The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1893-12-02

It Won't Hold Water.

The words "official Journal of the
parish" in the COURIER would seem to
have the same effect upon the Clarion
that red flag has upon an Infatuated
gentleman COW. 1t has on several Oc-
casions given evidence that these five
words CRATE harshly upon its nerves
and again in its last issue INDUCED in
one of it's periodic frantic efforts. 1t
the Board of Directors, which that pa
per asserts is responsible for its edlto
rial ntterances, don't know any more
on the subject than the writer of the
article referred to, we might as we'll
state right here for the benefit of all
concerned that the author of that
article is simply "talking through his
hat" and if the gentlemen supposed to
constitute the Board of Directors don't
wish to be put in ridiculous position,
they had better take immediate steps
to plug the hole up.
We deny that the Clarion has any
claim to the title of tho official journal
of the parish, and cite the decision of
the State Circuit Court on that point
in support of our position, wit ::
First, the law has not been complied
with in two indispensable points: no
new contract has been made between
it and the Police Jury after the expira-
tlon OF twelve months from its original
contract, and the Clarion never has
complied with the express provisions
of the law requiring that a good and
sufficient bond should be given; and
second, it has repeatedly failed to pub
lish the proceedings in the manner pro-
vided by law-one instance in point
being shown up by our neighbor, the
Democrat as follows:
The Clarion cites an alleged fact which
it says is in itself "a complete refuta-
tion of the charge which we made that
it abbreviated the proceedings of the
police jury, and adds that "the Clarion
has been and is still living up to its con-
tract"
The following from the Democrat of
July %, 1891, shows to what reckless as
sertions the Clarion is addicted and
the fact that it has never published the
reports of the late grand jury shows con-
clusively hOW it is Giving up to its con-
tract.n
The Clarion has been doing the parish
printing for several months, having of
fered to do same gratis, but it never
occurred to us until this week to make
any Investigations into the manner in
which it was doing the work. Compar-
ing its report of last weeks proceedings
of the Police Jury with the official re-
port furnished us by the Clerk of that
body and published in both this paper
and the COURIER last week, we find that
it is sighting the task it voluntarily as
sumed and is doing the work in care
less and slip-shOd manner. More than
this, it deliberately mutilates and cur
tails the official copy furnished it by the
clerk. For instance, in the list of claims
approved, the Clerk wrote, and both the
Democrat and COURIER published as
follows:
Gerasin Richard, witness certificate ...... SO 80
David Higginbotham; suit E. NJ. Boagni
Arcade Martino, witness certificate, State
Of La, parish st. Landry VS.. John
Eraste Dupre, witness cert'f as above. 90
JOisin Martineau, so
and so on for three others. The Cla-
rlon, probably thinking it was giving
too much sugar for dime," to use it's
elegant and classic expression, or that
it knew better than the Clerk what
ought to be published, or what the peo-
pie were entitled to know, summarily
of these items as follows:
Gerasin Richard wit certificate ..$3.8 80
D Higgnbotham " .. $40
Arcade Martino $50
Evariste Duprc - 400
Joisn Martineau $50
and so for the three others. Again, the
Clerk wrote, and the Democrat and
COURIER both published as follows:
Albert Boudreau, witness cert'f E. M
Boagni ct ais. VS.. Jos. T. Meche .$ 60
Edgar Meche, witness cert'f as above.-.. IL 40
Jules Qu6b6deau " I" " ' w 8 80
and so fer four others. The " official
journal" cavalerly disposed of these
as follows:
Albert Boudreau $ $50
Edgar Meche ~ IL 40
jules Quebedeau -.-..-. $50
and so for the four others. And again,