St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-10-02


Committee should hear and determine
tie contest. Mr.. Lewis also COM
mented On the fact that the law
allows only four days delay from the
PRONUNCIATION of the returns within
which the contestant must file 4 de-
tailed statement of the grounds Of
his contest an impossible condition.
said Mr. Lewis, where charges Of
fraud involved election polls in var
ioua portions OF the State. Mr.. Lewis
also criticised and condemned the
requirement. Id the law that a citizen
intending to contest the nomination
to a Parish Office, must do so ON the
very day that the local committee
meets to canvass and promulgate the
result Of the primary, and The require
ment that the Committee must decide
the contest at once these hard con
ditions being laid down ID the law IL
is said because Of The proximity 81
the date Of the primary election and
that Of the general election. Mr.
Lewis contending that this is a mere
pretext, as The date Of the primary
election could be fixed long enough
in advance of the general election to
allow Of ample time for the fling,
hearing and decision be the contest.
Mr.. Lewis urges the following amend
ment to the primary law: Allowing
more time within which to leland try
contests for nomination, making il
imperative upon the State Committee
to hear and determine contests fol-
State offices, By hearing the contest
ants witnesses and giving to the con
testant the right Of compulsory pro.
cess, the amendme ID at the last SEES
sion having left that whole matter
entirely Discretionary with The State
Committee; also 8 provision requiring
the Courts Id reviewing the action d
the political committees to hear wit.
nesses summoned by The contestant
and to try the contest on their merits
= provision requiring the officers d
election polls ii the city W New Or
leans, III addition to the copies Of the
tally sheets and poIl lists now pro-
vided fol, To deliver at once On The
closing Of the polls, d copy of these
important documents Id some Court
officer III New Orleans, designated b
the Law, and in the country parishes
Ii the Clerk DC Court, and To Be and
foreman open 10 public Inspection
&c. Lewis referred ID tie et Ehal
Mr.. Bailey was seriously hanpered il
preparing his contests that ha could
not get possession Of, OF get YieW d
these important doeHu1entsfr from many
az the polls, and especially some d
those as against which the gravesl
charges of fraud were preferred b
him.
Mr. Lewis further urges the passage
Of a statute. making any fraud com.
mitted by any election officer III ths
performance Dc his duty and especial
II ii the failure to deliver copies d
the tally sheets poll lists to ths
court designat r that purpose,
felony punishable & hard labor; d Law
prohibiting under suitable penalties,
any bank banking institution Of cor.
porati0n, from contributing to the
campaign fund Of any candidate FOL
Office, and i law requiring all canai
dates for nomination toa State Office
TO publish ten days before the pr.
mary election, 1 sworn and detailed
statement of The contributions TO bis
campaign fund.
STATE FINANCE.
When the Governor, after his IN
augnration, was confronted with tbs
actual condition of the finances ana
resources of the State. he seemed tc
have abandoned entirely the plan ad-
Yocated By him III his campaign
speeches Of paving De the Stats
bonded debt hy the time Ii matured
With i sinking fund to Be SET aside
annually for that purpose. I don
believe that the plan ever appealed
To the judgment Of many persons.
and so far from it being at all prac-
ticable, il now appears from the pub.
lished statements Of the State Treas
urer that there will be d deficit Of 81
much AZ s250,000 ii The amount
necessary for the payment Of the ap.
preparations already made, perhaps
more. And while ] stated, IN the ad.
dress made by me I'd the Farmers
Union. that the last session Of The
Legislature had been more extrava-
giant and WastefnI Of the publie
money than any session of tha hody