The star-progress., January 31, 1920, Image 1

About The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921

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jj Charges Fraud at Several of
Landry's Voting Precincts
NOLAN
& ANDREPONT
Publishers
Rook and Job Printers,
star-pr° gress 3UILDING>
The Star
_the_
OFFICIAL JOURNAL
—OF THE—
PARISH OF ST. LANDRY
r volUME~X1—N°> 15
OPELOUSAS, LA., SATURDAY, oANUARY 31, 1920
SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 PER YEAR, IN ADVANCE
ELECTION frauds
CHARGED BY ARIEL
Some "Voted Early and Often,
According to Protest Filed
With the Committee
ONE PARTY VOTED AT
° TWO DIFFERENT PLACES
avilie Man, Not Satisfied
With Voting There, Also
Votes at Notley ville
j
That there were irregularities in
ÏJt Landry on election day, January
0,csn not be doubted, if the protest
fikd last Saturday by Ariel Fonte
not with the parish democratic execu
te» «ommittee is true. Mr. Fonte
not swears that he can prove many
I*jntg*larities and cited to the com
mittee, in the presence of the district
attorney, several specific cases of il
legal ■roting.
Heovide Robin wins the cake, how
esjr, in illegal voting, if the records
of the commissioners of the Leon
and Notleyville precincts count
for anything. This voter, not satis
fied with having voted at Leonville,
snd that, too, without being regis
journeyed over to Notleyville
there cast another vote. Mr.
ntenot charges that if Theovide
did not vote twice some one
onating him either at Leon
or Notleyville did cast a ballot
; Us name.
Dominique Stelly and Martin La
i are among those cited as having
voted without legal rights, at Notley
Mr. Fontenot claiming that the
records of the registrar's office show
that these voters had failed to regis
ter. A number of voters had failed
to pay their poll taxes, when they j
not exempt from the payment
thereof. *
At I^onviHe besides the illegal vot-<
I lag of Theovide Robin, Cleus Stelly (
(Continued on Page Five)
BOND ISSUE
MED FOR
iAGE WORK
to be Held in Bellevue
*nd Coulee Croche District
Next Wednesday
OPPOSITION TO THE
MEASURE IS EXPECTED
kyers of Portions of First
**d Second Wards Deter
i for Better Drainage
I second drainage tax election of
new year will be held in the
and Coulee Croche Drain
* District on next Wednesday,when
syers of the district will vote
** 170,000 bond issue for the pur
* sf dredging several bayous and
in the district.
from the district indicate
ijfta vote for the tax will be vir
uaanimous. It is said that no
on to the project is evidenced
tfha promoters of the progressive
1 are confident of a flattering
i|ïï*nklin Schell, who has had
I of the various drainage work
J parish for the past two years,
engaged in the Bellevue
'Coulee Croche district. He has
ileadering all assistance possible
e&irens of the district who are
! to improve their property by
better artificial drainage
■ said he has rendered valu
snce along that line,
iwoard of supervisors of the
b composed of Frank Dim
! •brie Bourque, William La
Wilson and Oscar Dai
jWpresentative taxpayers and
£** und all enthusiastic be
better drainage. Just as
the tax is voted and the
®old, work on dredging out
•trearns and laterals in
®nd Coulee Croche dis
1 begin.
PLANNING FOR
BIG K. C. MEET
Local Knights Preparing to
Give Delegates to State
Convention Great Time
The genuine hospitality of the
people of Opelousas is soon to be
tested, because the local Knights of
Columbus are preparing to entertain
the delegates to the state convention
of the Louisiana branch of the or
ganization. An elaborate program is
being arranged and it is expected that
the 1920 convention, to be held here
the early part of May, will be the
greatest and most successful held
since the organization of the Knights
of Columbus in Louisiana, some six
teen years ago.
