The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-09-29
THE ANTx AMERsCAN LEGISLATYVE

citizens are secured. Old St. Landry breathes
freely once more.
The anti-Americans have ut last nominated
q ticket for the Legislature. The candidates,
personally, We have no objection to; but we
must give them q politico-religious dissection,
in order to see what they are made Of. They
tare put forward, it must be remembered, by a
party composed Of former Wings and Demo
Gratis, and claiming to be the peculiar friends
Of Catholics and Foreigners.
The ticket is composed Of PLAc1Dr G1LBEAu
fills Of Grand ,Coteau, ANDREW ]. THOMPSON
Of Bayou Chicot, and BENJAMIN R. CAN'T Of
Opelousas.
The frst-Guilbeau-is o French Creole
and q Catholic, somewhere in the neighborhood
Of forty years Of age. He formerly resided in
the Parish Of Lafayette, where he became a
candidate for the Legislature, and was defeated
BY James N. Porter, the present American
candidate for District Attorney. Lafayette
was o Democratic Parish; yet Porter, Wing,
was elected over Gilbeau, Democrat. When
Mr.. Guilbeau came to st. Landry, his friends
thought he might perform better on a new
track. BE was again run for the Legislature,
and cam within several hundred uotes of being
elected. Finding that popular favor was very
capricious, he quietly subsidized into an Office
that required neither appointment nor election,
and commenced passing, under the auctioneer's
hammer, his ~neighbors' property " to the last
and highest bidder" We make respectful
mention Of these little antecedents, simply be-
cause his friends, in heralding him and his col
leagues to the public, represent him as being
unlike the party most Of. whose members are
disappointed ofice-seekers." He will find the
track heavy in November; and neuer hapiing
avon a race, the chances are against him.
The second champion of Embellishments
drew J. Thompson--is about forty years Of
age, and a Protestant. He resided at Opelou-
sas a few years ago. He was an ofice-holder
under the General Government, having fallen
heir to the Post-ofice in the distribution of the
spoils. We are not aware that he ever ran
for the +" Lower House, but, being trim.built
and adapted to o short race, he was elected
Town Constable Of Opelousas. The track was
light, and the competition small j; and became
out winner by some feet in the quarter race.
He may have som t~leetness, but we doubt
whether be has the bottom to save his distance
in November. )
The third candidate-Benjamin R. CAN'T
migrated hither some years ago, we think from
the State of Alabama. Whether born in that
State or not, we are unable to say. His age
is about. . but we tread on delicate ground.
He is, however, an " old politician" He is a
Protestant, though we believe not attached to
any particular church. He also held office,
some years ago, under the General Govern
ment. Martin Van Buren," the Northern
man with Southern principles" in his allot-
ment of the spoils, appointed Mr.. CAN'T Re
ceiver Of the Land Office at Opelousas, where.
for several years, he found treasury pap a most
agreeable and nutritious diet. He subsequently
ran for the Legislature, but from some cause or
other, either owing to a heavy track or the
weight which he carried, he made but a sorry
race, and was easily distanced. He has plenty
Of mettle but will lack both heels and bottom
in the November contest.
The three anti-American candidates, then,
although brought out to oppose a party,
/" most Of whose members are disappointed
ofice-seekers," have, in former years, been
placed in the category which they condemn in
their opponents.
All three of them have always worked in
Democratic Harness. They have been active
partisans; and two of them at least have been
rewarded for partisan services. The party
whose support they claim, is composed of
Wings and Democrats. With so much vaunt-
ed liberality, how does it happen that no
Wing has been found worthy of a place on the
ticket? They profess to be the friends of the
Roman Catholic Church. How many Catho-
lies are on the ticket? In a population, two
thirds of which are composed of Catholics,
they have found only one Catholic.
On the American ticket are three Catholics
two Wings and one Democrat. One of them
is, we believe, a Church Warden. Which
ticket is most dangerous to Catholicism? Is
it the American ticket, oil of whom are Cath
olics, or the ~anti-American, nearly all of whom
are Protestants? When our opponents indulge
in such loud professions of liberality, why do
they not carry them into practice? The ticket
we have just analysed is a striking common
tary upon their sincerity. 1t is strange, pass
ing strange, that when the danger to Catholi-
cisn is said, by the anti-Americans, to be SO
imminent, they have found so few Catholics to
put on guard, while they denounce Americans,
all Of whose candidates are Catholics.
AMERICAN Mass MEET1NGs.-We are M