St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-01-22
III. L. SWORDS RESORTS TO
TO ANYTHING TO GET VOTES
Continued from page 4

NAA~ %E@Ha+E.H
have in the past officially honored
him. As Assessor we think we can
unhesitatingly say that no person
can point to one single instance where
he has been remis in the performance
of his official duties. The Assessors
office is a trying position and u pc
eneaks much for Mr.. Fontenot that he
should have gone through the ordeal
in the performance of his official
duties in that office that after eight
wears of service he should have SO
won. the confidence of the people u
this Parish as is evidenced by the
great enthusiasm which his candidacy
for Sheriff has created.
We believe that in the selection OF
their officers the people should be &C.
tuated by a sense of civic duty We
believe that no good citizen should
hermit himself to be swerVed from
this path by a personal consideration
or bias or prejudice, and we feel that
if the people of st. Landry be actuated
by no other motive than that OF duty,
that the election of Darius M. con-.
tenot is assured.
In private life Mr.. F~ontenotss life
has been a shining example to the
young men Of this Parish. Left an
orphan early in life, he took up the
battle and by unttiring industry, so
briefly and honesty, he has won for
himself an envious reputation, and it
is but natural that he should aspire
to the office of Sheriff, a position 50
honorably occupied by his lamented
father, r. S. Fontenot.
The people of st. Landry have an
opportunity Of selecting their Sherih
from the standpoint of official fitness.
Both candidates have held office.
Both have an official record from
which a comparison a be drawn.
NJ. L. Swords has ben Sheriff of
this Parish for Sixteen years, and it
behooves the people to inquire,
whether or not, he has always used
the great power intrnsted to him In
the interest of the tax payers Of his
Parish. Everybody knows that at the
second session of the Legislature dur
ing the Blanchard administration that
a bill was introduced and passed by
the Legislature materially reducing
the then exhorbitant fees allowed
Sheriffs and Tax-Collectors in the
Ste te of Louisiana. Everybody knows
that in some of the Parishes these fees
and commissions amounted to the
princely sum OF Twenty-Five Thousand
Dollars and thai in our Parish they
aggregated somewhere in the neigh
borhood Of Fourteen Thousand Dollars.
This reduction was made in the in
terest of the tar payers who were
groaning under the burden OF taxation.
In the gubernatorial election following
this session of the Legislature the
reduction Of fees became q live-a,
burning issue. Every candidate who
was an aspirant for offic unhesitating-
ly committed himself to the reduction,
but after the smoke OF battle had
cleared away, after these issues had
been ridden to their full capacity, what
do we find? We find the Sherifs OF
this State, headed by Sheriff Swords,
camped at Baton Rouge at the very
first session called after the election,
and by their great power n patron
age of their offices, we find them I'M
doing the Acts of the Legislature of
the previous session and putting the
commissions and fees of Sheriffs al
most on the same basis as they were
previous to the Act reducing them.
Had Sheriff Swords kept faith with
the people of his Parish whose votes
he secured by reason of his willing
ness to submit to the reduction In
fees he would not have led the
Sherif's lobby at Bataon Rouge to
repeal the reform measur enacte dur
ing the Blanchard administration. Had
he contented himself with the emoilI-
ments of the Office as then fixed, he
might, with some grace, claim that ne
has always stood for the interest of
the tax payer.
The Clarion has heretofore support
ed Sheriff Swords and four years ago
when he and Charles Thibodeau were
the only candidates for that office, the
Clarion did all in it's power to ensure
the election of Sheriff Swords. We
did so because we felt and believed
that the interests of the pople would
be better served by his election rather
than by that of Mr.. Thibodeau. But
today he Is opposed by a young man
with whom the Clarion and its editor
have always been affiliated politically.
A. young mar who has been tried and
not found wanting. A young man who
has won the esteem and confidence Of
his people by his conduct in private
life and his honesty and probitty in
public life.
These are some Of the reasons
which prompt us to give suporpt
to MT. Fontenot for Sheriff. There are
many others which we might urge,
and which we believe would be ample
to convince any well thinking person
that he should be elected over his OPP