The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1890-05-10
Correspondence.
BAYOU CHICoT, LA, May ), 1890.


Editors Courier: Seeing nothing from
this section in your columns for such 8
long time I've feared yon would forget
US, and hence this jotting.
While the alluvions are inundated
we OF the hills have our drawbacks also
Rain, and rain in torrents, has been the
order of the day for some time. Brid,
ges, causeways, fences, etc, have sue
cumbed to the Irresistible floods which
have gone tearing and roaring down
every creek, bayou, rayine and gully in
our entire section. Yet with all this,
save that grass has gained a foothold
the crop promises we'll to date-and the
hope is general that bad beginning
will make good ending.
by the way, speaking of things COM
ing to good end from bad commence
ment, why may we not hope that our
/ Legislature soon to assemble at its own
funeral, may not prove the truth of the
adage above quoted ? Could they not
| give us separate coaches on railroads
| for white and black, as Mississippi has
done? Could they not reduce passen-
ger rates on railroads to 3 cents per
mile, as Texas has doneR Could they
not accept the Lottery's proposition of
the $500, 900 and place that amount to
the credit of the public school fund and
let the State provide for her levees and
asylums, This half million annually
added TO the present school fund would
educate the illiterate masses and take
from our State the stigma of ignorance
which now attaches. Why not make the
Judiciary appointive for life or during
good behavior. and the district attorney
also Why not make majority of a
jury competent to acquit or convict ?
Are the ends of justice better subseryed
when one illiterate negro, OF Lorse still
white man who can be bought for a
few dollars, can set aside the convic-
tions of eleven, perhaps the best men
in the parishP Returning to railroads,
why not make the rates of freight cor
respond with the distance hauled, and
not according to The discriminating fan
cies of the, railroad company Why
not let "a man ride to New Orleans from
Opelonsas for less money than from
Alexandria ? They say competition.
Well, suppose the parishes through
whose territory these roads pass set up
a competitive tax association and see
who can levy the largest tax per mile
on railroad property-do you not think
the rule should work both ways? And
again to juries. Why is it essential to
draw a jury months in advance and
then herald TO the world who they are,
that designing men who are litigants
may commence to 6 work their rabbit
foot on the jurors 2
The census man was around this week
with his +" tin can and world of paper
asking impertinent questions Especially
to our daughter, as to age, etc.), and
from him we learned the State had ap-
propriated $25 900 for taking this cen
sns and that in June the General Gov
ernment would make more complete
census; and this causes the question
with maqy, why not have given this
$25, Go to the school fund aud content
ed ourselves with the census of Uncle
Sam next month? We are aware that
this was part of the work of the states
men who framed the Constitution, but
it does look TO our piney woods people
that statesmen ought or might have seen
farther ahead. Or the same .appropria-
ton might have aided the Insane Asy-
lam in its extremity. Yet | suppose thf,
double enumeration this year is nee / +
sary 81 the State can roll up volume
like Patent Office report to send to
the dear people, SO it can be easily az
certained | any are lost, and the amount
of yeracity in widowers aud Old maids
who want TO marry. We can see no
further purpose it could serve. The
edncable youths are enumerated every
year in the Assessors lists, and the
State that has $4,000 Democratic ma
iofity need not fear any gerrymander
from census report for years to come,
even if the enumeratoTs came from the
Republican ranks.
Well, there are many things that
might be different, but then they arc
not +; SO why grieve9 There might be
parish of Eyangeline-bu there amt,
leastways not yet. But the meeting of
the Solons at Baton Rouge next week
may change all these things, and pa
tiently we will await the result of their
wise deliberatioEsls.
Last night tkka42 2reatpa was terrific for
while, but tlesssat thsting Of tree here
and yen and few panels of fence blown
down are about the extent of damage
done. Locally We have nothing to re.
port that Wonld interest. Base ball aud
pony races are the reigning amuse-
ments. We have asked ''wIy'' so often
that we must ask you why not close
this disconnected scribble ? x.