The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1903-10-24
AN ASSEMBZ Y OF DEMO-
Gratis

court house was literally packed
by an enthusiastic audience of
representative democrats of the |
parish who had met to give their
endorsement to the candidacy of
Sheriff Broussard for reelection,
DR.. Geo. w. Scranton for the
Office of clerk of court and of
their colleagues on the ticket
forming the Broussard-S Scranton |
faction in parish politics. The
speakers touched on issues
purely local in nature. State
politics were eschewed in the
discussions. The futile attempt
on the part of the opposition to
create alarm in the minds of our
citizens relative to the long
tenure of office by Sheriff Brous
sard received but passing notice,
as that bugaboo, launched forth
with such loud acclaim, rests
peacefully in the leafy glades of
Beausejour.
The question of the payment
of the poll tax as a prerequisite
to the privilege of voting, about
which so much misunderstanding
has arisen and so much misrep-
resentation has been made, was
met squarely by the speakers.
Clear and honest expositions of
the matter were made by men
learned in the law, so that no
room for ambiguity might re-
main. The action of the BrOus
sard- faction in contest
ing the illegal elimination of the
poll tax prerequisite in the rules
of the Parish Executive Com
mittee calling for primary,
won by them on appeal to the
Executive Com mittee of the State
Central Committee, and their
determination to oppose the mo-
ton for a rehearing of the con-
test, was defended and shown to
have been justifiable and perfectly
legal.
1twas clearly shown that though
one may oppose the poll tax law
as it stands on the statute books,
the duty of every citizen is to
obey that law until it's repeal be
effected in lawful manner that
efforts to nullify the constitu-
tional and Legislative enactments
of the State government should
be deprecated by lawabiding
citizens as tending to subvert the
peace and good order of the
State.
The memb ers of the Parish
Executive Committee who voted
to ignore these provisions of the
law were criticised by the speak
ers and the citizens of the parish
were advised not to disregard
the plain mandates of the law.
Not only was this law the handi-
work of the State democracy,
but the electorate of this very
parish had ratified it by their
votes in unqualified terms.
The Reconsideration ad-
herents laid no claim to repre-
sent the totality of the demOc-
racy of the parish, but they we're
content to win or lose unfolding
the magnificent work of the sue
cessive democratic administra-
tions of the State in their efforts
to diminish within it's bounds
the fearsome results of the
damnable and reckless placing
of the sovereign privilege of
suffrage in the hands of the
negroes. The suffrage laws of
the State, based on the articles |
of the constitution of 1898, were
a elimination of these endeavors. |
The democracy of Lafayette has
no cause to reject them, when
their existence sprung to insure
maintenance of the supremacy
of the race.
Though the position taken
from the outset by Mr.. Brous-
sard. and his associates should
require no defense, no doubt the
unfair charges made in some
parts of the parish to the effect