Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-15
A VOICE FROM NEW ORLEANS.

|
the parishes at large, should know how
elections are carried on in this city. IL
is but due TO your present committee to
say that as now constituted, the people |
J onyht 10 gailcr fresh hopo and strcngth
\eM N& GSNA Nvtovo W., vhc late dccl-
}11m ny nny snpemn Cunyk destroying
)lhc hanlwon riclu/.p, 'AmlliAy NvzD(
and municipal MSANoY IS toy willis iov{
}Svvyy coNSclyNNM pWQpsN" Mas wpMo'
)rlyy My In m,hc UIc Uyaltey of yoting/
m aN'Aiy alMest fWcica(, "a lur az lNc /
\WgN>s OF m>oYss>s ~ wv pNYVlN N.Y. WHY
)cGttcd thereby. Did not the people, by
letculeau effort, senA thc beyt repre- !
\sNM\NNves tMcy CNN\A e\vSt 70 " CoNstt
I tnGonal Convcntion, and was not The
work of that Convention submitted buck
! TO the people lov linal approval or rejcc-
tion, and was not The Constitution and
the Limitation clause above referred to
ratified Ny an overwhelming vote OF tho
people of this Statc9
Now, among the mclnbcrs OF the con-
Isltutonal Convention, was ilon. X. y.
Todd, of Morchousc, who worked for
and supported the above limitation
clause, and had thR satisfaction Of sec
ing this provision and the rest Of the
Constitution endorsed by The decided
majority mentioned, and yet, his was
thc deciding vote, IA ono of onr present
Associate Justices, which set tllis.clausc
aside and made il u dead letter. How
came about 80 great change! Did not
COL Fcnncr, ut the head Of The bond
holders committee of thirty, use llc same
arguments contained in the late dcCi-
sion 81 our now Associate Justice Fcnncr
before the lato Constitutional Convcn-
tion, and, of course, before the said Mr.
Todd, and at that time in vain How
does it happen that arguments so futile
then, have become SO powerful and so
convincing now, is the question which
consistent people are asking themselves
today What was just yesterday must
be right to-day Indeed, there might
have been doubt before the people
ratified thc Constitution as to their sen
timcnts and wishes, certainly there was
no room for doubt after such endorse
mont and approval, Such fatal thrusts
rs Brutus gave to his best friend Caesar
such ruinOus and fatal acts as the late
change of base ON the part of our now As
sociatc Justice Todd arc anon. tho rcas-
| ons which make people donbt the value
, or tho worth of n vote. II ono creature
l Of the people can thus stamp ont tllciI
: sovereign will rs emphasized in their
: new Constitution, what next arc they
l to cxpcct'
This Supreme Court decision, then,
, has struck very decided and very
y unnecessary blow against The esprit
y dc corps and the unity of our party.
u Granting even that the bondholdvs were
: entitled to five ont of The ten mills limi.
II tati0n, what business and what right
! had this court to say anything or tt
II think on the subject Of this city's run
$ ming expenses. Why, if the police
II could not be paid out of this s,'m, thci
II the citizens themselves could perform
If certain volunteer service by turns. Ii
IT tho matter of street and gutter cleaning
e property holders could combine ant
It employ men for this purpose il ncccs
it sary. There was thus no necessity foI
the Supreme Court to lcgislatc in oul
r behalf.
II TO return to the subject of elections il
: this city and their modus opcrandi, Lei
J. ne commonccby informing you that cacl
: one Of our seventeen wards have u loca1
s power, for good or evil politically, undc
Il the name of Ward President. On cleo
d ton days, he appoints everybody. BE
II it known that the ward presidents ar'
o always political aspilanis, and thai
these positions arc always stepping
q stones to prclcrmcnt. AS soon as elected
Il q certain number of presidents meet to
is gctlcr A, says | want to be Mayor
&c B, agrees to be one of the Admlnlstra
= tors; c, agrees to be another, etc, etc.
and l., plays his cards for Criminal Shcr
n if, and NJ, for the Civil Slcrifl's position
c This combination, We will say, ar
n agreed, and that they number the ma
If jority of our ward delegates. Each o
these presidents must now land tlici
T. delegation ticket. We will call thi
l. combination the "ring;" the opposi
ton, We will call the "anti-ring." Ii
l. each ward, there will be u ring and al
J. anti-ring ticket. They demand repre-
~ scntaton at the polls The president
to carry his nomination, must elect til
e ring delegation. lIc must now appoin
wiuolv-unt f,jrly IIr thrrrforc an