The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-05-02
WHY DELAY Getting 4 Good Things

reforms in our old-fashioned, ineffi-
Gent and inequitable system OF tax
| alton, the New Orleans Times Demo
crat says:
Most of the recommendations which the
Louisiana Tax Commission viii submit 10 tne
| legislature are excellent. Some or them VIII
be sdopted at once, we hope, esuch, Tor IN
stance, as the abolition of the mortgage ta1;
but we doubt whether the ieglslaIutlr:e VIZ -
put into effect the entire plan OF nscal re-
| form advocated. although it will be aeknoWt-
edged by all who have gwen ane sap {sat q;
viii be adopted in Louisiana, if not throughout
| the country. at an early day
Further on ia the same editorial ar
ticle the Times Democrat remarks
| that
The more important work of the commission
was its plan fer the separation OF the state and
| local taxes, which will render the two revenue
systems entirely independent OF each other. rms
plan provides that the state revenues shall be
| collected from entirely different sources than
| those used for local purposes
After SUNNI arizing the sources from
whichitis proposed TO deriVethe states
revenues, as suggested by Chairman
Farrar OF the tax commission and
stated in last weeks issue of The
Chief, our New Orleans contemporary
| concludes its article as follows:
This plan it will be seen, does away entirely
with state taxes with all the difficulties OF
| equalizing assessment and taxation, giving
each parish sole control over its assessment and
4 tax rate 1t carries the science OF taxation TO
i its highest point of development, but as 1t is so
i radical a change we doubt whether the leglsia-
tire or the public will be prepared to acceptat
all at once and believe that It Will take course
| af education to convince all of the merits OF
this simple yet elective system
( Are the people Of LOUISIANA less IL
6elligent, less reasonable, less amen
able to the demonstration of facts and
| conditions established by indubitable
proof and extended practicalex perience
Than the people of other common
wealths and communities? Manifestly
aot. Why, then, should they require
any further t.course of education"
than a mere presentation of the fact
That in oil the countries of Europe
and in several OF the largest and most
| progressive states of our own country
the principles Of the improved system
Of taxation Endorsed by the Louisiana
1
| ZION, and that the people OF those
states and countries would not for a.
moment entertain a proposition to re-
vert to the crude, unseientific and al
together unsatisfactory methods of as
sessment and taxation to which we are
3linging in this state?
AS the Times Democrat ftly says,
the plan of fiscal reform advocated by
the tax commission is regarded by all
who have given the subject attention
as the best plan extant, and sit carries
he science of taxation to its highest
| point of development. !"
j If the press and public men Of the
state will aid in the dissemination of
.nese undoubted truths among the peo-
Die in general and the members of the
general assembly in particular, it
should be an easy matter to secure at
the coming session of the states law
making bodies such legislation and
he submission of such constitutional
amendments Rs will be necessary to
nave the new system OF taxation car
ried into effect within the least posi-
BILE time.
| Why should we delay getting a
| good thing?
Republicans Saved the Amendment.
| Notwithstanding the very modest
proportions Of the Republican vote
oolled-or, more accurately speaking,
counted-at the recent state election in
louisiana, aggreqating about 1900, or
between eleven aud twelve per cent of
5he total vote, this comparatively IN.
significant Republican minority can
Justly claim the credit of the adoption
If the constitutional amendment con-
solid ating the seven stats tax collect-.
4 ors for Orleans parish into one and
thus saving several huudred thousand
dollars to the public treasury.
/ The covert attempt of the New Or
cans ward bosses to defeat this amend
nent by the same kind of tactics that
! enabled them to nominate candidate
for lieutenant governor who was not
the choice OF a majority of their party,
was almost successful and would have
been accomplished but for the fact that
the Republicans voted solidly for the
amendment. Orleans parish is re-
corded in the returns as having given
an even $4,000 majority against the
amendment, and this was Offset by a
counter majority Of less than II, oG0 in
The other parishes of the state, leaving
a margin under 1000 for adoption.
The Republicans not only specif-
cally favored the reform amendments
IN their published declarations OF prin-
cip1es and policy. but their candidates
and the other Republican speakers
made an sctive campaign for these
measures, arousing an interest in tbs
question that was not confined to Re
/ 9nblicans alone, but exercised no lit
tie influence among Democrats who
might otherwise have been negligent
or lukewarm to the of overlook
ing the Importance of supporting the
/ amendments at the polls.
The Republican party -of. Louisiana,
though too weak numerically to elect
a single member of the general as
Il