The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-01-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Chief is not responsible for the
views expressed by correspondents.
Dairy Ordnance Controversy.

Donaldsonville, inasmach as 1t in
directly brands them as ignorant,
''dnmb, driven cattle. "a ask the read
ing public TO consider with me, in
detail, the article in question.
The Times begins by stating that
the town council, In special session,
received a petition to extend the time
for abolishing dairies within corpor-
ate limits till January, 1910, and that
after 'due deliberstion,' tabled it be.
cause it was considered az unpopular
move" An unpopular novel A pe-
tition signed by the most prominent
and intelligent citizens OF the town,
citizens high in every walk OF life,
ignored by a legislative bodyl Can
any one conceive Of such state OF
affairs? I say Ignored intention
ally, for the word tabled in parlia-
mentary procedure, Is but polite
substitute for ignored Let me ask
any fair minded person If 1t is Just to
table SUCH petition; let me ask, fur
ther, if the council did not transgress
it's rights by thus ignoring the wishes
of so many prominent citizens.
Then, the Times continues: 1T was,
in fact, shame and disgrace for .
place of this size tosllow such thing.
and since q law had been passed TO
eliminate them, the people desire that
it should stand and be fairly, Impair
TALLY, and rigidly enforced. = What
sspeople'' so desire? And how shall
the petitioners be classed? Are they
not entitled TO some consideration
the name of people, also? Evidently,
the Times does not think SO, for it
continues: tThe fact that the petition
was signed and presented did not by
any means indicate that q majority Of
the people favored it. It represented
merely the wish Of a feWn few,
though the petition was numerously
signed aand many who signed Il did
SO simply because they had been asked
| and who, perhaps, believed that no
harm would be done by 1t. 1t has been
said that 1t would be an easy matter
to get some people to sign a petition
to hang themselves = Then fol-
flows some advice as to when and
how to sign petition. This last quo
tation is the Objectionable part of the
article Il is exceedingly rash judg
ment; it implies the ignorance OF the
petitioners; it brands them as dumb,
driven cattle, that tfaIl Ia line1 at
a mere tinkle from the abell cow. 8
Yet the petitioners were prominent and
intelligent citizens, fully capable of
forming sane judgments as to merits
and demerits. Does the Times suppose
that any sensible person would afix
his signature to paper OF any kind
without knowing the object? How many
lines have "people signed petitions TO
hang themselyes?a In this enlight-
ened age it is customary for person
to sign no paper of which he knows
nothing. Such precaution is the only
safeguard against graft. Mothers teach
their adolescent children never to do
such thing, and it Is the very first
policy of the business man. But the
Times presumes that prominent men,
who have matured in the hard school
of experience, have not learnt this
lesson, and consequently affix their
signatures to something OF wifich they
are ignorant, and which they do not
desirel Let the public Judge whether
the Times is right or wrong.
Concluding its article, the Times
'shonestlyn afirms that this dairy
ordinance Is one of the best which has
been passed by the present council and
the future working OF it will bear this
OUT I can hardly agree with this
statement, for, by its last action, the
/ council ignored the sentiment of many
prominent people; it took npon itseli
the power of Determining whether The
/ petitioners were capable OF judging OF
not; it rendered. a decision that was
arbitrary and 9autocratic to the ex
treme.
From the earliest days OF civilization
and government, petitions have beer
received and given every considers
tion by legislative bodies. Even des
potic governments have oft attended
to and abided by their pleas. Will
the rise of democratic government
petitions have become more prevalent
and are solicited instead OF dfscoun
tenanced. The declaration OF right
forwarded to King George III. by on
revolutionary forefathers was peti
tion; the American government
founded upon petitions, upon 'sth
will Of the people" /" Everywhere Wher
true democracy prevails, there wi.
petitions be eagerly attended to. An
our own little town Of Donaldsonyill
is no exception TO the rule. Time an
again, our town council has estat
lished the precedent, and ii was but
short time ago, when the butchers
, petition was received, that it s'et
poused the cause of the people, . (tf
petitioners and reversed it's judi
ment. But, recently, the precedent
: not followed, the council frowns upo
its past actions, and ignores the wi
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