St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-03-27
Attorney Generals Opinion.


From the Daily Picay1ne, March Y,
Press dispatches from 0pelousas,
st. Landry Parish, relative to the
fling Of an injunction to restrain the
parish officials from holding the diVi-
sion election, has aroused much in
terest here because, III the first place.
an effort has been made to bring the
name Of Attorney General Guion into
the controversy. The intimation was
carried in the 0pelousas reports that
Clerk of Court Yves A~ndrepont had
received the Injunction on instruc-
lions from Judge Guion.
Judge Guion wishes to be set
right III the matter and to make it
plain that he had no part in the fling
Of the injunction or ii rendering any
official opinion that would admit IF
such an Interpretation. His part ID
the matter is best explained ID q tele-
gram which was given out from his
Office last night, which was a copy he
had sent Clerk of Court Andrepont at
the latters solicitation, and only went
to show that a clerk of court could,
under certain conditions. receive an
injunction. His telegram stated ex-
plicitY that he could not pass upon
the merits Of The case because be-
had not seen the petition. Judge
RGuion's telegram follows:
" New Orleans, March IS. 1909.
Hon. Yves Andrepont, Clerk Of
Court, O~pelousas, La. Clerks Of
! Court have the right, in proper cases,
III absence Of Judge from parish, or
ia case of ~recusati0n, to grant writs
Of injunction under Act Ii, 1884,
Cannot advise you without seeing
petition for injunction whether You
should exercise such right ii the case
about which you have ~telephoned me.
g Supreme Court has appointed
Judge Edwards during illness Of Judge
Perrault. WALTER GUI0N.
FRIDAY morning Clerk Of Court
Andrepont, d personal friend Of Judge
Guion, called him up over the long
distance telephone and asked about
the fling Of the injunction sHit,
which be said would probably be ten
dered him IN the course Of one hour.
Mr. Andrepont explained that he had
called upon the Attorney General be-
cause District Attorney Lee Garland
was j strong advocate Of the dive
sionists, and that his attorneys ID
most legal matters were strong lead
ers on the other side, hence be wished
to get q disinterested view. Judge
IGuion suggested that it was impossi-
BE for him to render any opinion in
the matter, but as friend and not in
an official capaeity he would look up
the law and wire him the result.
which was contained in the message.
This, Judge Gui0n says, was not IN
tended il any sense as an opinion OF
any official act ia the matter, and
that it IS not up to him to enter the
case in any shape or form, and that
he does not intend doing so.
THE whole dilemma was the result
Of Judge w. C. Perraulb, the district
Judge, being i'll and out eff The juris-
diction OF The court. There IS a tenn
porary Judge for the district, how.
ever, Judge Edwards, Of AbbeyiIle.
THE general impression III this city
is that the anti-diYisionists ID st.
Landry have made a bIunder IN polit-
ieal tactics in attempting to stop the
election, for the courts have decrsed
iii other cases chat where the Legis,
lature has ordered an election that
the electors can 90 ahead and hold ii.
choosing their commissioners and
erecting ballot boxes Of their own.
and that it would be legal procedure
When asked about the specific
point Of contention as to whether !
tWo-thirds vote or a majority vote, al
provided IN the legislative act, was
required for the creation of the new
parish Of Evangeline, in St. Landry
Attorney General Guion expressed i
as bis unequiYocal view that only tbs
majority vote was required for Great
ing new parishes and that, il fact
the Legislature had the full poWel
and authority to create new parishes
without any vote Of the people at all
have on numerous occasions ex
pressed the view. said Judge Guioa
that the two-thirds vote relates oni.
to the changing Of boundary lines b
existing parishes, that may affect on
al more parishes. I have always he'll
that the Legislature Is empoWeret
o~ Art;.Ia 0n7scf fLa Tans4staEta