The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-07-24

TuIuopAlrx. July rs. 1880.

| find the proceedings of mass meet
: ing held in Lafayette and st. Martin.
i desire to refer to the resolutions OF
, the St. Martin mass meeting particn-
larry. since in them ] am charged and
convicted without hearing of great
offenscs against the gallant people OF
thai parish, committed on the twelfth
of April last. ] will state my side of
! the case, however, believing that the
neople OF St. Martins themselves will
reverse their decision in due time.
On the morning of the twelfth of
April j drew up or caused to be drawn
MP the credentials of Lafourche. ]
being delegate and member of the
executive committee of that parish,
with letter in my pocket from the
Hon. Clay Knoblock, president of the
executive committee, stating to me
that the delegates from Lafourche
were the same as had been accredited
to the Baton Rouge convention, i
deemed it better that j should hand in
10 the committee formal credential.
Msssrs. Voorhees, and Fonrnet, if my
recollection serves me well, accompan-
led me to the Office of the Democrat
where j could get full list of my del,
egstes. They said they were dele
gates from st. Martin, but were with
out credentials, or at least had not re-
ceived them. / told them they could
make their own credentials, being del
egates. j sat down in the Democrat
office, and drew up their credentials
for them, they giving me the names of
the delegates Of St. Martin. They
took the credentials, all of which was
on my part an act of accommodation,
and the matter passed from my mind.
The, credentials my perhaps have
been used in the State convention. No
credentials were exacted in the, CON
gressional convention. ] have stated
the facts as briefly as possible. Now
let me look at the resolutions Of the
parish of St. Martin.
/ never knew that no meeting had
been held in St. Martin. / positively
deny that on April IL or any other
time / was informed that no meeting
had been held in St. Martin. The first
information on that point received by
me, and of the fact that St. Martin
had no delegates, is from the proceed
lngs of the mass meeting of St. Mar
tin now before me. / wrote no proxy
The names OF the delegates, as given
to me, were put in the credentials on
one sheet j declare solenlnly that ]
knowingly" did nothing in the sense
of that term; that as amannensis the
credentials were drawn up without any
evil intent or knowledge--representing
nobody to the State convention from
St. Martin, exacting or asking nothing
from her delegates; and yet | am
charged that ~ did, without authority,
either verbal, written or otherwise,
from the above three persons, Sign
their names to said proxies" Their
names, if there at all, appear in the
body of the credentials, and not as sig
natures, and are there to the knowl-
edge and by the authority, as / con-
slider, of the two gentlemen of 81.
Martin, in whose presence the resolu-
tions says the credentials were drawn
up.
will not wantonly tread upon the
bumblest individual. much less trespass
upon the rights of whole community.
/ am "knowing" to none of the
charges in the resolutions, and the sea-
enter is utterly wanting, save always
the fact i wrote the credentials.
| find also letter from Mr.. Acklen
to me, published as postscript to the
meeting.
Are not the citizens of the Third
District aghast at Mr.. AS generosity 7
His five hundred in the pamphlet has
gone up to cool thousand, and if the
various parishes will only pause awhile,
before rushing to new convention, the
now depleted campaign fund of the dis
trict, before the dog-days are reached,
Will swell to an enormous amount.
Badinage aside, those who know me
in the district know in advance that i
will not stand in the way of democratic
harmony and success. If new con-
vention is desired. Lonisianians of the
district, i am not the man to say nav /?
No, no; my interests are as nothing
compared .tosthe welfare and glory Of |
my people, andI stand ready to answer
their call. 4
4 stand before you as the nominee of |
a convention. as regular as any, j sup
pose, ever held in the district. AT the
behest OF no one man will Idraw back.
i am ready to obey the slightest init
nation of my people.
! have written in haste, Mr. Editor.
and at some future day may publish
more atlength. Very respectfully,
JoHN S. BILLIu.
another letter of Acceptance.
y