Thibodaux minerva., 1853-10-08
Hon. John z. King.

beginning to be manifested, 1t bchooNef US "
turn our attention to the State Elections which
take plaee on Monday, the 9Th day OF November
next. We give below. short biographical
sketch of the Hon. j. L. King, the wlig nomi-
nee for the office of Auditor OF Public Accounts,
which We COPY IRON the columns Of the St. Ian
dry Wing: - ~.
Mr.. King is nativeof st. Landry; was born
at Opelousas in June 1920 being just 33 years
of age: is connected with one OF the Oldest
families in the country, his grandfather having
been Parish Judge of st. Landry for more than
so years, and his father Register of the Land
Office under an appointment from Mr.. Monroe
He was sent early in life to school i'll Kentucky,
afterwards to Massachusetts, and finally gra-
duated Mt the College of Louisiana at Jackson,
| in 1910, being now recognized as an alumnus OF
Centenary College.
With the exception of brief residence in
East Feliciana, he has always resided at his
native place. where he now practices law. In
1S45 be married the daughter of the Hon. la
| fayette Saunders, at Clinton East Feliciana,
where he resided for two years, in partnership
with his fatherzif-law. In the winter of 1917 8
he returned to Opelousas. At the solicitation of
his friends he became the editor of the st. Lam
! dry Whig during the presidential canvass of
| 1913, ,4and did some service under the banner of
| Old Zaek. He was chosen by tie Electors of the
State, Messenger to carry the electoral vote to
Washington in January 1S49. In the month of
November of the same year, he was elected for the
first time, to the Legislature. He was appointed
by Col. Preston W. Farrar, (the then Speaker of
the House). Chairman of the Judiciary Commit
| tee. He was reelected in November 1851, and
chosen Speaker of the House, on the unanimous
nomination of his party in caucus. In 1852 he
was elected to the Constitutional Convention
In November 1852 he was reelected to the Le-
| gislature, and again received the vote of his
party for Speaker, although the vote Of the
minority was Intellectual.
Mr.. Kings friends rest his claims on lis public
services during the epentful though brief period
of his public life. These will best appear from
the public Journals, and reported debates, Of
the respective sdeliberative assemblies in which
he has served.
He has zealously advocated all the great mea-
sures of reform which have recently agitated
the State. He was one of the earliest aud most
jealous friends and supporters of The New Or
leans and Opelousas Railroad. lie took the
stump in this parish in order to popularise and
explain the subject; attended the great Rail-
road Convention at New Orleans on the 4th Of
June, 1851 and being called upon addressed
that Convention on the subject (Thc Speecl,
was published by the Convention with their pro-
ceedings9
The Courier has assaied Mr. King on the
ground that he supported the 'homestead ex-
emption law" The point of attack has been
unfortunately selected. In the Legislature of
$780, he reported against similar bill, as chair
man of the Judiciary Committee, and actively
opposed it's passage. In 1852 he had no vote
as Speaker, except the casting vote; but he
publicly opposed the passage Of tlfe@ss homestead
exemption bill, on the ground that it would
impair the credit of the poorer classes, whom it
purported to protect In 1858, he voted in
favor Of the repea1of the law; but supported II
bill which exempted from seizure few neces-
sary articles of furniture in order to protect the
extreme poor Of New Orleans.
The Courier is equally unfortunate in assail-
ing Mr.. King on the ground that he opposed the
repeal of the tacit mortgage system. He OPP
posed the first section of bill introduced by
Mr.. W. W. King of N. O. because he thought it
violated the Constitution. by impairing vested
rights; and made a legal argument to support
of his position in which he was sustained by a
ma ajority of the House He was so much in
favor Of repeating the tacit mortgage system,
that he introduced a bill, the preaElbe of which
rected the Importance OF the repeal to commerce
and the difficulty of modifying hastily system
so intimately complicated with the entire civil
jurisprudence Of the State. The body of the
bill provided forthe appointment of commits
sion of three, on the recommendation of the Su-
preme Court, to draft and report to the next
Legislature, such bills as might be necessary to
embody the desired changes In this plan he
was supported by some of the leading democrats
of New Orleans. If his plan had been adopted,
three able and experienced lawyers would have
been appointed from New Orleans who would
have presented the next Legislature, a well
matured law, which would have stood the test
of examination, and commanded the confidence
of the entire country. z