From the Lafayette Gazette of August 24th, 1901: HOW IT WAS RAISED. An Incident of the Industrial School Campaign Not Generally Known. It will be remembered that the contest for the Industrial Institute which resulted so happily for Lafayette, was not won without what the politicians call a stiff fight. Every honorable means had to be employed to secure the coveted prize. Or course, it is well understood that no man or set of men did it all. It was as victory achieved by the people of the whole parish, and, Schley said about the battle of Santiago, there was glory enough for everybody, but there is one incident of that interesting contest which is perhaps not generally known. For feat that it any have escaped the attention of some The Gazette will give that incident this somewhat tardy notice. A few hours before the propositions of the competing towns were submitted, the men who had Lafayettes interests in charge held a hurried consultation and decided that more cash was needed to win out. The two-mill tax had been voted, but it had not yet been collected and there was no money obtainable from that source. It was proposed to have the local banks advance ten thousand dollars to be paid out of the revenues of the tax. Or course it was necessary to secure the required security as a guaranty to the banks. It was then that the following gentlemen attached their signatures to four notes, each one being for $2,500: N. P. Moss, Julian Mouton, Wm. Clegg, O. C. Mouton, Charles O. Mouton, E. G. Voorhies, C. Debaillon, Wm. Campbell, C. C. Brown, Crow Girard, S. R. Parkerson, Chas. D. Caffery, I. A. Broussard, H. M. Durke, Alt. A. Delhomme, L. C. Delhomme, A. M. Martin. This very commendable act on the part of these gentlemen raised Lafayettes cash donation to $18,000. That was the blow that nearly killed father and all competitors gracefully conceded the victory to Lafayette. Or course, it has not been necessary for the guarantors to pay one cent of the ten thousand dollars; nevertheless, they manifested a spirit of progress - we may say of patriotism - which is not often seen in this selfish world. Lafayette Gazette 8/24/1901. PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. It is Proposed to Build a School House, a Market and an Extension of the Waterworks and Electric Lights. The following petition is being presented to the tax-payers of this town for their signatures, and, we are pleased to say, only six or seven persons have, so far, refused to sign it: To the Hon. Mayor and Members of the City Council of Lafayette, La. -- We, the undersigned property tax-payers of the corporation of Lafayette, Louisiana, being and constituting one third of the total number of property tax-payers of said town, entitled to vote under the provisions of the State constitution, respectfully show: That the following described public improvements are urgent public necessities in said town, to-wit: 1. Grounds and buildings for a first-class modern high school (for white children), requiring not less than $20,000. 2. The extension of the water mains of said town, for the extinghishment of fire, and other purposes, and also the extension of the electric light system for additional street lights, and for private lighting requiring not less than $10,000. 3. Ground and building for a first-class public market house, requiring not less than $20,000. And petitioners further show that there are no funds in the treasury of said town to acquire and construct said improvements, and that same can only be required by the levying, assessing and collecting of special taxes therefor and issuing bonds thereon. 4. And petitioners further show that there are outstanding $30,000 of six per cent bonds issued under Act. No. 90 of the Acts of the Legislature of 1896, to obtain the present water and light system of this town, and that it is to the best interest of said town that said bonds should be called in and replaced by five per cent bonds with greater length of time for redemption. Wherefore, we respectfully petition your honorable body to order a special election in said town of Lafayette, Louisiana, under the constitution and laws of the State, for the purpose of ascertaining and determining whether or not it is the sense and desire of the property tax-payers of said town of Lafayette, that special taxes based upon the assessed valuation of property of said town according to the official rolls, be assessed levied and collected, for twenty-five years, beginning with the year 1902, at the rates and for the purposes hereinafter set forth, upon which tax, and the public faith and credit of said town, negotiable bonds shall be issued by the City Council of said town, in such denominations as may be found convenient, bearing five per cent per annum interest, payable in twenty-five years (interest payable annually) with right to call in the same as said tax is collected. And the rates of said taxes and the purposes for which they are levied and intended, and said bonds issued, and now declared to be as follows: 1. To procure grounds and buildings for a first-class modern public high school in said town, a special tax of 1 1/4 mills on the dollar upon the assessed valuation of property aforesaid, shall be levied and collected, upon which tax bonds shall be issued for the sum of twenty thousand dollars. 