St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-01-15
BUSINESS ACUMEN
VERSUS SENTIMENT
Public OpInlOn Being Directed Toward the
Broader VleW..Sane Legislation Demanded.
One IDEA NAN GROWING LESS
Some Of The Evils Of lII.COnsldersd Laws.
Voters Closer to Legislators In Days Of
Old.

we'll as nationally, the public mind is
undergoing a far reaching change,
and the outcome cannot fail to prove
beneficial. Not in many years have
the Congressman, the Senator'S and
the Government officials at Washing
ton been so keeniy alive to public
sentiment on the big questions Of the
day, and probably never before have
the State Governments and particu-
larly those Of the South been con-
fronted by SO positive q demand for
safe, sane and properly considered
legislation.
Before the Civil War causes began
to develop, the voters generally were
closer to their law makers than they
have been during the piping times Of
peace and prosperity since. The
country has expanded rapidly, the
has increased marvelously,
men have made money faster than
anywhere on earth, and the affairs Of
Government have, in consequence.
been left largely to self constituted
leaders, to one-idea folk, to lobbyists
and, often, to others whose partisan
endeavors were not in the interest Of
the commonwealth.
Under such conditions enterprise
and capital have had to contend
against handicaps of various kinds,
and in many eases, in order to make
business possible have to purchase or
in some other way secure immunity
from monumental restrictions which
a public over busy with personal af-
fairs, permitted to develop.
In this way bad legislation has been
encouraged, and coincidently violation
of the law has made such violation
easy.
William Jennings Bryan preached
the spirit Of reform from the house
tops. Theodore Roosevelt applied the
thumb screw and the rack. William
H. Taft, with the conservatism Of a
born judge, is now working out the
remedy along calm, sane and perma-
nent lines.
Meanwhile the spirit of reform
not the Wild-eyed fanatical SORTS
spreading throughout the South, and
many men who, brief while ago,
were content to let the affairs of
State and City Government drift with
their own muddled tide, are now de-
mandlng surcease from bad legisla-
tion and the enforcement Of good
laws.
In this respect New Orleans is set
ting a pace which the entire State of
Louisiana is expected to follow.
President G. H. Ellis of the Board
Of Trade is preaching the necessity
for broad, fair and just attitude to-
ward railroads and all other large en-
terprises with money to invest in
Louisiana, and points out chat a clear
understanding Of the rights Of the
public and Of the enterprise, and JUS
tice TO both, will result in the great
est benefit to the people at large.
Secretary William Allen Of the
Business Mems League is conducting
an extensive campaign throughout
the State for the purpose Of awaken
ing interest in all matters that di-
rectly affect the public welfare.
In a personal letter recently writ
ten to leading business men in the
State MIR. Allen says:
The South has been over Jealous
IN promptly destroying that which it
did not like, while the Eastern and
Western sections Of the country have
been slow to destroy but persistent
in correcting monumental conditions.
In other words, we of the South have
been guided more by sentiment than
business acumen, while the remainder
of the country has acted on business
acumen rather than on sentiment
Sentiment is all right in its place, but
business acumen should prompt rs tc
take sufficient interest in the charac.
ter of laws framed up for our Govern
ment to nullify suchinfuence as fana
tics, one-idea people, and extremists
have been able to exert on our legis
lators while the conservative voters
were content to keep out of govern
ment affairs.
THE child labor law is to be ap
proved in so far as its beneficial pro
visions go, and condemned when it j
lmade to prevent i 15-year old artis
/ from appearing on a vaudeville stag
/ in New Orleans Is minutes each nigh
/ and thereby earning a salary Of $5(
or more a week. Had this law re
ceived proper consideration and dis
elimination made hefele its enact
lment no such absurdity or hardship
leould now follow its enforcement.
"Over in the Lake Charles neigh
borhood The people while worked int
a frenzy by prohibition leaders, vote
| the parish dry, and now. after calr
reflection, realize that the evils of th
i liquor traffic there, which gave th
i nrahihi4ion leaders their ammunition