The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-08-17

State emancipation from the reign
of Reconstruction in the year
1877. In that year Nichols be-
came Governor and Home Rule
and White Supremacy were es-
tablished. In 1892 the Louisiana
Lottery attempted to perpetuate
its existence by becoming the
only Taxpayer in the State, its
intention being to direct the
State Government indefinitely,
by securing the election of its
friends and preventing the cleo
ton of its enemies to Office. The
attempt of the lottery was de-
feated by the Democracy.
In 1898 the negro was eliminat-
ed from the electorate of the
State. 1t had become necessary
to make this elimination in order
to maintain Home Rule and
White Supremacy. The work
was accomplished by the Democ-
racy of the State. In later
years the Democracy formulated
and developed the present sys-
TEN of primary elections, the OBJ
ject and purpose of the system
being to establish, maintain and
strengthen the principles of Home
Rule and White Supremacy.
Meanwhile, the constitutional
ordinances controlling, defining
and limiting the objects, pur-
poses and rates of taxation for
the State and Parishes have re-
manned practically unchanged.
The Democratic idea prevailed
that all the property in the State,
real and personal, movable and
immovable, excepting certain
specific exemptions, should be
assessed at a fair valuation and
taxed at a rate not exceeding six
mills on the dollar for the State
and not exceeding ten mills on
the dollar for the Parishes. Dur
ing the administration of Cover
nor Blanchard a constitutional
amendment was proposed and
ratified, limiting the rate of
State taxes to five mills instead
of six. This reduction should
have been postponed until after
the debt of the State had been
paid. Common sense and COM
mon honesty are atperfect agree
ment in condemnation of the re-
duction. However, it is little
time and little space that now
and here may be employed in
recommendation or condemnation
of the various policies adopted
from time to time in fixing and
in altering the rate of taxation.
Our present concern is with the
radical proposals now pending,
namely, the proposals of Cover
nor Halls Tax Commission, the
head of which is Mr.. E. H. Farrar.
AS already stated, the Demo-
cratic idea prevailed that all the
property in the State, excepting
Certain exemptions, should be
assessed and taxed, at rates
within definite. limits. There
has been during the past forty
yearsno serious discussion in the
State either for or against the
wisdom, the fairness, or the JUS
tice of that idea which has, all
the while, been embodied in the
Constitution. The radical pro-
posals of the Tax Commission
contemplate the setting aside of
the old system and the substitu-
ton of a new plan. One of the
important proposals is to have
the State collect taxes from the
corporations, such as railroads,
banks, etc.. and to have the Par
ishes collect from such people
and property as may not be con-
tributing to the State. The pro-
posal, insofar as it would collect
State taxes from the corporations
only, is Objectionable and should
not not be tolerated for the fol-
lowing reasons: 1t is an indirect
tax, which means that it is tax
that can and will be shiftedfrom
the corporations which seem to
pay it (the nominal taxpayers)
on to people who earn wages
1.-THE real taxpayers), and the
corporations will become interest
ed in the Government of the
State. In order that they may
successfully shift the taxes it