The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-17
BAD SYMPTOMS.

Already the Legislature shows a dis
position to conduct itself along the plane
of its original selection, and to such an
extent as to call forth Explanations Of
alarm from the, country friends of the
Boss alliance.
A majority Of the General Assembly
now III extraordinary session and called
upon to deal with important matters Ct
fecting the Statc-as important as any
which could confront lawmakers-are
the results of political dicllcrs and pOitl-
cal trades four years ago, or are inherit
ances from previous political trades.
For fully fifteen years popular govern
ment i'll Louisiana has been fiction
Candidates from Governor down were
selected i'll advance. and a drastic law
made their election sure. ! he Greeks of
St. Mary came with gifts i'll 1862, when
the Commonwealth was merely the po-
litical province of the Lottery Company.
Since that time Foster aud his adju-
tants. among them Sanders, have told
Louisiana what to do-and they did it.
Four years ago there was revolt,
The candidate advocating a primary
election for nominating candidates, in
terrupted the succession, but the Greeks
were not killed. only scotched. The ma
tcrial with which the Boss alliance had
builded success previously, was there,
and this Candidate Sanders has massed
i'll the effort to restore the conditions
which the primary election issues dis
turbed.
1t is quite evident that this is true
for the conduct of the General Assembly
to this moment reveal= the purpose to
tub the whale, and no more.
Lieutenant Governor Sanders presides
in the Senate. He is known candidate
for the gubernatorial nomination. and
hitherto the paid attorney of public
service and other corporations, which
the Legislature must have concern with.
Speaker Hyams of the House and its
presiding official is the self-confessed
State agent for the Illinois Central rail-
road, and as such gave up the power to
appoint the committee named in the
Henriques BILL and gave it up to secure
its passage.
He is Sanders Greek.
The Caucasian, therefore, asks the
well meaning citizen, what can be ex-
pected from General Assembly which
unblushingly displays a candidates but
tons and crouches at the crack of can
ddate's whip
The Lake Charles American, too cam
did and thoroughly alive to conditions
needing correction, demands in no I'M
certain tone that the will of the people
be obeyed 1T is minated says the
contemporary i'll speaking of reports
from Baton Rouge, that the best policy
would be to refer the whole matter to
commission to investigate and report at
a future session of the General Assem-
bly," This moves the American to stern
reproof, and it comments that ''who are
concerned may as well make up their
minds that the taxpayers will not coun-
tenance any shutting or delay over the
reduction of the fees of the tax collect
ors. They are thoroughly convinced
that the compensation now paid is not
merely wasteful extravaganza with their
money, but worse, since it raises up ty
rants who use the power bestowed upon
them by the excessive compensation
against the people from whom it is de-
rived They will look upon any attempt
to appoint commissioners or investi- |
eating committees as an effort to kill
the whole movement by delay Quarrel
over the question as much as you like,
gentlemen, but do not attempt to shift |
your responsibilities to some other Leg
islature."
The Lake Charles contemporary is a
Sanders supporter but like The eau
casian in its support of Mr.. WILKINSON
it does so believing that these reforms
can be and would be achieved through |
its candidate but it draws the line on
political shuhling and treats the matter
with the gravity and Importance it de-
serves, but The Caucasian fears, to no
purpose.
Indications all tend to shutting and
shifting responsibility, and this is not at
all strange for with Presiding Officer
Sanders and Speaker Hyams to repel all
independence in either house which
might be dangerous to their own politi
cal fortunes, an Assembly born in the
arise to any important occasion or any
issue.
Down in Grant they are running San