The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1896-02-29
General Notes.

Bill wye, tite humOrlSt, Is dead.
Fitzsimmons knocked Maher out in the
first round.
A number of mules and horses around
Alexandria are said to he afflicted with
! glanders.
Three hundred Alabama and Arkan-
saS negroes left Savannah on the
steamer Laureda for Liberia on Feb. 81.
The free silver bill which passed the
Senate was defeated in the national
House OF Representatives last week, by
a majority of 40 votes.
A report from Calcaseu parish say
that the rice farmers arc behind with
their work, and that the acreage will be
small this year compared with the last.
Layfayctte will vote on March 90
Oh the question of levying five mill
tax to establish Il system of water
works aud electric lights for that town.
The colored people of Cheneyville
have purchased Il lot with five houses
thereon for the purpose Of establishing
home for old and decrepit colored
men and women and orphan childlen.
Gov. Foster and other Democratic
ing speeches in North Louisiana this
week. That reliable section will, as
usual, give good account of itself on
the 21st of April.
Foster, Pharr and Booth are all run
ming ust as fast as they can for the
Office of Governor. But Foster is the
only candidate who is in earnest The
other two fellows are running, or trying
to run, for fun.-Ex.
In the contested election case of Cole
man Us. Buck from the Second Congress
sional District of this State, the cleo
tons committee decided by unanimous
vote iu favor of Buck, (Dem.) the sit
ting mVber.
A ffreiHt engine on the Texas 1:, ,s>.,d and
pth p1Gc sfnsS ts Gors wafGn a11ea
Iberville parish A woman was killed,
an Italian had his skull fractured, a
girl had both arms broken, a negro
had his ribs fractured and several re-
ceived scalp wounds.
An Acadia farmer, speaking about
raising rice, said Il used to raise corn,
potatoes, etc, and had to market same
in Opelousas and Washington. never
menced raising rice and have been in
debt ever since" This is another ar
gument for diversified farming, or at
least for the farmer to raise everything
possible which is needed for the home
table.-Crowley Creole American.
Not five per cent of the intelligent and
educated farmers in North Louisiana be-
long to the Populist party. The en-
lightened and progressive farmers of the
State belong to the Democratic party
the party of intelligence; the party
which stands for white mans rule and
any cost. The Democracy of Louisiana,
and especially North Louisiana, can he
safely relied upon to defeat that old
ignoramus but rich "niEger puncher,"
John Pharr, of st. Mary parish, and his
motley crowd of hungry Office seekers
Shreveport Evening Judge.
In a recent bulletin Chief Fernow
throws out some valuable suggestions
to the South. He says that in the course
of short time this sectiopof the cOun-
oak very profitable, as TIL planting of
the acorns have demonstrated that the
tree will flourish in Louisiana, Alabama,
Mississippi and Texas and also in the
southern portions of Arkansas. Georgia
and Tennessee. Mr.. Fernow also says
the waffle tree of Australia, which con-
tains far more tannic acid than the oak,
can be propagated in the South from the
seed as we'll as the eucalyptus which is
valued because of its wood and the oil
in it's foliage. There are great many
things that can be grown in the South
ern States which will add to their wealth,
besides cotton, tobacco and sugar cane.
1t is said that Mr.. Pharr, the candi-
date now up for Governor at the hands
of the Popuiite executive committee, is
immensely rich, great negro hater, a
fauatical prohibitionist and an all
around aristocrat. He's nice bird for
howling Populists to support for Office
The fact is, the more We learn about
modern populism, the moro prodigious
grows our conception of the infinitesi-
NAL smalness. Scientific investigation
has given absolute demonstration that
the divisibility of matter can be pur-
sued to infnity, but our mental capa-
city refuses to follow such the
ory further than to size up the practices
of the Populite party and compare
them with tue colossal pretensioDs of
that Heterogeneous compact. 1t is like
comparing u HlOuSo W al ciopuduJ,@d -
tooth brush to a cypress tree, dog
gnat to tho American eagle.-Bastrop
Clarion Appeal.
The question of paramount interest
to the people of the South, especially to
the producers, is to keep down the cot
ton acreage, any increase Of which would
he certain to cause lower prices for the
balance of the crop that is left and cer-
tainIy still lower prices for the next sea-
son. With an increased cotton crop
for this year, lower prices are inevi-
table.
Every possible influence should be
brought to bear to induce our farm
ers to do this year what stern necessity
forced them to do last-that is, to make
bread aud meat the first consideration,
and cotton the second. The faulty of
increasing the cotton acreage ia SO
apparent that it seems to be Incredible
that our farmers would be guilty Of
such ruinous policy.
A big cotton crop in 1896 would be
disastrous not only to the planter, but
to every interest in the South. Home