LOCAL REPUBLICANS
Hold a Meeting Adopt a Set of Resolutions.
The local Republicans who belong to what is known as the Otto faction met in Martin's hall last Saturday.
Joseph A. Chargois was made temporary chairman, Valsin Doucet and Leonard Guidry vice-presidents, and Placide Breaux secretary.
The chairman in taking the chair delivered an address to the Republicans present. From his remarks it is evident that all is not lovely in the camp.
The following committee on resolutions was appointed: J. D. Breaux, Eraste Patin, C. Doucet, John Price, J. W. Broussard, John Nugent, J. P. Revillon and Aurelien Primeaux. After retiring the committee brought in the following report.
Whereas, believing always that in union there is strength and that without due acknowledgment of an authority in all matters, the chief perquisite to order is lost. And whereas, the national Republican organization having declared against all other elements save straight-out Republicanism,
Therefore, be it resolved by the regular the regular Republicans of the parish of Lafayette in mass meeting assembled, for the purpose of harmonizing the party in this parish, we have extended a public invitation to all men and to every dissenter in our ranks to meet here to-day to that end.
Be it resolved further that straight-out Republican or no Republican at all shall now and henceforth be our sheet-anchor of hope for the success of the party of protection and progress.
Resolved, that we cordially endorse the patriotic action of all parties in the national Congress in upholding the hand of the president by unanimously voting $50,000,000 for defense.
Resolved that we extend our sympathy to the struggling Cubans and urge Congress to vote for the early recognition of their belligerency.
Resolved that we voice the sentiment of the Republicans of Lafayette parish in recommending to the administration for the office of collector of the port of New Orleans, our national committeeman, the Hon. A. T. Wimberly.
Resolved that the regular Republican parish executive committee be and is hereby empowered to recommend all appointments for post-masters in this parish; also to select a member to represent Lafayette parish on the State central committee.
A resolution endorsing Dr. H. D. Guidry for postmaster at Lafayette was adopted. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
THE SUFFRAGE.
The ordinance proposed to the Constitutional Convention by the suffrage committee and published in the last issue of The Gazette has been amended and its merits and de-merits are now being discussed by the members of the convention who, we fear, are wasting too much too much of their valuable time in speech-making. All that could be said for and against the proposition has been said and the convention ought to quit talking and go to work. More talk will create dissension in the convention and an early vote upon the suffrage ordinance is certainly to be wished for.
In order to bring the different elements together and to insure the passage of the bill the suffrage committee has, in a conciliatory spirit, made certain changes in its original proposition and it now seems to give more general satisfaction.
The clauses derisively referred to as the "papoose" and the "squaw" have been dropped altogether and $300 worth of property will have to be assessed in the voter's name, and not in that of his wife or children.
Section five of the bill will give a chance to nearly all white men born in this country to register. Much has been said about the constitutionality of this section, but the ablest lawyers of the convention have given it as their opinion that it will stand the test. It provides that every person who could exercise the right to vote in the United States on the 1st of January, 1867, shall have that right preserved notwithstanding the fact that such person may not be qualified under the educational or property clause. And the same right is extended to all foreigners who have been naturalized prior to the 1st of January, 1898, and who have lived in the State of Louisiana five years. But all persons entitled to vote under this section must register before Sept. 1, 1898. After that date all voters will have to be registered under the property or educational clause.
It will be clearly seen that after the first day of next September there will be a plain educational or property qualification, but before that day is reached nearly all white men will have an opportunity to have themselves registered which will give them a permanent right to vote.
The suffrage committee has been striving hard to offer a bill that will carry out the purpose of the convention -- the elimination of the negroes. That the bill which it recommends will attach that result is generally conceded. There is no desire on the part of anyone to disfranchise the white men who are exercising the right of suffrage at the present time and in order to let in the uneducated poor the committee has prepared section five, under which a large class of our white citizens, who can not read and own no property will be entitled to register and vote.
The Gazette does not want to see any white men disfranchised. The poor and uneducated white citizens of Louisiana have repeatedly shown that they are not less patriotic than their more fortunate brothers, and it would be a crying injustice to rob them of the franchise. The illiterate white Louisianian, though in many cases he did not have a dollar's worth of property, shouldered his musket as readily as his affluent neighbor who owned a hundred slaves, and after the war when the Democratic party needed his service to rid the State of negro rule he was found in the front ranks, side by side with the scholarly and the rich, fighting for the supremacy of the white race and for the rule of intelligence. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
NO MORE THAN A PARTISAN.
