The Opelousas courier., 1884-06-07
The Situation i'm Iberia.
Louisiana 8ugar-Bowl, May %.

Louisiana 8ugar-Bowl, May ".
Last Saturday night Judge Fred L..
Gates returned from Baton Rouge with
his own and all other parish officers
commissions Monday he qualified, as
did also Sheriff P. A. Veazey, and
the latter presented his bond to Depu-
ty Clerk of Court L. D. Etie to be
filed; but following the example of the
Judge he has for several years served
under, Mr.. Etie took the matter under
advisement, and thus it remained un-
til Theo. Fontelieu and Jules Mestayer
went to Lafayette and got injunctions
signed by Judge DeBaillon of the 25th
Judicial District, restraining both
Judge Gates and Sheriff Veazey from
taking possession Of their Offices. OF
course the injunctions were respected,
and we believe will be tried next Mon
day. A decision of the Supreme Court
bearing especially on this case, will
probably dissolve the injunctions. As
to what will follow we are not
sufficient a prophet to predict. But
while appealing to the Courts,
endeavoring to prevent the duly
elected and commissioned officers
from taking their seats, Fontelieu,
Mesteyer, Viator and other leaders of
that wing have centered around the
Court House about 40 whites and $50
negroes under arms and it is proposed
to prevent, by force, the officers from
asserting their rights, and Fonte'
lieu has upon several occasions
declared that Gates would never
be allowed to take his seat For time
portion of the armed force were
uuartered in the Court House building
but Monday morning they vacated the
premises as measure of policy. Judge
Gates supporters are determined to in
stall him when the time comes, and il
is possible that the home militia viii
be called out on the occasion to enforce
the Governors authority.
! When it is necessary to adopt such
measures in a supposed awabidine
community, it is certainly sad com
mentary, but it is nothing more thar
the result of the total absence of jus
tice in our midst for ten or twelve
years past-if not more. Ten years age
the people voted down the evil, but will
the Kellogg government in force thu
will ssof the people was thwarted
Again they have proclaimed that Fon.
telieu and his followers must go, anG
this time armed force is to be en-
! ployed to give them a further lease o
power. It cannot be possible tina
these men are i'm earnest and mean tt
even attempt to execute their threats
| Such policy would be as suicidal Il
the community at large as to them
selves individually, and their graves
mistake and the ugliest feature of thei
armed force is to have enlisted in it th'
colored men who have been hanging
around their quarters for a few day
past The fields are in the weeds ant
grass, and our advice to them is to cas-
aside the shotgun for the hoe-thei
ouly legitimate weapon. 1t is bat
enough for them to vote against the in
terests of their employers without at
tempting to summon enough courage t.
| fight against them.
In the mean time, we are without [
i Judge, and in the face of the commission
issued by the Governor, the action o
Judge DeBaillon, in granting the in
functions, is questionable. On th
other hand, business is paralyzed AM
everyone hopes for an early solution
of the trouble.
4 As we go to press we learn that Ad
iatant- General G.. T. Beauregard ha
arrived in New Iberia to PERSONAL.
view the situation.