St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-08-05
limelight eight years ago.

1 Shs LIZ "NO
but to retire to private life for at leas1
four years. Your term as assessor
would not expire until January I
1917, and a part-yes, the main part
of your duties as assessor was tc
assess the property Of this parish fol
1916, for which, of course, you were
to be paid.
Did you take the assessment of this
parish this year? Or did you simply
copy the rolls of 1915 and submit
them to the police jury for approval!
You have been openly charged with
having copied the rolls and in the alb
sence of denials the people whom you
are asking to elect you sheriff must
suppose that the charge is true. The
act itself may be legal but can you
satisfactorily explain your dereliction
of duty? If you failed to perform
your duties as assessor, what assur-
ances have the people that you will
not also "fall down in your duties as
sheriff?
AS assessor you were paid a good
round sum to perform the work Of
TAKING the assessment not COPY
ING the assessment. You we're sup
posed to send deputies into every ward
in this parish, as has been done in the
recent and distant past, both by YOU
and your predecessors in Office, and
secure FROM THE PEOPLE THEM
SELVES their sworn assessment. In
lieu of performing that duty THIS
YEAR as you did LAST YEAR AND
EVERY PREVIOUS YEAR OF YOUR
EIGHT YEARS IN OFFICE you en-
ployed ONE MAN TO COPY THE
ROLLS OF 1915. In view of the fact
that every year before this you have
sent deputies out to take the ssess
ment, if you were RIGHT then you
must have I WRONG this year:
if you were RIGHT in 1916 you must
have beer WRONG each one of the
other SEVEN YEARS of your term.
Did you publish this yea any noti-
fcation of the fact that you would not
send men out to get the assessment
and in that notice advise the taxpay-
ers TO COME IN AND FILE THEIR
ASSESSMENT?
State and parish property values
are determined by the assessment,
That assessment in the main is made
by the parish assessors. On the basis
Of the assessed valuation the state and
parish frame and apportion their ex
pense. That assessment, moreover,
shows whether we are advancing in
wealth or going back. If every as
were to follow the methods used by
you in st. Landry this year the entire
economic system Of the state would
simply go to hell. We all know that
your actions in the premises were
"whitwashed' before the police jury.
We know that the police jury's legal
adviser, who is also a candidate be-
fore the people, said that there was
NOTHING ILLEGAL in your actions.
Perhaps there wasn't, but don't you
wv N ry fhat xroro ac4o h1scbin or = .,
moral precedent which in the future
might work to the harm of st. Landry
parish? Did you not realize what
you were doing when you decided to
let the 1916 assessment remain just
as the 1915 assessment was? If you
had no regard for the people Of st.
Landry after your defeat for sheriff in
January % how can the people ex-
pect you to have any regard for them
if you are elected sheriff on August
Is?
These questions are submitted to
you because the people have the right
to know why you made such a bungle
of the 1916 assessment. You wish
from the people one of the greatest
and most lucrative Offices which they
can bestow. Have your action as
heir assessor in 1916 entitled you tt
any further recognition at the hands
of the people? In your haste to be-
come a candidate-yes, long before
the blood had dried on the bullet
wound which had caused the death
of Marion Swords-you evidently for
got that there were a few real issues
which would stare you in the face
with the announcement of your can
didacy. In your eagerness to fill the
position which you failed to win last
January you rushed pell nell into a
campaign before it was open.
If you are elected on August Is
you will become ex-ofico tax collector.
1t will become your duty to collect
the taxes assessed this year on an
assessment WHICH YOU, as assess
or, DID NOT MAKE. If the salary
bill amendment fails to be adopted
the income you will receive as tax
collector will be. practically, just the
as MI. Swords received for col
the 1915 taxes. Except by the
we have no actual means