The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-06-21
TALLULAH La. JUNE = |. 1913.
The ASSESSMENT AND PUBLIC
UTILITIES.
Fairview La, June 10th, 1918.

Fairview La, June 10th, 1913.
Editor Concordia Sentinel:
DEAR SIR:-Among the proceedings
of the Police Jury at its meeting on the
second inst, and printed in the Sentinel
OF the It'll, the following resolution was
unanimously adopted: "That the
President be authorized to appoint
committe to appear before the Boaxd Of
Equalization at it's next meeting at Baton
Rouge, to endeavor to have the assess
ments in Concordia parish reduced
The natural inference that will be
drawn from the above resolution, by
those who are not acquainted with the
facts, is, that have put an exorbitant
assessment on the property OF the par
ish this year, and that the Police Jury
is appealing to the Board OF Civilization
for relief that refused to give the tax
payers.
Now let us analyze that perfectly
natural inference and see what relation
ship it bears TO the facts in the case.
IN 1911 assessed the best open land
at $40 pr. acre, ranging down to 81 and
s. in the Tenth ward, and from So to
$40 in the First ward; mules as $50,
horses at $40, cattle at So and lumber at
s.. The Board of Equalization raised
shat assessment as follows: Open
land IL per cent, cattle per cent, and
lumber 8 per cent, leaving the other
items as had put them. All the levee
taxes were on that year. Owing to tho
disastrous flood OF last year, with the
consent OF the Board of Equalization, |
placed the assessment at about 80 per
cent of that OF 1911, and the Levee
Board put on no tax whatever. This
! wear ! have assessed the best open land
at $40 pr. acre ranging down to So and
50 in the Tenth ward, $40 to So in the
First ward, mules $40, horses $50, cattle
so, wagons and buggies $40, according
to their condition. have not hog or
sheep on the roll. The Levee Board
has pu. on Z mills, which, with the 8
mills for the parish and 5 mills for the
\ State make 20 mills in all.
Now is there anything exoIbitant in
those assessments for this year? They
mean a tax of Zoe an acre on the best
open land, Soc head for cattle! If
that be an excessive taxation, then are
we poor indeed!
Is Zoe per acre tax for open land on
Sycamore too much when it sold recent
ly for more than 100000 with less
than half of it open land? Is Zoe per
acre tax for open land on Morville too
much when it sold recently was sold
recently for sa4.OOO.OOP
Is PC per acre tax for open land on
the splendid plantations from Clayton
to Frogmore, too much, where seap-
water never troubles them? and the
same on all the fire places from Vidalia
toL'Argent, including the Carter places
shat would sell for 500 per acre? the
same on the fine places from Vidalia to
Warricut, and other parts Of the Par
ish? Is soc head tax on mules that
cost 5000 too much-60c tax on horses
and 12c on cattle too much?
Does the committee propose to ask
the Board of Equalization to reduce
those assessments? In the light OF past
experience with that Board. would
humbly suggest that they appeal to
them not to increase them! In my
opinion that would be their proper
function. There is no doubt that the
parish has suffered heavy loss from the
recent food, but nothing TO compare
with that of last year, since there are
thousaAd of acres in crops that did not
go under this year. In the absence OF
all levee taxes this year except z mills
the present assessment should not be
considered excessive, since the parish
will need a sufficient revenue for its
legitimate purposes.
will mention that the town proper
ties In Vidalia, Ferriday and Clayton
did not share in the general reduction
last year as they should have done, but
they will get liberal reduction this
year.
How the parish..is to get sufficient
revenue for the absolutely necessary
internal improvements by adopting the
theory OF the Police Jury-that body OF
first. class gentlemen but fourth class
statesmen-that the parish is absoIu-
tely worthless and therefore unable to
do anything for itself, while the fact is,
it is entirely free from debt with money
in the Treasury, is problem not easily
solved until an entirely new admins
tration of affairs is inaugurated. "By
their works shall We know them" or
Letter, perhaps, by their want ofworks
shall ye know them!
Look at the public buildings, which
are dis, }Sce TO any civilized commun-
ity.--the Court House rotting down and
fit only for the bats that infest them
willie the Jail is fit companion of those
in Europe during the dark ages, and