The Opelousas courier., 1902-04-26
Public Spirit.
Editor 0pELorsAs COURIER:

Editor COURIER:
read with much pleasure an article
headed, "To Encourage Public Spirit,n
which appeared in your valuable paper
teringly of the Progressive Union of
| New Orleans, an association of citizens
numbering 1400, whose object is to bring
more capital there, to encourage, foster
| and promote industries of various kinds,
aud to labor in a collective capacity for
the upbuilding Of the city and the mp
lifting of its citizenship. The article
further states that "we have in Opelou-
| sas an organization which bears to US
| much tho same relation that the Pro-
| gressive Union bears to New Orleans
the Board of Trade. That body was
created primarily to advance the COM
mereial interest of its members. but it
has given many evidences that, over
and beyond mere c0mmercialism, 1t
| takes q very lively interest in every
movement likely 10 promote the gen.
eral welfare"
The objects and purposes of the Board
of Trade have never been understood
except by a few of its active members.
Had they been it would have be%
much stronger organization today. while
it does advance the commercial interest
| of Opelousas. In doing SO it advances
| the interest of every citizen who lives
| ia the Parish of St. Landry and has
| dealings in Opelousas. From the very
beginning of the Opelousas Board Of
Trade its object was, and is yet, to pro-
mote the best interest Of he entire par
ish. Now let us see it it is doing this,
| and how it is done. We have provided
in our constitution for several commit
tees, and the duties OF each are pre-
| scribed, and we have active members
appointed on these committees. The
| first is the Good Roads Committee, and
you all know what a hard fight that
committee had to get the new system OF
| good roads that VT now have and that
| pleases go we'll and adds to the conve-
| nience of every citizen of old st. Lam
dry, if it does promote the commercial
interest Of Opelousas."
Next we have q Committee on LegiS-
lation, which has not been idle. They
have several times co-operated with the
| Board of Aldermen in asking that GER
tain ordinances be passed relative to
| sidewalks, street sprink1i1g, etc, etc.
Next we have a Committee on Manu-
factories. That committee subscribes
to the Manufacturers Record of Ba1ti-
more, and has q standing adv. therein,
offering Inducements to capitalists and
writing up the advantages OF this conn
| try in regard to fertility of soil, products,
| timber, etc. and to see their currespOn-
dence would astonish you. But it takes
| time to enlist the assistance of capital.
| The outsider has no idea of the disad-
| vantages we labor under. We need
more of You with your shoulders to the
| wheel. The task is b%urdensome, but
we are pushing with a cheerful vim,
| and every other week WI are laboring
| for your benefit and for the benefit of
| the rising generation, to a late hour in
the night, while you sn0re in your beds.
Shame on you! Come and help US baild
/ up this glorious country, that our boys
| and girls may find employment and
homes here, among their parents and
| friends, and not be forced to emigrate
and separate from their loved ones in
search of fortune. All the vast reseur-
ces lie here at your very door, and you
have but to shake off your selfishness
and your letllargy, put on your civic
| pride, and lend d helping hand to the
| O~pelousas Board of Trade.
l. Now / am going to tell you of some
more committees we have. We have q
| Committee on Transportation, and they
havs, not been idle. We have created
two ways for passengers to come and
| go from Opelousas by demanding from
4 UlIO k1lIlUau jill pdHJ VI plUCO d UdS6Cu-
ger coach on the freight train, and this
committee is diligently working to se-
| cure q reduction on freight rates, etc.;
and while this advances the commercial
interest of Opelousas, it greatly conve-
niences you and adds to your pockets
In buying cheaper goods, 1t will also
be of vast interest to the farmer, max
ing transportation as cheap as else.
where, giving him the ''open door, to
market his produce. Ii California can
ship watermelons and oranges to Ope-
l0usas and make a handsome profit, why
can't we proitably ship c%ucumbers,
okra, egg plants, etc., to New York and
Chicago9 Because We are not as thor
/ Oughly organized as they are. "In unity
/ there is strengths" divided as we are
/ there is %stagnation.
Then there ia a Committee OH Public
Education. Mr.. Editor, while the indi-
yidual members of our Board of Trade
| contributed literally towards public
| education, committee, I am sorry to
| say, has done but little, and it makes
me shudder to see how little pride the
| citizens of st. Landry manifest in this
direction, when SO many smaller places
in our State are voting a tax upon them
/ selves to build and maintain their pub
lie schools. Hear the language of Frank
/ Il. Howard, in his address at the Tulane
/ Theatre before the Progressive Union
of New Orleans. He said: "The amount
OF illiteracy in our city and State is
something appalling. attribute our
baekwardness in the march of civiliza-
tion to that one fact.o
I hope, Mr.. Editor, that | have not
trespassed upon your valuable time too
much with this article, and that you will
give IL Ruaf.e in Vuur columns. tha Onr
citizens may awaken and understand
more thoroughly the objects and pur-
poses of the Opelousas Board Of Trade.
The time has come when we must act,
! and act quickly. The drift Of fortune
is coming South, and unless we raise
anchor, the tide will leave us high and
dry. A. j. BERGER,
Active Member OF the Opelousas Board
Of Trade.
Perfect Objection istlpe only founda-