The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-11-18
Proceedings of the Mass Meeting
Held at the Opera House on
Tuesday Last.

Pursuant to call a mass meeting OF
white Democrats of the parish of East
Carroll was held in Lake Providence
on the 18th day of November, 1899.
The meeting was called to order and
organized by electing Mr.. j. w. Pitt
man as chairman and Mr.. j. d. Temp
kiDs as secretary.
The chairman explained the object
Of the meeting; and on motion of Mr.
Geo. F. Blackburn. that committee of
five, including the chairman. be ap-
pointed as a committee on resolutions,
the following were appointed &. S
Wyly. w. II. Ben jamin. E. w. Con.
slant, Il. L Hill and }. c. Pittman.
The meeting was then addressed by
S. b. Kennedy, Esq, who dsapproyed
of and criticised the action of the DEM
ocratic Judicial and Senatorial District
Committee, at their Delta meeting.
lion. ID. NJ Evans, Hon. w. M.
Murphy and Judge f. F. Montgomery,
each addressed the meeting-al char
acterizing the action of the District
Committee as revolutionary. violative
of all recognized and time honored
usages of the Democratic party and as
a scheme adopted in the interest of GER
tain candidates, and not In the interest
of Democracy, which alone the mem.
bers of the committee had been chosen
to represent.
The speakers made il clear that the
scheme adopted by the committee was
unfair and dishonest to the voters,
whereby they were deprived of exer-
cising any choice of candidates and
whereby a candidate. receiving the
unanimous endorsement Of the people,
could, under the plan adopted, be de-
feated in the convention by vote of
two to one. thereby multiplying the will
of the people.
They denounced the action of the
committee, which said committee still
insists on. whereby it usurps the tunc-
tons of the Democratic Parish Execu-
tive Committee. in that 1t assumes the
prerogstivs of changing the long
established voting precincts. requiring
voters to travel from fifteen to twenty
miles in order to cast their votes, and
of appointing the commissioners of
election and of arranging every detail
of election, all of which powers, by
long Democratic usage, are inherent
by right and not by delegation OF au-
thority. in the regularly constituted
parish executive committees.
Thereupon, the committee on resolu-
tons reported the following resolu-
tons. which were unanimously adopted:
Be it resolved by the white Demo-
Gratis of the parish of East Carroll 10 |
mass meeting assent led-
First-That we hereby disapprove OF
and denounce the action of the Demo- |
cratic Judicial and Senatorial District
of the parishes of East Car
roll and Madison as the act of partisans
and not as that of representatives of
the Democratic party; that We de-
nounce their action as an attempt to
usurp the legitimate functions of the
Parish Committees-to take
Dut of the hands of The people tho right
Of choosing their standard bearers in
The coming campaign and of choosing
who shall serve them as officials;
Second--That we denounce the ac-
ion of the District Committee in at
tempting 10 dictate to the white DEM
,erats of the district as to how they
shall vote and for whom they shall
Tote. the members of said committee,
instead of consulting the people as
aithful servants of the people, having
assumed to be masters of the people;
Third-That we demand for our
elyes as voters that there be ordered
! general white Democratic primary,
o be held. under the direction of the
Democratic Parish Executive Commit !