St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-04-15

| the present campaign to listen te
Democratic speakers Ex-Governor
Jared Y. Sanders, personal frlene
!, and adviser of Ruffin G. Pleasant
!. an ardent supporter of the Demo-
cratic cause, delivered the mosl
eloquent address in behalf of De-
mocracy ever heard by the voters
of st. Landry on last Monday night
The spacious courtroom was
crowded to it's utmost capacity long
before the Democratic orators made
their appearance and when Gov.
| Sanders, A. J. Poterie and Congress
man Ladislas Lazaro arrived in the
| fight their way through the en-
| thusiastic crowd, which cheered the
| we'll known orators when they ap-
| peared on the scene.
/ Hon John w. Lewis, President of
the First Ward Democratic Club,
called the meeting to order and as
preliminary remarks stated that he
| wished to give out some informa-
tion concerning the condition in ST..
Landry parish; he stated that the
speakers had been to Prarie Basse
de Grand Coteau and Coulee Croche
reported hotbeds of the. Bull
Moosers, and that the crowds which
attended the meetings were large as
we'll as enthusiastic. Mr.. Lewis
said in part: Democrats of st.
Landry, | want to tell you that
John M. Parker will not carry
st. Landry parish by one thousand
votes, neither will he carry it by
800 nor 400-he won't carry the
parish at all"
When Mr.. Lewis made this
startling announcement the seven
hundred throats in the audience
shouted themselves almost hoarse.
Mr.. Lewis stated that he would
rather ride in the Democratic band
wagon with Jared Y. Sanders, whom
he had always fought politically,
than in palatial car with the Bull
Mooser.
The speaker then introduced Sen
ator Leon S. Haas as permanent
chairman of the meeting. Senator
Haas spoke earnestly in few
3
words, in favor of Democracy, af-
ter which he introduced Mr.. Por-
terie, young lawyer of Avoyelles
parish
Mr.. Poterie is very eloquent and
made deep and favorable impress
sion upon his hearers. He pictured
John M. Parker as a political trai-
tor, having forsaken Governor Hall,
right after the inauguration four
years ago; he reviewed the Progress
sive candidate for governors poll
tical history Of the past twenty
years, stating that Mr.. Parker had |
voted the Republican ticket in
1896 and 1900, had failed to vote in
1904 because he had not voted his !
poll tax and in 1908 voted for Taft,
the Republican candidate for pres /
ident and in 1912 bolted the Re-
publican party and followed Mr..
Roosevelt into the Progressive
party. voting for Roosevelt for the /
presidency.
Mr.. Poterie pictured Gov. Hall as
the Robert E. Lee Of the 1912 cam
paign and Mr.. Parker as the Stone
wall Jackson, but after the battle
was won however that great strage-
dian had fled into the camp of the
enemy, unlike the real Stonewall
Jackson, and had left his chieftan
to reap the fruits OF the battle
alone.
The next speaker to be intro
luced was Congressman Lazaro Of
st. Landry parish. DR.. Lazaro ap-
oealed to the people to stand by
,he Democratic party on April 18th
because, he said, if the party nom
nees were successful at the polls
IN next Tuesday it would mean that
he Wilson administration had been
by the people Of Louis
ana whereas, if Parker was elect
ID over Pleasant. the friend and
of that great Democratic
eader. Woodrow Wilson. it would
mean that the National Democratic
had been repudiated
md the message would click over
he wires to Oyster Bay. informing
he Bull Moose head that Louis
ana had been converted to Pro- ,
ressive State and that the Solid !
South had been broken. II
Representative Lazaro told his
hearers Of the laws enacted by the
Wilson administration: he told OF
he Smith-Lever bill, of the pana-
ma tolls bill, of the rural credits /
aw. of the Merchant Marine bill t
which will soon be passed and O. '
he bill, which will soon be sub I
nitted and which will be adopted 6
nto law whereby the levees Of the i
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