The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-01-17
Recent Buzzings of
THE Mosquito Fleet"

Hist, mates! it's lnog sad story,
but it's worth the time, so listen to
these solemn truths.
On the night of Monday, January
IL, 1920, Hon. Chas. Thibodeaux and
several of his henchmen spoke in Eu-
nice in behalf of Chas. Thibodeaux's
candidacy for sheriff of St. Landry
parish.
This visit is supposed to have been
part of his campaign of the parish.
The object of said campaign, as is the
object of all political campaigns, to
appear before the mass of voters who
are open to conviction, and lay be-
fore them the platform upon which
you are making your race, and to con-
vince them that the principles for
which you stand will benefit the
community at large, and thereby OBJ
tain their vote.
Now, this being a democratic form
of government, 'Iinsuring justice to
ALL" and deriving its power from the
consent of the governed" few of
the free and Embossed thinking citi-
zens of Eunice availed themselves of
their American privilege and asked
Mr.. Thibodeaux few questions to be
answered for the satisfaction of the
voters.
Mr.. Thibodeaux has made reform
the issue of his campaign, the main
plank of his platform. He has
chosen the right ideas-reform is the
crying need of America today. In
Louisiana today there is the greatest
struggle between reform and vice that
the history of the state has ever wit
messed. Mr.. John M. Parker has chos-
en- to champion the cause of reform
against ringism and its consequent
string of evils, with Colonel Frank P.
Stubs as the ring candidate. Now,
when Mr. Thibodeaux came into our
midst crying reform, question was
given to him signed by number of
voters who were in sympathy with
the cause of reform.
/ They wanted to know if Mr.. Thibo-
deaux was in favor of reform all
down the line, or if he only wanted to
reform st. Landry parish. He had
never uttered a word about the bitter
struggle going on in the state, and he
was asked if his sympathy was with
the reformers whose principles he
shouted from the housetops, or with
the New Orleans ring which smother
ed every cause that savored of re-
form.
1t was a fair question to be asked
by a people who were being given re-
form in broken doses as an argument
to vote for their sheriff. In short,
Mr.. Thibodeaux was asked to get off
the fence land come out in the open.
The adroitness with which Mr. Thib-
odeaux sidestepped the real issue was
a credit to his prowess as dodger.
He stated that his friends were so
divided on the governors race that
he was asked to remain neutral.
This places Mr.. Thibodeaux in a
precarious position. If he is such a
reformer as heart, how can he re-
main silent when a question so vital
is before his entire state? But the
issue was sidestepped, and when Mr..
Thibodeaux left behind him the boun-
dairy lines of the townsite of Eunice,
the question was still unanswered.
The men who signed the paper that
was handed Mr.. Thibodeaux were con-
temptuously termed ''the mosquito
fleet" by his henchmen. They were
ninety-nine per cent ex-soldiers-
men who had returned from the melt
ing pot with an Americans admira-
ton for straightforwardness and dar-
ing. Mr.. Fontenot came out in the
open and declared himself for Jno.
NJ. Parker. He has won their adn1i-
ration and, incidentally, their votes
yes, one hundred per cent. But where
is his opponent? Still on the fence
/ And about the mosquito fleet. .
When America was plunged into the
war the crying need of the Allies was
for manpower. Columbia had but to
sound her battle cry and they throng-
ed from hill and dale to fill her camps
Who then raised his voice to cry out
in derision ''The Mosquito Fleet?"
Not one of st. Landry's flannel
mouthed politicians, we are sure. No
In Americas hour of need they were
heroes, but today, what are they?-
"the mosquito fleetw Yet they are
the same young red-blooded men who
donned the khaki and marched away
in defense of the land Of then
fathers. Now they have returned anC
they demand a voice in the govern
ment they fought to save. Theil