The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-10-09
s'SueerS md Jcers."

CATION, initiated by the people, whose hard
earned means have been thus squandercd
and lavished upon favorites, all their efforts
to that end and in furtherence of future
economy and reform, have, thus far met
with sneers and jeers, and even restlessness.
We take the above from the Opelousas
Courier Of last Saturday. 1t has reference
to the '"protracted investigation" Of the
"Tax-payers Meeting" in condemnation of
the Police Jury. The people it is true,
take but little interest in the matter, and
there must be some good reason for it
Why is it? 1t is simply because the per-
sons who inaugurated, and now sustain
this protracted investigation" have indi-
Gated, in their published proceedings, and
more particularly the cooperative articles
of the Courier, a disposition to condemn,
in advance of the facts which they were to
educe from the acts and records of the
parochial authorities. A tribunal organised
on this principle, is never one to which
the people at large look with perfect conf
dence. They understand that the bases of
men are such as to control, to some extent,
the sober deductions of reason. 1.-THE Tax
payers Meeting" however honest and
patriotic may have been their purposes,
have, in connection with their protested
exponent and ally, labored to establish a
pre- assumed fact-thc dishonesty of the
Police Jury. Their efforts have been con-
tinuously directed to that end. If they
now find that the people do not sympathlse
in their movement, the reason as we have
stated it, is obvious. The manner Of con.
Quoting their investigation has assumed
the form Of an authorised prosecution,
under the singular delusion that the pros
ecutors represent the entire body Of tax
payers. Although only a partial report
has been made, and the "protracted inves.
tigation" is yet unfinished, and conse-
quently no opportunity has been afforded
for authentic counter-statements, they have
assumed and published the guilt of the
parish officers, not only in the indictments
of the Courier, but in their printed proceed
ings, reports, and resolutions; and yet the
complaint is now gravely made that the
people will not smile upon this method of
prosecuting officers, who have so often
and so long been the recipients of the pub
lie confidence.
Neither the Police Jury nor the tax
payers, are averse to the most searching
scrutiny into the parocLial records; but
they are opposed, as they ought to be, to
prosecutions conducted by enemies, or
biased judges. The people who are out
side of the influences of the small central
political circles. where men are sometimes
prone to "nurse their wrath to keep it
warm," wW always entertain just and
dispassionate views. They wW look upon
both sides and for this purpose they want
facts and figures, collected with accuracy
and stated with the simplicity of truth.
They know that the charges now made
against their officers, have frequently been
made before, under partizan influences,
with equal force and less pretension and
yet they have repeatedly ratified the acts
of those officers at the polls. They know
that at the last general election in 1868, ,
three out of the six members of the Police
Jury, were elected by the people, viz:
Messrs. GILBERT CAN'T, OSEzINE TATE, and
WILLIAM CorrKELL. The previous acts of
these gentlemen, two Of whom have served !
for many years, were thus ratified by the
people, where only they Gun be ratified or
conference.-the the ballot box. The late
Dr.. JOHN G.. BROOKS was also elected, and
at his death Mr.. THEODORE CHAcHERE was
appointed. II. FRMoT and P. AuzEME,
colored, were also elected and resigned,
and Mr.. j. Roy and DR.. j. M THOMPSON
were substituted. Out of the present
members Of the Police Jury, two only, viz:
CAN'T and CorTRELL served precious to the
late election since the wal. Their previous
acts were endorsed by their reelection.
The other four members are not RESPONSE
BILE for what has been done by the Police
Jury since the war, until their recent ap-
pointment. Thus it appears that two-thirds
the present members, cannot be includ-
in the "protracted investigation" so far
it applies to past membership. The
only two are CAN'T and CorrRELL, who were
endorsed by their constituents. And yet
in the usual leaders of the Courier, the
present body Of the Jury are spoken of
Unfortunately, as responsible for the past.
This betrays a carelessness and a want of
accuracy, when the characters of men
ire involved, which is the natural
result of over-oartizan zeal, and of which
The people, in their soberness, cannot ap-
prove. For the reasons we have briefly
given, the wall of the Courier will find no
response. The people are evidently
in full sympathy with the :: Taxpayers
Meeting Whatever may have been the
errors of their Officers, they are satisfied,
think, that their administration has
,,eesn beneficial to the parish that they
lave raised its credit and given almost a
oar value to its warrants; and what is
satisfactory, that there have been no
lefaulters among its collectors, il. ,iry.1
: ~ observation-disclosures. -r
p nF,nrf q Derry Admir-. We vTlne
7" Parish Of VernlflfiOza. Lh't Ii
LII - - 1efjE -aIf 5rtatuH v'-ii
L parish may plead prescription. or make any
defence which any other could make. e I,
AprEAI from Vermiflion Parish. 3u-7. |.
The following Is IN extract from the
send h1g Insfice WILEY i. -..oL