The Opelousas courier., 1890-09-20
Our 2sth Volume.

0GA 9GGM w. O2UL1Gs
This issue Of the COURIER com pletes
its. 37th volume; the next will begin it's
36th. IT was founded in December,
1852, and hence will soon be 3S years
old. But, unlike some Of our contem
poraries, we reckon its volumes ON the
basis of the weekly numbers issued,
not from the date of its establish
ment. Its publication was inter
rupted for several months during the
war and subsequently,, in 1870,
when its friends were denied the
privilege of giving it their patronage
and support; hence the discrepancy
between the date Of its establishment
and the number Of its volume.
The COURIER has always been Dem
ocratic. II has always been friend
OF the people. Under our management
it will iemain so. 1t has a record of
which we are proud. Its future is in
our keeping, and we propose to transmit
that proud record, undimmed and un-
furnished, to our children.
While the COURIER has always adyo-
Gated every cause which in the opinion
of its managers would promote the
welfare of the people, it has specially
devoted its attention to education and
immigration. In the furtherance and
development of these objects lie the
dearest interests -four State. We need
white immigrants to assist us in the de-
yelopment of our vast resources and to
maintain the supremacy and preponder-
ance Of our race. Such Immigrants are
10th to come into a country not proyi-
ded with good educational facilities,
however inviting it may be in other
respects. For these reasons, and be-
cause we recognize the fact that igno-
rance is badge of inferiority every.
where, we have persistently urged the
establishment of an efficient public
school system. With taxation up to
the constitutional limit of i6 mills,
with every industry heavily burdened
| in the license bill, bnt with an enor-
nous debt absorbing almost half of our
revenues, our rulers have thus far failed
in this all-important work, and Loaisi-
ana still lags behind almost every other
State in the Union The amount of
fered by Mr. Morris for alottery. license
would not only allow as to maintain
| q first class school system without
an increase of taxation, not only
provide decently for ours INDECENT
sick and our insane, onr deaf, dumb
and blind, and bniId our levees, but
Iit would enable us To gradually
pay off portion 0f that tax eating
debt. which instead of diminish
| ing is steadily growing year after year.
Hence it is that we viewed the lottery
lproposition as 4 godsend, and we
would have been recreant to what we
conceive To be oar duty to our people
had we failed to advise them to accept
| III. For doing this lot off scheming
politicians and demagogues have ta-
booed us, and have induced a number
of our fellow citizens I'd join them In
| the establishment of il rival newspaper
here, which will soon make its appear
ance, with the hope of depriving MS Of
| d large share of the inadequate rewards
Isof business now cramped, crippled
and circumscribed by the Ignorance
and iIliteracy resulting from tlle alb
|senee of proper school facilities.
TO the friends who have stood by MS
| Id the past We return our sincere
thanks. With tIIeif kind assistance
aud encouragement we hope tosuccess-
fully weather the coming storm as we
Ihave weatllered many an ono before ;
and we promise them that we viii con
i tinue III the future as ID the past to ad :
Vocate every measure conducive to the
greatest good of the greatest nu:pber,
whether our course suits selfish and
self- seeking politicians or not.