Newspaper Page Text
A Vote for Ferd Claiborne Is a Vote for the Best Interests of the 6th District
The True Democrat.
Vol. XXI St. Francisville, West Feliciana Parish La., Saturday, September 21, 1912 No. 34
Claiborne Making Heavy Gains
From All Factions in Baton Rouge
Brilliant Young Man From Pointe Coupee Receiving New
Support From Citizens of Capital City in His
Campaign For Congressional Honors.
The remarkable ea ins being made
il the ranks of thli. (laiborne follow
ors in the city of llaton Rouge and
tli, parish at largei' cannot fail to
prove gratifying t tthe friends of that
deserving younllg Ulan. Since thwe
elimiiination of (Col. T. Salmbola .Iona s
fromi the race for ('ongress, there
has bee4n a steady drift ('laiboru,
wards until now the prediction is
made without contradliction that Ferd
will carry both city and patriish in the
stcond primary by a very large mlla
jority.
All factions in laton Rouge are
nearer together now than they have
been in mlany a day, and thle conlbin
ed activity of regulars and Leaguers
in behalf of the brilliant young iman
front loimtte CoupEe will show S)Plcn
did results at the polls.
The Baton Rouge Claiborne Club
is practically a continuation of the
Jones Club. The same quarters are
used and most of the former Jones
men, including Capt. O. B. Steele, the
former's campaign manager, have
gone over to Claiborne, believing
that he is in every way better quali
fied to represent the Sixth District
in Congress than his Ollpponent.
In a page ad. in the New Advo
cate, Wednesday, the Claiborne Club
publishes the tfolowirig which was
sign(ed by over two hundred of the,
votners of East Baton Rouge Iparish:
"Believing that issues vitally af
ferting the welfare of the state are
involved in the approaching primary
te determine the nominee for con
gress in this district, the undersign
td members of the Ferd C. ('laiborune
club of the parish of East Baton
Rouge, take this means of asking
your support of Hlon. Ferd C. (lai
borne in the election to be held on
October 8th. Fitted by environment,
training and experience for the du
ties of the position, Mr. Claiborne
appeals to the people of hiis district
upon a declaration of principles to
which we believe overy thinking cit
izen will cheerfully subscribe. lie
makes no appeal to prejudi(c.e, nor
seeks to draw support plarticularly
from any faction. He and his friends
feel that his record as a public :ý r
vant, as well as his private life. rn
title him to considlerati.n upon lih,
single ground of merit, and nmerit
alone. Always fearless and ccira
geous in the diischarge of his ari n ,
Mr. Claiborne has represented his
parish in the legislature with fidlli
ty to principle, standing always for
what he believed to be not aloner the
best for his own parish, but the (n
tire state. He has kept faith w'Ii
his people, and has accepted whi:t
fortune has come to him checrfti vy.
lie has long been an atdvw' a'e for
better government for Louiiis:ana, not
in the narrower or purely fat.tional
;isense, but along the broadest and
timost p1rogressive lines.
"Mr. ('laibolrne's familiarity with,
the district and its interests, th,' l'
wa'os, sugar,. rice(, the tru-cking indls
try, his ipersonal and material inter
ets in its lrtiogriss:- and dvtelopnmel:t
fit him best to stirv, its people in
thie congress of the I'nited States.
Of an old andt illsiiriinus family, he
will ably and fittingly represtsnt the
best thought and tradition of tlhe
state at the nation's aplital. Amia
ble, courteous, quick tind brilliatnt in
debate, thoroughly informed tn the
public questions of the dlay, hit ain
but reflect credit upon himself and
his constituents as the rtepr's.ntl
tive of a district noteld for its able
congressmen.
"We believe that in this cmeitst
'very vestige of factionalism slinid
e, laid aside in the parish of East
itaton Rouge, and this most iimputr
tant of all offices filled by the st
tl-ction of the man best fitttld for
the, duties it impIoses. As Dcmoclrati,
.ia business men, as citizens cie and vot
ers of East Baton Rouge plarish hav
ing an eye single to the welfare of
!the district and the state. we urge
tlto(,t every voter an earnest consild
eration of the candidacy of Ferd C.
Claiborne, to whom we give our
most hearty and unquilified sup
!)or t."
Vote for Claiborne on October 8th.
CLAIBORNE CLUB FORMED AT
AMITE.
AMITEi CITY, LA., Sept. 14.-Ai
'athusiasti, nieet ing was held at the
C(ourt iltose hl re l:asl inight in thei
imr.l re: of the candidacy of Ferd C.
