The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-11-01
SQUARE deaf,
TN T. AZ. T s
EVILS III Present System Demand Remedies Proyid-
Cd i'll Amendment No. I-Plan Well
Done and Not Hurried
by E. E. Moise)

SN"i" dSO III me report Of the com
mission appointed by Governor Blanch
ard, That commissions report, which
recommended segregation, was never
considerably the legislature that wen
out III May. All three candidates fol-
governor advocated change. 81
favor the segregation Of state an(
local TAXATION" said John 7. Michel
believe that the segregation Of STATE
and local revenue is the onjy remedy
SaiI Dr.. J. B. AsWen. we demand q
fundamental change in cur obsolete
and unjust SYSTEM" said Governor
Hall. Former Governor Sanders an(
Hen Theodore S. Wilkinson have ex
pressed themselves similarly.
Governor Hall brought together q
tax commission composed CT members
OF the legislature and tax experts
Their report went to the Legislature
and the commission assisted the legis
Eature III perfecting The minor details
Of The plan as it is proposed in Amend
ment No. /, and in writing the other
tax amendments not vital to the reform
CT the present system.
The legislature spent the Is days
extra session on IS bills and Is reSo
lutionS, total Of 81 items of legisla.
ti0n, It had attended to S33 items in
GO days at the regular session. Is days
is onequarter OF SO days. The logis
lature Landed 208 bills and resolutions
in Is days Of the regular session and
only 81 at the extra session. The good
men had to fight many lobbyists. The
lobbyists knew they would be very
closely watched at the extra session
and the worst Of them kept away.
The figures show that the regular
session worked near seven times as
fast as the extra session, and without
expert advice. Figure it cut for your
self. You will have to conclude that
there is nothing in the silly statement
that the work was rushed.
That the people want a change is ad.
mittad. That the plan proposed is the
well considered and carefully worked
out system Of experts who know other
tax systems than our own and a legis'
lature that knows Louisiana is clear.
The questions open for debate are
these: Does the plan benefit the whole
people? Will it stop tax lodging?
Does it give home rule in taxation,
tighten the burden of the small property
owner and load their rightful share OF
the expenses Of government on the
corporations, railroads and other big
interests" that have escaped? Does
if tie the load on so it will stay?
Lands in north Louisiana are more
heavily assessed in proportion to their
value than in south Louisiana. The
north then pays more and the south
less than is fair Of the state taxes.
Lands will be assessed only for local tax.
alton. They will not be taxed by the
state. This is home rule in taxation
and it removes the evil without hurt
inc the south. What one section col
lects for and spends on its local affairs
does not concern the other. See Sec.
ton of Article z.
The state now levies mills tax en-
all property. The road tax is Ia mill
and the Confederate pension fund tax
IS mill. The adoption of the Confeder'
ate pensions amendment No. 5, In.
ereasing the tax to one MILL is abso'
,utely certain. Then the state taxes
will be 6 Ia mills. In return for the
property segregated to the state, the
marshes are authorized to levy mills
in addition to their present rate. The
taxnavers therefore save ia mill that
they will pay if Amendment No. be
defeated. See Section |, Article s,
Amendment No. /, and read your tax
bills.
The state road tax is cut out. What
becomes of the roads? See Paragraph
y Article 8, Amendment No. l, which
cives the roads $4,000 and half the
automobile tax, which is conservative
" estimated to total 100000. See Sec
tion 4, Article 3. The parishes are
ordered to spend their half OF the
s,0, 600 on the roads. The parishes
can collect a SIS license also on each
automobile.
What about the veterans? See
Amendment No. ), and Paragraph c. OF
Article 9 in No. 1. The reform Amend.
rnent guarantees the veterans the