The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-10-28
Letter From IaSal!e Parish Published
at Request of Mr., M0diSette

at Request OF MI. M0ulSe,ie
At the request Of Hon. j. Q. Modl-
settle of Jennings, we publish the FOL
lowing communication, which is the
pist of letter with which he favored
US a few days ago, and as per his
suggestion, we take the liberty of COM
menting on the same:
"Summerville, La, Oct. Is, 1910.
}. Q. Modisette, Jennings, La. Dear
Sir:-Y0urs of 9th inst. to hand. Our
rate of taxation for LaSalle Parish is
the same as it was in Catahoula be-
fore the division, viz. ten mills. Our
valuation are also the the same. The
assessed valuations Of this parish for
this year is S3,700, 600: of Catahoula
Parish for this year is S2,01o, 900, ag-
gregating about the same as Catahoula
Parish before division. You can get
CatahOula's assessment from the Clerk
at HarriSonburg, La. Yours truly,
L. Nj. Davis" Mr.. Davis is clerk of
the police Jury Of LaSalle Parish.
Mr.. AIodisette seems to think that
the fact that the tax rate OF LaSalle
parish has not cen increased since its
separation from Catahoula parish
clinches the assertion being made by
the divisionisls that a division Of Cal.
casieu would not increase the rate OF
taxation. We are surprised that a
man of Mr.. M0disette's well known
ability should advance so faulty an
argument. We might answer this ar.
gument as the man did when sued on
the charge that his dog had killed his
neighbours sheep. He said he had fifty
good reasons to show that his dog did
not kill his neighbours sheep. That
the first reason was that be did not,
nor never had owned dog. LaSalle's
tax rate has not been increased because
-" "\S ALREADY UP TO THE
CUNo lTUTIONAL LIMIT OF TEN
MILLS, and hence could not be in
creased. Catahoula before division was
com paratively small parish having
less than a Sc, 900, 900 assessment, and
was taxed to the full limit, so of course
when LaSalle was cut off, it was a
constitutional impossibility for the
rate to be increased.
a comparison of this kind is useless
except we compare the advantages en-
loved in the respective parishes. We
have 1t from we'll known physician
! who has resided in CatahOula and La
Sale parishes for many years, thai
the parish is practically destitute O.
roads. That little or no attention i:
given to the Improvement of the pub
| lie highway. and that they are in nc
wise comparable with the highway O.
Calcaseu. We find bv an eXamina
parish for 1910 that 50, 731. % is apprO
priated for the construction and re
pair of roads and bridges on THE EN-
TIRE PARISH. But little more thar
half as much as the police Jury of Cal
casieu gives to each ward for the sam.
purpose.
In the matter Of schools we find tina
aside from the constitutional limit O
10 mills levied by the police jury
there is five mill school tax GOVERN!
the entire parish, and that even thel
they are unable to maintain as long
school term As Calcasieu, nor to EN-
ploy as high priced teachers.
Relative to The remainder OF Mr.
M0diSette's communication it deal!
with the oft repeated assertions that NJ
one has any real economic reason!
for opposing parish division excep
parish officials, etc. which statement,
have been routed in fthese columns SC
often that we will not take the space fol
a further discussion of them now.
We trust that we have made it cleal.
not only to MIR. M0disette but to t.,
other readers of the journal, as well
that the conditions prevailing in Ln
Sale parish are by no means warraD
for the division Of calcasieu.