Ciaibhorne, which resulted in the for
iatition of a Claihorne Club. Sixt y
fiv, memble(r, beicane identified withl
the organization 1)s Sulxr)lrters of the
Point, C('ounpee man11. The meeting
was atttended by representative c'iti
z '1, and each one ploedged himself
to xwork in tihe interest of Mir. ('lai
hornle ill his tefforts to gain a seOt
in Congress.
The meooting was called to order by
Major E. C. C('ooley, wvho stated the
I)tiilm'ose of tlie gatllring. Mr. P. P.
McMichael, a nleiimber of the Police
Jury from this ward, was called to
the itbair as temporary chairman, and
.1 \. (ains was selecte(l as seer'
tary. Mr. Cooley was elected per
nianent chairman.
The following vi:e-presidents «werl.
appointed: l)r. .1. M. Craig, H. N.
Noyes, assesssor of Tangipahoa Par
ish; Sheriff latblard, Otis Edwards,
Floyd Williams and P. P. McMi-chael.
A conuinittee was alioiinted to solicit
mleml)ership for the club, which was
conlposeid of tlit following personis:
Ahe ('lark, Mr. Moak, Luther Hoff
::'an, Oliver Coolcy and Calptain I.
lK. Itankston. ('Captain Blankston was
elevi'ed ('hairlarnl of the conmmittee.
lhe fo'llowi'nig were appointed on the
cet;:nmi:te( to Idraft r.esolutions: ('hais.
l'orttr, Rev. .1 1'. Vinuing :nd \\'(Wood
A.. Stiller,
M1'. Vinning was e'a.il'd upon for a
slec'h, and reslponlted with a short
a nll appropriate address in whi'h he
toltl of the strength which Mr. Clai
borne haid devetlop(d and praised
him for the high plane on which he
had pitcheid hlis candidacy.
Vote for Claiborne on October 8th.
BIG CLAIBORNE MEETING.
NE\\' ROADS. LA., Sept. 17.-One
of tihe largest and most successful
Claibtorne ileetings that was ever
h:(e! in thi.: parish took place Suiu
d:,y : :,rioo:(): on the island, just op
p sit' thi.s lxn ai. Dl)epite the threat
'in: wx aitWlr, whih seel('ed ready
at I:1 ilit enl.lat to terminate in a
,. : h:,' t, peoplel from all parts
froi :i., .wller part of this parish
:-r'wt(led i: e grounds on which the
it.,.-ting was held. Ir'. Claiborne
. alsOnt. ; s he is still working his
, hy Ihrolughl thei eastern part of th'
distri:.t, and, although the people
knew of hii: abtsence, they came to
i.sle'l ,o what a few of his most loy
al supl;orters had to say in his be
half.
HAMMOND FOR CLAIBORNE.
HAMlMONI), LA., Sept. 1S.--If the
signs iho not fail. Hon. Ferd Clai
borne will rec eive four or five tim(s
thle votes in the next irimniary here
that he didi in the last one. A paper
.: now in eire'ulation hearing the
names of S7 voters and by the end
oC the weiek it is said that the list
will reach well beyond the hiundred
mark. 1Mr. Claihorne received but 36
votes here in the first jubihi,, though
he was not considered as a serious
contender at that tinime and Mr. Pon
tler was the logical choice. Now
that the Iatter has bheen clinainated,
tli voters are falling all over them
selves getting a seat on the Claihorne
i-and wagon, and it i:s safe to assert
that he will carry Ihammniiond y at
(c.nsidtleralblet majority.
CLAIBORNE IN TANGIPAHOA.
TAMIMOND, L.A.. Sept. 17.-Hon.
Fecd C'lailtorne, candithate for ('on
press fronm the Sixth District, has
ie:,n spendtling the past few days in
Ilaintlmond and vicinity, moeeting th,,
olel!pit and feeling the liulse of the
voters. When interviewed yesterday
teftre his departure for Amite, where
he spent the day, he declared that
his trip here had been very fruitful
,f results and that he expected to re
ceive a good vote in Hammond.
CLAIBORNE'S CHANCES
GET BETTER EACH DAY
Looks Like Young Reformer
Will Gain High Position
By Heavy Vote.
\Viath a little over two weeks un
til the deciding election the friends
i; Ferd Claiborne are are feeling julbi
lant over that young lman's chances
of representing the sixth congression
al district in Congress. As soon as
it was definitely known that Mr.
Claiborne was to be in the second
primary he began getting offers of
new support, and he is still getting
them from every part of the district.
