The Donaldsonville chief., 1908-07-04
Police Jury Imitation Project Defeated.

thrown into the hopper OF bhe lepls-
lative mill at Baton Rouge during the
pending session of the Louisiana a
general assembly was one fathered
by Hon. Jos. Gonzales OF Ascension,
the purpose of which was to initiate the
police jury of this parish by providing
for the election of two additional mem
bers of that body from what is known
as the New River section, comprising
the seventh and eighth wards. The os-
tensible purpose of the measure, as
stated by its haekerss was to equalize
popular representation in the police
jury and carry into effect the general
law which permits d ward with more
than 5000 population to have two
police jurors; and it is claimed by the
same authorities that the seventh and
eighth wards are each entitled TO an
additional police juror under this law.
The opponents of the bill, on the
other hand, assert that the real motive
behind it is to secure control of the
police jury for personal aod factional
reasons, and that there is no basis in
fact for the claim that the seventh and
eighth wards are legally entitled to
increased representation.
The house committee on parochial
atf airs, to which the Gonzales bill was
referred, accorded public hearings on
the question at Baton Rouge, June %
and Is, at which time the points at
issue we're extensively presented by
deleg atious composed as follows:
For the bi1l-Attornes G. c. Weber
of Donaldsonville and Hon. ] Jos. Con
zales 3f New River.
Against the bill--Geo. B. Renss,
president OF the police jury; Michael
Tobias and Henry L. Well, members
of the police jury from the third and
fourth wards: Mayor Chas. Maurin,
Aldermen David Israel, Jr., and B. j.
Vega, Walter Lemann, Deputy AS
SCISSOR T. A. Leblanc, Henry Meter
and Robt. Dill of Danaldsonville, and
Assessor L. A. Landry Of the fourth
ward.
Several prominent citizens of the
seventh and eighth wards are said to
have been designated TO appear in
behalf of the bill, but for some reason
they failed to do SO. Their absence
did not influence the result, however,
as the committee voted to report the
bill favorab1ey.
Again, however, the committees &C.
zion did not save the bill from the
defeat which had been confidently pre-
dicted for it, and which we are free to
say it deserved. This consummation
was reached on Thursday last, the 2nd
instant, when the measure was called
up for final consideration and failed
to pass, the vote Standing As yeas to
SO nays. Fifty-eigbt affirmative votes
are requisite under the constitution
for the final passage Of bill through
the house of representatives, that
number being majority of the total
membership Of the house. Even had
The bill squeezed through the lower
branch OF the general assembly, it
would in all likelihood have received
its qaietus in the sen ate, as Senator
McCulloh was depended upon to ad-
minister The knockout drops necessary
TO put the project to sleep when it made
It's appearance in the upper chamber
There is no su bstantial public need
for any change in the present member
ship OF the police jury, and the sue
cess Of the attempt to alter the hasis
of representation would undoubtedly
have given rise to faetional division
and personal antagonisms in that
body which would have materially i'm.
paired its usefulness aad obstrueted
the success of its administration.
The Chief has always been parsieu-
larly friendly to the people of the New
River section Of the parish, and pro
poses to remain so; but we do not re-
gard it as an evidence OF friendship
to advocate or countenance pro-
ject fraught with the deleterious con-
sequences that would have inevitably
sprung from the success of the move
ment under discussion. 1t is as much
to the interest Of New River as the
other sections Of the parish that the
Gonzales bill should meet with defeat,
and the sober second thought of our
friends iu the woods will tell them
so. 1t will be the constant aim of
this paper to see that full justice and
equity are shown to the seventh and
eighth wards by the police jury. and II
at any time there is a failure to accord
this, the columns of The Chief will be
as freely used IN support aud defense
of the rights and welfare of the peo-
pie Of that part Of the parish as has
been the case in the past. We have
40 personal feeling or motives in
this matter-if thus actuated we might |
favor the project, for its author and
many of its supporters are among
our Warmest personal friends-but ii |
IS public question, affecting the
welfare of all the people of Ascension
alike, and from that standpoint alone
We discuss and judge it.
Boost for Bob Wickllffe.
We had the pleasure of meeting
Hon. Robert G, Wickliffe, candidate
or congress in the sixth congressional
district, and he seems to he the riobt