The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-10-22
Blanchard,s Dignity and Defense.

Blanehard's Dignity and Defense.
It is suggested By one of the official
| journals that recently turned tail
in the pending contest Of the bosses
| and their boss against the people,
and assumed the roll of an apologist
for Gov. Blanchard, that perhaps he
refrains from defending himself Or re-
plying to the charges made against
him because it is beneath the dignity
of the governors Office for its incum-
bent to engage in a controversy with
the newspapers.
II Gov. Blanchard had possessed an
adequate conception Of the dignity OF
the gubernatorial Office, he would never
have compromised and degraded it as
he did by using the power and in
fiuenee of his position to thwart the
popular will and induce the ward
bosses in New Orleans to make an ex-
hibition Of qualification that has few
parallels even in the variegated polit-
ical history of Louisiana.
The presumed indisposition of the
governor to engage in a controversy
with the newspapers is entirely too d.
aph anous to serve as shield for his
inability to excuse or pal1iate his in
defensible actions. He petulently and
childishly pretended that the comments
and criticisms of the newspapers had
provoked him into changing his origi-
n al determin alton not to interfere in
the city fight. and it comes with poor
grace now from the governor or his
apologists to adopt the dignity dodge
as a pretext for ignoring the we'll
merited exposure and denunciation of
the press. The plain truth is that no
Sufficient answer or defense can be
=. &c by the governor or those who
assume to speak in his behalf, and
that's why our autocratic executive is
silent. He's too fond OF talking to re-
frain from indulging the propensity
when there is anything to say, but IN
the present emergency there is abso-
lutely nothing TO be said by him or for
him that will do him any good.
He prefers to leave the matter Of
his vindieation to his friends and to
posterity," says the official journal
above referred to. Well, posterity
may possibly undertake the Job, but
it's doubtful If the present gener alton
will care to tackle it.
Better Have Remained Silent.
Judge Parker, democratic candidate
for president, stated in a recent
speech on the Philippine question
that 1--WE have wasted there $3.50, O00,-
600 of the peoples money and sacri-
feed 200, 900 lives.''
Senator Fairbanks, Republican
candidate for vice president, refutes
this extravagant misrepresentation by
citing the public records, which show
that up to the 30th of last June only
122, 40l enlisted men and 4087 officers
had been sent to the Philippines, and
that the total mortality among them
had been 1924; while the estimates of
the War Department fix the aggrega ate
Philippine expenditures from the ma
tional treasury at less than 5000, OO0,-
900.
II view Of the "bad breaks" Judge
Parker has made in his letters and
speeches, both as to questions Of law
and fact bearing upon the issues of
the national campaign, it seems to as
ne would have done better to
have continued after his nomi-
nation the same discreet silence
he SO stndiously maintained before
the ST. Louis convention selected
him for sacrifice. It doesn't make a
particle of difference so far as the
outcome of the election is concerned,
but the distinguished jurist might
have saved his reputation from sew
eral OF the hard jolts he has inflicted
upon it with his own mouth and pen
by the over-free discussion of matters
upon which he is not well-informed.
Election Betting in New Orleans and
New York.
The Pieayune of Wednesday says
that the first public betting il that
city on the national election was done
the day before, and that the odds were
as follows: Five to that Roose-
welt wins; 10 to that he carries New
y ork; even money that he carries
West Virginia; 2 to | that he carries
New Jersey, Connecticut and Wiscon-
sin: 10 to that he carries Indiana"
These are less favorable odds than
can be secured in other cities by
bettors who are willing to risk their
money on the dubious chances Of the
democratic candidates in the APP
election. In New York |
city, for instance, the prevalent odds |
at the close Of business il Wall street
Tuesday evening were 4 TO l on
exactly the same that we're
offered on Mckinley against Bryan at
a corresponding period in the CAM
paign of 1900. Some bets were made
On Tuesday at odds of 10 10 81 and l