Mr. Clai-borne has returned to New
Roads after over a week spent in St.
Tammany, Washington and Tangipa
hoa parishes, and is well pleased
withl his prospects.
From Washington and St. Tammany
comes the report that Mr. Morgan
probably polled a much larger vote
in the first primary than he will in
the second, and that some of his for
mer strongest supporters have gong
over to the Claiborne side. Most of
the P'onlder and Jones strength in
these parishes, as well as others,
seems 4o be going to Claiborne.
Tangipahoa seems to be a partic
ularly well organized Claiborne par
ish. Claiborne clubs have been form
ed in every town in the parish, and
four of the newspapers of that par
ish are outspoken in their support of
lr. Claiborne. Some of the most
influential and prominent men in
the parish are taking a strong inter
est in behalf of Claiborne, and the
situation looks good in that parish.
Although Ascension its the home
ci Mr. Morgan's campaign manager,
Mr. C. ('. \Veber, Mr. Claiborne car
ried that parish handsomely in the
first primary, and it is believed that
,Mr. \Veber's efforts to whip the par
isli into line will result in a larger
Claiborne vote in the second primary.
Iberville parish seems to be a bat
tie ground. It was carried by Mr.
Ponder in the first primary, but it
seems that he will not be able to
throw bis vote to Morgan, as he is
attempting to do.
\Vcst Baton Rouge and Pointe Coi:
plie support,'rsi of Mr. Claiborne are
determined :o increase their Cla'
horne major;ites in the next prima
ry
An analysis of the vote in Eart
Fetlicana shows that a large number
of the voters there did not vote ':;r
Congressman in the, first prima-y
bu)t for a ('iCl;.','maln's secretary.
Most of the small vote Mr. Morgan
received in West Feliciana was on
this account also. These voters are
not at all backward in giving as their
rm ason for voting for Mlr. Morgan
that he has promised a young man
of East Feliciana the position of pri
Valte secretary in the event of his
election. Ti these who have so lit
tl, regard for the sacredness of the
ballot we call attention to excerpts
from the so-called "Corrulpt Prac
tices" ant passed by the last session
of the Legislature.
There is little likelihood of the WVick
liffe vote being delivered to any can
(!tdate by his former secretary.
The ('laiborne forces everywhere
are. receiving hearty encouragement
-~encouragement spontaneous from
the heart, not bought by campaign li
quor or cigars-and the outlook is
bright for victory.
Vote for Claiborne on October 8th.
CLAIBORNE DESERVES TO WIN.
Shreveport JTournal:
There are two men in the second
primary for the congressional nomi
nation in the Sixth I)istrict. They
are Ferd C. Claiborne and Lewis L.
Morgan. It is our opinion that Clai
borne should be nominated for the
place. Mr. Claiborne is a young man
of excepltional ability, in the first
place-a representative of a family
whose history is intimately connect
edl with that of the State of Louisi
ana. As a member of the General
Assembly Mr. Claiborne developed a
strong talent for leadership, and it
is dlaimed by many who watched the
closing days of the stormy session
that he was the one man rcesponsi
ble, more than any other one, for
the final successful issues of the ad
ministration program.
Vote for Claiborne on October 8th.
Morgan Won't Face the Issue and
Speak in Every Parish With Ferd
Morgan Is Challenged to Joint Debate at Every Court
House in the District and Can't Face Music-
Makes Counter Plan and Is Accepted.
There will be two joint debates
'i,,tween now and election day in
which Messrs. Ferd Claiborne and L.
L. Morgan will present their claims
for the nomination to Congress. One
of these debates will be held on the
east side of the river and the other
on the west side, at points to be de
te rmined by the campaign managers
of t:1e two principals.
MIr. Claiborne challenged his oppo
nent to a series of. joint debates to
be held at every parish site in the
district, but Mr. Morgan could not
face the music, for it is a well-known
fact that he could not be compared
favorably with Mr. Claiborne on the
stump, or in any other capacity in
which their fitness for office is coa
cerned. If Mr. Morgan, by cutting
the proposed debates down to two
in number, sought to get Olaiborne
to recede from his original intention
of letting the people draw their own
comparisons between the two men,
he was mistaken, for Mr. Claiborne's
campaign manager accepted the Mor
gan counter proposition even before
receiving an official copy of same.
The following correspondence ex
plains the entire matter:
CHALLENGE ISSUED TO A JOINT
DEBATE.
