St. Landry democrat., 1883-12-08
Can the People Endorse the
Governor.
Claiborne Guardian.

Claiborne Guardian.
The question to be determined in the
present heated canvass for Governor, Is
can the people endorse the present in
cumbent;9 No personal feeling should
be permitted to Influence the Judgment
of the people. The question should be
dispassionately determined.
Samuel d. McEnery has been Cover
nor; is now occupying that position,
and has record which the people eth
er approve or condemn. Are the people
satisfied with the administration of the
present Governor? There appears to
be great dissatisfaction. There is a de-
mand for a change from one end of the
State to the other. The people evident
ly are not satisfied. The opinion pre-
walls that the State Government has
been administered in the interest OF the
rings. The Governors friends deny
this, but they fail to show where the
Governor ever, in any OF his messages,
uttered Il word against one OF the rings
or monopolies. He does not, now that he
is a candidate for denomination, de-
clare that he is opposed to the rings
monopoiies, and all the monopolies and
rings seem to favor his reelection.
Other charges have been made which
the Governors friends also deny. 1t is
charged that he failed to protect the
interest of the State in the land grab"
affair. Tt is charged that soon after he
became Governor that he was elected a
director of the State National Bank. 1t
is charged that even in his boosted lie,
wee policy the Constitution was violated
and the contracts were let out at exhor-
bitant rates, and that all persons were
not given an equal chance to bid for the
work, but that they were awarded to
the pets of the administration for the
purpose OF getting up McEnery boom,
These charges the friends OF the Gov
ernor deny, as we before stated, and we
let them pass leaving every person to
investigate and determine for himself |;
we do not say that they are true. But
Gov. McEnery has taken some positions
that his friends cannot deny. The peo
ple can say whether they approve OF
these or not. The Governor does not
like the present Constitution. The
Governor favored and exerted his intiu
ence as Governor to establish a State
Board of Equalization, which was to sit
at New Orleans or Baton Ronge, and.
place the value upon the property of
the taxpayers of this State. In his mes
sage to the extra session OF the Legls-
Iature in Isl, he urged the adoption OF
this scheme, which was virtually to
place the taxpayers at the mercy OF
few men, and in effect ride over the
Constitutional limit of taxation. This
scheme miscarried, but it was no fault
of the Governors. Do the people APP
prove of a State Board of Equalization
McEnery does. Again, McEnery re-
commended in splendid message to
the Legislature of 1882, that an amend
ment be submitted changing the debt
ordinance of the Constitution of '79 SO
the bondholders should receive 4 per
cent instead of 3 for fifteen years. This
increases the amount to be paid one
hundred and twenty thousand annually
in favor of the bondholders. The Gov
ernor, through the aid of the Republic
cans, in the Legislature, got this scheme
through, and the people will be called
upon next April to adopt or reject this
amendment. The people Of this State
believe this old radical debt is fraud.
and regarded the debt ordinance OF the
Constitution as too liberal in favor OF
the bondholders. Will they now sup
port man for Governor who favors
taxing the people to pay the holders OF
these fraudulent bonds one hundred
and twenty thousand dollars per annum
for fifteen years in addition to what
they were allowed by the Constitution.
McEnery favors this. His friends re-
ply that this is to be submitted to the
people: True. But who are the people ?
The taxpayers. There are more voters
than taxpayers. Those who do not own
a dollars worth of property, and do not
pay any taxes can assist in voting this
burden upon the taxpayers of the State.
McFnery aS Governor favored this