Grand Knight Oscar J. Mistric has
appointed a committee to assist the
entertainment committee of the lo
cal council and a real "swell' time is
being mapped out. All delegates will
be requested to bring their wives to
the convention and the ladies of Ope
lousas, headed by the Daughters of
Isabella, will be asked to arrange for
the entertainment of the visiting la
dies. The LaCombe Hotel is to be
chartered for the three days the del
egates will be here. Hundreds of vis
iting knights are expected. Among
the entertainments planned will be a
dance, a banquet and an auto ride
over various parts of the parish.
j
* -
Marekti and Warehousing
( p roble * # to be Solved if
LEE MILLS CALLS ON
FARMERS TO JOIN
COTTON ASS'N
President St. Landry Farmers'
Union Urges Co-operation
Between All Classes
COTTON ORGANIZATION
WILL HELP GROWERS
Body Properly Supported
j
!
Hon. R. Lee Mills, president of the
St. Landry Farmers' Union and chair
man of the state executive commit
tee of the Louisiana farmers, has is
sued an appeal to the farmers of St.
Landry to enroll as members of the
American Cotton Association. Mr.
Mills urges co-operation between the
business interests and the farmers.
'As president of the St. Landry
Farmers' Union, I find it my duty to
give general approval to the Ameri
can Cotton Association, and in the
capacity as head of the farmers' or
ganiaztion in this parish, I cheerfully
recommend to every one of our mem
bers to enroll as members of the as
sociation without delay. It is time
for the business interests and the
farmers to join hands in the endeavor
to better conditions in the South.
This is the only solution to the cot
ton problem in this country.
"The marketing and warehousing
of cotton will be solved by the cotton
association, and it is my belief that
every one who will join this organi
zation will be directly or indirectly
benefited. St. Landry should not
hesitate to lead the other Louisiana
parishes in the greatest movement yet
undertaken by the cotton growers of
the South."
Mr. Mills is one of the members of
the St. Landry membership commit
tee of the American Cotton Associa
tion. Prominent St. Landrians, head
ed by E. M. Boagni, well known local
planter and financier, are on this
committee and will shortly inaugurate
an extensive membership campaign,
when, it is hoped, that the farmers
and business men of St. Landry will
enroll readily in one of the greatest
uplift organizations ever attempted
in the South.
—A wedding that surprised many
of the friends of the contracting par
ties was that of Mr. Thomas H. Max
well, well known photographer of this
city, and Miss Marguerite Brand,
popular young graduate of the St.
Landry high school, which took place
at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning at
the Catholic church. The contracting
parties are prominently known in this
city and enjoy a host of friends ,all
of whom extend to them the best
wishes for a joyous married life.
ROAD DISTRICTS MAY
CONSOLIDATE ON
NEXT MONDAY
Thought That Districts in First,
Second and Fifth Wards
May Join Forces
TAX ON THE PRESENT
ASSESSMENT PROBABLE
Scheme Would Raise Nearly
Million and a Half to Con
struct Ninety Miles
The chances that the road districts
in the first, second and fifth wards
will be consolidated are considered
very favorable. It is believed that on
next Monday and Tuesday, when the
police jury assembles for its regular
monthly session, an ordinance will be
siJbmitted creating a road district
composed of the entire first and fifth
wards and a portion of the second
ward. The move is in anticipation of
the Pershing Way, and it is expected
to raise sufficient funds by this
scheme being promoted to construct
some ninety miles of permanent
highways in St. Landry, under the
supervision of the federal govern
ment.
Should the three districts be con
solidated, it is expected that a tax on
the present assessment would be voted
so as to give the district all available
funds. According to the present
funds, the Opelousas-Washington dis
trict has $500,000; the Bayou Boeuf
district $80,000, and the Sunset dis
trict $50,000. It is said that the fed
eral government and state govern
ment would match the parish money
on the proposed roads, as all of them
are subject to the rules of the federal
government, and thereby would place
the amount available under this plan
to $1,280,000. On the present assess
ment, a tax would yield approximate
ly one million and a half, with state
aid.
