The Opelousas courier., 1890-12-13
. Matter of Medieval Nor,
Baton Rouge Advocate, Dec. 3.

Baton Rouge Advocate, Dec. ).
The readers of the Advocate will
bear witness that it has had very little
to say in regard to the delicate matter
which is to be referred to in this article,
and the present reference is made only
IN defense. Some time ago we criticiz-
ed an assertion made by Mr.. Henry L..
Garland, Jr., in an O%pelousas news
paper that "Goy. Nichols and Judge
White were not only justifable in &C
cepting the lottery's voluntary and I'm
conditional contribution" (of $4,000
for their campaign,) " but they were in
duty bound not to allow the opportu-
nifty to pass of obtaining positions of
power and authority where they might
be able to Illustrate the possible treach-
cry of the lottery in making an effort to
secure a new lease of life." The Advo-
cate questioned the moral s%oundness OF
Mr.. Garland's view, and held that the
acceptance of the money imposed at
least an implied obligation of silence
and certainly precluded the right to
inaugurate open and active hostllities
against the donors. But Mr.. Garland
sticks to his original proposition, and
pays his respects to the Advocate IN a
reply published in the st. Landry Cla-
rion of recent date, wherein he insists
that we "speak rather like a medieval
monk writing a moral treatise than at
ter the fashion of a journalist IN the
swift current Of the nineteenth century"
His illustration is unfortunate for his
own argument. 1t recalls what is al
legged to have been a medieval maxim
that " the end justifies the MEANS and
there is nothing moro apropos to his
own side of the question, for his only
defense is embraced within that maxim.
After disposing, to his own satisfaction,
of this feature of the controversy, Mr..
Garland drops into the catechistical
vein and wants to know why the Ad-
| vocate, as the defender of " ethical cul-
ture," does not condemn the majority
of the late legislature for its corruption
and support of bribery, and insists that
we must do SO before we can have the
right to criticise the gentlemen who
took the lottery swag and were caught
in the act. Very well, if Mr.. Garland
can show, by impartial outside testi-
mony or open confession of the guilty
bribery, the Advocate will denounce
the participants as we'll as the crime
itself, but in the absence of such evi-
dence we have no comments to make.
Mr., Garland has the happy faculty OF
making a defense which includes II
verdict against himself and his clients,
and there is little doubt that they have
long ago cried out in their hearts,
" save us from our friends" while con
templating his folly in resiving what
other people have been willing to
forget.
Baton Rouge Advocate: Elsewhere
to-day we have a few remarks in reply
to Mr.. Garland's last article in the ST.
Landry Clarion, wherein he criticises
the Advocate in regard to certain mat
tiers. What we have written is simply
in defense, and we hereby proclaim
truce in the future and stand with him
on the broad and liberal platform which
he has proclaimed for tolerance of
opinion among the Democrats of Loui-
siana. He says 81 take occasion to
enter my earnest and indignant protest
against the indiscriminate virulence
with which some extreme and overzeal-
GUS opponents of the lottery attack
those who favor the acceptance of this
proposition, in the ranks of whom are
found some of Louisiana's truest sons
men who are hedged with the purple
shadow of as royal a manhood as
hedges the best and proudest in the
land" And the man of either side,
who cannot from the bottom of his
heart say the same thing for his brethren
who hold the opposite view, has not
that breadth of soul which makes the
true Lo~uisianian. Shake!