The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1918-10-26
THAT JokgR-THERg is NONE
Ny dear Mrs Robinson


the provisions OF the constitutional
amendments Oh taxation There ls mol
Joker and you have misread the bills,
AS can demonstrate very easily The
confusion arises from sour belief that
the uamley and Byrnes Acts providing
Tor oae aud a hair mlll tax for schools
are one aud the same Tbe IIamle} Ae'|
provides for STATE tax OF one ard q
half mills }ur srhoois 10 b, collected
and paid into the State Treasury and
then profated and sent back 10 the
parishes according TO The number of ed.
urablc chlheB
The Ryrue Act provides for a parish
taN af one and a hall mills jo b. levied
Iby the police jury and paid over 70 the
school board og that particular parish
one is the state tax. the other les
parish tax both being f8f schools Yea
sax the Eastman amendment provides
that state taxes shall be- limited to
Three mills provided that # the IiamteH
or Byrucs amendment fails il shall be
four mills" II you had left out the
words or Byrues ia the above, YOU
would have been correct The Ryrne-
amendment Us a parish tax and has no
reference or connection with the East
ham Act whatsoever That is error hum
Der one
Now you further state that the Byrne
IbhI must be- passed To reduce the par
| ish tax limit Ia five mills This Is mis-
Itake number lWo The ityraD btil pro
vides lluttt Of five mills on all special
district taxation aud not on the parish
aItmouy tax The parish alimons tax b
limited So aye mills by the Eastman
Act. paragraph two
Ne utsh 10 be- perfectly frank The
Eastman Acr No lsl s the main
amendment and any taxpayer who
votes against IL is leaving the door
tide open for extravaganza by the Leg
lslature. the police jury the city goun
GA. the Ieye board. etc II places a sallI-
| nR limit on the rates of taxation tof
all purposes Tho state rate is cut TO
three muls, including the Confederate
veterans tax, but tho provisions for q
State tax for public education T9 not
neinded ia this. because separate
Act tthe EIamley bllIl provided Tor
same at one and half mills
Now then, the Legislator dld not
know bar ahat III" people might re.
fuse this additional tax for schools
| land vote down the HamIey amend.
mcut and If hat vas done there
would be no State money for schools
| This Ted 20 the suggestion that we
oupht to give the school al least Que
mill. should the aeople vote down the
min and 4 half SO as not 70 leave the
schools destitute and deprived Of all
State money Hence II the Hamley
amendment j. voted down there will
still be one mili State tax for schools
and the Ryrnes amendment has moth.
ing TO do with II at all
The occasion of the Byrnes amend.
ment rs just this Professor Harris
thought the State ought to give one
aud a hall mills and the parishes three
mills for public education and abolish
an this special district system Of taxa
ton Now the Eastman amendment,
as above stated cat the parish tax So
| five mills and provided that the par.
ishes must give the school board at
least one and a bali mills ont Of the
FIVE mills, because the present ronsti
tuition requires them SO give three
mills ont Of their ten mill tax. both
being Cul in half as YOU can see We
knew the parishes could not afford 60
give three mills ont al tlve mills tax,
as they would not have enough money
left 20 pay parish expenses. so the
Hyrues bill vas proposed which Ieyes
ouc and a half mills additional parish
tax Tor schools aud the people can
vote Il down or not, a. they please.
and il viii have nu effect whatever on
the Eastman amendment limiting all
taxation They are Independent Of
each other entirely.
The entire increase In taxation is
for the schools. and the iIamIpy and
Hyrhcs amendments provide therefore
That h a matter pat up 10 the iudiyt
dual taxpayer Does he want 10 pay
more taxes for public education So ne
20 give the teachers fair salaries or
not is the sole question to be- deter.
mined
Please pardon the l.Hsth - this
communication, but kuo 0ar de.
sire 10 be fair and not 20 m cad the
public has prompted ne - write you
fully and frankly as haze CA the sub
jet shall bc very glad 20 further
answer any question concerning ans
~ these fiscal amendments for as.