The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-08-25
The Farce Played Out.

4 RU L. A4NC = ASS ~
Comment was made in last week s
Chief concerning the 'sPitiful Polltical
Farce" being enacted by the little
coterie OF disgruntled back-number
Republican factionists led by Walter
Cohen, register of the United States
land Office at New Orleans, who an
nounced their purpose of nominating
congressional candidates and claiming
recognition under the new law regulat-
ing nominations by primary election.
The inevitable conclusion OF this farce
was pointed out, but we did not expect
it to be reached quite SO soon. 1t
transpired, however, that on the very
day our article appeared in print Sec
rotary of State John t. Michel refused
to receive the declaration of candidacy
and $3.50 forfeit rendered him by D. il.
McCaa, letter carrier in the postal
service at Baton Rouge, who wished to
become candidate for congress from
the sixth district under a call for a
primary issued by the discredited dis
trict committee of which B. v. Baranco
of Baton Rouge claims to be vice
Oh airman.
The position taken by the secretary
Of state is just what we anticipated it
would be and it is difficult to conceive
how he could have assumed any other
in view of the record and the law. In his
letter acknowledging the receipt of Mr..
McCaa' S declaration, Mr.. Michel says:
The Republican state central committee OF
which Hon. F. B. Williams is chairman and the
Hon. NJ. j. McFarlane secretary, was duly recog-
| nized as the sole and only Republican party in
Louisiana. Act No. 40 of 1905 also recognized
the said committee as the governing board OF
said party.
From the records of this office il appears that
the only duly recognized and lawful district
congressional committee of the Republican
party in the sixth congressional district is that
presided over by Gen. w. j Behan, Ii. w. Rob.
inson vice president and E. j. Barrow secretary.
For the reasons just stated decline to file the
notice of intention or to accept your tender OF
deposit Of $3.50 required by act No. 40 of 1906.
A second attempt on the part OF the
Cohenites TO secure official recognition
met with a like result. Ed. Young ot
New Orleans forwarded notice of inten-
tion to become a candid ate for con
gress in the first district under the aus
pices of the Cohen district committee,
accompanied by a certified check for
$3.50, but Secretary Michel declined to
receive the documents or to recognize
the pretensions of Mr.. Young in any
manner.
The ruling of the secretary of state
is not only in strict consonance with
the law, but it is likewise in full &C.
cord with the equities of the case. II
was the Williams organization that
conducted the last state campaign and
polled the ten per cent of the popular
vote in the general election which
alone gave the Republicans of Louisi-
ana their party standing under the
law, and TO have permitted the Cohen
factionists, who had no share ia the
campaign and did all in their power to
defeat its objects, to step in and steal
the fruits OF the contest, would have
been absurd, outrageous and illegal to
the last degree.
Il the Cohenites wish to support Re
publican candid ates for congress, the
opportunity will be afforded for such
| action, as nomin ations have already
been made in several districts and will
soon be made in others by the regular
parry vi ddfAdeiou III dcCUi0d uC6 WIN
the new law; but it is a safe prediction
that the handful of dissenters will
either openly or covertly oppose the
Republican nominees and support
those of the Democratic party. This
has been their policy in the past, and
there Is no reason to believe they will
change it. Their pretended organiza-
tion is not maintained with any view OF
electing Republicans to congress or to
subserve Republican principles or in
terests in any other way, but merely to
afford basis for claiming recognition
in Republican national conventions
and keeping W alter Cohen in a federal
office.