St. Landry democrat., 1882-08-05
COMMUNICATIONS.
air. EDITOR

DIR. EDITOR:
The present Democratic Executive
Committee has been in power since Sept.
9th, 1879.
There has been one Congressional
Convention for this district and one
State Convention since this committee
was appointed, and on neither OF these
occasions did this committee give the
to select delegates to represent them,
but usurped authority to do it them
selves, upon the plea that the time was
TOO short for a call for a convention.
The Courier in its issue OF July olst,
1880, contains long editorial upon the
action OF this committee from WHICH
the following is an extract:
"There are men claiming to be Dem
Gratis in our parish, who are still I'M
willing that parish conventions should
have control of the party, its organlza-
tions and its nominations. we are
forced to this conclusion by the action
of the executive committee OF TINS par
ish at it's last two sessions. At the 1lrst,
it undertook to appoint delegates to
represent the Democrats OF st. Landry
at the State Convention lately heia al
New Orleans. At the second held ON
July 21st, it undertook, at the Instance
of DR.. w. A. Robertson, who held prox-
les from two OF its members, to appoint
delegates to the Congressional COnven-
ton for the 9th district to be held at
Baton Rouge on the 9th instant. In
both instances the committee
was guilty of an usurpation OF authorl--
ty which belonged alone to the mass OF
tie Democratic party OF the parish"
In the same copy Of the Courier APP
peared an emphatic protest against the
action Of the committee signed by
Messrs. J. Massie Martin, w. Prescott,
NJ. Lazarro and E. T. Lewis, denounclng
it as ian unwarrantable assumption or
mower not delegated by the people.
On the nth of last month the same
committee, w. A. Robertson as hereto
fore. being present with two proxies,
reneated the same act OF usurpatlon,
and upon the same flimsy pretext, that
the time was too short to call together
convention. -,
It remains to be seen whether the
Democracy of this parish will submit
famely any longer to such cOntemptu-
Gus treatment from this committee.
The published announcement that the
delegates appointed, intend to support
for the nomination, gentleman OF THIS
parish who is universally esteemed, Will
not and ought not to be accepted as a
Dalliation for the indefensible action OF
the committee. :,
That gentleman, the writer will ven
ture to say, is not responsible IN any
sense, for the action OF the committee,
and the attempt to forestall criticism OF
its methods, by the use OF his popular
name, is rather too transparent to pass
current.
Mr.. Editor, it is doubtful if this COM
mittee would have for the third time
subjected itself to such criticism, did it
not have in view a we'll defined purpose
controlling the party organization M
the merit election for parish and Legislature
officers.
The Courier in it's last issue, says it
would shave much preferred" had a
convention or maSsmeeting been called,
"as a matter of Democratic usage; but
a majority of the committee, believing
the time too short for full representa-
ton through ward elections concluded
it best to elect delegates themselves"
AS fitting conclusion to this conllnu-
nication, and far better characteriza-
ton of the subject than its last utter
ance, the concluding words of the edi-
torial Of that paper, of date July 81,
1880, are appended:
"Should such acts of usurpatiOn be
quietly submitted to, now, it will not be
long before parish conventions of the
Democratic people Of St. Landry will
be dispensed with entirely. Participa-
ton by the people in the work proper to
such assemblies will be forbidden by
the machine politicians and the man
agement Of the party fall entirely into
the hands OF ring Of self-constituted
and selfish leaders"