The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1891-07-04
A. LEVY, President.

admired discourse, baskets were or
dered to the front, and sumptuous
supply of substantials we'll prepared,
was generously and lavishly served by
polished gentlemen and refined ladies,
Such things were never better done.
Every one was bountifully supplied,
aud all went on as orderly as the
Puritan fathers could have desired.
After all had feasted, the young
folks had play on the green grass, in
which few of the old men took
part.
The meeting was again called to
order and Major r. NJ. Wilson was ln-
troduced as the third orator of the day.
He said he was no speaker, and that
he hardly knew where to begin what
he might have to say. But said no,
l" / might as we'll begin on the Lottery"
and he did begin on it, continued on
it, and finished. on it. He grasped it
by the throat, he choked it, and sulli-
vaniZed it, dGyned it, pounded and
kicked it, until if it had been there in
embodied form every bone in it would
have been broken, and every feature
spoiled. He told the audience that its
income annually was, from the best
information he had, from $l2,O00,O00
to $50, 900, that it had stit1ed all
attempted legislation intended to af-
feet it-or to benefit the farmers. That
it had no argument but 'boodle'-that
it expects to carry the election by it,
and to do it by the colored vote. That
the farmers would see that it could not
and would not be carried in that way.
That there were white voters too, that
such argument would effect, but that
another argument would be found to
meet it. That the farmers were united
and intended to attend to such things.
He told them that our representatives
did not represent the people when they
voted to submit the Lottery amend
ment to them. That fhey had never
consulted the people-that they had
been bought out, at least many OF them,
that almost the entire Press had been
subsidized and that the Lottery ex-
poets to carry the election by the use
of it's money. That if it succeeds,
there can never be another election in
Louisiana which it will not control by
lavish use of it.
Said that if Morris wanted to be as
philanthropic as he wished to be con-
sidered by his offer to pay a million
and quarter annually for twenty five
wears to come, he should begin by Civ
| ing that amount for the % years his
Lottery had already been in operation.
That be should give the $4,000, 600 or
$50. .OOO, 900 which he is taking in an
nualIy. to the State, instead Of the $40
900 he has been paying to the Charity
Hospital While dwelling on these
matters he grew animated. and from
time to time. stroked his patriarchal
beard giving peculiar twinkle of the
eye, as if to say: don't I hit him though!
| The Major spoke his honest sentiments
| in plain English, with more of force
than elegance aud with more of elab-
oration, than of logical reasoning,
We like to hear an honest man ventl-
late his ideas, but can not always ac-
cept them as infallibly sound. We
often think speakers zeal may lead
him away from facts, and the honesty
of his convictions from the correct de-
ductious of logic. The majors heart i;
in the work, and if his arguments are
at all weak, it is because his heart Ii
asserting it 8 convictions, when hi
head should be subjecting established
facts to logical conclusions.
At the conclusion Of the major't
speech, which lasted three fourth 0
an hour, the recollection of Longstreet'
account of the song" in his Georgi;
scenes came Yividly to mind. W.
thought he had held out admirabl,
we'll for one, who found it necessary
III the beginning of his speech, to sa.
he was no orator. The orations closet
with speech by Mr.. Lafargue, who
as far as he went, repeated in Frencl
verbatim, the argumentative part 0
what he had said in his speech in Eng
Iish. Mr.. Truman then announced
! that the meeting of the Alliance wa
closed, and said that if others wishe'
to be heard they were at Liberty t
speak. No one came forward. The au
dience had submitted with patience t
the showers of epitbets, invectives an
pyrotechnics which had fallen an'
scintilated from the invited speakers
and for some time before the speeche
ended, had sought refuge in converse
ton, ogling among young lovers an
vine climbing among the fine iittl
boys present.
If there were any present land W
think there were) who desired to TAX
a ride on the hobby horse-the inape,
; sonality of friend Trumans concludin
singular invitation, threw dampnes
2 on their purpose, and like Holmes IN
tutored musicians, who "die with a
their music in them," went home. wit
all their speeches in them:
The picnic was delightfuly, but Il
!, voice could perpetuate itself, "Ol
!, Norris would be heard in that majei
tic woods, echoing through the yea
!, to come in proof that at some tim
friend Carroll had been heard ----.-
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