St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-10-21

no right 10 complain should they
be compelled to pay taxes or
properly not hitherto assessed
Surely the legislature knows NOR.
about the purpose OF the amend
menJ then sucn opponents.
| doubt very much whether any
poor man who has a small tract
oil land and a small number OF
stock will have any more taxes
to pay-he may have to pay less
That the state needs additional
revenue is not denied, and that
some means to provide the neces-
sary revenue for state purposes
can not be denied, and the ques-
ton arises how is this addition.
al revenue to be provided.
The opponents of this amend
ment claim that the present laws
OF assessment are amply suffici-
ent, which is unquestlonably
true, if the assessors were to do
their duty, for the present law
provides in section 20 of Act ITO
of 1898, "that all real estate and
personal property subject to tax
alton as enumerated by section
l of this act and not exempt by
law, shall be estimated by the
assessors Of the several parishes
of the state, parish of Orleans
excepted, at its actual cash
value
No discretion whatever is Civ
en- to- these assessors to fix any
percentage of the cash value.
They have done so in violation Of
of law all over the state and have
been doing it.
There is absolutely no guaran-
tee under the present condition
of things, if the assessors are
left to do as they have formerly,
that the assessments would pro-
duce the necessary amount, of re-
venue needed by the state. An
assessor is an elective Office, not
subject to removal except by i'm
peachnsent. Under the former
laws in existence assessors were
appointed by the governor and
subject to removal by him. Not
so now. The governor has no
control over the assessors and it
is utterly idle to talk about re-
sorting to impeachment to make
assessors do their duty. We have
a right to infer that if they have
never assessed property at its
cash value as required by law,
To defeat this amendment and
leave us where we were before,
they will not do so in the future.
the state could not raise money
enough to pay its expenses, and
the legislature will be confronted
with the necessity to make some
provision at it's next session for
the payment of what the state re-
to be carried on.
A Few Words to the Voters
It is manifestly the duty OF
every citizen who can read and
write to study this amendment IN
connection with existing laws in
to arrive at a just conclu-
sion as to how he should vote. Il
on the other hand a voter cannot
read and write and as a democrat
desires to vote upon this question,
let me say to him that this
amendment was adopted by one
members of the legisla-
ture in favor of it and nine
against it and by thirty-eight
Of the senate and one
against it. So that the amend
nent was adopted by a large ma
of these representatives N
The legislature who have submit
led it to the voters of the state
FOR their approval. Both of you
senator's and two of your
three representative in the house
voted for this amendment and
one against it.
1t is a safe rule in matters OF
kind where a voter is unable
10 inform himself, to follow the
of their representatives.
the judgmment OF one
hundred representatives in the
legislature and thirty-eight SEN
ators is much more apt to be cor
rect in its conclusion than the
nine in the house and one in the
who stood in opposition.
This amendment is a democratic
measure, submitted to the people
by a democratic administration,
and is intended, to %equalize taxa
ton and to put upon the tax roll
property not heretofore taxed,
and not to increase taxation.
I therefore urge upon the peo-
Die to vote for this amendment as
democratic measure and as an
honest effort on the part of their
representatives to make their
taxes equal and uniform, in the