The roads proposed, it is under
stood, are the Grand Prairie-Wash
ington road; from Washington to the
Lafayette line, via Opelousas and
Shuteston the Opelousas-Prairie
Ronde-Plaisance road, around Rural
Route No. 2 and extending as far as
Debaillion bridge; the Bayou Boeuf -
Washington highway; one from Ope
lousas toward Port Barre to the ward
line; and one from Opelousas to
ward Church Point, to the sixth ward
line.
Last Tuesday afternoon it was ru
mored that the third and sixth wards
would likely join in the consolidation
and thereby increase the district so
as to give the Opelousas territory all
available highways. In this manner
more than two million dollars could
be realized and some hundred and
fifty miles could be constructed.
FRANCE HONORS
ARNAUDVILLE BOY
Louis Guilbeau Decorated With
Croiz de Guerre by French
Government for Bravery
Private Louis Guilbeau, son of J.
C. Guilbeau of Amaudville has been
honored by the French government
with the Croix de Guerre, for bravery
displayed during the battle of Can
tigny, France, in June, t918, in
which he was wounded. He is cited
for having delivered orders under
machine gun fire after being woun
ded.
Young Guilbeau was presented with
the Croiz de Guerre on last Tuesday
by the war department. He is now
taking up bookkeeping and auditing
at the United States government
training school in New Orleans.
Final Report on Cotton
Ginnings in St. Landry
Under date of January 18, the de
partment of commerce, bureau of the
census sends out the following:
The tabulation of the card reports
shows telegraph summary to be cor
rect. There were 15,216 bales of cot
ton, counting round as half bales,
ginned in St. Landry parish from the
crop of 1919, prior to January 1,
1920, as compared with 26,414 bales
ginned to January 1, 1919.
NEW HOME FOR
Y. ANDREPONT
Modern Residence Being Erect
ed on East Grolee Street by
Well Known Cotton Man
The building "bee" appears to be
buzzing in the ears of many citizens
of Opelousas, each week announce
ments are being made that new and
modern residences are iq process of
erection or are being contemplated.
Yves Andrepont, well known cot
ton ginner and former clerk of. the
district court of St. Landry parish,
who recently sold his residence on
East Grolee street, is the latest citi
zen to invest in a modern and up-to
date two-story residence.
The contract for the Andrepont
home, which will be located on the
lot adjoining the residence he recent
ly sold to Mrs. Quirk of Washington,
was let to Albert Amy, local contrac
tor, and will be ready for occupancy
within the next five or six weeks.
When completed it will be one of the
most modern and inost beautiful
homes in Opelousas
2
- I
There will be a second primary I
election throughout St. Landry parish |
SECOND PRIMARY IS
NECESSARYTOPICK
ONE LEGISLATOR
Schell and Lewis Going to Post
Feb. 24 to Decide Choice
for Third Position
FRIENDS FAIL TO
EFFECT COMPROMISE
Interesting Race Between Two
Progressive Citizens to Rep-
resent Parish at Capital
on Tuesday, February 24, for the
purpose of choosing a third repre
sentative for the parish. J. Franklin
Schell and James J. Lewis, the latter
from! Eunice, 'are the contestants,
neither of them having received a
clear majority of the votes cast on
January 20.
Mr. Schell, who hails from Wash
ington, was the third man in the six
cornered race and lacked but thirty
odd votes of receiving the majority
of all votes cast. Mr. Lewis was a
close-up runner, being about two
hundred votes behind the Washing
tonian.
Friends of both parties tried to ef
fect a compromise, but both candi
dates decided to stay in the race to
the end, so a second primary was de
cided as being necessary. Friends
of Messrs. Schell and Lewis are busy
ing themselves in the matter of inter
esting the voters of the parish in their
choice and an interesting race be
tween two of St. Landry's most pro
gressive citizens is being anticipated.
