The Opelousas courier., 1885-01-10
Communication.
The Police Jury and Prohibition.
Editors COURIER ::

Editors COURIER:
Perhaps it need not now be said that
the long and painful labor is over bnt
the mouse has been safely delivered,
notwithstanding the confusion and in
sincerity of the aecoucheuse and some of
the aids. And now that it is all over,
four of the gentlemen belonging to the
Police Jury of st Landry parish, to-
gether with the Honorable president,
should be allowed to rest from their Ia
bors, if that be possible. Yea, they
should be allowed, even requested to re-
tire from their high places. And they
could do 50 with notoriety which will
probably never be reached by their sue
eessors in Office.
1t is to be hoped that the services of
these particular members of the afore-
said Honorable Body, will be suitably
moulded and shaped into some lasting
monument, by our intelligent and ap-
preciative people. And let their names
be cut deep and full, and let each letter
and punctuation point be made as black
as night, symbolizing Milton's black
flames of hell. And let it be inscribed
above those names, in the same dark
characters, achdt they did, and kosu
it was done; in order to continue and
perpetuate in our parish, the. dreadful
curse of drunkenness, poverty, crime and
desolation as terrible as the neglected
and sunken grave.
And when the significant pile is COM
plete, let every true friend of law and
order bring each thorn, and cast it
at fI,o y tn%
typify the curse of Cain for he slew
but one; but they have by their course,
slain thousand. What these gentlemen
of the Honorable Police Jury did, is
known and read of all men. Every body
knows that petition, signed by hum
dreds of our best citizens from every
part of our extended parish, without
reference to party, church, color, or
previous condition, was respectfully
presented to them, requesting them to
appoint u day to test the wishes of our
people, upon a "no license law.p They
adopted ii, and appointed suitable
attorney to draw up the ordinapce and
present it at their next regular meeting
for adoption. IL
This was done, and the ordinance was
in accord with our State constitution
where it says Art. 170,) Hthe regula.
ton of the sale of alcoholic. or spirituous
liquors is declared police regulation,
and the General Assembly may enact
laws regulating their sale and use." II
was also in harmony with an act of our
last Legislature. And it was presented
at next regular meeting Of said Police
Jury, second Monday of Dec, 1884 !;
and was adopted by vote of six to one.
This action made it a law and in accord
with it, the question was to be submit
ted to the whole parish as such.
The news of the adoption of the ordi-
nance went ont Immediately, ana while
it caused Joy In heaven aud among mul-
titndes in our parish, all hell was stirred
and It's smoke made the succeeding
night blacker, and the hearts of some
bad men worse, and things were done
that ought not to have been done. For
when the Police Jury feassembled next
day, a motion was made to reconsider
THE adoption Of the said ordinance; but
it was lost by tie vote but the pre-
sident voted nevertheless, and it was
reconsidered and then it was placed
before the people by uaYls for which
the petitioners did not ask nor want.
Afterwards they adjourned without tfe
signature of the president to the bill.
Therefore new petition had to be cir
culated requesting the call of special
session to repair the botched work, and
if possible make it passably legal and
popular. But when the Honorable
Body came together in special session
they were taken with a disposition to
ttrot0 ap, aud the whole mass was thr0ign
out The mixed glasses, ETC., were too:
much for their oficials-crops. ALI, sit /;
if reports be true, it. was sickeniug
sight and they were sorry looking set,
So, We stand where we did before, a
helpless prey to the devasting arms of
this arch devil alcohol. Some years ago
VIM. III. Vanderbilt and several other
millionaires were running up a. corner
OH railroad fare and freight or sonle
thing else; when some one appealed to
him to be merciful to the people, it is
said that he responded "Danne the peo-
pie
Sure enough, let the people be damn
ed what was that To him. He was tax
ing away their money that was all he
wanted
Now se:ne members of our Police Ju-
ry haye9said the very same thing, by
their crooked course towards tl5ss pro-
hibition movement. Yes, in this way,
they have said damn the people; we
don't depend upon them, didn't get our
positions from them By their votes ];
neither will We resnecty their. wishes