St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-03-20

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the Sheriff will in time notify him
and charge him twenty-five cents
therefor. So that it is absurd to
argue the necessity Of q taxpayer
coming to 0pelousas and expanding
FIVE dollars therefor TO pay two dol
lars worth of taxes.
Another speaker, Mr.. Garland, de-
Dicted the hardships Of witnesses
coming to court at distant points from
the parish and pictured the condition
of poor old man whose friends were
obliged to come to his rescue. That
must have been anterior TO the advent
Of the railways. Now that all roads
lead to Opelonsas, one can come and
90 at will, at an uncomfortable ex-
pense. Say the witness lives out
West, distant forty-miles. He pays
car fare each way, three cents per
mile, equal to $40. But the State
pays him FIVE cents each way, equal
Ito Sd, a net gain of Sl.60. Add to
this his ST. per diem and we have
S2.60 for board and lodging.
Suppose he resides twenty miles.
Fare SI.2O, mileage So, d net gain Of
eighty cents. Add to this his per.
diem and we have S1.60 for board
and lodging.
H he resides twenty miles he will
drive in, and expend fifty cents for
dinner and fifty cents for his horse.
His per diem is sufficient to meet
these expenses. He has besides this
his mileage if a witness ia q criminal
prosecution.
Another gentleman, DR.. Lazaro,
points out the prosperity Of Acadia
and its various towns, Crowley Rayne,
Iota, Church Point. Acadia has pros
pered by reasons: First: It is on the
main line of the Southern Pacific Rail
way, one of the Hartman lines. Sec
ondly: II has been advertised better
than any other parish il the South.
It's promoters have not contented
themselves with bringing the Yankee
within it's doors, but have extended
its operations TO Europe as well, It
is only d short while ago, that Mr..
M. VI. Duson sent Alderman Kloor
(now and then in his employ to Eu-
rope, the land of his birth, for Ger
man emigrants. Mr.. Duson has ex-
pended more money in advertising
Crowley and his parish, than one can
imagine. Were he to furnish the
figures, it would startle the natives.
Thirdly: He developed the rice in
dustry whereby the parish blossomed
as the rose. II is the chief industry
Of that parish, developed BY the brain
and Drawn and money Of NJ. IN. Du.
son. Having led the way others fol.
lowed.
The other towns, Rayne, Iota and
Church Point, particularly the two
last named, have prospered, the first
for being the distributing point Of the
Southern Pacific Railway TO a popula.
ton aroused from its iethargy BY che
shrek Of the iron horse and Tie
development of the rice industry,
forced upon its inhabitants By The
Dusons, notably @. 6. Strip ii of iii
rice culture, and it ceases TO be d
any Importance.
Church Point did not thrive to AMI
appreciable extent until our Ton
Lewis procured for them the SHREK
Of the railway, whereby it now begins
to assume the busting activity il
justly deserves.
But Rayne, Iota, Church Point ant
other villages within that parish
would have prospered without d par.
ish seat. Witness Eunice within oui
parish. What IS it has awakened
this prairie village into its sweeping
dimensions2 Parish seat? Most as.
suredIy not. Il is the iron horse
forcing itself upon it, from all point,
Of the compass.
] It's population il quoted as follows
January LIST, 1905 - $50
January LIST, 1909 270t
And it has no parish seat, nor has i
been il quest of one during thest
j days Of its advancing tide. Mamol
IS going to grow and expand, parisl
seat or otherwise; so will Riddell; 81
will Pine Prairie. Why? The breath
Of the iron horse blown within thei
midst has annihiIated distance, is ia
! viting immigration, transporting iii
lumber and crops to distant markets
] to foreign shores and seas.
Would Pine Prairie have thriver
with a parish seat2 OF Eunice, 81
Vile Platte, or Mamou without rail
way facilities2 Most assuredly not
e Is the railroad that has permitted