Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1878-07-20
THE CONVENTION ADVOCATES.
On, O. Dcmocrat.)

A correspondent of the Fcliciana SEN
TINEL, Il. II. Il 4 conservative member
of the Legislature from the Parish of
West Fciiciana, VIC ASSUME, has written
a series of articles to show why the late
Legislature refused to call constitution
al conventions. II. his Number ) r. II. Il
gets down to the merits of the question
and gives us two of the motives which
Influenced him and his fellow members
in violating the specific pledges of the
Democratic party.
r. II. r. informs his cons tituents that,
in the first place, the impression prevail
ed that the "cOnvcntion ;llvocatcs' were
Influenced by adcsirc to get rid of Gov.
Nichols, and in the second place that
these ayitators were bent upon either
rpttIiating the State debt or reconstruct
ing it, and clelninating the dishonest
portion thereof. II. II. Il. comedies that
She cor vcntion advocates disclaimed
these ends; but at the same time he
Civ. S us to underst and that neither llc nor
his ;nt-cOnvention associates believed
the disclaimers Of the convention men.
What reason this gentleman or his
associates had to discredit the full and
earnest protestations of the advocates OF
| Il constitutional convention at the last
session of the Leg gislatl.re we cannot
divine. Certainly those of us who We're
| as honorable men as he and the other
anti ti-conventionists, and certainly the
political history of tie State during the
past ten years will prove that the "con-
vention advocates" did fully as much.
as any o her class of mon to destroy the
radical party and redeem the Statc.-
| Why the anti-cOnvention men referred
to 'disbelieve our protestations we are
unable to say. But if r. II. X. may
charge that the convention men were
actuatcd by purpose to oust Gov. Mich
oils and attack the State debt, we may
freely charge that the antl-convention
men were actuated by subservency tC
the State administration and u devotion
to the rings, monopolies and bondhold
ers as against the people.
But far be it from us to make any sucl
charge or intimation. We know that :
number of the members of the -egisla
ture who opposed the call fora constitu
tional convention were actuated by higl
and patriotic motives, and amongst this
class of the anti-conventiOnists we mum
her the author of the articles in the Fc
liciana SENTINEL
Yet if this gentleman has correctly
intcrpreted the motives which influenced
the opposition to d constitutional con
vention it is high time that the people
aroused themselves to the Importance
sending men of different views to th
T,enislature. We yield ton no one in re
s,ect and admiration of Gov. Nichols
and the files of this paper will show tina
if has been tho earnest and firm advo
cate of the payment of the State debt a
- row stands. But we can never con
cede that the maintenance OF Gov. Men
oils or any other man i'll Office for an.
farm of wears is of such Importance that
+o Guarantee his incumbency. it is wis'
to hold the people of the State unde
the crushing influences of constitution
conc;eved in iniquity and destructive O
orr hest interests. And neither Will W
admit staumch supporters OF the Stat
dsbt that we are, that the interests o
+bo GREAT mass of tho people are to b
.,hord,n,ted to the cowardly and seltisl
: ,nnrehcusions of tue holders ot Stat
lbonds.