St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-08-14
LEE EMMENT THOMAS

N
has issued a statement opposing the con
stitutional convention with an accompa
nving letter to the editors of Louisiana
requesting that the statement, Whlcf
would cover several columns, be publish
ed. either in whole or in part.
Mr.. Thomas, it will be remembered
IL the gentleman who made such a gal
liant fight, four years ago, for Governor
Luther E. Hall. His able pen was kept
busy during the several months of the
strenuous campaign, boosting the Hall
cause, at the same time deriding and Sc.
verely, nay bitterly criticizing the San
ders administration, after having ridden
into office as a supporter of Gov. Sanders
Hall was victorious and in appreciation
Of Mr.. Thomas valuable services, the
Governor used his influence in having
Lee Thomas elected Speaker of the
House.
No sooner had the gavel been placed
in Mr.. Thomas hand than the Speaker
became an obstructionist to the Hall adj
ministration just as he SO ANONYMOUSLY
did during the Sanders administration.
He has played politics in every bill or
measure appearing before the House !;
always lining up against the men he had
help elect, no matter if the bill was good
or bad.
Yet we find Mr.. Thomas, to-day, OPP
posing the constitutional convention,
principally because, he claims it will be
a political, and not a constitutional CON
v%ention. He fought the convention meas
ure before the House, because it hap
pened that Governor Hall and his friends
were in favor of it, while Mr.. Thomas
groomed g~ubernatorial candidate was
opposing it. He played politics to a fin
ish during the extra session of the legis-
ture, but lost. Because he feels his foot
slipping he is now ready to stand in the
way Of the progress of this great and lib
eral state.
Mr.. Thomas suggests that a consti-
tutional amendment be voted to decide
the Supreme Court Justices question; he
does not believe that the assessment of
the state should be increased and claims
that the present administration has no
right to call a constitutional convention
in order that money be raised to pay the
debts of the ~penitentiary board.
Why is Mr.. Thomas opposed to in
creasing the assessment of the state? Is
it because he is a corporation lawyer. or
is he lacking the backbone to stand up
and assert that the public service corpor-
ations of Louisiana are not paying their
just proportion of the state taxes? Can
Mr.. Thomas prove that in increasing the
assessment the constitutional convention
will place the entire burden Of taxation
on the landowners, who are conceded al
ready, to be paying their just proportion
of taxes? If political dickers are to be
made at the convention the farmer will
be taken care of, because the politicians
are aware that with the farmers and land
owners with them they can obtain any
honor within the gift of the voters Of
Louisiana.
If the people of Louisiana are to
take the advice of a political topper like
the Hon. Lee Emmett Thomas, instead of
men, who have been working for the
benefit Of the entire state, then the prop
osition Of holding a constitutional con-
vention should be voted down. But if
the voters and taxpayers are to place ex-
plicit confidence in the men who are la
boring to relieve them, and who want to
place the burden of taxation where it
justly belongs, o n wealth, then a major
ity should be returned for the conven-
The Clarion was not a supporter of
Governor Hall during his gubernatoriai
campaign, nor have we always sided with
him on public questions. We are believ-
Frs of free speech and on several occa-
criticized Governor Hall, when
We thought that he was on the wrong
ide.
In justice to Louisiana's chief execu-
i've it must be said that he is entirely and
n~equivocally right on the convention
uestion. Governor Hall is favoring the