Two weeks ago The Gazette stated that the old Council "deserved some of the credit" for having secured for the town the waterworks and electric plant.
When the article was written it was not thought necessary state that the members of the Council were merely representatives of the people and that they were in reality the agents of the community. It was not deemed necessary to say that if the people had refused to support the Council and had voted against the special tax there would be no waterworks and electric lights in Lafayette to-day, nor was it believed necessary to mention the name of every person who voted for the tax. The members of the Council acted for the people and it would have been superfluous to have said that if unsupported by the will and confidence of the population, the Council would have been powerless to accomplish anything.
It was during the administration of the old Council that the question of waterworks and electric lights was agitated, submitted to the people and endorsed by a unanimous vote. The popular will, expressed at the polls, was carried out successfully and intelligently. The members of the Council devoted much time and labor to the work, and now that we have unmistakable evidence that they did their duty well, we fail to see anything partisan or unfair in the statement that they are entitled to "some of the credit," nor are we able to see any thing in such a modest claim to shock the sensibilities of any one, even of a paper so profoundly neutral and non-partisan as our esteemed neighbor across the way.
The Advertiser is kind enough to tell us that our article was censured by many, even by those it was intended to benefit. The article was not intended to benefit and could not possibly benefit anybody, and as far as we are concerned The Advertiser and its censors can continue to censure it until they are actually fagged out. If anyone believes that the article was written to benefit him he has an aggravated case of big-headedness and he is making a very large mistake in thinking that he is such an important personage.
When we threw that little bouquet at the City Council we did not believe that it contained any thorns to prick the sympathetic heart of our contemporary, and cause him to deliver an exhortation so full of brotherly love and christian sentiment. Our friend is so exquisitely sweet and betrays so much anxiety lest we allow yourself to be influenced by factional rancor, that we are tempted to ask him if he is a regularly licensed exhorter, with the duty of bringing back to the fold those weak brethren who may have strayed from the true path. Be it as it may we accept the words of admonition so unselfishly offered, not that we believe that we will be able to heed them, as we have not yet reached the mourners' bench or the stool or repentance, but we will accept them merely to show our appreciation for such an abundant supply of gratuitous advice.
Appreciating fully the sudden conversion of our friend from a bitter partisan to a meek peacemaker carrying in one hand the olive branch and in the other the white-winged messenger of love and harmony, we wish him godspeed in his efforts to rid this community of all factional differences and partisan bitterness. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
The Rates Will Be the Same.
The Postal Telegraph-Cable Co., through one of its representatives, made application for right of way to erect its poles and wires in this town, at last Tuesday night's meeting of the Council. It was hoped that with the advent of this new company that there might be a chance for reduction of telegraphic rates, but it leaks out that the Western Union and this new company have a compact whereby the existing rates will be maintained. - New Iberia Enterprise.
Those who expected that the Postal-Telegraph Cable Company would be the cause of a reduction in the telegraphic rates will be disappointed. It is but natural for corporations to get from the people all that can be gotten. The Postal will, in all probability, adopt the same policy that the Western Union has always pushed, and while the building of another line through this section will redound to the benefit of our people, a reduction of rates will hardly be one of the results of competition. It is very easy for both companies to agree to maintain the present rates, and that they will do so is more probable. A State commission is the only means of compelling telegraph and other corporations to be reasonable in their demands. So long as they will have unlimited power they will fix their rates to suit themselves, regardless of any other considerations. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
New Drugstore.
A. M. Martin's corner is being repaired by A. B. Anderson. Mr. J. C. Caillouet has rented this building and will use it as a drugstore on or about the 1st of April.
Mr. Caillouet authorizes The Gazette to state that he will open an up-to-date drugstore and that he will be ready to fill all kinds of prescriptions at all times of the day or night. Besides being a regularly registered pharmacist Mr. Caillouet has had an experience of 20 years in the drug business and he is thoroughly qualified in his profession. In connection with his drugstore Mr. Caillouet will have a soda-water fountain and he proposes to give his strict attention to this department. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
Business Men's Association. - The Business Men's Association met at Falk's Opera House Monday night. The attendance was not as large as the importance of the meeting demanded. A committee was appointed to deal with the compress matter. It is not yet positively known what degree of success has been achieved by the committee, but it is safe to say from what has already been done that work on the compress will be begun shortly. Negotiations for the site have been made.
Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
Ladies' 5 O'clock Tea Club.
