The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-11
The Second Press COnycntien-The
Third Party Fizzle.

fortthe purpose OF lnauguratlng
''Third Party" having failed to ac-
complish anything satisfactory,
called a "People's Convention"
to meet in New Orleans OH the 23d
of April, The object was to get
the Endorsement of as many of the
people as possible, and the few in
dividuals who composed the first
Convention had the vanity to be-
lieve that they could bring togeth
er enough Conservatives to pro-
duce the impression that there was
a schism in the Democratic ranks,
and thus brighten the Democracy
into terms. Their self-confidence
would have appeared little sub
lime had not their pretensions been
so ridiculous. Every one who
would not agree that the ''Thir6
Party" was just the thing for the
times, came in for share of Con
demnation, and the Louisiana
Democrat" was the object of their
special anathema simply because
we were unwilling that the forty
three thousand Democrats in Lou
isiana should go over, bag and bag
gage, to small clique of greedy
office-seekers. We should have
thought that difficulties would
have taught the "Third Party" men
little modesty, but the sequel
proves that we were mistaken. At
ter drumming for more than "a
month, on the part of these editors,
with all the power Of their potent
presses, the day for the assembling
of the Peoples Convention" came
round and found no people present,
for the very simple reason that
there are in Louisiana no people
outside Of the Republican and
Democratic organizations. We
have searched the columns of the
papers to discover what Parishes
appointed delegates, and as yet
have heard of but one, somewhere
in the Pinewoods North of Red
River. AS the Times took nearly
a column to commend editorially
the wisdom and patriotism of that
meeting, we take it,. that if any
other meetings had been held, our
contemporary would have informed
us of the happy event. Even in
the great city of New Orleans, with
its representatives of every con-
ceivable political hue, the Times
could not find enough men of it's
own peculiar way Of thinking to
get up ward meeting to appoint
delegates to it's Convention. And
yet this is the great influential
journal which assumes to consign
the great Democratic party of Lou
isiana to the "tomb of the Capu-
lets.''
The "people," having failed to
the "press" concluded to
hold a second convention. There
were present, we believe, seven in
from the country, the
rest of the delegates having been
furnished by the anti-Democratic
rings of the city of New Orleans.
A peoples party" was formed,
with a complicated plan Of organi-.
zation which would puzzle Phila-
delphia,. lawyer to explain. The
Times says that the object of the
Peoples" party is to absorb all the
Democrats and most of the Repub
licans. We once heard of a crazy
old woman who attempted to absorb
the ocean with sponge an inch
square. She was not half so crazy
as the old woman OF the Times. A
peoples party without any peo-
pie in it would certainly be a very
great curiosity, but one which we
are likely to see unless this "Press
Convention" should meet with
more success in the dog days than
it has met with during the Spring
months. We are sorry that its or
ganization is so feeble We could
hope that it would meet with more
success, being satisfied that if it
filled up its own ranks from those
of any other party, it would be
from the Radicals and not from the
Democrats. We do not recognise
among the leaders of the move
ment the names of men in whom the
Democrats have sufficient conf
dence to follow their dictation.
The absurdity of disbanding the
Democratic organization is more
apparent, as each attempt to get
NJ