The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-10-01

LocKPoRT, La, Sept. 23rd 1892.
Editor 'ThDodaux SENTINEL"
It's not very often that we take the
liberty to annoy you for space in
your valuable paper, but when we dp,
we make an effort to protect and en-
courage the interests of our surround
ings. With no other object in view
thaE attaining this end, Onr comment
will be on a cOmmur ication in the
Times Democrat of the 10Th inst, dated
LockpOrt, La, Sept. Sth, and signed
by a Mr.. NJ. B. Hillyard, an ambulant
correspondent of that paper.
First the ''bird eye view correspon-
dent gives the population, history. and
geographical location of Lockport with
passable accuracy; but we will endeav-
or to point out and rectfy the error
onr unknown opponent made when he
depicts our community as poor and
sickly
We defy the gentleman to point out
a more healthy community on Gods
green earth, and one that is farther
from being ponr and destitute, than
ours. He speaks of the swamps and
| mosquito breeding ponds. but never
for once mentl0ns our beautiful Lake
Fields over which the balmy breezes
of our lovely Southern Innate blow,
sweeping away every vestige Of sick
ness and malaria.
He goes on to say that he under
stands that there are several fine sugar
plantations with much rich land which
| he has not seen, but fails entirely to
n ha hot ho
avoidably, by every passer-by, pnrsu-
| ing the same route the gentleman did.
Did he fail to wonder at the luxuri-
ance of NatuIe's favored crop, the finest
in the state, the sugar caneo 1t seems
so. He fails entirely to describe the
enormous outlay in sugar refiner.es,
Foret, Claudet, Delaune, Badeaux,
B'udreaux, Leblanc, Lagarde, Bourg,
! and Bourgeois-these are all French
names and all on the route which the
gentleman travelled. To these sugar
growers, we will refer again below
| Further the correspondent says: "At
this season of the year and stage of wa
ter, Lock ports only dependence for
trans portation is the semi weekly flat
boat to Raceland for heavy freight
| We cannot tell where the gentleman
received his information. for the flat
boat line has been in daily operation
from here to Raceland for more than
25 years, fer freight only, and not at all
for the accommodation of travellers.
IF you want to ride, you must take
a carriage" which may be had at either
of Lockport's we'll known livery stables
where all the accommodation in the
world may be had without being COM
PEELED to have recourse 70 tldt-bo
| that travels two miles an hour.
"Sometimes the rude chimney is
completely covered with ivy or honey
suckle, and the smoke curls through
fragrance and bloom. And there you
will find plenty of cottages thatched
with the fan palms, with its pretty am
Der frills embroidered with roses and
honeysuckles, and embossed in ways
that would delight an artist"-~hetori-
cal nonsense.
"Indeed, so primitive are some of
the people that they stlll tread out
rice by horses.n This fact is limited to
the season when the threshers are no
longer running, and is never done ex-
cept in threshing small quantities used
for seed-none ut all for the market.
'The houses are almost invariably
owned by their occupants. They are
in most cases "a very large MAJORITY
owned by white people of French des-
cent, who speak that language. They
are almost always poor and industri-
otis
We would right here say that we
ourselves are of French descent and
proud of our ancestry Who laid the
frst stakes of our prosperous eiviliza-
tion that nov affords news agents and
others an opportunity to share and to
criticize : WHAT community of what
ever country's abstraction can point
with more pride than we to such sue
cessful and honored names rs those
large prot erty holders mentioned
| abovee
The Parish with its Bayon and coun-
ty seat are all named from our fore
fathers tongue.
He SAYS lie was informed by a gentle
man living at the 'Cut Off," MIR. Dera-
NEE, that thereare 10000 barrels fpo-
tatocs planted yearly. This amount he
reduced to 20, 900 barrels, and then says
Continued on fourth page.