The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-12-28
I DOCK BOARD CONTROVERSY.

Gov. Halls Course Defended-Quick
Decision of Injunction and Custer
Suits Desirable.
Two of the three recently decapi-
tated members Of the New Orleans.
Board of Port Commissioners-W. "A.
Kernaghan and J. D. Hardin-haVe
followed the example Of their col
/ League, Adolph Dumser, in SUNG out
| iujunctions to prevent the governors
appointees, J. D. O'Keefe and Henry
H. Flaspoiler, from interfering with
plaintiffs in the possession and en-
! joyment Of their offices. Thomas j.
Kelly, who was also removed by the
governor, makes no opposition to the
appointment of Walter Van Benthuy
sen in his stead, presumably because
! the right of the governor to act in
| this instance is more clearly defined
and incontestable, Mr.. Kelly having
/ been appointed by Gov. Sanders since
| the amendment of the dock board law
in 1908
AS a Roland for the Oliver of the
/ injunctionists, Attorney General
/ Pleasant has instituted custer suits
against Messrs. Dumser, Kernaghan
and Hardin under the intrusion in
office law, and as such proceedings
are entitled to preference on court
dockets, the early trial and decision
of these suits is anticipated.
/ The New Orleans Times-Democrat.
defends the course of Gov Hall and
urges a prompt settlement of the
/ pending controversy in the following
editorial:
ssGov. Hall yesterday completed the
reorganization of the New Orleans
dock board, naming Messrs. J. D.
! O'Keefe, H. H. Flaspoller and Walter
Van Benthuysen to succeed the men-
bers whose designations were recent |
ly requested. The other members of
the reorganized board, whose ap-
pointments have been announced hith
erto, are W..P. Stewart, who entered
upon his duties some time ago, and |
J. H. Fulton. These gentlemen are
all representative business men Of |
marked ability, character and stand
ing in the community. The governor
has not been hasty either in reach /
ing his decision that a reorganization |
of the board would promote the wei
fare of the port, or in making his
selections among the business men
available for a service that is of very
great Importance. We have no hest
tation in commencing his appoint
ments, and we believe that the wis
dom of the reorganization will be- |
come apparent to the vast majority |
of Orleanians before very great I
while.
THE cry of politics that has been /
raised against this reorganization
probably has served to confuse the |
issue in the minds of some citizens
unfamiliar with port conditions here.
Those better informed have paid lit
tie heed to it. AS the governor
makes clear in his forceful letter to |
springs largely from political sources
and is organized in great measure for
political purposes. So far as the po- /
litical aspect of the case is con-
Ecerned, the change will serve to
emancipate the dock board from sin
lister political Influence. The reasons
underlying it have to do with ques- /
tions involving the development Of
the port and it's commerce. In her
publicly owned and controlled wharf |
system New Orleans enjoys a signal
advantage from which her commerce
as yet has reaped no commensurate
profit In more than one line, indeed, !
the ports business has registered
decline. Without questioning the
zeal or integrity of the members of |
the old board, it may be said that |
their policies more than once have
been vigorously critized upon grounds
plainly stated. Tonnage that should |
be handled over the New Orleans
Wharves is steadily diverted to other
ports. There Is complaint of a lack
of essential facilities We need not |
go into these matters fully at this
I time. They are touched upon mere
~ to show that the main point at is
sue deals directly with the policy of
port development. With the Panama
canal rapidly nearing completion, it |
is absolutely necessary that New Or |
leans be thoroughly and adequately |
prepared to handle and profit by the
increase of commerce that every Or
leanian counts upon. Gov. Hall stud
| led the matter with an eye to the |
welfare of the city and of the state, |
which has no small interest in the |
"a oeoi CSS c1Iih CSSlopLiC1lL VI lis pOl u
Deciding that the reorganization Of |
the dock board was needful, he re-
organized it. The political clamor
that has followed was to be expect |
ed. Some people may have been mis-
led by it, but we think that the great |
majority will prefer to judge the gov
ernor's action by its results in the |
way Of port development.
AS for the injunctions sued out to /
maintain the old members in office,
the motive behind that device is, we
dare say, very generally understood. |
The governors authority in the prem
ises has never, we believe, been |
questioned before, Gov. Hall is a
lawyer, with successful and honorable
experience upon the bench Doubt |
less he knows exactly what he is do
ing-and evidently he is not serious
~ disturbed by the resort to OBJ
sructive tactics It may be we'll to
point out, now that the injunctions