St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-02-19
PRESS OPINION

4 9g0AAA - ~
ness an electorate degraded by q
system of panhandling mat IS the
aid in every form, from the lifting
of a mortgage down to the half-pInt
flask Of whiskey. For some years
| candidates have allowed themselves
to be held by voters who have made
| election times the hardest season
for bacehanaIian reveI, but this past
election shows that the parish has
not only advanced in ways of which
We are proud but has adapted our
democratic principle Of suffrage to
the alleyiatI0n Of a thirst that all
the Whiskey in st. Tammany parish
could not quite queneh. There
seemed to be no privacy about it.
| Pockets bulbged with bottles, and
/ jugs We're paraded shar3etessly
| You did not have to be a candidate
to be approaehed-if you were a
friend Of a candidate you were a
| subject for tribute. 1t is stated
that one saloon man sold more
whiskey the Saturday before cleo
ton than he did at Christmas time.
Others must have gotten their
| share Of the trade. Tie eandi-
dates had to pay for II. And the
candidates not only had to pay for
whiskey, but if reports are to be
relied upon, they We're asked to
pay for surgical operations, mules,
wire fencing, false teeth and the
Lord knows what else. We are sor-
ry for the candidates and we be-
lieve that the candidates are sorry
for themselves. But they deserve
it all, because they had not the
| strength to have the first voter
who approached them to exchange
whiskey for votes locked up in.
Jail.
It is up to the people to stop it
all.
GOV. HALL AND GAMBLING
Shreveport Journal: Governor
Hall will have the moral support
of all Iaw-abiding citizens in his
efforts to clean up st. Bernard.
Military rule wrought wonders for
Jefferson parish, long a perfect
heIl-hole of crime and vice, and
there is no reason why st. Bernard
should not be purified with the
same instrument. Whenever the
local authorities demonstrate ina
biIity or lack of desire to cope with
situations of this kind, it is in or
der for the state to take a hand.
The laws which the governor is
seeking to enforce are state regu-
lations, created for the benefit of
and demanding observance from tae1
whole people. It is his duty to act
whenever the parish ~o.flcers fail
to do SO.
PROHIBITION BACKSET
Ruston Leader: In the recent
Democratic campaign in this state,
the prohibitionists, by devotlng
their whole attention to defeat the
nomination for governor of appar-
emily the most popular man that
ever offered for the position, to the
neglect of the more important mat
ter of trying to secure the Legls-
liature, in our opinion, made q
great mistake. In denouncing lo-I
cal option which had nearly given
them the state, they have lost
ground that they already held by
n~egIeeting to help elect police jul
ries favorable to prohibition. The
police juries in Caddo and Rapldes
parishes were favorable to prohl-
bition; but if we are not misin-
formed, the next police juries in
both parishes are not in accord
with it. This may result in the
ordering Of another election IN
Gaddos in which the city and par
ish will be segregated and cause
the loss of Shreveport. The re-
suit may be the same in Rapides.
In Ouachita the election of a police
jury willing to grant an election
might have been elected by a little
effort, but we learn that oppertu-
nifty has been lost. All this has re-
suited from the fatal mistake OF
concentrating all their efforts on
the wrong point and losing their
grip on local option prohibition.
"A bird in the hand is worth two
in the bush.
MONEY STILL GONVERSEs IN
OUAGHITA
Monroe News Star: Many had
fondIy hoped that the time when
money talked had passed for
ever in Louisiana politics, but it
seems that they were mistaken, as
there are rumofs. here and there,
that money had been used inloeal
contests for paroehial officials, IN
Guiding the legislative branch Of
the government. There is rumor to
the effect that many voters de-
e1ined to vote until they were as
sured that money would be sent
Them This may or may not be
true, but from past experiences re-
'ated to US, we are of the opinion
that there is some truth. in the re-