NE\V ROADS, LA., Sept. 14.-The
Cilaiborne Campaign Committee sent
the following letter to Hon. Lewis L.
Morgan Saturday:
"lion. Lewis L. Morgan, Baton Rougc,
La.:
"Dear Sir-Mr. Claiborne has re
qlueted ius to ask you to meet hioa
iii joint debates, one at each parish
seat in this the Sixth District. He
believes that the people, your judges,
should be given this opportunity to
compare you face to face, and select
the one better qualified to represent
tlfem. The time for the second pri
mary is near at hand, and in order
that we may arrange for the meet
ings at once we would thank you to
wire ui; your answer to this invita
t;on immediately on its receipt.
"Yours truly,
"CLAIIORNE CAMPAIGN COMMIT
TEE.
(Signed) "CONRAD .1. LECOQ,
"Chairman."
MORGAN'S REPLY.
BATON ROUGE, LA., Sept. 18.-
The following letter was today mail
ed to Hon. Con.rad J. Lecoq, chair
man of the Claiborne campaign com
mittee, accepting Mr. Claiborne's
challenge to joint debate:
"Mr. Conrad .. Lecoq, Chairman Clai
borne Campaign Committee, New
Roads, Louisiana.
"Dear Sir-Your letter received
and contents carefully noted. In re
ply would say that it would afford
Mr. Morgan great pleasure to meet
Mr. Claiborne in joint debate, and
I am authorized to accept that invi
t:ation at two places, one on the west
side of the river and one on tihe
east side of the river.
"As you know the time is very
short and the district has been tho
roughly stumped by all of the candi
dates for congress, and this would be
all of the time that Mr. Morgan could
spare from his general campaign.
"I will be pleased to meet you at
any time and place and arrange the
details necessary to carry into effect
your proposition and this acceptance.
"Very respectfully,
"C. C. WEBER,
"Chairman Campaign Committee."
CLAIBORNE ACCEPTS.
NEW ROADS, LA., Sept. 19.-The
following reply has just been for
warded Caleb C. Weber, campaign
manager for Hon. Lewis L. Morgan,
by Conrad J. Lecoq, chairman of the
Claiborne campaign committee, ac
cepting Mr. Morgan's two joint de
bates:
"My Dear Sir-Though without a
personal reply to my communication
of recent date I note in the after
noon paper of yesterday that Mr.
Morgan accepts the invitation of Mr.
Claiborne to joint debates, limiting
the debates to two, one on the east
side and one on the west side of
the river. This acceptance, of course,
is not at all responsive to my com
munication. It was the intention of
Mr. Claiborne to afford the voters of
every parish in the Sixth Congres
sional District an opportunity to judge
him and Mr. Morgan and not to dis
criminate as to any particular sec
tion or sections. The entire p'3o
pile of the distriot are as Interested
in this matter and not those of two
given points and we do not feel that
your proposition does justice to the
people of the district. However, Mr.
Morgan will have to bear the bur
den of discrimination, he having as
sumed the responsibility.
"I note that you further state that
the district has been thoroughly
stumped by all the candidates. Mr.
Morgan, to my recollection, has ap
Dcared in joint debates with Mr.
Claiborne on but three occasions and
that in but two parishes in this sec
tion, iberville and West Baton Rouge.
Mr. Claiborne feels that he should be
fair to Mr. Morgan and to his people
and had hoped to give them the op
portunity of comparison. Since Mr.
Morgan declines to give them this op
portunity, thus depriving them of a
just right, we are forced to accept
and do cheerfully accept his condi
tions, no other alternative being left
and I am authorized to say that Mr.
Claiborne will meet him at the two
points suggested, the meetings to be
held on the earliest dates possible,
the time and place to be agreed up
on by you and me."
We predict that Mr. Ponder's at
tempt to advise the people of the
Sixth district whom to select for
congressman, will not be much bet
ter than his advice to them to se
lect himself.-Lake Charles Ameri
can-Press.
HELPED THE POOR MAN.
W. L. C. in N. O. Item:
Editor Tom Holland, in the St. He
Ihna Echo, says he does not believe
the Hon. Ferd C. Claiborne has a
chance to win out in the next prima
ry against his favorite candidate, Mr.
Morgan, in the sixth district, Holland,
besides being the editor of the Echo,
is the biggest lawyer in St. Helena
-in weight. His fight against Clai
borne is that he said the sheriffs,
clerks, registrars and game wardens
were against him for introducing a
bill to let poor men go into court
without having to pay costs first.
Are the poor going to vote against
him because he tried to help them?
