The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1915-11-13
oU1zZiNG THE CANDIDATES.

r. NJ lLL1iNI LII NI[A4S4lAA - -.
The New Orleans Protestant Min
/ isters' Association, evidently exer
cised by the near approach of thu
racing season in that city and the ap
!; prehension that the laws prohibiting
gambling at race tracks and regu
Hating the saloon business are to be
evaded and violated in connection
with the sport Of kings" on Monday
| last addressed letters to the three
candidates for governor in this state
wherein the following questions Were
propounded:
81. II elected governor, will you
/ exercise to the fullest extent the au-
thority vested in you for the suppress
sion of gambling on the horse races
| by q strict enforcement of the Locke
/ law.
80. If it is found impossible to
prevent under existing laws, devices
and arrangements by which gambling
on the races is encouraged and pro-
noted will you use your influence for
the passage Of additional legislation
which will suppress such devices and
arrangements?
"3. Will you, if elected governor,
use all the authority vested in your
office to secure the thorough enforce
ment of the Sunday law, the Gay
Shattuck law, and such laws as eS-
ist against gambling, in every sec
ton of the state?"
Lieutenant Governor Thos. c. Ear
ret was the first of the three cam
didates to receive the Undergraduates,
his campaign manager having COM
municated them to him on Monday by
telephone, and Mr.. Barrett replied by
the same method from Shreveport as
follows:
Eyes to all the questions. I do not
favor horse race gambling. My po-
sition on the Locke law is clear. I
favor the enforcement of the Sunday
law and the Gay-Shattuck law,
whether in Shreveport or New Or
leans.
ssFurthermore, if elected governor,
| will endeavor to have passed law
similar to that of Tennessee, where
by officials who do not perform their
duty and enforce the laws can be re-
moved in a summary manner, pro-
ceeding invoked in Memphis just a
day or two ago."
Mr.. John NJ. Parker answered the
letter from the ministers immediate
ly upon its receipt, as follows:
First: There is a state law pro-
viding for the regulation of racing
throughout the state, and when con-
Quoted within the law there will be
no interference by me.
Second: / am personally not a
patron of racing, but if the people
want it, and it is conducted within
the law and along lines that are fair
and clean | will not interfere.
Third: The enforcement of the
law is largely left to the local au-
thorities, and if law is obnoxious
it's enforcement is impracticable. This
question should be submitted to every
local authority in the state for an
sWer."
Attorney General Ruffin G. Pleas
ants reply, prepared after his return
to his headquarters from country
trip on Tuesday, was as follows:
Replying to yours Of the 8th in
slant, | wish to say that, If elected
governor, | will enforce the laws to
which you refer, and ali other laws,
as far as the power and the authority
lie in the governor So to do.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
summarizes the respons-
i've declarations of the gubernatorial
aspirants in these terse sentences:
Home rule and non-interferenGe
with racing when within the law. -
sIehn. u PIE.
En- fforcemen of the laws as far
as the power and authority lie in the
governor to do Sc. Colonel R. G.
Pleasant.
''Strict law enforcement and adj
statutes to compel local au-
thorities to enforce the law" Thos.
C. Barret. $.
Thick-and- thin partisans will ac-
cept and applaud the utterances of
their respective favorites, and would
have done the same thing if the re-
plies had been anything else than
they really We're Independent and
citizens will carefully |
weigh conditions and circumstances
before reaching a conclusion as to
which of the candidates has given
the most practicable, sensible and
sincere response to the questions ask
ed by the New Orleans preachers.
What the conclusion Of the latter will |
be is yet to be announced.