St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1913-11-08
OIL, PS1AW, CLARISSE,
Oil, DOCTOR PSHAW
Who Said That Wood Blocks Bucked--Wood Block
Wins Before Impartial Referee--Editor Goes
Through Center For A Touch Down--Score:
Home Office Team y Shaw o. 80

In our issue of October 25th.
this paper published an article in
it's news columns dealing with
the matter of the selection OF
wood block pavement by the
City Council at a meeting held
on the previous Wednesday,. Il
IS the opinion of the Editor OF
this paper that wood block pave.
nent is not the best for a climate
where we have forty. day rains,
whatever it's merits may be else
where, and he plainly expressed
it. This paper never hesitates
in expressing its opinion on pub
lie matters, and its motto below
the heading on the front page OF
every issue is plain to read and
understand.
DR.. J. A. Shaw. one Of the
Aldermen, has taken to himself
some of the expressions Of our
article, and he is correct IN sup
posing that whatever our feel
ings for him personally and as a
successful professional man, our
opinion as EXPRESSED in the article
is that he made an unfortunate
mistake, we might say blunder,
in not only in ignoring a petition
Of prominent taxpayers, but IN
publicly announcing that he
would do so and giving as a rea-
son his superior knowledge.
While we do not expect any
representative Of the people to
come back to them for specific
directions on every question CONF
ing before the body of which he
is member, we do think it the
duty of a representative of the
people. when considering ques-
ton affecting a limited class OF
taxpayers, and imposing special
assessment for Improvements to
be paid for principally by them,
to- at least listen to and consider
the voice of these taxpayers
when they take the trouble to
come before the body and to sug-
gest how their money shall be
spent. If the improvements are
not permanently and satisfactori-
In installed. III is their money
that has been wasted, and if the
streets revert to their old condi-
ton after every cent they can
raise has been expended to inn
prove them, it is their trade that
will suffer. They must pay the
piper, and they should be allow
ed to select the tune. II DR..
Shaw's friend, Mr.. Wood Block,
should gently float away. Mr..
Buyer on his wagon would avoid
Mr.. Ignored Merchants street,
and very likely trade at the
Gravel store. DR.. ShaW's pa
tients with the toothache WOULD
sill be able to navigate the side
walks after reaching the billowy
Wood Block section, so ne would
lose little. il anything.
Notwithstanding DR.. ShaW's
long communication in ! a s t
weeks Clarion, and the pretty
letters thereto attached as exhi-
bits, we still think that creosoted
wood block pavement may prove
a costly experiment to Opelousas,
a city with little money to use
for experimental purposes.
The array of twenty letters at
tached to DR.. Shaw's communl-
cation was enought to appall US.
When they got to the composing
room, the two young ladies who
set up our type, and are usually
good natured about it. threaten
ed to strike if these controversies
were to be encouraged. They
declared that all pavements, BIZ
tulithic, brick or wood block,
ought to be consigned to the bot
tom of the sea. We agreed with
this, but insisted that wood block
would be the first to rise up.
But when we made a closer in
spection Of the twenty letters
exhibited as the result Of DIR.
Shaw's thorough" and i'm
partial investigation, we found
the matter not SO very serious.
For eight out of the twenty he
appears to have gone straight to
headquarters. Three of them
were selected testimonials actual
ly addressed to the Creosoted
Wood Block Paving Co., of New
Orleans, and five more were
similar testimonials in favor Of
wood block procured by some
body, certainly not the Bitulithic
people, to impress the Mayors OF
Gainesville, Ga, Jackson, Miss,
and Corpus Christi, Texas. with
the virtues of Wood Block. If
these letters were not the result
OF an impartial investigation
made right in the Wood Block
Office, then the attendant circurn-
stances are very misleading.
I'VE therefore eliminate, these
eight letters entirely from con-
slderation, as DR.. Shaw should