St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1913-01-25

: considered safer investments BY
many bond purchasers, thar
those issued by the governing
bodies direct.
And he brought home to us a
condition which threatens not
only the development, but the
very existence of our larger
towns and cities, and particularly
the City Of Opelousas; that years
ago when our parish was ira
versed by no railroads, and in
later years when by but one and
then two crossing sections far
apart, practically all of our farm
ers were forced to come to the
large towns and cities fifteen,
twenty, even thirty and forty
miles from their farms, hauling
their productsin covered wagons,
making long and difficult trips at
whatever cost and trouble, in
many cases leaving their homes
at daybreak Or before and reach
ing the towns SO late that they
We're forced to stay there over
night and return the next day.
and all because they had it to do,
because they could not dispose Of
their products at any closer mar
ket, because there was no more
accessible point from which they
could ship, at which they could
purchase their necessary supplies
and such few luxuries as they
could enjoy. They didn't do
this because they enjoyed the
long trips over poor dirt roads.
and the finale Of urging their
tired teams through the mud Of
impossible streets to go
from store to store until finally
unable to move further and
forced to sell and buy at the
closest place to the edge of town.
diditpurely from necessity.
How many Of these people,
come here now? Think of this
naturely. The new railroads
cutting up our parish in every
have placed close to
he doors of a large percentage
i these farmers, small flag sta
ions easy of access, where little
have grown up, with pros Z
porous merchants who are buy !,
ng goods from the big cities. !
'hlpplng the products of the ]
leighboring farmers direct to {
he big markets. They are even ;
direct from the large 8
'ltles, sitting at a table in their r
ZONES and writing out orders for /
nail by the rural delivery, now >
'ossible for delivery by the par :
els post, rather than negotiate |
he difficult roads and streets toll U
town or city not much further {
. than their flag station. This :
progress. We cannot stop it, !
re must meet it. Wemust make t
VI towns and cities accessible: T
re must make it a journey of
leasure to reach them; our pros
erous farmer must be able to p
pin to them in his automobile or G
ght wagon at a rapid rate: our G
reefs must be clean and light
or traffic; we must provide n
easements and attraction toIf
draw them to us; we must too !,
comforts and offer in
dement's which will attract to al
new immigrants, new blood to m
more fully the territory St
oser to our towns and replace =
e trade we have necessarily u
I'd permanently lost from Sec So
ons SO far removed that we can in
yer recover them. =.
And he told US another. thing ~
at had entered the heads Of tn
If any of his auditors before. W,
that We all know, but w,
yer realize. Who pays most ~, ~
our taxes? Is it the poor III
oorer, the average salaried pli
IN, the small farmer, the sue in.
'sfal planter or merchant? Is
the citizen who casts the vote ye
llch decides whether or not we ov,
vote the bond issue, and ito
y the tax, or is it the non-res- -;
mt corporation which has no aiii
ce In your decision? Go to to
II Assessor and he will tell the
that while the entire as 30,
SEQ valuation taxable property !.
his parish is over $1,000. 900. !
his the nonresident railroad. Ha
Der holding, and other cor VIII
atoms with no voice in the
ter are assessed for about pro
900, and the only portion bar
by actual voting taxpayers Of mis-
IaiisA 3 { n2ere 81 ono. lo0. G.