St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-04-22
What a mighty fall it was!

BfuCuS killed CeaSar because
Ceasar was ambitious, but he
stabbed him in the open Senate
Chamber. Brutus accomplished
his crime, awful as it was, in the
open.
Brutus did not base his indict.
ment against Caesar on the wag.
gish report of a "Tepaul" Mizzi.
! Even in that time of tumult
and blood men struck only when
they were sure they were right.
This age should show no retro
grafton.
Public institutions and men are
just subjects Of criticism, but
neither should be made the target
of idle reports. They deserve
the same consideration as do or
binary citizens. The fact that
any particular person has it in'
for that institution or that official
does not justify that person using
any little street gossip as a stalk
ing OK to give vent to his spleen.
Some weeks ago Judge Gilbert
L. Dupre, under the monde
plume of Good Government, !"
published in the st. Landry Com
moner a communication in which
he related an alleged incident
which had for its object the dis
crediting of the Came Commits
sion, and, of course, the State
Administration. It told of a
game warden coming upon a
party Of men who were violating
the game law, and of the party
bribing the warden with bottle
of Whiskey.
This was a serious charge, and
fairness should have called for
the exercise of discretion before
it was scattered to the four winds
in public print.
It was of such a grave nature
that the President of the Com
mission Immediately detailed Mr..
L. j. Dossmann, Chief Inspector
of the Oyster Department to con-
duct a thorough investigation
with a view that, If true, the Of
Tending warden should at once
be discharged, and if untrue, the
Commission should be cleared of
the odium of having in its en-
ploy such a recreant employee.
And Mr.. Dossmann's investi-
cation has developed the fact
that Mr.. Dupre's sole foundation
for the weighty charge was a
Joke" perpetrated by a local
wag!
The following correspondence
tells the tale:
Mr.. Editor. AS you are
aware, / spent a couple of days
in New Orleans in the company
of our friends who were 'agin
the government.
Swapping jokes with a party
of gentlemen who were deriding
existing laws the following was
given me as an actual occurrence:
"A game warden was informed
that a number of gentlemen were
shooting ducks after dark. He
repaired to the scene. Encoun-
tered one of the violators, and he
cried out, Haiti following this
up with the inquiry:
Who comes here?
THE reply was:
"a friend with a quart.
Then advance with the cork
pulled.
This being done, peace was
restored, and the boys escaped
prosecution. "
THE writer who signed himself
Good Government Lacquer, "
asked ironically, when such an
occurrence actually takes place
and the public is in this way
made to learn how arduous are
the duties of these preservers of
our game and fish, 7 who shall
question their right to the mea-
ger salary they SO laboriously
earn?
THE CORRESPONDENCE.
Here is the correspondence
that resulted:
Opelousas, La, April 3, 1911.
Mr.. John w. Lewis, Opelousas,
La:
Dear Sir In the issue of the
st. Landry Commonero of date
Saturday, March rs, 1911, ap-
peared a communication entitled
Spare the Came Wardens, =
and signed Good Government
League. = Upon inquiry, at the