St. Landry democrat., 1893-07-01
Arbitrary Removals.

|
- ed there that it was published by
Il Printing and Publishing Co., Limi
ed,' but even that line no longer ar
, pears. In the last issue of this anony
, nous and beadless concern, which Will
doing the town and parish printing fc
: nothing Is charging delinquents, whe
opportunity offers, from ten to twent
times as much for tax sales as other pa
4 pers offered to accept for the work, SOM
individual presumes to catechise til
editor Of this paper, whose name in
stead of being hidden appears at it
masthead, and to question his Democ
racy, even going so far as to make th
following question and answer:
Question.-What sort of Democrat is tha,
who wanted President Cleveland to turn out
republican postmaster in OpelOusas and Civ
the office to him, and who at the same tim
condemns Gov. Foster for turning out Dupr
and Guldry to make way for Two Democrats
Answer.-Let the Editor of the st. Landry
Democrat answer.
J Now, every intelligent man know
that the two cases are entirely dissim
liar. The custom has always been foI
incoming Presidents to make new ap
p0lntments oil pOstmasters shortly after
their induction into office, and assum
ing that the custom would DC followed
by Mr.. Cleveland, the editor Of this pa
per secured last year the signatures of d
majority of his fellow -townsmen most
Interested in the proper management OF
the office to Il petition recommending
his appointment as postmaster at Ope-
IOusas. lBut, as u matter of fact, he
never asked Mr.. Cleveland to turn out
anybody or to appoint him; for when he
found that the congressman from this
district (who, it is understood, absolute
Iy controls such appointments favored
another man, be withdrew from the
field aud bis petition was never sent to
! WashlngtOn.J Iu other words, then, the
/ time had arrived when changes in post
offices aud other Federal Offices are usu-
ally made, and majority Of the Demo
era is here desired a change. Whatever
action was taken in the matter was in
! the broad light of day-Open and above
board. ln the case of the police jurors,
the change was made at an unusual time
and III an unusual manner; no petition
asking for their removal was ever heard
OF; the Incumbents, appointed scarcely
. year ago, and quietly performing their
duties, expected to be allowed to serve
four years, as has been the custom, and
were not even aware that an effort was
Oelng made to remove them and to cap
the climax, even the gentlemen appoint
ed, themselves, had 10 knowledge that
they were being urged for appointment.
The blow was struck silently, secretly
and in the dark. Any analogy be-
tween the two cases.
The writer goes on and says in his
catecliism that those who disapprovc of
tue governors action in this case are
" the same old set who habitually kick
out of the traces when fairly beaten in
the party organizatiOn.' This is a very
unfortunate allusion. After the action
Of the governor and his friends at the
State convention at Baton Rouge in 1891,
it surely comes with very bad grace
from any of them to say any thing about
party treachery or of kicking out of the
traces when fairly beaten in the party
organization" That, of all subjects, is
the one they ought forever to scrupu-
lously shnn and avoid.
This anonymous writer asks several |
other questions, but before we answer |
them he ought to answer one or two for |
us; and as he has taken the liberty to !
PROFOUND to US some personal questions,
knowing who be was addressing, we |
may be pardoned for endeavOring to dis |
cover the identity of our interrogation,
SO as not to remain always at disad-
vantage. The Sheriff of this parish,
who is also chief manager of the Clari-
oB, is generally credited with being "the
power behind the throne" the man who
engineered these decapitations and who
the downfall Of his erst-
while third party friends and political
For various reasons unne-
cessary to recite here, we believe he is
tile author OF the interrogatOries pro-
pounded to Us. One of these interroga-
tories is to this effect: SupposiDg you
were governor, would you not remove
their appointment had voted for the
electors ? Now, Messrs. DuprG
aud Guid1y may or may not have voted
for the Republican and third party cleo
tors-we do not knew. But we know
that they belonged to the Alliance,
political organization arrayed against
Llle Democratic party, aud allied by a
Formal agreement adopted at LAFAYETTE
to certain independent Democrats who,
with them, refused to enter the Demo-
cratic convention. Yet they were con-
sidcred proper persons to appoint as 20.
lice jurors-not as Democrats, for they
lid not claim TO be such, but as small reward
or the political services they had rendered the
.rcatures of the Young returning board. Hence,
heir political offence of last November, asstlm-
us that they committed it, was not-from the
standpoint of the appointing power, at least
good reason for their removal. Aud it is uni
'ersally understood here, we believe, that this
vas not the true reason, but only the pretext-
he til reason being that the Alliance men
we're not sufficiently dOcie and tractable. AS
uming, then, that we are correct in our sur
MISE as to the authorship of these iuterrOgato-
les, we would ask the Sheriff whether he would
lave made any effort to remsye these gentle
nen had they agreed with him in all matters
elatinS to the police jury, even had they voted
OF Harrison forty times We opine not We
re sure he would not. Hence, his defense of
but puerile.
While this episode brings us suddenly face to |
ace with the startling fact that we are domna-
ed to-day by the rankest bossism that ever | .
spect of the case which ought to arouse the in
lignatiOn OF every citizen and spur them OH to |
Lemand in thunder tones the abolition of the
ystem under which such Outrages are possible |
It the too great power paced in the hands of |
he executive, and demanding from one end of |
he Sta te to the other that the appointiye sys-
EN- for police jurors be done away with, it was
o be hoped that the governor would at least | !
ave the decency to manipulate that part of
lie governmental machinery rs little as posi-
lie. and only V hen necessary to subserVe the
ublic interest. Yet we lind him, at the die
busing his power by attempting to remove {
Ien against whom 10 charge of neglect of duty
r incapacty has been made, but Only because
hey stand in the way of somebody at home,
nd then insulting their intelligence by offering
lame and puerile excuse therefor This ac-
ion of the governor, this making mere play
iIings aHd footballs of men clothed with the
iSnlty OF citizenship is an ifsnlt to every man