The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1896-01-18


lies and all the propositions to be !
voted on should be printed on onel
ticket. The bill further provided
that the ballot Of the voter should
be prepared in secret in . booth
built for that purpose, and that the
voter could not receive any assist
ance in preparing his ballot. The
of the voter as to candidates
aud measures was to be indicated
by . CHEESEMAN'S opposite the can'1i-
dates and measures he desired to
vote for. It is quite evident that
the passage of such q law would
have effected an educational qualifi-
cation pure and simple; for the voter
who could not read would not know
where to place the cross-mark to in
dictate his choice. This bill was re-
ferred to the judiciary committee of
the House, Of which Mr.. Mouton
and I were members, and which
consisted, think, of sixteen mem
bers. When the bill came up be-
fore the committee for considera-
ton there were present eight mem
bers aud the acting chairman,
Mr.. Mouton and among them.
Mr.. Mouton was opposed to ia
vorable report of the bill and made
an elaborate and exhaustive argu-
ment against it on the grounds,
mainly, that the bill would operate
an educational qualification, and
would disfranchise 40 per cent of
the best citizens Of his parish and
section Of the State, who, without
any fault of their own, had been de-
prived of the advantages of an edu-
cation. He argued further that the
passage of such q bill would be pc
culiarly unjust at that juncture, be-
cause it would deprive, as he said,
40 per cent of the best citizens of
his parish and section of the State
of the power to vote on the consti'
tutional amendments as to suffrage,
which would possibly be submitted
to the people in the election of April,
1896, and would place it in the
power of select few in the State to
deprive the people of their dearest
rights, without their being able to
cast dissenting vote.
Mr.. Mouton argued the injustice
of the bill with g eat force and
earnestness, and gave the committee
to understand that he would not
consider himself bound by the ac-
reported favorably, but would make
the same fight against the bill before
the House that he was making before
the committee, and would do all he
could to defeat it.
When a vote was lad in the COM
mittee it was found that 4 members
had voted for favorable report of
the bill and 4 against; and the act
ing chairman on the committee de-
clded the question by voting for a
favorable report. So the bill came
to the House on a favorable report
of the judiciary committee.
After the bill was SO favorablv re-
ported, Mr.. Mou,on and some one
else got up petition among the
members of the House to have the
bill re-leferred TO the full judiciary
committee, as only a bare majority
of the committee had voted on the
report. The bill was SO re-r ferred,
and upon reconsideration was un-
favorably reported, and nothing
further was done with it.
have written to you thus fully
because 1 think it my duty when
called upon to testify the truth as to
Mr.. Monton's course in the Legisla-
trre with reference to the Il after in
quired about; it is due to him and
to the people of the parish whom he
represented that the truth should be
known as to his record on this pub
lie matter.
AS members of the same commit
tee Mr.. Mouton and I were necessa-
rily much thrown together, and fire.
quen,ly exchanged views on pending
legislation, both in and out of the
committee-room and House; ano
moreover, as l have said before.
Mr. Mouton was very able and &C
tive and impressed his opinions up
on members of the House with {
force that always left distinct i'm
preston, whether the auditor agreed
with him or not.
I cannot see how any one opposed
to the qualification of the suffrage
can find any fault with the course O
Mr. Mouton. Yours truly,
G.. w. ELAN,
| Member House Representatives from
| DeSoto Parish.
+! HISTORY OF THE "PEO
PIES TCKEE'