St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-08-19

"A plcdCH dDOuG Ills dutILudculu6 record, DfIuSS d
smile OF amusement to the face of every man cognizant with that
record. With a naviety peculiarly delightful, Mr.. Broussard
announced at Ruston that he was the choice of the people last
December, when the Legislature elected Judge Thornton to the
Senate. Choice Of the people! He claims that mass meetings
were held and petitions circulated, that the State was aroused
to a pitch of enthusiasm for his candidacy, and states with a
dlSlngenuousness peculiarly refreshing of the visit of the com
mlttee to him at Thibodaux imploring him to become the peoples
candidate. According to the account rendered to the people, at
Ruston, this committee waited on him in order to get his consent
to be the Moses to lead them out of the wilderness Of political
oppression and Sandersism and finally into the promised land
OF peace and plenty and Broussard and Cannonism. Il was
the peoples choice - declared MI. Broussard, and yet, a majority
of the very committee which went to Thibodaux to induce him
to run, voted for other candidates on the roll call. These gen
tlemen did not vote for Judge Thornton, but they voted for
some of the other candidates running rather than vote for Mr..
Rroussard.
He declared in his Ruston speech that he had always favored,
in the recent fights in this State, the peoples candidates. He
gave a long list Of those whom he had supported, forgetting to
add that. they were always defeated. He closed the list of those
whom he claims to have been the peoples candidates by declaring
that he had voted for Colonel Wilkinson; yet Colonel Wilkinson
was supported by the then State administration, and the returns
from the country and city alike would indicate that [ was the
peoples choice, not Colonel Wilkinson; but finally growing tired
of supporting candidates of the people, whom the people repudi-
ated, he, himself, became the peoples choice at Baton Rouge and
was repudiated by the peoples representatives with a unanimity
rarely witnessed in a contest of that kind. But now he says
that he appeals to the people themselves: So be it. If the
people of Louisiana want MI. Broussard for their Senator, they
will vote for him. When they take him, they are bound to take
him as they find him-a follower Of Cannon, when Cannon was
triumphant, and discredited by the Democrats, when Cannon
and his followers went down in defeat.
The program of the Democratic House of Representatives,
when they convened this year, was to investigate combinations
and trusts, which controlled the prices of commodities on the
American market.
In accordance with this program, a resolution was intro
duced into the House of Representatives, calling for an invest-
CATION of the sugar trust. This resolution was adopted and a
committee was appointed, but when the Democratic organization
Ynat IN se1aot tho Dnnnocratic npnha of that oomnittpa Mr.
Broussard, though representing the largest sugar-producing dis
trict in the United States, was not made a member of this in
Yestigating committee, where he might have been able to have
done so much good for the people Of this State. Mr.. Broussard
was left off because the Democratic organization had so little
confidence in his Democracy. Let it be understood that this
was accomplished not through Mr.. Broussard's acquiesence, as
he made a most vigorous protest in the House against this action,
but, nevertheless, he was thought so little of by his Democratic
colleagues that he was not even placed on this important COM
mittee. This committee has not yet concluded Of its in
yestigation, but there is one important fact which has
been brought out by it-that the duty imposed on 96test sugars
of 1855, as far as the benefits accruing to the Louisiana cane
growers are concerned, was reduced 20 per cent by the fact
of the preferential tariff on Cuban sugars, and further reduced
by the American Sugar Refining Company, deducting from the
purchase price the difference in freights between New Orleans
and New York. .....
The startling testimony before this committee developed the
indisputable fact that the American Sugar Refining Company
has it's hands well on the throat of the Louisiana sugar planter,
not only in the matter Of prices, but even to the extent of to
whom he shall sell.
This is a condition that must be met. 1t is too early now
to discuss legislation based on the result Of this investigation,
for legislation of this nature must necessarily receive mature and
deliberate consideration. But, to my mind, the present conditions
are intolerable and something must be done to relieve the sugar
planter of Louisiana from the death-throttling grasp of the sugar
trust, and I pledge myself, if elected to the United States Senate,
to not only devote my energy and ability to clipping the wings of
the sugar trust, but to fight those other great combinations of
capital which are controlling the prices to both the consumer and
producer, increasing the cost of living to the people without in
any Way beneftinp the great masses Of Wage-earnerS.
In this, my candidacy for the Senate, / appeal to you who
are just the ordinary people-the wage-earners, salared people
and tillers of the sol-assuring you that my every endeaVor shall
be to decrease the cost of living to you, to reduce the present
import duties on manufactured articles which go into your every
day life, and that I will not be controlled by the trusts, or the
interests, but / will take my stand with the great Democratic
leaders, who are today fighting the battles Of the people, and
stand by. the teachings and tenets of real Democracy.
There is other work to be done in the Congress of the United
States. Two other questions will claim my attention, should I
be elected Senator.
One of the greatest burdens upon our people is the 1evee