A strictly business meeting of the Ladies' Five O'clock Tea Club was held at the residence of the Misses Mudd on March 17. This club has been in existence one year and has enjoyed unbounded pleasure and prosperity, and we hope that this new year which has begun so auspiciously, it will continue to increase in interest and mutual improvement. The annual reports of the officers were very satisfactory indeed, but especially so was the report of the charity committee: $22.90 in cash, 117 garments, 3 pairs of shoes and 37 toys were given to cheer the hearts of some less fortunate than ourselves.
The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Miss Clye Mudd; vice-president, Mrs. N. P. Moss; secretary, Miss Lea Gladu; treasurer, Mrs. R. M. DeLaney; corresponding secretary, Miss Lizzie Mudd.
Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
Lighting Up St. John's. - With the arc light and the 200 incandescents which will be placed in the catholic church that edifice will be the best lighted in the State. The wiring of the church will be done by Widner & Spranley who will begin work as soon as the material is received. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
The Races. - The races which took place at the Oak Avenue Park last Sunday were witnessed by a large crowd of people from this and adjoining parishes. The Abbeville horse had a soft thing of it and was an easy winner. Mr. Stoke's horse, William R. Jr., is undoubtedly a fine animal and a very fast pacer, but he could hardly be expected to win in such an unequal contest. Under the circumstances only an accident could have resulted in his victory. The day seemed to have been a fatal one for pedigreed horses as everything appeared to be against them. Mr. Durke's horse, Stromo, was defeated by the little gray pacer entered by Mr. Alphonse Peck. It is safe to say that Mr. Durke's horse was the faster but not being trained to trot in hobble his speed was much impeded. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
LARGE REPAIRS
Will be made to the Refinery near Lafayette. Its Capacity will be 1,ooo Tons a Day.
The Gazette was pleased to receive a visit Tuesday evening from Messrs. Horace Gumbel and A. B. Denbo. Mr. Gumbel is a member of the well-known firm of S. Gumbel & Co., of New Orleans, and Mr. Denbo is the manager of the Gumbel refinery located just outside of the town limits. Mr. Gumbel's visit to Lafayette was one of great importance to the people of Lafayette and vicinity, and it was particularly so to those of our citizens who are interested in the cultivation of sugar cane. His object in coming here was to make all necessary arrangements for large and extensive repairs to the Lafayette Sugar Factory of which S. Gumbel and Co. are the owners. The additions, which will be completed in time for the next crop, will give an increased capacity to the factory of one thousand tons a day. Everything in the plant will be of modern construction and in line with all latest inventions in sugar making. Work will be began within the next few weeks and will be pushed forward without any delay.
We have no doubt that this will prove and incentive to our cane growers to increase their cane-crop next season. The trouble in shipping cane to distant mills has been a setback to the cane industry in this section, and we believe that many of our farmers will go into the cultivation of cane now that a thoroughly reliable home market is assured.
It is needless for us to say much about the unwisdom of shipping cane to other factories when the home factory offers the same advantages, and as we are informed by Mr. Gumbel that his representative here, Mr. Denbo is authorized to sign contracts under terms equally advantageous to the farmer as those offered by other mills, we do not think that our cane-growers will sell their cane elsewhere when they can do as well at home.
We repeat that it is unquestionably to the interest of the people of this section to patronize home factories when they have an opportunity to do so. The success of the Gumbel factory may mean the building of other factories.
Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
Battle of Mansfield.
[From the Opelousas Courier.]
We have received the following communication which explains itself. There are many survivors, in this and adjoining parishes, who would like to meet the veterans from other parts of the State who took part in that brilliant victory to the Confederate cause, though at the sacrifice of many noble lives, including the gallant Gen. Alfred Mouton. "Let the 'Old Boys' get together again to commemorate worthy deeds and exchange living words:'
MANSFIELD, LA., March 8, 1898.
Editor of Opelousas Courier:
Dear Sir - We propose to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the Battle of Mansfield on the 8th of April prox. by having a reunion of the Confederate Veterans who participated in the glorious triumph of our arms. Will you kindly call attention to it in the Courier, and invite the survivors and all other veterans who may feel disposed to attend to unite with us on that occasion to commemorate worthy deeds and exchanges loving words?
With kind regards, I am
Very truly yours,
THOS. G. PEGUES, Adj't Camp Mouton.
Lafayette Advertiser 3/19/1898.
Selected News Notes (Gazette) 3/16/1898.
