Le MeschaceÌbeÌ. [volume] ([Lucy] La.) 1853-1942, 1916-02-12
OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE


ing the following editorial ap-
pearing in the New Orleans Dali
! ly States in its valuable edition of
Tuesday, February 9Th. inst
After Col. Pleasant called the
attention of the public to the fact
that one of the editors of the Item
j. NJ. Thomson-was awaiting
trial in the criminal courts on a
charge of false swearing to OBJ
tain a registration paper, and
said the other Marshall Ballard
was a dope fiend"-no one
ever expected our enraged after
noon contemporary to support
Col. Pleasant for Governor. even
if he were the unanimous choice
of the Democracy of the State.
The Items announcement of
Tuesday that it is for John NJ.
Parker, the Republican Progress
sive candidate, is, therefore nei-
ther surprising nor important;
and, since it is animated on the
one hand by a desire for personal
revenge and on the other by a
narrow and all-consuming news
paper jealousy, no one is apt to
pay much attention to its braying
during the next two months.
What however, we do object
70 is The Items impudent pre-
tense that Mr.. John NJ. Parker is
a Democrat and it is a Democrat
ic newspaper. Even if Mr.. Par
tker's treachery to Gov. Hall four
years ago to follow Booker Wash
ington's dinner host, did not put
him beyond the Democratic pale
his vote for Mr.. Taft four years
before and his defiant declaration
at the beinning of this campaign
that he was a progressive and
Protectionist certainly do so.
As to the Item itself, to call i
Democratic, straight or hyphen
ated, is to profane a noble word
1t is only to be described as polit
ical bushwhacker.
Mr.. Parker and the Item haV'
now pooled their interest to max
an issue of the so-called bosses
each with a grievance agains
the National Committeeman
who holds no office but of homo
/. and seeks none. who pecuniaril
has not a farthing's interest i
politics, and whose only concer
e in the present campaign is tn
: triumph of the Democratic part
lover mongrel movement whic
Mr.. Parker and The Item repre-
sent.
In the primary campaign, TIL
J. Item and Mr.. Parker gave cor
stant aid and encouragement {
8 Mr.. Barret, not because they bt
/ lieved in prohibition; but becaus
! from every stump he arraigne
! Cyl Pleasant as the tool OF th
f bosses, abused the National Con
q mitteeman and represented tn
n city organization as seeking
e spread its tentacles until agai
: ! they reached round the capit'
! at Baton Rouge.
- There can be no mistaking th
@ answer of the country people
the issue raised by Mr.. Barre
l. and SC vehemently argued b
otl Mr.. Barret, Mr.. Parker and IT
o Item. They repudiated it
g thunderous tones every paris
d but one and they declared Go
" Pleasant their choice by a crusI
At ing majority.
y y Mr.. Parker, now becomes a p
~ amr Iitical demagogue, who swallow
e. his honest opinions as be trad
il for votes, has gathered abo
70 him old-time Republicans wi
IS were leaders in the days whe
1 -n the negro was a power in polite
i sugar planters without polite
ne principles, Progressives who sot
r are to be merged willynilly in
the Republican party, and son
:. whiIom Democrats who asham
d to be known as Republicans
v: Progressives, are styling thel
ID selves independent Democrat
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