Judge Gilbert L. Dupre, as was gen
erally expected, simply! "flew" on
January 20, receiving more than three
thousand of the thirty-nine hundred
votes cast. Alex Lafleur of Grand
Prairie received a majority of votes
and with Judge Dupre was declared i
nominee for representative from St.
Landry.
The only other contest in the en
tire parish will be in the sixth ward,
where W. C. Dejean, incumbent, will
battle with Peter Brown for the po
sition of membe* of the police jury
from that ward. Mr. Dejean was sec
ond in a five-cornered race for two
positions, lacking but two votes of re
ceiving a majority of all cast. In
terest is being manifested in these
two contests and friends of the va
rious candidates are getting to work
to get the voters to come out and
indicate their choice on
____
the day of
the second primary next month.
—An interesting wedding of the
week was that of Mr. Raymond Mc
Bride, well known young man of this
city, and Miss Ethel Devillier, the
pretty young daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Mentor Devillier of near Ope
lousas, which took place at the Cath
olic church here Tuesday afternoon,
at 3 o'clock. Both are highly pop
ular with the younger set in this city
and have the good wishes of their
many friends for a happy married
life.
PARISH FAIR TO BE
ORGANIZED ON
FEBRUARY 10
Farmers and Business Men to
be Asked to Participate in
First Meeting of Body
MILLS TO BE PRESIDENT,
MENDOZA AS SECRETARY
St. Landry Expects to Stage the
Biggest Parish Fair in Lou
isiana in Fall of This Year
The parish fair question, which
was dropped a few weeks back on ac
count of the political campaign, now
bobs serenely up and expects to main
tain the interest of the progressive
farmers and business men of St. Lan
day until an efficient, self-sustaining
organization is perfected.
Secretary A. A. Mendoza, of the
proposed fair association, will short
ly issue a circular letter, calling a
meeting to be held in Opeiousas on
Tuesday afternoon, February 10, at
2 o'clock, in the police jury room.
R. Lee Mills, who will be the associ
ation's first head,,has instructed the
secretary to immediately get busy
and notify all interested parties.
The parish fair will receive the sup
port, both iporal and financial, of the
business people of this city. The po
lice jury has already appropriated
$2,500; the city council will be asked
to donate $1,000; the school board a
like amount; and the business peo
ple of this city have pledged them
selves to contribute at least as much
as the police jury. Other communi
ties in the parish will donate to the
cause in proportion to Opelousas.
Plans of promoters of the new par-
ish fair association are to give the
largest and most successful parish
I fair in the state. Sufficient funds
I will be raised, it is said, to make the
| association self-sustaining for many
years. A suitable site will be ob
tained and appropriate buildings
erected thereon.
The public generally is invited to
attend the first meeting of the or
ganiaztion on Tuesday, the 10. It is
necessary that the officials of the
parish fair association get the co-op
eration and assistance of all pro
gressive St. Landrians, and it would
doubtless be a sore disappointment
to those who are striving hard to give
St. Landry a splendid fair if a small
attendance at the first meeting would
be noted. Let everybody do his bit
-put his shoulder to the wheel and
help boost the parish and its pro
ducts.
FEDERAL COURT
MONDAY NEXT
Grand and Petit Jurors Drawn
for the Regular Winter Ses
sion to be Held Here
Hon. George W. Jack, judge of the
United States district court for the
western district of Louisiana, has or
dered a grand and petit jury^erm, to
commence at Opelousas on next Mon
day, February 2.
The jury commissioner, Dr. Chas.
F. Boagni, assisted by the deputy
marshal, Mr. G. E. Geren, and the
deputy clerk, Mr. W. A. Robertson,
proceeded to draw the necessary
names to compose these juries last
Monday, and the following jurors
have been summoned :
Grand jury—Geo. Resweber, Clerfe
Gauthier, Sidney Planchard, Amede
Dumerger and Alphonse Geurin, all
of St. Martin ville ; Wm. Perrious, Hol
den LeBlanc, Raoul Landry, Oscar
Thibodeaux and Martin Hebert, all of
Breaux Bridge; R. P. Nelson of Abbe
ville; John Fakouri and James A. De
jean of Opelousas; Mayo H. Miller of
Châtaignier; Ferdinand Lafleur, P. L.
