The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1859-10-19
THE CONTRAST.

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Convention, in which every parish in the
State was represented, as remarkable Tor
the ability which it contained as tor its
unprecedented numbers. The Opposition
came at the eleventh. hour, hating and
staggering to the field with patched up
ticket nominated by skeleton convention
composed of handful of delegates self
constituted or sent from fractions Of two
or three parishes. Democrats chose the
best men our party contains for their
standard bearers; our opponents seemed
glad to get any man of any sort of noto-
riety to assume place on their ticket
Besides it's head it contains tie names OF
gentlemen of unquestioned responsibility
from whose professional or personal mer-
its we have no disposition to detract; but
there is so little adaptation among its
members that their conjunction makes a
political deformity. What symphaty, for
example, can there be politically between
the opposition candidate for Governor who
has all his life opposed everything advo-
Gated by the Democratic party, and their
candidate for Attorney General, who,
though now renegade leader in hostile
band, doubtless retains many Of his de-
mocratic prejudices z
There is as wide q difference between
the platforms of the antagonist parties as
there is between their candidates and the
manner in which they were chosen. Ours
(Which we republish to-day is the embo-
dment of principles old as the Democratic
party, a platform that Jefferson would APP
prove and Calhoun rejoice at-a bold, plain,
succinct statementof the great principles
Of a ruling party whose members ask
mutual pledge at the ballot box Of their
adhesion to the doctrine which has, pre-
served this Union of confederated SOW
reignties, which has maintained the rights
of each without weakening the common
government of all and which has initiated,
prosecuted and completed every measure
by which cur national boundaries have
been enlarged or our national influence
enhanced. The platform Of the Opposi-
ton is the work of a single individual,
eoncocted long after the adjournment of
the little knot Of restless politicians who
called themselves convention, {. thing,
of yesterday which few anti-democratic
sheets publish as an advertisement, which
nobody endorses and which few have Lad,
ll,s sssssssys TO read. Its windy verbiage,
its idle superiority Of misplaced epithets
and its random denunciations are better
fitted for some school boys Composition
on. Politics. than. for the sober cnuncia-.
ton Of the principles of a party. Even
the head Of their own ticket repudiates it
and entEenches. himself on. the wide but
not exceedingly definite field of antisli-
delism..
The, same contrast that appears in the
manner of choosing candidates, in the
tickets chosen and in the platforms issued
is maintained in the method Of carrying
on the campaign. The Democratic party
moves forward with the order. and steadi-
ness Of an army Of veterans; the Oppose
ton consists. of isolated, independent,
struggling bands of skirnlishers led, OF
rather excited to. movement, as often by
demagogues and renegades as by men
who. take this, method Of gratifying their
enmity to, Democracy. They are Like
squads Of guerrillas,. scampering around
the Democratic ouhposts, plunderiug here
a. village and there herd, bearing as
many different banners as there are colors
in the rainbow, pursuing no definite line
of march and without other concert OF
action than what is given bya common
greed for booty and common hatred Of
allthat is Democratic. They are often
found stealing into our camp under the
disguise OF assumed Democracy, with the
hope Of promoting assertions or of fos-
tering Reorganization. If in majority
in any particular spot, there they hold
wig-wams and nominate candidates but
wherever they are in minority they
denounce conventions, ridicule nomina-
tions and employ all manner of low cum
ming in causing or fomenting discussions
and personal difficulties among Democrats.
JAIL DEGW ERY.--We learn from the Cad
do Gazette of the 18th inst, that Eldred
Ward and Artemis Bennett, who were
condemned to be hung for murder, made
a successful attempt to escape on the 18th
ult 1t appears that through the medlum