St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-09-03

poOAu lhCCi0et ~ bHb lSCaI OanKS,
and the course pursued by your ad.
ministration is strictly in compliance
with law and the method which has
prevailed the last thirty years.
Yours respectfully,
20. B. STEELE.
Treasurer State of louisiana
EXPLAINS STATEMENTS.
Prom Capt. SteeIe's reply it will
be seen at once that, instead of nv
administration taying cut down the
meager pensions allowed to Confed-
crate soldiers as a matter of fact,
this administration has appropriated
100000 more for pensions than the
Blanchard administration and 1897.
600 more than the Heard admins
t%ration. More was given to the
Soldiers Home, under this admins
t%ration, BY some $4,000 than was
given under the Blanchard admins.
t%ration, and the total amount given
for Confederate purposes under this
administration in excess of that given
under the Blanchard administration
is $2l0,315.
Mr.. Lewis again states that this
administration has stinted the sup
port that should go to the mainte-
nance of our charitable institutions.
Capt. Steele's letter shows that
more has been given to the charita-
bic institutions Of the State under
this administration than was given
under either the Blanchard o. the
Heard administration.
Again Mr.. Lewis says: The help
less insane are uncared for On
June /, 1908, a few days after | be-
came Governor, there we're in the
Jackson Insane Asylum 1887 patients;
there are to-day in the Jackson In
sane Asylum 1441 patients. On June
lst. 1908, there were in the Pine
vile Insane Asylum 40 inmates; to-
day in this asylum there are 557,
making q total Of PAT more insane
being taken care Of to-day IN the
two insane asylums of the State than
The day ! was inaugurated as Cover
nor. Wild and unfounded statements
cannot prevail against the record.
The other statement which is re-
futed by Capt. Steele's letter is that
this administration is paying com
pound interest for a loan of $780,
600, to meet the current interest on
the State debt. This statement is
absolutely erroneous as shown by the
letter Of the State Treasurer here
with submitted.
I find this language in Mr.. Lewis,
speech;
'TheSanders' administration took
from the people the right Of choos-
ing their Registrars Of Voters and
conferred the appointments upon a
board presided over by the Governor
and dominated by him.
STATEMENT ON REGISTRAR.
This statement is unpardonably in
correct. Since Gov. Nichols admin
|istration the assessors of the country
parishes have been ex-oflcio Regis
trars Of Voters, and the Governor
appointed the assessors. Therefore
the people not having had the right
Of choosing their Registrars, I could
not have taken that right away from
them.
Act No. 141 of 1906 was intro
duced by Mr.. Herman of East Baton
Rouge parish. It provided for the
appointment of Registrars of Voters
throughout the country parishes by
a board composed of the Governor,
the Secretary Of State and the At
torney General. This act vas ap-
proved on July 9, 1906, and was
signed BY Newton C. Blanchard, Gov
ernor Of the State Of Louisiana. It
can be found on page 243 Of the Acts
Of Louisiana for the year 1906, hav-
ing been passed some two years be-
fore | became Governor. No one
this better than Dir. Lewis
himself.
Mr.. Lewis again said that the
administrators stripped the
executive Of the appointive power
1T is true that during Gov. Blan-
chard's administration Offices previous
y appointive were made elective, but
care was taken 50 that in every in
the law did not 90 into effect
Governor Blanehard's admins
t%ratioa, but was 50 written and word
ed as to 20 into effect nnder his sue