St. Landry democrat., 1885-03-07
A Question of Life and Death,
Ruston Caligraph.

With the above heading for it's sub
ject, the Picay une of February nth
gives utterance to an eloquent protest
against the misrule that has cursed
Louisiana for so long period. 1t con-
cludes by saying that the current of our
public life is poisoned at its source.
This is true. The people themselves
are the source of our public life. I'M
morality, dishonesty. vice of every de-
ScriptiOn, have come to be regarded
with a leniency that is appalling to
every patriotic citizen who reflects
about the matter. The subject of re-
form is fraught with unusual difficult
ties in this State. A population so
mixed that it can properly be called
mOngrel views SO diverse OF right and
wrong that they ueutralize each other; /;
religious views So at war with each
other that the result is no religion /;
races so antagOniStic that fusion and
hOmogeneity are out of the question, it
is indeed a wellnigh hopeless task to
undertake to bring anything good out
of this Nazareth.
But have those who have been placed
in the position of teachers, or who pose
as such, done their whole duty Not
to go further, have the newspapers at
all times and in all places, denounced
patent wrongs with the vigOr and
honesty they deservedY Has the Plea
yune itself always stood out as the
champion of right ? No more corrupt
ing influence than the Louisiana Lot
terry is at work in Louisiana, and yet we
have never known the Picayune to de-.
nOunce this Behemoth of corruption.
The Picayune says: We have gone
on from yea, to year opposing this and
that unworthy aSpirant for office, at
tacking various nefariOus schemes OF
legislation, preaching reform in and
out of season and the people have re-
garded it all as mere matter of poll
tics" And the people were right. The
people, as a whole, are not fools.
When they read the admonitions and
good advice, the warnings and prOphe
cies of the Picayune in one column,
they see in the next the flaming ad-
vertisement of Louisiana's shame, the
accounts of the wonderful fairness of
the lottery drawings, but never word
OF the work of corruption wrought by
the Lottery Company in the Legisla-
ture, at the ballot box, in the halls of
justice, among simple and ignorant
jurymen. Money is an almost irresist-
able power. Money as easy got and as
ill-got as that of the lottery Company
flows in the channels that will
peTpetuate its methods. The result is
that the Lottery Company and its host
of corrupt coadjutors have become
stronger than the people. The people
distrust leader whom they believe
afraid to attack their worst enemy.
They know that the foundation of the
ring power is the money of the various
corrupt institutions, fOstered under the
name of law in Louisiana, and they
know the rings cannot be- destroyed
and the rule of the people restored un-
til this sustaining corruption fund is
closed.
Let the Picayune strike as fearless1y
at the authors of our misfortunes as it |
bewails their occurrence,
and it will not in future preach to deaf
ears. Let it cultivate the confidence of
the people by showing them that it is
their friend at all times, and it will not
want for sympathy and help. The peo-
pie will then believe there is something
more than politics" in it.