The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-07-23

The Court House Controversy.


The Court House Controversy.
Our late fight over the bill to re-
move the court house from Colfax
to Pollock has attracted consider
able attention at the hands of the
State press. and we give few of
their comments, viz:
Everyone is wondering what excuse
the Governor can offer for giving the
bill for the removal OF Grant parish
court house a pocket veto when the
entire parish favored the passage of
the bill.-Daily Item.
The governor, Mr.. Item. needs
no excuse for his act. 1t was
founded on reason and justice.
The entire parish did not favor the
passage of the bill. Out of the
$3.50 poll taxpayers of the parish,
we had the signatures of 1857, ask
ing that the election be not ordered.
This shows conclusively that had
the election been ordered it could
not have carried fairly.
The bill passed removing the par
ish seat of Grant from Colfax to Pol
lock; but the governor refused to
sign it, and it is dead. 1t was intro
duced by Mr.. Stewart, good Popu-
list of Grant, and was steadfastly
supported by the solid Populist vote,
and caused much interest.-Monroe
Bulletin.
The solid support of IL Popu-
lists and 10 Republicans was the
combination by which the bill car
ried; and, as they also fought and
defeated other wholesome admins
tration measures, the governor
doubtless felt some satisfaction IN
being able to set down on them,
and at the same time serve the
ends Of justice and right
Bro. Chevis, of the Baton Rouge
Advocate, moderately well sizes up
the situation, as follows:
"The opposition to this removal
proposition represent that the bill is
being pressed by the Iron Mountain
road, which owns vast tracts of land
in and adjacent to Pollock, the OBJ
Iject being to enhance the value o
their lands. In addition to the rail
road interests there are said to b.
several large saw mills along The linz
of the road, employing a large mum
Der of transient laborers, which VOTE
will be massed, in case an election il
ordered, in favor of removal, and il
opposition to the wishes and inter
ests of the great majority of the per
manent residents and property hold
! ing citizens of the parish"
1t is somewhat amusing to rea(
the contradictory and inconsistent
statements made by the various
papers as to the merits of the con
troversy, but we give below a cou
pie of extracts that pretty fairl,
state the methods by which tn
bill was passed, although the mer
, it of the opposition is sadly under
rated, viz:
"There will be no special election il
Grant parish to determine where tn
parish court house shall be located
: In other words, the court house vii
. remain at Colfax, the present parisl
seat of government. Governor Eos
ter, without the slightest hesitancy
t gave the Stewart bill a pocket veto
: which is what was repeatedly fore
Swallowed by The Item. There is NJ
!. doubt as to the merits of the bill AN
a great many of the legislators VIII
{ supported it did SO because they rex
r ognized this merit. But there wer
others who were against it for pOlit
cal reasons, and these others wer
needed, that ia, their votes were abso
t lutely required, in order to get tn
n measure through in both Houses
q Combination upon combination wa
made to gain votes for the Stewar
; bill, and after travelling it's yer
{ rocky road it finally reached tn
: "guv" In the House Mr.. James, th
q Populist leader, and one or two {
. the Populist members, voted for til
Sicily Sunday law bill upon tn
: promise that the Sicily people woul
$ give the Stewart bill a solid vot'
J, That was an exchange of about fort
. votes for three or four. TWAS carrie
> out, and the Stewart bill wen
= through the House without difficult,
!, Up to the time the combination wa
I made the bill had not the slightes
chance.-Daily Item.
The little incident about the trat