The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-09-30
MICHEL, TURN ON THE GRILL.


boss candidate for governor, has been
roundly, if not squarely, rated by
his opponents because he spent the
states money with a lavish hand for
travelling expenses when he was SUI
perintendent of public education; be-
cause he aided in building up an edu-
cational oligarchy as part OF the
state political machine; because ne
supposedly took advantage OF MS con-
nection with the machine to foist an
unnecessary and not over-merltor-
ious Aswellian spelling-book upon the
patrons of the public schools, and
for several other causes and De-
causes more or less momentous or IN
consequential, according as the per-
sonal or factional predictions OF the
critic tend either to magnify or mini
mize them.
Judge Hall, gubernatorial candidate
of the Democratic Good Government
League, has been likewise lambasted
for refusing to forego the prospective
office of associate justice of the SUI
preme court to which he was elected
last year, but which he cannot as
sumo until next year, and for having
sought in that campaign the support
of the registrars and game wardens
whom he is presently dcnounclng as
part of the pernicious state machine
that he and his associates seek to
smash.
Now it is Mr.. Michels turn to be
put on the grill, and he-is on it all
right. Ever since the campaign open
ed his opponents have been ringing
the changes on the fact that he is
ward boss, that the people of Lou
isiana have hitherto refused to elect
ward boss governor, and it has
been charged that the weli-soundlng
declarations of his platform on such
subjects as fair elections, abolition
| of useless offices and dual Office
holding, curtailment of gubernatorlal
power and patronage, ETC., are far
from gliding with his past record as
potential part of the bosses COM
binat1on forming the much-contemned
machine by which the politics Of the
state and its chief city are so largely
controlled.
To these criticisms new one has
now been added, that theatens to
assume a more serious phase than
any of the objections heretofore
| urged against Mr.. Michel's candidacy.
| 1t is shown that while holding the
position of secretary of state he en-
tered and purchased through the
| state land office over $1,000 acres Of
public land for purposes of specula-
ton. 1t is contended by the lead
| ing newspapers and supporters OF
both the other gHbernatorial candi-
dates that this act was clearly re-
i prenensibie from an ethical and NOR
al standpoint and furnishes an in
superable reason why Mr.. Michel
should not be elevated to the gov
ernorship.
Mr.. Michel makes no denial of the
entry and purchase of the lands, as
the following extract from his formal
statement to the people shows: In
conclusion, wish to make these
facts clear: purchased, while Sec
rotary of state, legally and with no
effort at concealment, public lands
through the registrar of the state
| land office 1 saw nothing then, and
/ / see nothing now, morally wrong,
unethica1 or in the slightest degree
improper in these transactions. His
contention is that the lands were
open to entry by anybody who chose
to pay the fixed price, and had been
on the market good while before
he bought them; that it was to the
/ interest of the state that the lands
onto the tax rolls so as to be inn
proved and yield revenue to the
state and parochial treasures: that
his official position gave him no van
tage ground in the matter over other
applicants, and that he was doing a
public service rather than a repre-
hensible thing in taking these unpro-
ductive acres off the states hands.
The New Orleans Pieayune, which
espouses the Michel cause, unhesi-
tatingly accepts and indorses the
candidates view of this transaction.
The Times-Democrat and DailyStates
| as unequivocally critieise and con-
denim the speculation The New Or
leans Item demands further investi-
CATION and exposure of the affair be-
fore fixing the degree of Mr. Mi
chefs culpability, and it is to be
presumed that the rest Of the state
press will range up on this new issue
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