Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1884-05-10
A Gard
70 TIE VOTERS OF WEST PElIcIAHA
PARIgH.

The kindness and extraordinary liber-
| Atty of treatment have received at your
hands ut the late election makes it my
duty to acknowledge same through the
| columns Of your local paper.
II is true that 1 ha> o been derelict III
not addressing yon before the election
and thus to have solicited your kind sup
port. That had forgotten to announce
myself in yoar paper as candidate, ana
by so doing to have made use of the efa-
cacy of printers ink, or to even ask any
one verbally to vote for me. That 1 have
neglected to spend as much ~ few dol
lars judiciously. Aud, ye mortsls, please
overlook it, thutI did not think OF having
any tickets printed nor of leaving my
ward for elect ioneering purposes. And,
hor ror of horrors, that did not think OF
the good that an old fashioned, COOL ma
tured and we'll provided barbecue might
have accomplished; and to cap the Gil
max-please forgive this terrible binn'er
that did not "staud treat" during the
whole campaign, although 1T was Of the
short space Of less than two weeks And
you voters, either to make ME feel asham-
ed of NY own short comings in ccmpari-
son with your bounteous Hberality, or
with a view Of returning good for evil.
aud with a christian charity and sublime
magnaaimity seldom eqnalled in political
annals, you saw fit and proper TO shower
hono,s upon Inc aud to give me the large
aud significant vote of eight hundred and
ifty-fiye. O tcmpora, o mores! Little
did you think that in your generosity you
have committed an unintentionat wrong
in getting me puzzled to decide my polit-
ical identity. I ask myself the question :
If am Republican how come to get
more than three times the number of
votes of the Repub' lean candidate for
Governor? If have by lucky chance
dieu SOFT bepi-become metamorphosed
into full fiedsed Democrat; why did
not discover ere this the liberal doSmas
and mild teuets of the Democratic church,
That its portals have az all times been
wide open; and verify that. in this church
"wh,le the lamp holds out to burn, even
the vilest of sinners may RETURN"
Think of it Democrats. that while my
modesty had told ME that, the most ortho-
dox of you would require me to remain
Oh the mouIners bench; and that even
the most libe: n! of yon would exact of me
Mt least to remain on the bench of proba-
ton: Lo and behold my surprise when
some of your Democratic cherubin aud
seraphin took me by the arm and led me,
so to sneak, to front pew iii your
church. and paced me even ahead Of some
of the candidates of your own church!
Do like the psws Why, ask me as we'll
whether would like a mundane sphere, u
celestial region, or an efysium itself !.
Now. who would not worship at your
shr,nei A church full of forg iveness! A
. temple repNte with love! A tabernacle
capacous and accommodating for saints
ami sinners, And if am to interpret the
| decree of the deity that presides over the
only ward in this parish which gave Ste
venson majority that he mystical mite of
! the figure ii we ha We received at that " ard
| is symbolic of hand or an index point
| ing at ME to leave the Repn biican church,
] and that l can not worship at the same
! SHRINE with "Colonei" Ste venson; then,
| Democrats, hold me brethren while
| shout.
! Bat to quit metaphor, will say that
| the Democrats who voted for me have my
warmest thanks and highest appreciation
# their liberality of sentiment and polit-
ical generosity. To those who voted
| against me extend to them my hand OF
/ fellowship, aud.si them credit for their
honesty of purpose. And to those who
have been kind enough, y to circulate re-
ports aud write letters that l had circu-
lated or even caused to circulate Steven
sons tickets, l will say that while l ex
tend to them the hand ofiorgiveness; yet,
| if they are TO derive any benefit FROM the
! lat. election, it is through no good man.
agement on their part, but through d
mere accident of my not having discov-
cred their nsodas operaadi previous to the
| election. The Republicans also have my
thanks, aud they shunll he consoled with
the fact of having had Il fair, free and
honestly conducted election, and that
| peace and good will reigns snpremely
here among all classes, to which l cheer
| fully bear testimony; and i'll have in the
! least contributed to the consnmmation of
the above feel better rewarded than by
sn election to TT Q legislature.
In CONCLUSION let me add-sone
thing defeated candidates seldom do
that / have discovered the real cause of
NV defeat. viz: that there were one hun
dred aud thirty one voters who in their
superior Judgment and honest conviction
thought IN, opponent far better fit
| ted and ia every way more capable to
serve them in the legis' allure than
Your obedieut servant,
LOUIS TRACER.