Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-06-15
REGISTRATION IN TENsAs.

We find in its issue of June IL an
editorial in the Times Picayune, en-
titled redemption from Service", in
which that newspaper in commenting
on the returns of the registration of
June 9Th for military service, and the
fact that the figures of such regis
tration do not reach those of the esti-
mated military population of the
United States as put out by the census
bureau, has the following to say about
the registration in Tensas parish:
"There are Louisiana parishes with
similar figures. With population of
1900 in Tensas, only s97 men, white
and black, can be found". On the face
of this statement it would appear that
there must be lot of "slsckers" in
Tensas and we have no doubt that our
metropolitan contemporary would be
glad to have 1t so for the reason that
this newspaper and the voters of
Tensas have, in their provincial way,
had occasion from time to time to
point out that they did not sympsthize
with the Times Picsyune in its peculiar
political views which to our mind were
always designed to disintegrate the
Democratic party in Louisiana and to
point out that with the exception Of
the late lamented Hall our said con-
temporary had never picked q winner
In q political contest in Louisiana and
had always taken the side of those
elements In State politics whose covert
purpose has been to destroy the DEM
ocratic party in Louisiana.
Understanding for these reasons the
snimus of our contemporary, we,
however, concede that the figures as
given by it require that the people of
this parish should make public the
facts.
1t Is true, as asserted by the TIP,
that II Tensas parish had II ,O6O people
In 1t that, on the basis of estimate put
out by the Census department, there
should be more than ss7 registered as
subject to military duty. But there
are not II, $50 people in Tensas. We
cannot, In the absence of official fig-
ures, SAY what the population of Tensas
is. We do know, however, the follow
ing facts: That the population in 1900
was l9,070 and ten years later, in 1910,
1t was only 1900, loss of more than
1000. That in the latter year the
parish became fully infested with the
boil weevil with the result that the
cotton production dropped from an
average of $4,000 bales annually to
1000. That plantations which former
ly had q population of hundreds of
negro tenants and laborers are now
practically uninhabited, the people
having gone, as farmers, to the Yazoo
Delta and Arkansas, and as laborers
to the railroads, saw-mills and to the
cities. That of the latter class the
great mass were the young negro men,
who being more adventurous, less at
Tackled to the land and of q rowing
disposition were naturally the first to
leave under the stress OF hard times.
That these conditions, So conducive to
the emigration of the negroes, were
aggravated by the overflows of 1912,
1s13snd 1915 which brought with them
an era of hardship and suffering hardly
comprehensive by those who did not
undergo it.
We stress these facts as to the ne
groes because Of their immense pre-
dominance in the population of this
and the other river parishes above
Red River.
The Gazette believes and is firmly
convinced that the facts above recited
are solely the reason for the apparent
deficiency in the registration of Ten
sas as compared with the Census esti-
mate based on the population of 1910.
This belief is further confirmed by
these facts: That the registration
officials used unusual efforts to bring
out q full registration. That as to
the whites they are SO few that it is
absolutely impossible for "slacker'
to escape. The overwhelming public
in Tensas is intensely patri-
otto and no man liable to military
service could escape. Only one man
(snd he q new comcr) made the at
tempt. He was promptly reported by |
his neighbors aud his name is now i'm |
the hands Of the United States District |
Attorney.
As to the colored people we believe
here was very full registration.
rensas is q parish of large plantations
,wned by the whites. The land own
Ire, both for reasons Of patriotism and
u sslf.intsrsst wanted every eligible