Fontenot, Gaston P. Guillaumin and
Orase B. Fontenot, of Ville Platte; J.
M. Crossley of Lafayette; Rousseau
Martin of Carencro; Wm. Butcher of
Scott; Joseph D. Marceaux of Guey
dan; E. C. St. Julien of Broussard;
and Arthur Derouen of Erath.
Petit jury—Allen A. Anding and
- - Ä
Ernest Fuselier of Opelousas; Jeff
Reddell of Reddell ; Theogene anue
of Châtaignier; Arthur Dardeau, J.
Herbert Perrodin, Cless Fontenot, A.
R. Fontenot and Adraste Lafleur of
MENDOZA AGAIN
HELPS SCHOOL
Young Demonstrator in Har
nes at Washington for
Two Weeks
A. A. Mendoza, St. Landry's pop
ular federal agricultural demonstrat
or, again came to the rescue of the
Washington school, when he relieved
Prof. W. S. Burke of Natchez, Miss.,
who resigned the middle of January.
Mr. Mendoza has headed the Wesh
inton school in two emergencies dur
ing which time he rendered such val
uable services and made himself so
affable that the citizens of Wash
ington have repeatedly asked Super
intendent Prescott to appoint Mr.
Mendoza permanently.
Prof. P. E. Wilson, formerly prin
cipal of the Port Barre school, has
been named the principal of the
Washington school, and officially re
lieved Mr. Mendoza on Thursday
morning. Mr. Wilson has a splendid
record at Port Barre and will doubt
less prove an excellent head of the
Washington high school. Mr. Men
doza, on the other hand, has th<
thanks of the citizens of Washington
for his splendid assistance.
POLITICS WARMS UP
FOR JUDICIAL RACE
NEXT SUMMER
Rumored That Leon S. Haas
Will Run for Judge and L
A. Fontenot for Dist. Atty.
HEATED CAMPAIGN IN
GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME
Definite Turn of Wheel Points
to Hot Race Between Them
and the Incumbents
The parochial campaign just ended
has given the people of St. Landry
just a little taste of politics, accord
ing to reports current on the streets,
and the voters of the sixteenth ju
dicial district, composed of the par
ishes of St. Landry and Evangeline,
is in for a hot time throughout the
apporaching summer.
Monday morning a definite turn of
the political wheel pointed to the can
didacies of Leon S. Haas for judge
and L. Austin Fontenot for district
attorney against Judge B. H. Pavy
and District Attorney R. Lee Gar
land. Strong pressure is being
brought to bear on Messrs. Haas and
Fontenot ,and according to the
statements of the two gentlemen, in
dications are that the people of the
parish and district opposed to the
present administration have decided
to center on them for the race to be
staged in August.
Judge Pavy, it is understood, is not
very anxious to run for re-election,
due to the meager salary paid Louis
iana district judges; but friends of
the Pavy-Garland faction insist that
he must be a candidate. Mr. Garland
for the past twenty-four years dis
trict attorney, is thought to be an
avowed candidate for re-election.
The four gentlemen, who will prob
ably go to the polls next August, are
well known throughout the district,
and all enjoy a large circle of warm
personal and political friends—a suf
ficient number to make the race one
of the most interesting ever pulled
off in this neck of the woods.
—Garland Dejean, popular young
resident of the Plaquemine Point
section of this parish, was in Opelou
sas attending to business on Tues
day. While in the city Mr. De jean
paid a pleasant cal lat the Star
Progress office.
