The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-05-22
Shelby n. Young's Letter and Platform

Dear Sir and Friend:
I nave decided to offer myself as q
candidate for the Office of judge OF the
fifteenth Judicial District Court OF the
State of louisiana, said district being
composed of the parishes OF CalcaSieu
and Cameron.
In announcing myself for the office
of Judge of your court, desire to say
that was born in the parish of Cal.
casieu in the pine woods near old Su-
gartown and have always lived there.
| have received my education, both
literary and professional, in the State
of Louisiana. Having been reared
among the people OF this district and
knowing :s11tin as we'll as do, I be-
lieve that | am thoroughly acquainted
with the conditions that prevail and
the customs of the people, from the
wealthiest citizen OF the largest town
to the poorest citizen of the country
district: and that am in position to
apply the law to any given state OF
facts, always remembering that in the
eyes of the law all people are equal.
NY entire life has been spent here
among you and it is an open book.
seek an honor which is the highest
the people of this district can confer
upon me or any of her citezens, and
in doing 80 it is but far that my
friends should know something OF
what my policy will be should they do
me the high honor OF making me their
servant for the next four years. | can
do nothing more than make the entire
citizenship of this district a solemn
pledge and promise to do nv duty
faithfully and impartially, realizing
that must answer to my God for
broken promise. | have written and
published platform containing some
OF the most salient principles for
which | stand and for which | have
pledged myself. This platform does
not contain all, but some over which
the Judge has immediate control. |
here quote YOU that platform as it
was published over my signature:
l. The application of the law shall
be to all alike. have no friends to
reward and no enemies to punish.
,. Expenses of litigation shall be
reduced by expediting business and by
using the judicial power in prohibit
ing the useless accumulation of cost
to litigants and to the parish.
3. The promiscuous carrying OF
concealed weapons, such as pistols,
etc, a menace to good order and a
constant danger to the welfare and
safety of the people, shall cease.
Fines will not always suffice in the in
Fiction of penalties on those who so
far forget their duty to their fellow
men as to carry pistols, etc, conceal
ed, because often u fine is not pun
ishment and the guilty should serve a
term of imprisonment.
+. The Sunday Law was wisely
made for the good of the state at large
and must be enforced.
. The good citizens of the district are
entitled and have the right to congre-
gate for tho purpose OF public wor-
ship or any other purpose, and this
right which is guaranteed to them
under the Constitution of the United
States, shall not be abridged by the
hoodlum who goes there for the pur-
pose of creating a disturbance or for
the purpose of insulting the woman
hood of this glorious South by the
use of vile, vulgar and profane
tongue. Fines in this class of cases
too, are often no punishment, because
some of these very hoodlums are ready
and willing to pay the fine for the
pleasure they claim they get from their
infraCtion of the law. Jail sentences
are what they need and what they will
4 get if the law is not observed.
g. Careful attention will be given
to the enforcement of the laws relating
to good roads and to the laws made
for the protection of fish and game.
These laws are broken in too many
instances and the bench will be used
to see that they are properly enforced.
T. Blind tigers are breeding place
for crime and sap the mentality from
the young men of the community and
rob them of that sacred gift of mother,
good morals. Ajail sentence in ad.
dition to the fine is the only remedy
for the men who would dare to stoop
so low; and this'is what l promise to
those who are found guilty of conduct