The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-05-24

the cork from the black bottle and
the old happiness will continue.
We often read i'm the north of
elections in Louisiana that are crook
ed, and many have got an idea that
fair election in the state is i'm
possible. That may have been the
case in carpetbag days, but for many
years Louisiana has had the fairest
elections in any state, and many
cities in the north, maybe old Nal.
waukee, could get some points on
fair elections. | was at luncheon
with Governor-elect Sanders. who is
fine young man, about thirty.five
years old, who looks twenty-five,
and who has been speaker of the
house and lieutenant governor. ask
ed him about the election laws, and
it was a revelation. No tramp or non
resident, or repeater, or foreigner
working on the railroad temporarily,
can vote II man wants to vote
in 1908 he has got to show to the
inspectors of election a receipt for
his poll tax for the year 1906 and
1907, and 1908, before he can vote.
In fact. he has to prepare himself
two years in advance 20 become a
voter in dear old Louisiana. No
chance TO round up a gang OF rail
road hands and get out their first
papers before they have had their
shirts washed that they wore over
on the steamer from the other side
of the water, and who cannot speak
word of English. Such a state OF
things would seem perfectly awful
to northern politician who was out
for the votes. The governor said
that it was practically an unheard
Of thing TO have Illegal votes cast,
| because no "floater" can float in one
| place for two years and pay a poll
| tax three times and have the receipt
| with him to show, just for the priyi-
! lege or voting. To secure many IL
/ legal votes by colonization, under
| that system, u candidate for Office
would need to have the Bank of
| England at his back, and boarding
| house, and good memory to keep
/ track of his floaters. 1t is the best
| election system ever heard Of
| and beats primary elections and
| Australian ballots all to pieces.
New Orleans is apparently more
| prosperous than many northern cities
during these panicky times, the
| banks being ready at all times to
! furnish all the money needed for
! commercial purposes but the busi-
ness men on the leyee do not need
| to borrow much, as they have the
money they have made in the laA
| fifty years baled up and stored away
in the warehouses with the jute and
| Spanish moss, where it is as safe
as though in bank, and these
shippers and commission men go
right on saving wood, and not wor-
rying about what the prOhibltionists
are doing up the state. They act and
talk as though ii the worst came
and prohibition should come TO them
like the south wind that destroyed
Galveston, they would have New
Orleans secede from Louisiana, build
IA sea wall across the state to keep
the cotton planters and sugar plant
ers and the rice growers from ever
coming into the old town, and they
would set up u government in New
Orleans, by the people and for the
people" and ask the rest of the
| state to move in and become citi-
zens OF the new Crescent State"
and have good time. So nobody
who wants TO make beer and drink
Ii, or who wants to indulge in wine
in limited quantities need worry
about the rich old state that was
the mother OF all the states in the
Louisiana purchase, because we
bought the whole western country
with the beer and wine privilege in
Cluded, and if the states in the
Louisiana purchase go dry, the
French and the Spaniards who help
d along the trade to say off what
they thought was a lot OF worthless
land on your Uncle Samuel, would
rise up In their graves and protest,
and make an international question,
perhaps with Germany to arbitrate,
and Germany would surely show
sense on such a question.
| am almost ashamed to be down
here with straw hat and no vest,
letting mosquitoes eat me up In in
stallments drinking ice cream soda,
and sitting with my bald head under
electric fans, while the readers OF
this stuff are shoyeling snow and
wearing ear muifs, and blowing hot
air on their fingers TO keep them
from freezing, but there are always
few of us who have all the good
things in this world. Now | will just
run over to Texas and see how the
fellows with wide hats look ubLn
this irrigation OF throats question.
In going from here to Texas 1t Is
necessary to have some words with
the old Mississippi river, which dur.
ing these cyclone days is getting
Gp waves that would do credit to
the ocean, and those waves 20 over
the decks of the ferries that carry
cars across, and you feel that you
are travelling by land and by sea,
all in one trip. The old river says
Nm L.. ~