2. For the extension of the water mains and light system as herein above set forth, a special tax of five eighths of one mill on the dollar upon the assessed valuation of property aforesaid, shall be levied and collected, upon which bonds shall be issued for the sum of ten thousand dollars. 3. To procure the ground and building for a first-class public market house, a special tax of one and one-fourth mills on the dollar upon the valuation of property aforesaid, shall be levied and collected, and upon which bonds shall be issued for the sum of twenty thousand dollars. 4. To retire and replace the outstanding bonds issued under Act No. 90 of 1896, for the present water and light system, a special tax of one seven-eighth mills on the dollar of the assessed valuation aforesaid, shall be levied and collected, and upon which bonds shall be issued for the sum of thirty thousand dollars. All of which taxes shall be levied and collected, and said bonds issued, for the time and in the manner herein above set forth and the title to said improvements shall be in said municipality, and subject to the control of said City Council, and said bond not be sold for less than par. And we further petition that said propositions be submitted to the qualified voters at said special election, in such manner that the voter may vote separately on each, for or against, as he may desire. It is obviously unnecessary for us to expatiate upon the plan clearly set forth in the petition. It is understood that the levying of the proposed tax will not increase the present rate of taxation. The five-mill tax, which is being collected for the payment of the waterworks and electric light bonds, will be discontinued the day that the new tax is levied, because the plan is to call in the outstanding bonds. The fourth proposition on the petition refers to the matter of bonds. As explained in the petition it is a distinct proposition to be voted on separately. It is, however, the foundation of the plan and it must first be adopted before the other propositions can be made effective. In other words, if proposition No. 4 is defeated the whole plan falls to the ground. Proposition No. 1 provides for the expenditure of not less than $20,000 for the purchase of a suitable grounds and the building thereon of a modern school house for the use of the white children of the town. We do not think that any argument is necessary to convince an intelligent person of the necessity of a new school building. The present buildings are clearly inadequate. The second proposition provides of the extension of the waterworks and electric light plant. For this work not less than $10,000 is to be spent. It is well known that the plant, in its present condition, fails to meet the requirements of this community. The residents in several streets have not had an opportunity to enjoy the benefits derived from the plant equally with people living in other portions of the town. The proposed extension of the plant will make it possible for a much greater number of people to receive the benefits of both light and water. The third proposition provides for a public market which is to cost not less than $20,000. The Gazette does not believe in a public market. It fails to see the resultant benefits which will justify the expenditure of $20,000 for a market. The Gazette believes that propositions 1, 2 and 4 will meet with little, if any, serious opposition. The matter is so presented to the tax-payers that each proposition is considered separately. This question is of vital importance to the people of the town - to the tax-payers in particular. We hope that the solution that will be made of it will be in accord with the progress of the times. Lafayette cannot afford to retrograde. In recent years the town has moved along on the highway of progress at a very satisfactory gait. That the town needs a modern school building is conceded by all, and that an extension of the waterworks and electric light plant is a necessity, cannot be gainsaid. The only way to secure these improvements is to pay for them and the most equitable manner to raise the money is by taxation. Lafayette Gazette 8/24/1901. A Lynching Averted. Conductor Vosberg, who runs between this point and Houston, had quite an experience with a desperate negro. A special from Liberty to the Houston Post of Thursday has this to say of the affair: “An incident which came near ending in a lynching occurred last night on Southern Pacific train no. 5, Conductor Vosberg in charge. A negro refused to give his ticket or pay his fare. Vosberg insisted and the result was that he narrowly escaped serious if not fatal injury by a razor in the hands of the negro. The timely action of a deputy United States marshal saved Conductor Vosberg and the lynching of the negro, as a number of passengers were in favor of lynching, which would have been accomplished by putting a rope around his neck and dragging the negro as the train pursued its way. The cool-headedness of Conductor Vosburg prevented this and the train riot was quelled. From the Houston Post and in the Lafayette Gazette 8/24/1901.
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