The Opelousas courier., 1908-01-18

HON. j. J. BAILEY DEFINES
HIS POSITION.
&Sl IN -
Jas the long and arduous cam
paign for the nomination OF the
State officers draws near it's close,
I deem the time opportune to ad-
dress, by this means, those who
it may not be my good fortune to
meet personally during the short
time that intervenes before the
primary election. Wherever !
have gone, | have endeavored to
meet fairly and frankly all of the
issues that have been presented
and all of the needs of the state,
as I have been able to interpret
them. There has been no eva
sion, no lodging on my part, and
it is a source of qualification to me
to be able to say that the mea-
sures for which I stood in my cam
paign for the House of Represent
atiyes, four years ago, and for
which I fought in the General As
sembly in 1904, in 1906, and again
at the special session in 1907, are
now universally recognized as
proper and wise.
[ became a hearty advocate of
more direct control of their public
affairs by the people as a result Of
my study of the principles and
theory of government and not
merely because popular sentiment
may have seemed to drift that
way. Principles are eternal, but
popular sentiment is varying and
uncertain, hence the publicist who
endeavors merely to ride into pub
lie office upon the crest Of the
wave of some popular upheavel, is
likely sooner or later to find him.
self hopelessly beached. Hence,
I supported the primary method
Of making nominations for public
positions and the election of the
people servants in my maiden
campaign before the people four
years ago. I did it because it is
right that the people should have
direct control of their public af-
fairs and because | was not afraid
to submit my claims to them and
to stand or fall according to their
Judgment of my merit.
Every time I have had oppor-
tunity TODD 50 on the floor OF the
House, iii the Committee Rooms
Of the Legislature and on the
hastings before the people, / stood
and fought for compulsory pri-
maries, for elective public officials,
for the curtailment Of the political
power of the executive, and for
the enlargement and extension Of
the direct control over the con-
duct Of their offices by the people.
Others, whom / do not now re-
call as having taken q very active
part in these progressive move
ments, have, since public senti-
ment has driven them to it, enter
ed with great zeal into the business
of reform and their voices are
heard loud and strong now that
the fight has been fairly won.
Among these jealous neW-fledged
reformers, my friend and opponent
Senator L~ambremont, seems
proud to be numbered. Having
achieved all Of the reforms the
I people have demanded, he goes
The radical reformer one better
and digs up a new issue. the
State printing. Senator Lambre-
mont admits that he appointed d
committee to investigate the
printing in 1904 and that his Com
mittee reported. This is true.
Then was the time that the Senator
should have taken up the matter
and pushed his reform. Failing
TO do 50 then, have we any reason
to expect that he will do any bet
ter in the future?
I know but little about the.
State printing, for the reason that
while serving III the House my
time was 50 much occupied III en-
to prevent the strang-