Who is Morgan and where did he
come from? Never heard of him do
ing anything for the state. About
Claiborne you have. He has taken a
stand for the good of the state ever
since he was elected to office.
I am sure Jones' friends will sup
port the clean, honest young man,
Claiborne, and a majority of Ponder's
votes also will go to him. The vot
ers in the country are not bound to
any one side. I hope the voters will
stand by this young man, Claiborne,
as he had no money advanced to
help him go about with brass bands
and spellbinders, as the others had.
He will look after our trucking in
dustry as he did our interest in the
legislature. He offered bills to help
us and never failed to vote at any
time for the good of all. Vote for
Claiborne.
What strikes one as a peculiar in
cident is that Mr. Holland voluntari
ly offered his support, by letter, to
Claiborne, and within a week was
stumping for Morgan. One can but
wonder what caused the change,
since the records of both Morgan and
Claiborne were known to him from
the first. What "light" did he see?
The light the poor man should see
is that Claiborne's public career has
been entirely devoted to the bene
fit of the public, fighting to abolish
sinecures, and like measures. The
law above referred to which enablas
a poor man to find redress in the
courts, even when, unable to pay
costs, may not appeal to all sher
iffs, but it means a lot to poor men.
Vote for Clalborne on October 8th.
CORRUPT PRACTICE ACT
MUST NOT BE VIOLATED
Candidates Should Be Care
ful in Making,Vote-get
ting Promises.
One of the most salutary laws
IF ENFORCED-passed by the re
cent session of the General Assenm
blly of Louisiana is that one desig
nated the Corrupt Practices Act. De
signed to promote, if possible in
sure, the fairness and purity of elec
tions, it will do what is planned it
good citizens will demand its enforce
ment. We take it that all good cit
izens do want honest elections, and
if so should welcome this law. We"
have before given a complete synop
sis of the law, but at this time when
peculiar and particular violations of it
are charged-and not denied-those
passages relating especially to such
violations are herewith produced and
commended especially to the good
sense, business judgment and the
conscience of the voters. The above
qualities are cited because one's good
sense and business judgment should
give counsel not to waste a vote on
a candidate against whom illegal
practices may be cited, whereas the
law itself plainly appeals to the con
science of the individual.
The entire law is strong but note
these passages:
"Section 4. Be it further enact
ed, etc., That any person candidate
for any office, or candidate for elec
tion to any office, who shall agree
to parcel out or divide his office
with any person or .persons not ren
dring actual srvice in such office n
the manner required by law or be
yond the provisions of this act; or
who shall promise to pay or actual
ly pay to any person from the reve
nues of his office or otherwise any
money whatever or other considera
tion of whatever nature without the
actual rendering of public service
by the recipient of such payment or
consideration, or any person who
shall violate the provisions of hs
act as set forth in various sections
shall not only be guilty of a corrupt
practice, and subject to the penal
ties provided for by this act, but he
shall forfeit the. right to a nomina
tion to the office for which he may
be a candidate if said fact is estab
lished within fifteen days before the
election for said nomination, and the
proceedings tending to establish the
verity vel non of such charge shall
be tried in a summary manner be
fore any court of competent jurisdic
tion, and if he shall have been elect
ed to the office, shall forfeit the
r;ght to said office to which he may
have been elected unless there Is
a constitutional provision to the con
trary. In the event that the viola
tion of the provisions of this sec
tion occur before the primary elec
tion, or the same can not in due
course be ascertained judicially for
the purpose of avoiding placing the
name of the candidate so offending
on the official ballot used at said
priimary election, it shall not pre
vent the testing of said question af
ter said primary election so as to
deprive the said candidate, if found
to have violated this section, of the
right of appearing on the regular
ticket at the general or special ele.
tion at which he may be a candidate
for election, or if so placed upon said
ticket, that the commission shall not
issue to him in the event of his
election unless there be a constitu
tional provision to the contrary, in
any case in which it may have been
judicially determined that the candi
date so selected violated in sub
stantial manner the provisions of this
act.
"Section 11. Be it further enact
ed, etc., That any candidate who
shall refuse or neglect to file, or
who makes a false statement of
moneys received or expended, as pre
scribed by section three of this act,
shall, in addition to the punishment
for such offense prescribed by the
laws of this State, forfeit any office
to which he may have been elect,.d
at the election with reference to
which the statement is required to
be made, etc.
"Section 16. Be it further enact
ed, etc., That no sums of money
shall be paid, and no expenses au
thorized or'incurred by or on behalf
(Continued on page four.)
