St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-08-14

$500 is such 4 paltry sum to pay an
able assistant ike Col. Pleasant that
it needs no argument to refute it.
The attorney general ought to.
have two assistants with a salary
sufficient to secure the ablest, best
fitted men to assist him, one to de-
vote his entire time to the franchise
cases, corporation cases and cases in
the interest of the people before the
Railroad Commission, and other bodies;
and one able lawyer, whose time is
devoted exclusively to the preparation
and argument Of criminal cases on
the part Of the State, and to assist
the attorney general otherwise.
Now we come to Act 278, Great
ing the Game Commission, the one
Mr.. Lewis calls legislative graft-in
plain terms Legislative theft OF legis-
lative dishonesty because graft
means that. This language ii SO
harsh that it amounts to almost an
abuse Of the freedom Of speech. Mr..
Lewis charges the Legislature with
stealing from the people without any
hope Of reward. Under The eonsti-
tuition no member Of the Legislature
can receive employment in a position
created by that Legislature, and yet
Mr.. Lewis would have the people Of
this great State believe that the
Legislature created graft when it
knew it could not enjoy The fruits Of
its labor.
"Ah! my fellow citizens, think Of
Mr.. Lewis going all over this State
denouncing the present Governor in
the harshest terms before the last
primary, asking the people to per
petuate an administration that had
not only spent $4,000 in round
numbers left as a surplus by Govern
or Heard, but spent all revenues col
lected during that administrator,
and also spent the contemplated
by creating a deficit Of $336,960 IN
round numbers it left this Legisla-
ture and this administration as d her
itage. Now, he comes before the
people and charges this Legislature
with creating a deficit Of $250,000
by lis extragavence when in truth,
and ii fact the deficit was created by
the last administration to almost the
vanishing point.
The Came Commission was created
by the Legislature for the protection
of birds. game and fish, and is com
PEELED to support itself out Of the
proceeds Of q voluntary tax. No one
is compelled to pay this tax. There
is no law to sell your property to
make you pay this tax. The State
says to the hunter you may hunt my
game, you may enjoy the benefit Of
my birds, but in order to do this, you
should contribute to its conservation.
s'The State last season permitted
her eitizenst to take out Of the fresh
waters and off the land of Louisiana
more than S. 600 worth Of birds,
game and fish and fur. On buffalo,
catfish and gaspargou this State has
a trade with the northwest, which
brings the people of this State some-
thing more than $4,000 per annum,
and can By proper conservation be
rapidly increased until if should bring
twice that amount. More than g.
100000 coons we're killed il Louisi-
ana this season. and their hides
brought more than SI.500,O00 and
mink hides brought between $780, 600
and 100000, and the offers more
than 100000. Five millions Of
muskrats brought to the people Of
Of this State $4,000. About
100000 ducks; worth more than
100000 were killed. Nearly q
000,O 900 quail worth $780, 900, besides
the various other game, fish and fur
in this State. Do you know that last
season the Chinese shrimp fishermen
Of Baritaria Bay shipped about $780,
600 worth of shrimp to China, and
did not pay this State one cent rev
enue?
4 declare 10 you tonight that the
generation is committing a crime
against posterity if they permit these
natural endowments Of nature to be
annArnund and aonln+nd fnrlhnr