The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-03-09
St. JAMES PARISH POLITICS

Sixth Ward Good Government Lea
guers Reply to Statement OF sex
ecutive Commlttee"-Fact VS..
= Fiction.
Communicated
While we have no desire for a
newspaper controversy, we cannot
let certain statements recently made
in these columns by the so-called
Executive committee Of the To-
cal Good Government League go I'M
challenged To place our position
history is necessary. The signers of
this communication were among the
prime movers in this parish in the
fight for good government. In the
call for a mass meeting to elect del
egates to the June conference they
! secured over so names. They partic-
ipated in that meeting, and TWO
Of their number were delegates to
! the New Orleans conference.
They followed the lines laid down
| by that conference and saw the wis
dom of the state leaders in endors-
| ing candidates for governor and
lieutenant governor only, leaving the
voters free to exercise their choice
as to the other state officers. They
recognized that Hall and the legisla-
ture were the essentials, all reforms
necessarily coming through the state
Legislature.
But when we saw the SO called
| Executive committee" chow and
by whom elected cannot, be ascer-
ttained, certainly not by vote Of the
|league members in the PARISH, trying
to inject local issues into state poll
tics, to the detriment of the state
ticket; pinning their label On can
Ididates without regard to their fit
ness for office, past affiliations or re-
cord, we withdrew and refused to
recognize the right of this committee
70 endorse officially any candidate
for local offices. And the voters Of
The parish have approved our course.
To prove that our fight for Hall
and good government continued after
our withdrawal, and to disprove the
false insinuations that we were
'fence riders and elected Hall al
ter the fight was over,' it is only
necessary to state that of the 204
Hall majority in the parish, our
{ ward, the sixth, in which there was
no league organization, contributed
1877, the other seven wards Of the
parish combined only mastering 81.
The committee states the sixth
seventh and eighth wards, controlled
, by this faction, went for almost ever.
ring candidate, local and state,
} whereas the facts are that the com
f bined votes of these wards gave
:. Hall clear plurality. To quote
! further: eve affirm that a number
of League candidates have beer
elected to Office The facts are tina
r with the exception of the assessor
/ and one member of the Democratic
Parish Committee, no candidate fo
any important office endorsed b,
this committee won.
t They endorsed for the Legislature
men who were identified with tn
i Sanders administration and VII,
9 were responsible because of thei
: votes for the extravaganza and ba,
: Legislation Of his administration, AM
they lost. They endorsed for sheriff
a, man wearing the epaulettes Q
Sanders, and who had for his backe
U and sponsor, P. NJ. Lambremont, AM
q they lost. For the people Of st
= James are Intelligent enough to judg
= la candidate by his record and hi
u fitness for office, and Independent
: fenough to vote according to thei
+ Judgment.
:. In view Of the public records 0
u the majority of the candidates the.
{, endorsed" it comes with very ba
u grace for them to mention the wore
J ring" Voters are always susp;
7 cious of recent converts, even if the
u are o. KID. by an executive com
mittee.
II To quote further, sit (the commit
:, tee) has at ali times been in clos
J. touch with the state committee.
The result proves that they We're il
. closer touch with, the state commit
y tee than with the people, and no
y even Mr.. Spearing, who butted int
the local fight, probably through ig
{, norance Of true conditions, coul
save their Sanders legislator convert
who was a candidate for the stat
4 senate. Quoting further, Stthere
e not member of this committee VIII
y wants Or expects any reward for hin
! self or any member Of his family.
> The facts are that several member
of this committee were candidate
:. for office, one for coroner, and on
e had a son candidate for assessor, an
q with the exception Of one membe
u of the Democratic Parish Committe
= all were defeated. When it is re
$ membered that the sixth ward, &C
. mittedly controlled by the signers G
) This communication and their friends
II out of 204 votes cast, gave Ha
3 clear majority of 1877 over both OF
ponents, CHS majority in entire PAL
ish being only 20A), we can We
} agree to their concluding paragraph
e LET every man be judged accordin
r, to his works. and abide the verdict
e NUMA HIMEL.
l., j. 0. ALISON.
IL S. J. HYMEL
t C. A. SCHEXNAYDER.
e HECTOR A. HIMEL