The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-11-12
MONDAYS DEFEAT.

The election would be an exceedingly |
subject for us to handle, ifl
we were in any way responsible for the
result in this State ON Monday but we
can and do thank our Creator that we
possessed the decision and the spirit to
do all in our power to produce Il differ
ent result, and may say to tho ghost Of
Democracy,
thou canst not say s did it."
For weeks our columns have been
burthened with appeals to the people
to make an effort to redeem the State
and with pointed admonitions to the
Democratic leaders oarouse themselves
and the people to action. We saw that
tho Democratic party was dying from
lcthargy and inaction, and we sought
to drive the stupor away and to revive
that spirit of enthusiasm which so
powerfully did its work in 1868, and
was only necessary to give the Democ-
racy the State in 1870. But the people
appeared to heed no warning, and the
result of their apathy is absolute bond
age to thieves, carpet-baggers and seal
awags; words we had hoped to Danish
from our columns.
Tho causes of this most melancholy
result are easily stated.
Neither hopelessness of their cause,
nor a too great confidence OF success,
generally two main causes OF failure,
operated to lose the day to the Demo-
Gratis: they knew they could carry the
State and they knew equally as well
they might fail to carry it. Hence, the
necessity of prudent action was every
where felt and acknowledged.
Neither are we willing to believe
that the defeat Of tho Democracy is at
tributable, in this part of the State, to
Radical frauds, although no doubt
frauds were perpctrated by our oppo-
nents. The point at which they con-
templated to effect our defeat by fraud,
if fraud became necessary, was never
reached; tho Indifference of the Demo-
Gratis opportunity interviewed to make
that unnecessary.
This indifference proceeded from
causes we'll calculated to produce such
fruit. Pains We're not taken by the
Democratic leaders to consult what
kind of candidates and what line of pol
icy would most certainly inspire the
people with hope and courage; nor has
any effort whatever been made by these
leaders to make successful the policy
they did recommend for popular ap-
proval.
In the State Convention which met
folly which has worked so successfully
for the Republicans, had its origin. A
foolish wrangle took place there which
prudent politicians would never have
permitted, and degree Of creiulity
shown in the selection of State officers
which was almost startling. Men were
nominated who were almost entirely
unknown, who possessed no strength,
could arouse no enthusiasm and who
have since their nomination taken no
visible interest in the success of their
ticket. The State Central Committee,
who was IN efficient man when John
Slidcll reigned, has been of no service
to the party, and the result has been a
demoralized, effcte and mismanaged
campaign.
The policy selected by the State Con-
vention, of disregarding the positive
merits Of individual members, and
choosing for candidates men whose
chief merit lay in the fact that they
Appropriated to the Republican stan
dartl, seems to have been the policy gen
orally followed in the selection of local
candidates. In some parishes the DEM
ocr1sts have run men whose political
whereabouts it has frequently puzzled
the best experts to determine, they
were so undecided and timid, and the
consequence has been that the people,
marking this apparent tender of an
armisticc, have either remained quietly
Mt home, or else simply discharged only
the personal obligation of polling one
vote.
Thus, the governing element of the
party was paralyzed, and the active,
progressive wing disarmed, without any
corresponding beneficial change on the
part of that class of voters sought to be
conciliated. We were tied to dead men
and expected to fight in a cause posses
sing not the least element of enthusiasm,
except the bare hope of defeating the