The Opelousas courier., 1885-06-06
The Press.

Baltimore, in a recent article
in regard to the rapid growth
and development of the South,
says of the press:
Every dollar spent in build
ing up q first class local paper
in q town will be returned
many a fold, for even if the
money thus spent in advertising
should not bring a direct profit,
it would be more than repaid
by the immense good that a
1ourishing paper necessarily
accomplishes for the town in
which it is published. To say
that a town is judged by its
papers is only to state a truth
that everybody knows. Some
may say that one paper is natu-
rally more pushing and enter
prising than another-very true;
but no paper can be enterpris-
ing unless its business j~ustifes,
and the seeming lack of enter
prise In many country papers
is often solely from the lack of
adequate financial means. Our
ideas as to dozens of Southern
towns, that we have never seen,
are formed by their local papers,
and we imagine that, Judging
simply by these papers, we can,
almost without a mistake,
name the town whose business
men are pushing and energetic,
and then, on the other side,
name those. where enterprise is
almost unknown.
If the people of any South
ern town are anxious to see its
population steadily increase,
the value of their property en-
HANGED, and all their business
interests prosperous, the first
and most important step to
take is to furnish their local pa
per with such support as will
enable its publisher to furnish
a thoroughly live paper, and
then pretty soon the outside
world will begin to hear of the.
paper, and then of the town,
and presently they will begin to
make Inquiries as to what kind
of a town it is, as a place of
residence OF for business, and
then if the place really has good
advantages, it has started on
the road to prosperity.
Our usually quiet aud docile
eonfrere of the Commercial,
donned his war paint last week
notwithstanding a severe at
tack of rheumatism-and sailed
into the present State admins
tration, slashing right and left
as he went along. And, for
what ? Simply because the able
editor of the Capitolian-Advo-
cate very sensibly contends
" that the only hope for the
advancement of Louisiana is in
the maintenance of the unity
of the Democratic party all OF
which the Commercial admits,
provided the kicking element
to which it belongs is allowed
to say who shall compose the
Democratic party. The violent
opposition to McEnery, Burke
and Eustis, that orr friend re-
fers to iii his article, If we are
to Judge from the past, eontri-
bnted largely to elect S. ID. Nc
Emery Governor of Louisiana
at the last election, made Burke
Treasurer and sent Eustis to
the Senate, and II the mugWump
press of the State will only keep
up the present cry Of condem-
nation against the State admin
istration until the next election,
it will do more to re-elect Nc
Emery than anything his friends
might do. So we say, slash
away, Bro. Mac.-Lake Charles
Echo.
81 beg your PARDON said a
slouchily dressed individual,
reaching for d bur which aa-
hered to the coat sleeve OF q
gentleman just ahead Of him,
there's il bur on your coat,
sir permit me to remove it,
!" Thank you, no consequence
said the gentleman, himself re-
moving the bur. The impecu-
NOUS one struck ali attitude,
told the regulation story Of hum
ger, and preferred a request for
10 cents with which to buy
bread. He got the money, but
still fingered. What is it, my
man III asked the gentleman.
I Please, sir replied the tramp,
you have my bur in your