive the question as to whether
or not court house is needed.
1t says: "But whether court
house is necessary or not, we be-
lieve the people ought to be con-
suited before taking so important
step, and we believe it to be an
arbitrary, autocratic, american
and inexplicable proceeding for
the police jury to ignore our de-
mand for submitting to a vote of
the people the question OF tearing
down, and building anew, the
court house,
Now, Mr.. President, l of course,
that this is the view of
your league, and you are only
speaking in representative ca
pacity in this declaration, for
The police jury of St. Mary in
January, 1903, of which body you
we're member, voted unanim GUS
y in favor of a resolution that the
parish was sadly in need of new