St. Landry democrat., 1894-02-24
Au RevoiT.

even fairly remuncratiyc. Now tha
the proprietor Of the office building de-
sires to devote it to other uses, we fee
that the time has come 10 give up an IN.
profitable venture. We go back to the
the old "Courier," in whose office we
have spent neatly 80 Of tie best years oI
our life, and next week will be found
there ready and willing as We have al.
ways been to serve the people Of oul
town, parish and State to the best of ou1
poor ability.
To tie staunch friends who have
steadfastiy encouraged ana supported
us We return our most heartfelt thanks.
To those who have read our paper and
paid for it our grateful thanks are also
due. Those who have been reading our
paper and have not puid for it are as
sured that they will earn our sincere
thanks by promptly handing US tie
amounts they owe.
Those who have paid in advance for
the DEMOCRAT will be sent the Courier
up to the time paid for, or, if they pre-
fer, the amount due them will be re-
funded on application. Our uufuIfilIed
advertising contracts will be completed
by the Courier (unlcss otherwise direct
ed by the parties in intercsD, thus Civ
| ing our advertisers tie benefit of
| by the addition OF tie names from our
| list.
We have said that our venture was
financially Improbable from the start.
1t may be proper to look into the causes
which led to this result. We went as
far as any other paper ia assisting the
laudable efforts Of the noble women of
the W. c. I. T., and in demanding at
all times the strict enforcement of the
laws; We alone in Opelousas dIscounte-
nanced prize-fg fghting, cock fighting,
&c, when these degrading sports were
INDUCED in here in fact, we were al
ways, as it was our duty as public in
structOr to be, on the side of law and
morality. The DEMOCRAT was the first
paper to protest against cOlored post
master, and it was the only one which
protested against The use by colored
people Of the hall dedicated to social
gatherings of the best class of whites.
Although we We're censured in some
qnarters for the stand we took on these
questions, the virtuous aud intelligent
masses were surely in sympathy with
us, and we should have gained by our
course at least as much support as we
lost by it.. The editor has always been
q friend of education and has for years,
in season and out of season, urged the
extension and bettermcnt Of our school
facilities. He persstently held up to
the peoples gaze the disgraceful condi-
ton of the public cemetery and pleaded
with them to put a stop to it until he
was almost ashamed to recur to the sub
ject Hence, if the opportunities of the
youth of the parish for acquiring knowl-
edge are improved; if we have a school
building which is credit to our town;
and if the public cemetery, from a neg
lected thicket where the beasts of the
field roamed at will, has been trans
formed into bower of beauty, he might
claim small share of credit
for these achievements. IT our town
affairs are in good shape, our finances in
a healthy condition, our streets aud
bridges improved; il a higher sense of
moral responsibility and a vorthier and
more patriotic conception of their du-
ties prevail among our town officials if,
in fact, our dear old town has been
steadily Oh the up grade for several
years, one OF the most potent causes
which brought about these results may
from the municipal government of
class Of people who were-to some cx-
tent unWittingly, perhaps-mere tools
in the hands of designing men. OF our
connection with this great reform it is
for US to speak here. Be-
sides this, and other matters we might
mention, we have given our readers all
the important local news, carefully es-
the sensational, the vulgar and
the obscene, and we have given more
general news than any other paper in
the parish or perhaps any country paper
in the State. Surely, the causes of our
support do not lie here.
But, few months before we took
charge Of the DEMOCRAT another paper
zs estathrsneu ttA1S7dt nJre. 1t was not st4
81 BY ~GRAaen bred to the profession of
journalism or in sympathy with the dig
nifty or good repute of that high call
ing, or dependent upon it for the means
of livelihood, but by a small coterie of
politicians whose i'll will we had been so
unfortunate as to incur. They formed
a joint stock company, and with con-
summate skill enlisted the active assist
ance and support OF few leading men
in the various sections Of the parish by
inducing them to take stock in the en-
terprise, thus at one and the same time
reducing their own financial response
bility to minimum and creating as
many active and pecuniarily interested
agents. The effects of this clever scheme
were at once apparent. Three fourths,
or thereabouts, of the best paying work
went at once to the new concern. Then
its managers went to the police jury,
the town council and the school board
and offered to do the town, the parish