Ville Platte; Geo. B. Seaman of Tur
key Creek; Anatol Landry, Jr., of
Basile ; J. H. Hazelton of St. Landry ;
F. E. Strother of Lone Pine; P: R.
Landry, R. H. Agate, J. P. Colomb
and Valsin Benoit of Lafayette; Chas.
Saint and Emile Miers of Kaplan; R.
E. Domengeaux and F. O. Broussard
of Breaux Bridge; J. S. Ewell, G. J.
Griffin and C. F. Grimer of Abbe
ville; Lawrence Levert, Lucien Du
rand, P. Rodolphe Roy and Martin
Dautreuil of St. Martinville; Teles
phore Nunez of Erath; and Auguste
Simon of Ridge.
OPELOUSAS SOON TO
BE AWARDED THE
PERSHING WAY
Secretary McDougal is Pleased
With Showing of Southern
Louisiana in Campaign
SOUTH FAR FROM BEING
SLOW, HE TELLS EDITOR
More Action in State Than in
Ary Other Through Which
the Highway Passes
Now that Opelousas and the dis
trict between the Avoyelles and La
fayette parish lines has gone well ov
er the top in the membership cam
paign of the Pershing Way Associ
ation, it is expected that Opelousas
will shortly be awarded the Pershing
Way. Much depends upon the re
sults achieved in the campaign being
waged in the. various parishes south
of St. Landry, but as reports from
those parishes indicate success, it is
expected that the Pershing Way wilL
be routed through St. Landry.
Secretary Herbert F. McDougal of
the Pershing Way Association, who
was here recently in the interest of
his organization, in a letter to the
secretary of the Chamber of Com
merce, expresses much satisfaction at
the wonderful co-operative spirit of
the peoplé of Opelousas and St. Lan
dry, and says that he stands ready to
make the award as soon as reports
from towns south of Opelousas are
in.
"The man who told me that the
South was slow grossly deceived me,"
he says in his letter. "I have seen
more action here than at almost any
other place on the whole Pershing
Way. Louisiana will just about set
a new pace for the North, and I cer
tainly will take back with me an in
teresting account of the spirit of the
South, as well as a story of the fas
cinations that the Louisiana route of
the Pershing Way presents."
Opelousas has shown considerable
interest in the Pershing Way. Citi
zens of this city readily subscribed to
the organization in order that this city
could be included on the Winnipeg to
New Orleans route of one of the great
national highways. Much interest is
being manifeste J in the award of this
highway.
On account of the interest shown
by the people of this parish in the po
litical campaign just closed, active
work on the organization of the St.
Landry Pershing Way club was de
layed, but President Frank Dimmick
is expected to start to work again
within the next few days, when he in
tends to make the St. Landry club the
biggest in the state. Every business
man in Opelousas approached on the
matter thus far ha3 enrolled as a
member of the club. A few of them
have not been interviewed, but it is
taken for granted that when Presi
dent Dimmick and his committee of
organizers call on tjiem they, too,
will readily join hands with the other
progressive citizens of Opelousas,
Washington, Sunset, Grand Coteau
and Bayou Boeuf in their endeavor
to secure for their respective commu
nities one of the principal and most
important highways in the United
States.
Piano Recital Monday
Was a Brilliant S'.
iccess
The piano recital given by Prof.
Alvin W. Roper at the high school
auditorium Monday night was a
splendid success. The size of the
audience, in spite of the threatening
weather, indicated that Opelousas
has a large number of music lovers
who appreciate such high-toned and
uplifting attractions. Such events
will soon create such an atmosphere
for wholesome, high-class entertain
ment that «Vcrowd can be gathered
at any time; oW short notice. It is a
noteworthy iacf of history that no
nation nor people has ever become
great educationally, socialy or mor
ally or religiously that has not first
become lovers of music.
Mr. Roper was ably assisted by
vocal solos by Mrs. W. T. Stewart
and Miss Marie Meginley, accom
panied by Miss Carmen Voorhies, all
of Opelousas.