The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-07-08
ELECTIVE POLICE JURIEN.

"Taxation without representation
is to all true Americans a most odious
doctrine, and its actual practice in any
form of government is justly classed
as usurpation. 1t was this species of
usurpation, more than any other sort
of oppression by the British Crown,
which led our forefathers to raise the
standard of revolt against the mother
country, and to proclaim their indie
%pendence from British rule, and to as
sert and maintain that independence
with the sword through a long and
dreadful war.
From the declaration of Indepen-
dence to the present time. taxation
without representation" has always
been held III peculiar adherence by
Americans, and in whatever instances
we find that they have temporarily
submitted to it, it was to avoid what
seemed to them for the time being to
be greater evils.
Here in Louisiana we have patient
~ submitted for the last fifteen years
to %"taxation without representation
in u parochial government. For
that time our police ~juries have been
given US by the Governor; and while
they have the power to tax us at a
higher rate than the legislature itself,
We have been deprived of our Ameri-
can prerogative OF choosing them.
When this undemocratic system
was inau2urated, the people quies.
Gently submitted to it as a means of
averting greater evils then confront
ing them. just emerging from the
saturnalia of radical mlsrule and the
tyranny of the reconstruction times;
our elections still dominated by fed
eral interference; our parishes all
deeply plunged into debt, by irrespon-
sible police jnries foisted upon the
people, by the enemies of the South;
with many parishes still under the
control of the ignorant freedmen,
dominated by uDprinclpled white men;
1t was impossible to rescue their paro-
chlal governments from misrule ex-
cept by substituting an appointive for
the elective system.
The e%xpedient proved successful in
accomplishing the ends for which it
was devised. and as long as there was
a necessity for its existence, the peo-
pie quietly submitted t o this system
which denied them one of their most
sacred rights. But the necessity
which gave birth to the appointlve
system has happily passed away, and
the system itself should be abolished,
and a return to the elective, the true
American system, should be had as
speedily as possible. There is no Ion
ger any reason to persist in the ap-
pointive system of Police Jurors.
White supremacy has been estab-
ilshed throughout the State the Fed
eral Government 10 longer interferes
IN our State election; the Force Bill
has been killed beyond resurrection;
the races are at peace, and the negro
begins to understand his true position
IN the political economy, and has liv
ed long enough to realize that bis
nights are equally secured under Dem
ocratic as we'll as Republican admin
lstrations ard, as a consequence. he has
lost his interest in politics. The mis-
rule and reign of spoliation, to avoid
which the appoin.ive system was ere
ated, are 70 longer to be feared in this
State, if p%arochial home-ruleI be re-es-
tablished.
The people know this, and knowing
1t, it gals them to see
themselves deprived Of home-rule.
They are FESTIVE under the continued
deprivation of their rights, and unless
the present legislature restore them
their valued prerogative at it's coming
session, they will make themselves
heard at the coming election.
The press can do much BY ~agitatinc
the matter towards securing an early
return to the elective system of Police
Juries.
Let the demand be for a change to
take place at the next general cleo
ton; do not interfere with the pres
ent order of things.
A Battle for BLOOD