Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-22
CONTESTANT SMITH.

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CONTESTANT SMITH.
OF all the preposterous claims for
seats in Congress which the defeated
Republican candidates are setting up,
that Of Postmaster Aleck Smith, of
Baton Rouge, takes the rag off the
bush. In perfectly orderly and un-
trammeled election, Smith was beaten
in every parish Of the District; Col.
Robertson's majority being in the
neighborhood of five thousand.
1t appears that Smith reposes his
claim on the cock-and-bull story tina t
the darkeys who were bulldozed in
1876 had not recovered from their
fright, else they would surely have
gone "solid for Smith"
Smith is the very beau ideal ofthe
free lancer. As a Colonel OF a Regi-
ment Of Confederate hcme guards
that was disbanded by the whiz of
the first shell thrown by Faragut, he
could not have been set down as a
traitor to the Union, inasmuch as he
afterwards remained in the South to
injure the confederacy BY eating
rations which would have kept at
least two good soldiers at the front.
He had to be fed, clothed and fur
nished with liquors that were sadly
needed BY the sick and wounded in
the hospitals, many Of whom persisted
for the want Of the very tonics con !,
sumed by Smith, the dead weight.
In a word Smith was Of that class
with which the South was so heavily
handicapped. to @ !
After the war, the weight was
thrown upon this parish through the
fundamentally Of the Republican
party to which he shrewdly attached
With 4 smile child-lke and. bland
he worked, himself in the Recorders
Office and finally in the Post office Of
this city, where, owing 70 bis physi-
cal disabilities, + our, citizens have
borne the Inconvenience Of being serv-
ed by q deputy, who though be is ex-.
tremely competent and active, can
not be expected to do the work of
two men, because Smith, in his back
room,lplays but the part Of the typi-
cal bump-on-the-log.
Smith now wants to become a bis
ter on the Congress of the Nation
and has fixed up his bill of complainG
wherein he tries to show that if he
wasn't elected he might have been, if
the darkeys had all voted for him,
which they surely would have done
had they not been afraid that the
terrible bulldozers would swallow
them like the whale did Jonah.
The Nation owes Smith good
living and the "old sodger" should be
provided for in some way or other,
but the Republican Administration
should not put him in the way Of the
prompt and proper transaction Of
public business.
By all means, let him be retired
either by locating him in the National
soldiers home, or by pensioning him
upon the interest Of a special issue Of
3 per cent. bonds expressly emitted
for Smiths sole benefit.
We recognize the fact that ITO the
victors belong the spoils." Inasmuch
as Smith classes himself among those
patriots, who. though they didn't
directly fight for the Union, indirectly
did it by consuminga certain amount
Of the supplies that would have COM
forted some rebel soldiers, we opine
that he is entitled to admission in the
soldiers home for services rendered
in the Republican ranks since recon-
fit is'ntasking too much Of the Re-
publican Administration we would
pray to be relieved entirely of Colonel
Smith, by the appointment of a Post
master who is not physically incap-
able of serving the public.
Let him be pensioned or retired in
Uncle Sans Boarding House.
"Wh0 can fathom a wOman's