The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1912-09-28
A DILEMMA.

Uttt div tiibSS wiz tOHtSI"
that the proposed amendments TO
the constitution Of the State
should be voted down on Novem-
Der 9TH, next, because too much
authority is vested in the proposed
Tax Commission giving it the pow
er to raise the assessments on
those properties taken over by the
State.
The present Board Of Assess
ment Equalizers has just about
the same powers and the members
are governed by their own discre-
ton in fixing assessments. There
is nothing to prevent the present
board from raising the assessment
throughout the State the moment
the States revenues from taxation
fails to provide the funds to meet
the States expenses. Which horn
of the dilemma will you take!
The Governor, III his address at
Alexandria, brought out with pref
ty strong emphasis that it had
been calculated that the State will
need So, 900, 900 in order to enable
1t to meet the just demands Of It's
schools, roads, asylums, veterans,
and proper departmental expenses
in 1914 These calculations also
indicate that the present system
Of assessing together with the
present rate of taxation will yield
4 revenue in 1914 of but 1000, 600.
This Will show IA deficit OF $1,000
900 What's to be done? There
seems to be but two avenues open
to us.
First: Vote down the proposed
constitutional amendment and
keep our present system, with all
of its assessment inequalities be.
tween the parishes, iOwns, and
cities; with all Of its sins or ''dOu-
bic" and "erronpOus" assessments
now borne; with all OF it's uniuly
expensive features for assessing
properties and collecting taxes;
with all Of its mistaken philosophy
enforced in licensing vocations.
Keep our present system Of taxa
ton by which the small property
holder is forced to bear the bur
den of government in an anfair
proportion; by which the ''big ill.,
terests" and natural resources
have been able to shift this bur.
den to other shoulders other than
their own. Keep our present sys.
TEN and be assured that our as
sessment must be and will be rails
ed 25 cents on the dollar next
year; provided, there is a fair dis
tribItiOn of this raise-bltt, as the
favored taxdodger has in the past
such burdens to the shout
'lers Of the humber property hold
ers, the prospects are not very re-
assuring and cannot prompt us to
believe that this class will be nor e
dealt with in future in
creases of assessments. Keep our
present system and regret it when
it is more firmly fastened upon us.
Second: Vote for segregation
and the Constitutional amend.
meDts, thereby securing homernle
in our assessments; hOmernle IN
our tax collections; the possibility
Of effecting economies in these de-
the abolition of the
State license tax in most instances;
and cure a hundred ills of the
present system, where there is lit
tie hope Of successfully reaching
them through boards of eqnalizers.
Segregation will give the small
property holder the privilege and
advantage of dealing with an as
SCISSOR controlled by the parish au-
aud not one controlled
by State officials. Segregation
means the increasing Of the reve.
nues of the town and parish, with
out increasing the rate of taxation
it means enllghtenment-it
means progress.
Which horn of the dilemma will
you vote for