Natchitoches populist., 1898-09-02
cient calibre for Congressional

J record in the Constitutional Con
vention, and we can safely say thai
if all the ink that he used in writ
ing clauses now embraced in the
| State Constitution was spread or
the end of his nose, the mark coulc
not be seen with microscope. Il
is true that he offered several 9th
err things during the session of the
Convention, but they were refer.
red to committee, and "died Il
bornin" as they were never hearc
from afterwards; with one excep
tion, and that was some ''little old
thing" about the Normal school al
Natchitoches, and then the com.
mittee threw his bill away and re.
ported on the subject matter by
Offering q substitute. 1t partakes
of the nature of comic opera, tC
see Messrs. Breazeale and Ogden
running for Congress on their rec
ords respectively in the Constitu,
tional Convention and in Congress,
and it looks like two cripple men
riding a race ON stick horses.
AS to Mr.. Sutherlin's record,
his friends can rest his case upon
the testimony of his opponents,
Messrs. Breazeale and Ogden, for
Mr.. Ogden says he is an able man
and makes a good Judge of the
circuit court, and that he ought to
stay there. This is truly COM
pliment when political adversary
proclaims from the stump that he
is fit to adorn one of the appellate
courts Of the State. Then an ar
ticle originally published in the
DeSOto News advocating Mr.. Brea-
zoale's claims for Congress, says
Mr.. .Sutherlin Is an sable, suave
and polished gentleman, and that
he makes good judge" This ar
ticle was published as an ''adver-
tisement in many of the district
papers and paid for by Mr.. Brca-
zeale or his friends, and he can't
60 back on his own proclamation.
| Mr.. Sutherlin can surely rest his
case upon this testimony of his
two opponents. In this widely
published proclamation, the only
objection given to Mr.. Sutherlin is
that he is too ''conciliatory." Mr..
Sutherlin accepts the mild impu-
tation, and pledges the people to
use all his powers in this line, to
conciliate all conflicting interests
for the general good OF his people
and his country. Mr.. Breazeale
also charges that MIR. Sutherlin
signed a petition, asking the late
Constitutional Convention not to
pass the act providing for rail
road commission, now il this charge
is correct, and we do not doubt it.
1t is the brightest feather in Mr..
Sutherlin's cap, for this matter
should have been left to the peo-
pie, to be changed and regulated
by their Legislators as they saw
proper, it was usurpation of pow
er, and direct insult to the intel
ligence Of the people, and it is
just what we expected Of Mr.. Suth-
erlin, who has always been of the
people. For our own part we
thought the measure was embraced
in the Constitution to give a few
fat offices to members of the Con
yention, and Mr.. j. d. Wilkinson,
of Red River parish, deserves the
lasting gratitude for amending the
same by providing that no member
of the Convention should be rail
road commissioner before 1905.
This was a rueIe shock to some as
piring members, and wo notice that
Mr.. Breazeale is on record as hav-
ing voted against Mr.. Wilkinson's
amendment. We don't allege that
such is the case, but perhaps Mr..
Nllklnson's work prevented Mr..
Breazeale from running for rail-
road commissioner, and forced
him to run for Congress. This is
one of the blurs on Mr.. BIS Con-
yention record, and the other was
that he voted against allowing the
people to elect their own supervi-
sors of registration, this was a di-
rect insult to the white people, as
the negroes are disfranchised, and
Mr.. Breazeale onght to be asham-
ed of himself. This is the second
blot on his Convention escutcheon.
Then this Convention makes a ne
gro in the black parishes as good
as q white man in the white par
ishes /; as a power in all nonlina-
ting conventions, which is an un-
DArdOnahlp affrnnt IN ovor,, colf