The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1913-08-02
COM UNicATIoN.

| IHt 4ueStloHS OF ROAD taXatl0n an0
road building seem to occupy a good
deal of public attention at the present
time.
Apropos of this matter, | will say
that in the present depressed financial
land industrial condition of the parish
OF West Feliciana, due to the destruc.
ton of her chief industry by the boil
weevil, the proposition to purchase ex.
pensive road building and road repair.
ing machinery by the parish presents
to my minds eye the picture of man
whose sole habiliment consists of a
tsingle garment, and who, having come
across ten dollars, invests it all in a
fine beaver hat.
think that the purchase of traction
engine road outfits by the parish, and
the establishing of road system there
with, is an unjustifiable expense at the
present time and is detrimental to the
best interests of the parish.
| do not believe that there is any
earnest attempt being made to work
the public roads of this parish by any
system whatsoever. believe that if
such an attempt was made we could
get along under the old system, as we
did so previously when the agricultu-
raj tonnage moved in this parish was
ten times as great as it is at the pres
ent time. | was road overseer of
this parish for twelve years and kept
an almost perfect dirt road, as every
body knows, which cost the parish
nothing. | worked this road one or
two days in the spring and two days in
August. This was all the time requir.
ed. 1t is true that there is less labor
on the roads now than formerly, but
this could be compensated for by u.s.
ing split-log drags, heavy harrows and
some simple tools for road working.
At any rate, we could get along with
out adding greater burdens to our al
ready crippled people.
| believe that public business, like
private business, should be conducted
along lines of strict economy
think that when the new court
house is paid for, and the purpose is
accomplished for which the people of
this parish placed upon themselves ad.
ditional taxes, these extra taxes should
be abolished by the police jury and not
diverted for the purpose of road build
ing, thus becoming special road tax
instead OF a special court house tax.
In fact | do not see what right the po-
lice jury would have to do this, as the
question Of taxation for the public
roads was put before the people of
| this parish at the last election in No
vember, 1912, and was voted down by
them. Such being the case, | would
like to know why this question is be-
| ing continuously agitated.
/ presume that the fact of the bust
mess is this: When the court house is
paid for, If the extra taxes which were
voted by the people for this purpose
are continued, there will be an accu-
mutation of some money in the parish
treasury and when this is the case
there is always some party, or parties,
ready with contract of some kind to
get it out. For this reason the taxpay-
ers should never allow money to accu-
mulate in the treasury, but should keep
the taxes down to the lowest amount
that will run their government, eco
nomically administered.
This disposition to make arrange
ments to get the money out of public
treasures seems to be inherent in hui
mainly, and does not call for any spec
ial feeling or excitement in the matter,
but 1t behooves the taxpayers to wake
up and attend to their affairs, other
wise they will suffer pecuniary loss.
A short while ago l noticed in your
paper, in Extracts from The True
Democrat published twenty-one years
ago." the following: Parish taxes
four mills, money in the treasury
100000" How that little news item
recalls the past. The old police jury
that brought about these results, com.
posed of Duncan Stewart, Richard But
Ter, DR.. Dederick, Robert Daniel, Rob.
ert Thoms, Charles Tempel and others
that | do not now recall. How the
aforesaid parties tried to get the $4,000
with various contracts, how those old
Romans stood~them off, how the afore-
said parties called them "old skin
fiints" and said that "they were too
mean to live" how they retorted by
saying that "they believed that public
office was public trust, that they had