The herald., 1912-09-19

modelling the States system Oh assess
Section i. Be it resolved by the
General Assembly of the State OF Lou
isiana. two-thlrds of all the members
elected to each House concurrlng'
That the following amendment 10 the
Constitution of the State of Louisiana
be and the same is hereby submitted
to the qualified electors OF the state
at the Congressional election 10 De
held on the first Tuesday after the hrst
Monday, IN the month of November, in
the year 1912, to-wlt:
Article /.
/, The taxing power shall be eXer-
cised by the state and by its sub
divisions for public purposes only.
2 The taxing power shall never De
muted or contracted away; but where
surrendered, suspended, given, com
parishes or municipal corporations
shall grant exemptions from parish OF
exceed ten years from date of compile
ton to encourage the establishment OF
industrial enterprises, or similar eA-
emption to immigrants OF the vaIue
auued by them to vacant property
owned and occupied as homestead
such exemptions shall not be with
drawn either as to enterprises eslap,
lished or substantially begun in good
faith. or as to immigrants who have
actually acquired and improved or IN
good faith begun 10 improve tneil
homesteads, since the granting OF the
exemption. The General Assembly on
behalf of the State, and the governlns
authorities of all subdivisions OF the
State on behalf of such subdivision
may defer for not more than three
wears the collection of taxes in local.
| ties subjected to overflow or othei
public calamity.
3. The General Assembly shall have
power to classify all property i1r TAX ak
rates for different. classes, but suct
rules and rates shall be equal and UNI.
| form on all subjects of the same class
authority levying the tax. All sucl
| classifications shall be based on tht
| characteristics of the property ltsell
or its use. and never on persons OF
| a. Except in case of foreign invasion
| or domestic revolution, the General AS
| sembly shall not have power TO lev.
any ad valorem property tax IN eHces'
| sembly shall not exceed the rate %
two and one-half per cent except %!
| a vote of two-thirds OF all the mem
bers elected to each house thereon
| Article H.
1. The sources of State and loca
revenue shall be segregated ana eX
cept as hereinafter specified, or as ma.
be hereafter permitted by vote .
two-thirds of all the members electe'
to each House of the General Assem-
bly. each taxing authority shall De re
stricted in taxation to its own source
of revenue as herein assigned
2. Until otherwise provided py
vote of two-thirds Of all OF the mem
bers elected to each House OF the Gen
eral Assembly. the following snail
the sources of State revenue:
LIST. The special taxes hereina1te
provided for.
End. All corporations. private per
sons and unincorporated association
that operate any railroad raining unue
the Jurisdiction of the Railroad CoIii
mission of Louisiana; street railroad
Combined street railroad and electri
light and power business; heating Q
refrigeration plant, mot inclusive
cold storage plant); telephone nne
erwise; express line, dining car, sleel
ing car, oil car, refrigeratlng car, .
cars for any other purpose operatln
upon railroads in this state: steanDoa
motor boat, steamship, ferry, parg
and tug, or other water craft, whel
operated for hire, canal for transports
. ton or irrigation, and pipe hne Ior
; or gas. When the electric Hgnt an
| power business conducted in con1un'
ton with any street railroad can I
, practically severed from the street raj
road business for purposes OF asses
ment then such severance S Sdas sucb aie,
, trio light and power business sha
: not be a source Of State revenue.
3rd. All banks. State and Natlons
Including savings banks, trust PAM
and trust companies, and all prlva
bankers, whether individuals or par
: lnerships. save that the real estate
I all banks and bankers shall De Iocal
assessed and taxed. The assessmen
4 of the real estate of banks and pam
ers shall be eQualized annually py u
, Tax Commission to the basis esta
. Iished and in vogue in each local1
q where such real estate is located.
!. 4th. All insurance companies lncIu
. ing bonding and surety companies, 10
. eign or domestic, and all persons al
= partnerships engaged In insurlng pc
6 sons or property, save that all the re
estate and corporal property OF su
= companies, persons or partnershi
: shall be locally assessed and taxed. -,
q 5th All sugar refineries, rice mil
!, cotton seed oil mills, cotton seed
a refineries and refineries of petroleu
q and its products. A sugar refinery
\ hereby defined to be concern tn
q buys and refines raw sugar exclusiV
:. Ily. or a concern that buys and rem
: more raw sugar than the aggregate
> grown and purchased by it.
: 9Th. All mines of sulphur, salt
II other minerals, all oil or gas wells,
N stone Quarries. sand, gravel ana sn
y pits.
10 state sources of revenue shall be sc
II regated to the State. The General
n sembly shall define, in a manner
Al inconsistent with any provisions
Is this amendment what the operatl
property Of each such source Is. H
d, estate and the Improvements there
d forming part of any railroad termin
~ llnrof m vard 0P WQrohOua0 or 9n