The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-13

ThibOdeauN is the seat of govern
ment of the parish of Lafourche,
parish or county in southwest Louisl-
ana which was early settled by the
French. 1t is in the heart of the
great sugar-producing district, and
is in the big sugar Congressional dis
trict of the State. Here literally
everybody takes sugar in theirn'
not that they drink much except wine
but that bread. butter, house, lands,
everything depends upon sugar. Is
the sugar crop good and the prices
high? Lafourche parish people are
all prosperous and contented for SUI
gar is to these people what cotton is
| to strictly cotton county-say An
son. in North Carolina. Is the sugar
crop short and prices low. then hard
| times and general depression falls
| upon al: the people, for sugar plant
ers. laborers. business men and pro-
feSsonal men are all dependent upon
this chief crop.
1t is in this Congressional district
where the bolt to Mckinley in 1896
received its chief impetus. Quite
number of sugar planters. who had
always been Democrats. smarting UNI
der what they deemed the in Justice
| of the sugar schedules in the Wilson
tariff act. quit the Democratic party
and went over to the hearty and ac-
tive support of Mckinley. 1t carried
CONSERVATION to Democratic hearts
for a time, and it was a demonstra-
ton calculated to depreSS Democrats,
for the sugar industry brings more
money to this State than any other
interest and | am informed that di-
rectly and indirectly about one-half
>of the people of the entire State are
dependent upon it. In Southwest
Louisiana it is regarded as the only
paying crop, and when sugar goes
down the financial the:mometer of
all this section experiences sudden
and a chilly drop. But fortunately
all the sugar planters leaders of
Democracy in this section did not go
to Mckinley. In truth most of the
sugar planters stuck to the Demo
cratic party. declaring that they were
not ready to abandon their political
faith. This division OF sugar planters
made this a holly contested district.
in which the Democrats won signal
victory. The sugar planters as rule
always opposed the sugar bounty
AMI saw that it had TO fall and they
foresaw that when it was repealed
it would result in reduction of the
tariff on sugar. The Democrats
have strong ground to stand upon
now in their hostility to the new Re-
publican programme of imperialism
which. sooner or later. they feel will
put lie sugar of Louisiana in com
petition with the sugar made in Porto
Rico ana our colonies. They fOresaw
that the bounty in the long run would
he the worst sort OF help for the su-
gar industry. and now they feel that
the new policy OF imperialism is
frauoht with serious danger to them.
In the recent April election quite a
number of sugar planters. who went
away in 1896. voted the Democratic
State ticket. In a later letter / will
have more to say about the political
aspect of Louisiana with reference to
the attitude of the sugar planters,
and give some facts about the sugar
industry of the State.
| arrived here this morning to in
vestigate the operations of the amend
ment in a sugar producing parish
populated largely by Creoles. Some
years ago it was my good fortune to
make the acquaintance of Hon. An
drew Price. who for eight years rep
resented this district in Congress.
Yesterday. desiring to renew a pleas
ant acquaintance of other wears and
investigate the workings of the
amendment in a rurai district. con
tanning a large Creole population en-
bracing a number of iliterate vo-
tiers, l sent this telegram to Mr.
Price:
Hon. Andrew Price. Thibedeaux. La:
viii come out to see you tomorrow
if you will be at home and can give
me a few hours.
JOSEPHUS DANIELS.
The telegraph operator. who had
evidently before never heard the I'M
musical name given me, sent the tele-
gram all right. but signed ita:'Jose-
phine Daniels Now ifssome men
had received a Telegram from q party
named Josephine" it would have
made trouble in the family, but the
only trouble the mistake created was