The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-07-05
SENATE
BATON ROUGE, LA, June "a, 1890.
Nichols. ThibO,lnuX. la.

BATON ROUGE, LA, June "a, 1890.
Mr.. +. w. Nichols, Thibodaux, La.
Dear Sir-I address YOU as the representa-
tive of the gentlemen OF Lafourche, whose
petition to vote against submitting to my
constituents the constitutional amendments
you presented to me on the 9th inst, bear
ing date of June 21st, 1890.
Before answering the recommendations
therein contained, permit me to premise by
expressing ray establishment that such a
recommendation should be made at this time.
Long before the Legislature met, it was
known that | would vote for submitting the
amendments, and at the very beginning of
the session my position on this question was
clearly defined. The Legislature has now
been in session forty-sevcn davS.a You have
allowed the bill to pass the House of Repre-
sentatives without informing in any manner
your Representatives of your objections, and
men inform me that the parish is not unani-
NOUS and deny that a majority of the white
Democrats Of the parish favor submission
Gou will remember that | DO not represent
the parish OF Lafourche ONLY, but also the
parishes Of Assumption and Terrebonne.
The parish Representatives of the three par
ishes have declared by their votes that their
people were IN favor OF voting on the amend
ments.
You must have been aware, for it was pub
lished in the official journal OF your parish,
that a mass Meeting was held at L0ckport
requesting the Representatives Of Lafourrhc
to vote for submission, yet You did not raise
your voice.
Inotice that of the thirty seven signers.
twenty two arc of the town of Thibodaux,
which has, from the recent census, 1853 in
habitantS, and of these signers several have
assured me personally that they were desir-
Gus that the question be submitted to the
vote OF the people, and one has written me
a personal letter. assuring me that he did not
agree with the petition, but he had signed
it, simply al your request, to show that TIL
parish was @ UNANIMOUS. There are
nine signers residing from ThibodauX to the
upper line Of the parish, a distance Of about
seven miles; two residing opposite Thibo-
daux, and three four miles below the town:
the ASSESSOR, also a sisncr. resides, when he
IS not i'll ThibodauX, about seven miles be
low the town. This assuredly cannot be
considered as q proof tina :he people of La
fourche, which has a population of 22,803 in
habItants, are opposed to voting on the
amendments, though it may be considered
as such to show that they are O UNANI-
NOUS Now as to the petition itself.
You object "to leaving the question affect
ing not only the material interests but the
honor and good name of our State to the de-
cision of negro votes" In this you are per
fectly right. and il you have followed, as nc
doubt you have, the action of those favor
ing submission to the people, you must he
Of the opinion that their effsrts have been
directed to prevent what you object to, and
that it would have been accomplished had it
not been for the positive and determined re-
fusal OF those opposed to the submission,
who on every occasion have declined every
proposal to submit the matter to white pri-
maries.
You further say 'that as Democrats we de-
1nand that the grand old Democratic Party
be given an opportunity in regular convsn-
ton assembled to declare its voice upon this
vital subject and to map out the course
which all true Democrats should follow"
You surely cannot mean to say that Won
desire a constitutional convention. There
are several reasons, il such ia your idea, why
l could not accede to your desire. The i'm
ancial condition Of the State would not per
NIT such luxury and there are other cogent
reasons which / need not mention to you.
/, personally, from the very incipiency Of
the question, have favored an expression of
the desire of the people by a white primary,
but have been unable to accomplish any
thing through the violent opposion of those
opposed to me. Perhaps now shat the bill
has passed the House, these who refused the
proposition to submit the question to white
primaries may reflect and make the prspo-
sal themselves. In that case j shall be found
helping them, provided they are sincere in
their offer.
Annexed to your petition there is d letter
addressed to me by my friend, Judge j. N.
Howell. shall, with your permission,
write to him direct.
In conclusion permit me to say that you
need have no apprehension that those ia
voring submission OF this question to the
people will be guilty of the slightest act that
would in any way bring discredit, to say
nsthing of dishonor, on our State. Past
events have proved this; future events will
corroborate it.
Yours, respectfully,
(Signedl L. A. 0sULLIvAS.