St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-07-10
Defeat of High License.
RObelinO Reporter.

M t'S ple lepdIeu oy Lno C0mmltteo on
ways and Means were made public,
mum oers OF people consisting OF mer-
chahts, ilqu0r dealers, insurance men,
ana others, Hooked to the capitol and
outton-holed every member of the Leg
lslature on changes that are presented
In what is known as the high license
oil, they We're seen in the halls of Rep
resentatives and Senate, at the hotels,
and IN truth Baton Rouge literally
sWarmed with the opponents of high
ilcenses, for whlskey traffic, insurance,
ana all other business. So you see the
plan, was ingeniously gotten up and
conbined little more power t.,an the
average Representative could beat, and
tnats the way more than half our laws
are passed by outside influence and
pressure brought to bear upon them by
interested parties. just here we beg
leave to suggest to the people in the
selection OF men to represent great
State, the interest of the whole people,
always select a man who has more than
an average amount of information on
all subjects.
End. A man who has the brain to
think for himself.
3D.. A man who has the manhood
and the moral courage to act for him
self. and assume all the responsibilities
and consequences of his acts. These
two thousand petitioners and lobbyists
from New Orleans contended that the
schedule as prepared in 1882, would
cover all the needs and wants of the
State and would amply provide reve-
nues sufficient to meet the proposed ap
preparations especially as the general
appropriations was reduced below the
usual amounts, and all that sort of stuff.
And the record shows when Mr.. Duden-
hetter of the House from New Orleans,
asked the enforcement of rule 90, rela-
tive TO the admission of persons not
members. The Speaker replied accord
ing to his construction the rule applied
to special occasions.
Mr.. Dudenhetfer explained that it
was intended that the rule should be
enforced only when the license and rev.
enue bills came up, but the lobby had
for iays been putting in their hard
work. And besides there is nothing to
show the House was not lobbied up to
the moment of the vote being taken on
the liquor license. In New Orleans on
receipt of the news of reduction of the
liquor license, Capt Sambola, a repre-
sentative Of the whiskey ring, fired a
salute of 100 guns in honor of the victo-
ry of Dudenheffer's move to amend by
reducing the license from $500 to $50
We now warn that class their time of
rejoicing is very short, at the next elec-
ton whisky will be the question, it will
then be whiskey or no whiskey, and
when you test this matter you will find
a large majority of the people that will
vote no whisky.
The growing sentiment both North
and South is to do away with whiskey
as a beverage. The failure to repeal
the lien law so as to compel planters to
raise what they consume at home, in
Guiding their horses, mules and cattle.
and a high grade OF whiskey license, 80
SO as to break mp the thousands of the
low 9th class doggeries and cross road
and plantation stores, has set our State
back for just the length of time, She is
cursed with these two drawbacks, we
can have no prosperity. If we had good
laws 10 State in the Union has as many
for her home people and for |
as Louisiana. 1t is State
with more varied resources, with fifty |
eight parishes and each one a navieable |
stream or a railroad passes over, which
carries to market the staples cheaply.
We have the soil, tim Der, mild climate
winter and summer, so that outlay la
Dor can be performed almost every day
in the year. 1t may be asserted that in |
Louisiana there is more scope for en-
energy and get up than in any
other State in the Union, that would
lead to prosperity and wealth, but we
are compelled to say that there is less
energy, get up in Louisiana
than any State in the Union, simply be-
cause of the incubus of her defective
laws which bring the night mare of de-
ception upon her people. We do not
pretend to say that there are no enterpris
ing men in Louisiana, but We speak of
the great mass of the people as an evil
ience of this. Go to the records of
each parish and you will be astonished
TO find as rule the real estate is under
the planter who has no real
estate lien of his growing crop stands
recorded, January comes and thousands
Df men with dependents relying on him
for living has no corn and meat on
which to support himself and family.
And we ask why, in plain language, it
s because he IS not a free man, some
nan who furnished him in the spring
with supplies did it upon condition that
he must plant cotton to the exclusion of
sood crops, and it is likely that all the
crop he has raised fails to pay him out
)L deDG anu Gne poor man begins q new
1ear in debt and not mouthful to eat.
It is this system that keeps the man and
State in poverty. There is one encour-
aging feature however, to the Louis
anians, in their present troubles which
s the change that has gradually come
,ver the minds of the people is not to
,e thwarted by any sophistry of inter-
,sted partisans or politicians, but for
he moment the conviction is deep
eated that change must be made.
The low doggeries at every corner in
,ur towns and cities, cross road and
plantation stores is felt to he an evil of