St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1892-10-29
no THE PUBLIC

The publisher of the ST. Landry Demo
; crat, speaking for himself and the pub
, Usher of the Courier, his brother, in th
last issue of that paper renews the system
Of malicious and slanderous attacks upol
me, which had hoped would end witt
: the election. / regret to have to troubi,
the public EWith personal matters ant
grievances, but the attack in question is 81
we'll calculated to misead and deceive
that am compelled to publish this card
not wishing even the few people who reaG
that paper to believe its slanderous utter
/ ances about me-.
The charges made against me in this
last attack are false in letter and in spirit
and were known to be SO by the individual
who made them, and are merely the ex-
/ preston of the anger, malice and bitter
disappointment felt at no longer being
/ able to draw support from the taxpayers.
4 have not made an attempt to induce the
| police jury to forbid it's clerk to furnish
either the Democrat or Courier with the
| minutes of its proceedings for publication,
nor have l made an attempt to force the
people to read the CLARION Holeais eolens,
CLARION before they could read them in
any other paper, nor have sought to per-
seente or iniure the publishers of those
papers, nor have tried to dictate to the.
police jury, nor did / ever make objection
60 or IN any way oppose any demand Of
the Democrat or Courier to copy the pro-
eeedings of the September meeting or any
other meeting of the police jury. As is
well known the CLARION is doing and has
been doing for two years past the official
printing of the parish free gratis and with
out any cost whatever to the taxpayers.
That is what it contracted to do under its
bid and it has faithfully carried out its
contract. Since the CLARION obtained that
contract to do the official printing, the
publishers of the Democrat and Courier
sued the parish, claiming to be paid as
official printers upon the pretense that the
police jury had violated its contract and
that they were entitled to their salary
though the CLARION had been elected the
official journal and was doing the work
free of cost. The District Court and the !
Court of Appeals rejected their claim, and
the owners of the CLARION had the salts
faction of having their efforts to save
money to the taxpayers endorsed and
by the Courts, and the police |
jury that successfully resisted that at /
tempt to get money illegally out of the
treasury doubtless received the approval I
OF the taxpayers of the parish.
In order that the public may see for it
self the injustice and fasehood of this at
tack upon me, | will briefly state what did
occur that has furnished pretext for it
The CLARION under the terms of sits con-
tract being compelled to publish without
all the proceedings of the
police jury is certainly entitled to some
privileges under that contract. It is en-
titled to the exclusive possession of the
official copy from the clerk and that's all
claim or have claimed. [ have made no
objection or opposition to the publishers
Of these papers obtaining for publication
full and accurate reports of the proceed
ings of the police jury in time for their
papers simultaneously with their official
publication in the CLARION. AS a stock Z
holder and member of the board of direc-
tors OF the st. Landry Printing and Pub
fishing Company, Limited, / did object1
and do object to the official copy, of the
being taken out of the pos
session OF the official printer and delivered
% other newspapers Whether it ought to ;
1e SO or not tits a fact, that the copy of .
he proceedings of the police jury furnished
he official printer by the clerk for publi-I
,ation is the only official record in exis-
luentiy the only record to appeal to in j
'ase question should arise as to the /,
correctness of the published proceedings {
Ehe owners of the CLARION are RESPONSE [
lie for the correct publication of these Z
proceedings and they therefore have the
light to demand that the official copy t
hould not go into other hands, especially
nto the possession of individuals who
'Shlbit such yindictiye spirit towards the :
,fficia1 Journal ,
As to the support and patronage which
give to the CLARION, / shall continue to
i've it with all the earnestness and in ,
lnence possess officially and personally I \
should do SO for personal reasons If I
lad none other. But the public has an
interest in maintaining.the continued ex-
stenee of the CLARION here 1t came into
xistenee to prevent the publishers of the !
Democrat and Courier from having a I
monopoly of the newspaper business in
his parish. The CLARION has broken up
hat monopoly and has saved thousands
+ dollars to the taxpayers of the parish
i St Landry and the town of Opelousas.
he people know this and also that the
Ugh sounding words of the Democrat
bout the freedom and independence of {
he press is but the howl Of a hungry and
disappointed claimant for public pap. As
0 threats which the publisher of the Dem
crat makes: its intimation that friends
n both sides will be involved and reereta- s
lie results may follow [ take that as it is
neant-mere bluster If, however, these :
hreats be seriously meant. am not to be L
or bulldozed into silence even
y so dangerous man as the publisher of
be ST. Landry Democrat
Again expressing to the public my regret =
t being compelled by this malicious at
ack TO publish a personal card, I will vet
enture to say, notwithstanding these con- 4
nued, unfounded and slanderoas attacks. 4
nat my record as a public servant is an &
pen book, to be read by all men who NAV &
hoose to take the trouble to look into III. &
nd that am ready at all times to make q
mends for any mistakes or errors that 8
lay be found therein. Is
Respectfully, y