St. Landry democrat., 1886-10-02
UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

from the StaGo government, Is uuCOu-
stitutional. The constitution gives, OF
pretends to give, every male citizen
the right to vote; as a matter of fact
every citizen has the natural right to
vote in this country, and tl.at right
is inherent, and existed before the
days of written constitutions. But the
constitution is the organic law of the
people; it's restrictions are all that can
be laid on the natural right of suf-
frage, and any legislative enactment
that lays further restrictions is clear
ly unconstitutional, and fraudulent.
The constitution does not require a
voter to print the names he votes for
upon a particular piece of paper bought
from the State government, at high
price, but so-called law of our model
State government does require it,
Suppose no one takes sufficient in
terest in an election to buy paper,
have tickets printed, and scatter them
broadcast over the country; or sup
pose such patent tickets fall short,
how will the voters vote, if they are
not allowed to make their own tickets
Or suppose voter cannot find in all
the patent tickets furnished by the in
terested politicians, one that salts him,
for politicians have tickets printed to
suit themselves, is he tt, be disfran-
chised on this account? Must the
voters who are not furnished with
tickets at all, or with such as do not
suit, incur the expense and loss of
time of going to New Orleans, indi-
vidually, each one for himself, and
buy d scrap of government paper and
have printed on it the names he
wishes to vote for ?-this is the only
alternative left, according to this So
called law.
So far the use Of this government
paper has not been required, nor con-
sidered necessary, in special and mu-
nicipal elections. 1t was not used i'll
the town election here last Spring
and the use of it is clearly not neces-
sary, even according to the so-called
law itself, in the election for the divi-
sion of the parish-for the law re-
quires the names of the persons to be
voted for to be printed on the regula-
tion paper, but in this case there are
no names at all.
Again, in the proclamations Of the
Governor for the elections for the
sub-levee district, and for dividing
the parish, nothing is said in connec-
tion Herewith about election paper;
but at the close of his proclamation
for the congressional elections, is
notice stating where the paper re-
quired for election tickets can be
found.
A law that is useless, except to bal
lot-box suffers, burdensome, expen-
sive, puzzling, and unconstitutional,
ought to be repealed. The power Of
those who made such a law ought to
be repealed also; and the constituents
of those in the next legislature, who
neglect to make an effort to repeal it,
ought to request them to resign.
Mr.. Estilette and his colleagues, who
went down to Baton Rouge to try the
doubtful experiment of getting into the
congressional convention on a half vote,
and did not succeed, have issued an ad-
dress to the Democrats of St. Landry"
setting forth with much assumed gravi-
ty "a statement of facts" and solemn
ly protesting" against the action of the
convention in refusing them admission
into it's body.
The manifesto of this little iunta is
quite in keeping with its other recent
doings and utterances. 1t held that a |
convention here could not control them.
and it is not strange that they refuse to
accede to the verdict OF the Baton Rouge
convention. They strenuous,y argued,
and appealed to the convention for rec
ognition and admission; but failing,
they come back to the parish of
st. Landry and declare that the
majority of the congressional conven-
tion not only made a trade with "our
but actually turned away
from it's doors " the true accredited |
delegates OF st. Landry!' What
piece of injustice to these very virtu-
GUS and much-abused political digni-1
taries!
just think of 1.-THE convention ac-
tually excluded "Me true accredited
delegates Of ST. Landry"
OF course they tried their case strict
ly upon its merits" and Of course
their adYersaries .made trade and |