The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1892-12-03
The Fontenot Style Of Retrench.
ment and Reform.

The Hypocrisy of sheriff Fontcnot's
pretense of saving money to tho tax
payer is shown on every hand where
the facts are brought to light We
have on various occasions given the
facts in the fat job he has been work
ing on the delinquent taxpayers for
several years to the tune of several
hundred dollars a year, unwillingly
wrung from those whose property have
been advertised for sale in his paper,
when he could have had the same
work done in either the COURIER or
Democrat, at just one-twentieth the
price he has been making tho tax
payers pay the Clarion. We un-
masked the Jail painting job last week,
and our neighbor the Democrat shows
up his little game in the special deputy
act as follows:
The Police Jury held session on Tuesday
night of last week, when the compensation
of the deputy employed by the Sheriff to keep
a record OF the time and mileage of witnesses
before the District Court came up. On the
day before, the jury had authorized the
Sheriff to employ deputy for the purpose,
but had not fixed his compensation. Mr..
Courtney stated that he had since learned
tldU Luo OUeflu ldu De6n paying d deputy
at the rate of 500 per month for doing this
work. and that he understood competent men
could be found who were willing to do it
for $50 per month, and he suggested that the
deputy be paid at that rate, ii he was willing
to accept the job on those terms or that he
be paid at the rate of 500 per month for the
two days he had been employed and that an
other man fully as competent be employed at
$50 per month in his stead. The Sheriff was
sent for and he dseountenanced the plan
and gave no encouragement whatever to Mr..
Courtney, and said that he did not think his
deputy would do the work for $50 per month.
The deputy was sent for, came in with the
Sheriff, and informed the jury that he would
not do the work for $50 per month Mr..
Adelma Gudry then stated to the jury that
Mr.. Homer Guidry, a young man who was
fnlly competent, would accept that sum for
the work, and asked that he be given the job,
and that the deputy be paid off at the rate of
500 per month fer the time he had been en-
ployed.
MIR. MeGee moved that the services of the
deputy be retained at the old, rate.
Before the question was put, Mr.. Boagni
took the hoas and in few brief and pointed
remarks gave his reasons for opposing the
motion. He said that the proper course for
him to pursue seemed very plain and clear,
and that neither he bis colleagues had
any more moral right to pay 500 of the peo-
ple's money fer services that could be as well
P~o
or $50 for lumber that could be bought for
$40 or SIS. Two criminal terms Of court
were held each year, he said, and nearly $l00
of the psppies money could be saved each
year by dispensing with the services of the
deputy.
The question was then. put, and when Mr..
Courtney was called rpon TO vote he said that
he was. sorry TO have to differ with some of
his friends OH that point, but that when he
went home he wanted to be able to say to his
people that he had stood up for the reduction
of expenses and for what he considered their
best interests.
The motion to give away some $50 of the
peoples money was then carried, the Sheriff
all the while looking approvingly on, when
one word from him would have changed all.
That noble old reformer McGeee, led the
van, closely followed by Butler, Lafeur,
Clopton and Bergeron, some of whom we had
hoped for better things. Those who stood by
the peoples interests were: Boagni, Courtney,
Dnpre and Guidry. All honor to them