The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-01-02
To the Democrats of Ward 2,
of Bossier Parish.

I see in the issue of the Bossier
Banner of December Goth card from
Mr.. J. NJ. Montgomery, late candi-
date for Constable in ward 2.
beg leave to answer said card
and let the readers of the Banner
know how the people feel on the sub
iect. On said card it reads how I
feel)
On Nov. 23d, at primary election,
l received majority of votes, as
shown by the commissioners returns.
Four of the six commissioners
were for my opponent. These re
turns as tabulated by the Executive
Committee made me the nominee,
but at later meeting a contest was
filed by my opponent, alleging that
Mr.. E. McCaleb and Wesley Thomas
had voted against him.
On this the Executive Committee,
all members present, ordered new
election for us.
At the box, while trying to vote,
MIR. E. McCaleb's vote was challeng-
ed and objected to by friend of
mine, and his vote was ordered good
and accepted by the commissioners
favorable to my opponent.
I do not know Mr.. McCaleb and
have no reason to believe that he
voted for me.
Wesley Thomas filed certificate
stating that lie voted for Mr.. Mont
gomery. After all this, at a later
meeting of the committee, after in
vestivation had been settled, a mo-
ton was made to reconsider the
matter, which had once been recon-
sidered,
This was so unreasonable and en-
tirely supplementary; four members
present withdrew, leaving three men,
bers and three proxies present.
This is what suppose my oppo-
nent in his card calls the Democratic
party of Bossier parish. As a fact
these three members and three prox-
les did try to call themselves the
Democratic Executive Committee of
Bossier parish, although there are
twelve members.
For quorum there must be a ma
jority present and acting.
If Mr.. Pickett is absent, then there
is q member elected in his place, and
we still have twelve. But I have
always thought that a candidate for
Constable had to depend on the peo-
pie for his nomination and election,
and not on the Executive Committee,
Notwithstanding the three members
and three proxies voted long after
the primary for my opponent.
I believed majority of the people
in the ward had voted for me, but to
set entirely at rest every misunder-
standing, the people of the ward
called and held at the Court House,
in Benton, mass meeting, partici-
pated in and Endorsed by more than
one hundred gentlemen of the ward,
as reference to tue proceedings pub
lished will show.
The resolutions passed by this
mass meeting OF our people invited
and notified Mr.. Montgomery and
myself, that at the general primary
election to be held on the 18th day
of January, 1896, they were going to
vote for Constable for this ward.
This does not look like worrying the
people with multiplicity of cleo
tions.
Now, what is Morris going to do?
Why he is going to offer his name
for their Endorsement Oh that day. II
Mr.. Montgomery does the same, and
gets majority Of votes, he is sure
to be the Constable of this ward If,
as he says in his card, "AIr. Morris
and few dissatisfied friends" are
the only dissatisfied persons, then he
can easily win the nomination in an
honorable manner and settle eren
this little dissatisfaction of which a
good deal is said about in his card.
democratic principles and the
Democratic Executive Committee of
three 1 suppose he means).
| l think the ITO persons in this
ward, who have called for an election
between us on the 18th instant rep.
resent as good and as much Demo
cratic principles as the Committee of
three, who tried to elect on their own
motion (as card says) a Constable for
this ward.
My opponent, Mr.. Montgomery,
says he is the nominee for Constable.
How and when did he become the
nominee? There has been only one
primary election and at that receiv-
ed majority of votes.
| 1t takes majority of votes of the
people voting to make any man the
nominee of the party.
Again, if nv opponent means that