The Opelousas courier., 1893-07-01
Must be Remedied.

Dig our Colonial existence, tile
hlngwfeadily pursued the system OF
rating all power over the colon
les, ifnlimseIf.
lhsto contemporaneous statesmen
was aN aren't all the time, but it was
done sdVgradually, and under such spe
c.ous pptezts, that thousands of patri-
otic pf fnle did not perceive it, and
hence 9re was no sudden collisi on to
springseat of it. In the course of time,
the mn es caught on to the idea which
animsmst M d the king and set abont devils,
ing OATS and means of prevention. In
all an les and among all people it has
evE Eac 'een the case, that those invested
W power, have sought, in one
H : or another, to secure an increase
1t, more than 1t was the purpose OF
.e interest of the governed, to invest
llem with. The fact that Washington
lhowed himself an exception to the
rule, caused one of Old England's sweet
singing poetesses to say of him:
"All thon has been, reflects less fame on
| thee,
Than all thou hast refused to be-"
We have a republican form of gov
ernment by which is meant, that it is q
representative government. All pow.
ers to be just, must spring from those
who are governed. The governor is
an executive functionary, and is, on
our theory representative of the peo-
pie. He is their agent, and should
therefore have no power but such as
they are willing he should have.
1t is not consistent with our ingram
ideas, that he should ever have such
powers as enable him to control the re-
suits of popular elections. But never
the less he has them. And has thsm
too, by authority of those who pretend
they are Democrats
Our forefathers boldly said that they
preferred life among the savages, TO
the most splendid condition Of slavery
and they justly considered it slavery
to be governed by one who asserted
powers and prerogatives, not consunaut
with the consent of the governed, and
which being exercised subyerted their
inherent lights. A time and circumstan,
ces may once have existed, which sug-
gested the expediency of giving him
certain powers, which he now continues
to WELD without the remotest necessity
for it,. But that time and those cir
cnmstances have ceased to exist, and
with the reason OF the thing, the power
itself should cease. The King said, +"
can make. apparant the reasonabteness
aud necessity of coertion and Justify it to
all the world" but can our Gnver.
nor pretend that HE can do 80
And are we of Louisiana, go.
ing to sit down easy aud contentedIy,
until he man9yers, yea J! trlfes Will
our rights and liberties, and set mp no
remonstrances Is it consistent will
the Republicanism and the Democracy
of this State, that the Governor should
make and ulmake officials, ad ptacatan'
And that too without deigning to give
those who made him such, a solitary
reason for the exercise of his power
Are we content to see our right tt
choose Police Jurors and other officials
who make laws for us, and control the
results of elections, remain under the
Governors control. We have seen
governors name their own successors,
and such can hereafter be done, unless
our Legislatures are required to take
the power to do so from the Executive
The existence of this power has al
timated in making our popular cleo
ton farces, and we venture to say
never since the war among the States
has there been one single fair election
in Louisiana. In particular locaiitie'
fairness may have been practiced, bn
we speak of elections in general
What is the result of it all Z Dead let
ter laws, he tsubyersion Of Democratic
will and true Republicanism, and unde1
the name of a Constitution of the peo-
ple, the enforcement ofautocratic purpo
ses. This is the long and the short o
all our state elections.