The Opelousas courier., 1895-08-31
The Suffrage Amendment-who Is
Responsible Therefor.
The Clarion in its Iaet issua cow

| Irresponsible Therefor.
The Clarion in its last issue saws:
The suffrage amendment is "a fraud on the
down." WV ~
lDasmucli as that paper and it's ad-
hereDts and followers have endeavored
to charge those "on the other side y
Win 1aVOrIns the same, whilst they
profess to be una.terably opposed to it
let us calmly and dispassionately in
qulre into its origin, its passage and
thereby ascertain who is responsible for
Its being before the people for adoption
or rejection.
After Governor Foster had been
counted into Office, he and some of his
adherents began to clamor for and in
sist upon the purity of the ballot box"
At the second session of the Legislature
which convened in the city of Baton
Rouge, the Governor in his message to
that body laid great stress upon the
passage of some law restricting the
right OF suffrage; and after having re-
viewed the several restrictions which
had been advocated and discussed said
"Of these qualifications .tarOr the e7u-
cotional or property qualification"
ANY law which you may enact by
which the popular will can bo freely
expressed, faithfully recorded and the
result correctly declared will receive
my approval.-Governor's message as
appears in House Journal pages 81
and 90.
It may not be amiss to observe that
whilst several other plans had been
suggested by the press, the people and
the Constitutional Commission, the
plan suggested by his Excellency was
the one finally adopted. Can anyone
deny that had the Governor objected to
the passage of this joint resolution that
1t would never have become a law
most assuredly not. He favored it's
adoption and now it is before the peo-
pie he wants it adopted. More than
this, he will see that 1t is adopted not
wlthstanding the opposition from his
friends in st. Landry and elsewhere in
southwest Louisiana. 1t is currently
reported and generally believed, that
this present administration stands COM
mitted to it's passage, and if such be the
case. 1t will be adopted even it it has to
be counted in. One of the Governors
friends in this parish, some time since
openly asserted such would be the CASE
This latter fact cuts very little figure
in the matter of this discussion other
than to show that the measure is one of
the administrations pet schemes and is
going to be adopted, and that too whe-
ther the dear people object to it or not.
Such being the case, would it not be
we'll for the Clarion to turn its attention
to its Governor and members of the
House and Senate who imposed upon
the people the necessity of passing upon
this question, the adoption of which the
Clarion SO much deplores.
FAIR PLAY.
P. S.-Below | give the votes on final
passage Of this bill as reported in the
House Journal at page s36:
Yeas-Messrs. Akers. ANTI, Barry, Blaffer.
BesancOn, BOggs, Boone, Bullion, Bulger, Bur
meister, Caldwell. Collins, Decker. Deibel,
Donllut, Dqcros, Dudenhefer, Dymond, Elan,
Faulkner. Flandry. Freiler, Gates, Gehlbach,
Grinage. Guidry, Hancock, Hans. Harmanson.
Harris. Herbert, Hill Hinson. Him, Hyams.
Hooper, Joyner, Jnge. Jumel, Kennedy. Kill
geai, Lomax, Loret. Mathis, Meeker. Michel.
Mills Moore, Mouton Of Lafayette, Murphy of
sd;,9 msais9n Murphy Of St. :,,n Tammapy Nelson
Robertson, Rogers. Sanders. Stagg, Snyder,
Wyly. Young Mnssn, Total, a. ,,o..,o.> no,..o,o
Republican, Cayolle. Repnblican) Dawkins,
Lewis. Mcbride, tRep) Shelby, simms. Welsh.
Absent among others Pultord of ST. Landry,
who doubtless favored it's passage.
In the Senate the bill was passed
unanimously. Vide Senate Journal
page 367.
The Opelousas Courier is holding it's
own as one OF the truest Democratic
papers in the State. Surely tho better
element of the people of st. Landry
will uphold it.-Mansfieid Democrat
Journal.
We thank our brother for this COM
pliment, and will only say that we have
ciples of true Democracy-the opinion
Of some of our local politicians to the
contrary Notwithstanding