Henry Giles the telephone man of the Hoggsett line, was in Lafayette Tuesday and Wednesday on business bent.
The Century Club will celebrate its second anniversary at a banquet Tuesday night at the Crescent Hotel.
An addition is being built to the Domengeaux building near the depot. That part of town is fast becoming one of the most important portions of Lafayette.
Mrs. Haughton, national organizer of the Women's Christian Temperance Union., lectured Tuesday night at the Methodist church. During her stay here in Lafayette Mrs. Haughton was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Crow Girard.
Jim Marsh is now employed at the Railroad barber shop. Jim extends an invitation to all his friends to call on him.
Sarrazin Broussard, the skillful workman, is making a pair of handsome show-cases for the Gardebled drugstore.
Send your laundry to the Railroad Exchange Shaving Parlors. The work is being done by the Lake Charles Steam Laundry.
With the arc light and the 200 incandescents which will be place in the Catholic church that edifice will be the best lighted in the State. The wiring of the church will be done by Widner & Spranley who will begin to work as soon as the material is received. Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
From the Lafayette Advertiser of March 19th, 1912:
THE SANITARIUM.
Thursday Dr. A. B. Cross brought a young boy, aged 10, by the name of Miles from Crowley to the sanitarium on account of an injury to his eye caused by explosion of a cartridge. The injury required an operation of evisceration, which was performed by Drs. Mouton and Clark. The boys is doing well.
Sunday Mr. P. B. Roy brought a child to the sanitarium to have its eye treated.
The sanitarium is now full and has been practically so ever since opened. It is doing a splendid work and indications are that it will soon be too small to meet the demands. Lafayette Advertiser 3/19/1912.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established by Southside School League Opened Saturday With Reception.
A very enjoyable and largely attended reception was held at the High School in the Southside School League Public Library room Saturday afternoon, from four to five-thirty, for the purpose of opening to the public a splendid library, consisting of almost one thousand volumes of excellent books. About one hundred and twenty-five ladies and gentlemen were cordially greeted in the reception hall by Mmes. Joe E. Mouton, Fannie Famsey, P. B. Torian, Nusz, and LeRosen and were invited to the punch tables, beautifully decorated in pink and red camellias. English ivy and violets, where gracefully presided Misses Paola Mouton, Nelkin Himel, and Mrs. Harold Demanade, serving delicious punch. From here the guests were ushered into the library room, which was artistically arranged in white and pink camellias, violets and evergreens.
Mmes. A. B. Denbo, Crow Girard, Jno. Kennedy, St. Julien, Agate, Jno. Ramsey, Gordinier, L. Lacoste, Jung, Misses Brewer and Edith Dupre received and took pleasure in showing this collection of books which was greatly admired, and much praise was extended the ladies of the Southside School League upon their great success in this noble work. The Southside School League Public Library will be opened every Wednesday afternoon from three-thirty to five-thirty for the purpose of affording any citizen of Lafayette an opportunity of devoting two hours in reading excellent literature free of charge. But if anyone prefers reading at home, by depositing one dollar he or she becomes a member of the library, which will give them the library, which will give them the privilege of these books for one year, or rather have the opportunity of reading fifty-two books for the sum of one dollar.
Mr. Homer Monnier presented to the library Saturday twelve excellent books which are highly appreciated. Lafayette Advertiser 3/19/1912.
lagniappe:
Where American Magazines Go.
The wide range of the circulations of American magazines and the manner in which they penetrate the farthest points of the earth found new evidence last week, when a single list of five hundred subscriptions to the Ladies' Home Journal was received by that magazine from Bulgaria, the list being headed by the name of Her Royal Highness, the Princess Maria Louise. George Kenman, the Siberian traveler, said that he found this magazine in homes on the steppes of Siberia, while Peary met with it in Greenland. It is an interesting fact that the Ladies' Home Journal has subscriptions in fifty-nine of the sixty-five generally accepted civilized nations of the earth. During the single month of December last, for instance, it received subscriptions from Syria, Japan, Uruguay, Turkey, Congo Free State, Transvaal, Liberia, Natal, Sierra Leone, Zululand, Bavaria, Bahamas, Canary Islands, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Chili, China, Egypt, Cuba, Fiji Islands, Germany, Hawaii, Madras Presidency, Hungary, Korea, Java, Straits Settlements, Malyasia, Siam, Samoa, Palestine, Peru, Portugal, Tasmania and the Danish West Indies.
Original source unknown. In the Lafayette Gazette 3/19/1898.
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