New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1912-03-16
MR. RROUSSARD AND CON-
GRESS.

Congressman Broussard is Just
now the recipient OF good oeai
of gratitious advice on the ques,
ton of whether or not ne shoulo
seek a reelection this fall.
AT the coming session OF the
General Assembly Mr.. Broussard
will be elected to the Senate Tor
a six-year term, beginning M arc,
4, 1915, and ending March + T., WI
Unless therefore Senator morn
ton resigns he will not take MS
seat for three years.
His present term as a Congress
man expires March 4 1913. IL ne
decides to stand for reelection,
which we take it would be tanta-
mount to an election, his new term
would expire on the same day his
Senatorial term begins. If he de-
cides to step aside, for two years
he will be out of touch with the
public life of Washington.
The States has no wish to vol
unteer it's advice to the Third DIS
trict After all, the question IS
one chiefly concerning MIR. Brous-
sard and his constituency and they
are perfectly competent to decide
it for themselves, albeit the result
NAV not be altogether satisfactory
to the several gentlemen who
would like to step into Mr.. Brous-
sard s shoes.
But we do wish to dissent from
the suggestions that Mr.. Brous'
sard would do violence to the pre-
cedent established by the Hon.
John Sharp Williams following
his defeat of Governor Vardaman
in the Mississippi primary OF four
years ago. The cases are not 81
milar.
Mr.. Williams. at the time, was
the Democratic leader in the Low
err House. That fact was seized
upon by many of the supporters OF
Mr.. Vardaman as cogent reason
why Mr.. Williams ought to be de-
feated. They argued that Mr..
Williams position put him in di-
rect line of succession to the
speakership, an office quite as high
and dignified as that of Senator,
and that if he was defeated at
home and the Democrats won in
the nation, as they subsequently
did win, Mississippi would not
only be represented in the Senate
by Vardaman, but she would he
doubly honored by having Viii
liams in Joe Cannon chair
But the versatile and brilliant
John Sharp did not propose to be
the bearer of the handicap the
Vardamanites proposed and over
his own signature he announced
that whether he won or lost he
would not again be a candidate for
the House
His word has always been his
bond. Winning, be kept his
promise to the people and for two
years he rusticated along the
banks of the Yazoo.
But Mr.. Broussard is under no
such campaign pledge. When ne
became candidate for the SEN
ate everyone knew that if he was
defeated he would again be can
didate for Congress. and that no
one in the Third District would
say him nay. Having been sue
cessful, nothing that he said dur
ing the campaign, directly or by
implication, requires him to elm
mate himself.
Indeed, Mr.. w. O. Hart furnish
es precedent that justifies him in
again becoming a candidate. The
late Senator R. L. Gibson was
serving in the Forty-sixth Con-
gress when, in January, 1880, he
was elected to the Senate for the
term beginning March 4. 1888.
The situation was identical with
that in the Third District. Gen
Gibson saw no reason why he
should retire. In November. 1880
he was again elected to Congress
and continued his service in the
House until the day his service in
the Senate began, just as Mr..
Broussard will do if he elects now
to make the race.
Reasons, political or otherwise,
may be suggested why it would be
o Mr.. Broussard's advantage to
retire from public life for two
years; but it is not a good reason
say that he is under an obliea-
ton to do so because John Sharp
Williams did, even if he did no.
have a different example in the