St. Landry democrat., 1890-08-16
What 1t Is the Ants Would Have
Us Do,

We believe in the virtue OF an hone
e conviction. Admire the courage wit
# which it may be followed 1t is II
}. secret Of hcroism. 1t accomplishe
wonders, and often rewards aspiration
s of the nob!est type. And yet it is fir,
: qnently pregnant with danger Bcfor
we become too ardent in our efforts t
carry our convictions to their fall ey
tent, we should adopt, as the maio
premise Of our action, the familia
aphorism Of Crockett, and he sure "
, are right before we go ahead. In tLon
sands of instances We have been taueh
that, the end does not always (if il eve
does) justify the means.
We speak in q kindly spirit. bu
must, under sense of duty as a jour
nalist, frankly declare it rs our opinion
that the zeal of the ants ia CARVING
them too far, in tho direction of q crea,
calamity.
They are not content with the meaps
or legitimate oppositioG, to which we
interpose no kind of objection of a GEN.
curing nature, but are going to the ex-
tent of signifying their unqualified ap-
probation OF federal Interference 10 a
purely local question. For however
seemingly plausible, it may be made to
appear that the federal government
may be affected by the lottery question,
there is 30 public reality in it. Reason
ing from the very same standing poiDts
it may as easily be shown that il il
equally concerned in every question of
State policy that may arise.
The argument used by the ants to
show that the federal government
should interfere in the lottery question.
can, with thousand fold n,ore cogepcy
and force, be urged in advocacy of the
adoption OF the forco bill now before
Congress. Is any Democrat ready to
have that bill become a law? And vet
1t has its sanction in the Constitution of
the United States. Congress has never
heretofore thought it expedient to in
woke it, and We hope it may not do 80
now. What we desire to impress upop
The minds of our readers is, that: il il
worse than folly; it s suicidal TO tbe
most sacred principles involved in the .
doctrines of State rights. Many of our ,
lDti fellow citizens, claim to he Demo- ;
rats and if they be in reality such. it :
time Tor them to pause. We dare not j.
uestion the honesty of many ef them ;
their opposition to the lottery ques- =
ion for it has its pros and cons, but we :,
o fear!essly declare that they are car
yIng their opposition to very danger y,
lis extremes.
lt should be borne ia mind that :.
nder all systems of government, pre- ~
'deat becomes law, if not by common =
'nsent, at least by the sanction of yerv :,
any and hence it has been, and :, -
gain Will be that. mans towering hopes . -
success, in whatever he earnestly y
ponses with the courage Of conv, tion, %
i'll spin out ingenious schemes, big sc
lth blighting futurities. Hence, what ~ ~
'er zeal may inspire, or, prompt we ~
ouid be prudent, and if possible pres TX
mt OF ultimate resulting consequences. = :
'r whatever may have tho exterior ''
pearance of expediency to-day, may oe .
owe a fatal and disastrous precedent al
morrom, and all the wisdom of the
statesmen and political tll
ses, by it, be baffled and paralyzed. st
hile providing for the necessities of th
e present, patriots and statesmen, If ed
~ be deserving of the name. will NOT We
unmindful of, or, Indifferent to the tw
gencies of the future. We submit th'
'se suggestions at this time without tio
nment, and promise our readers that, rel
the future we intend to revert to the ov
me with emphasis, should thi
course of the antis, in our opinion igr
We it itadvisable to do so. We emplore the
m not TO persist in drifting, or hal
ler in wilfully sailing array, from our ant
niflve constitutional mo0rings; for for
is what they ire now doing. her