The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-08-06
The New Orleans Democrat.

The New Orleans Democrat.
We have received the second number Of
the first volume Of this paper, recently
started i'm New Orleans, and published tri-
weekly. A. column and a half on the first
page is devoted to the
Evils of Secret Political Societies.
From this article we make the following
extract, which we endorse and commend
to the attention of our readers.
"The intelligent need not be told that
secret, %oath-bound societies are not only
anli-Demaeratie, but dangerous to the
peace of the country. At various PERIODS
of the worlds history, they have cursed
human society, and have never tailed to
produce the terrible fruits of revolution.
In ENGLAND their history is but the record
of murder and assassination. In France
thew deluced the land with blood and even
in our country they have placed a foul
blot upon our name and fame as q people.
| On becoming a member of a secret pollt-
ical society, a man ceases 10 he a freeman,
for he is required to give up his right to
think and act for himself as becomes the
citizen of a free government. which derives
its power from the consent of the governed.
A citizen thus enthralled is unfit to eXsr-
| else any political right or privilege in such
a government, for by his secret oath he
stands stripped of the first attribute OF a
f~reerfan, and must yield obedience to the
declared will of a majority of the society
to which he belongs, no matter what may
be the object or tendency of the action OF
such society. Not only is he to abide by
this decree of his mentors, be it ever 80
wrong but he is bound to aid and assist his
fellow members in all cases, whether right
or wrong.
Such being the character of secret, oath,
bound political societies, they cannot be re-
garded otherwise, by all good men, than
moral and political evils of the most IAN
gel Gus character"
The remainder of the article is devoted
to denunciations of the Loyal League, bnt
says nothing of the X. K. K, and other
kindred Republican organizations If
all secret oath bound societies are not
only anti Democratic, but dangerous to the
peace of the country" which we believe to
be true, the Democrat should, for consisten-
cy's sake. have reviewed all such as have
recently figured In the politics of the coun-
try.
/ On the second page, from which we next
quote, the reasons are given
Why the Democrat was Started.
The Democratic party of the Parish Of
Orleans has been without a newspaper open
ly avowing itself a partisan journal, and to
which the Democracy might not look in
vain for a vigorous defence of its Or
ganization and principles at all times and
| under all circumstances. Some of our in
dependent journals have indeed rendered
us good service, for which they have never
failed to receive the prompt and grateful
acknowledgements Of the Democratic party !;
but those journals are not ~avowedly Demo
cratic, nor is it their chief aim to promote
the cause of Democratic ~ascendency. In
all the past, the want of such a paper as we
propose to publish has been keenly
felt and generally acknowledged ; and
more especially, recent events have dem
onstrated that as a party we cannot rely
upon any system of independent journalism
in the extraordinary circumstances that sur
round US. The Democratic party has wit
messed the singular conduct of Il journal
published in our midst, claiming to be in
pendent, speaking for us and in our name
in one issue, and in the next, exhausting
its columns in laudation of our oppressors,
and proposing to disband our forces in the
face of the enemy.
The party, therefore, needs a paper that,
politically, will know nothing but Democ-
racy, and whose devotion to that interest
will be beyond the influences that Or
dinarily control. in a greater or less degree,
| all so-called independent journals whose
I sole motto will be, not policy, but, Demo
raey-a journal so dependent upon and
within the lines Of party organization, as to
be beyond the reach ofaI1 mercenary con-
siderations and outside influences.
From the foregoing it would seem that
there is not a single Democratic paper in
New Orleans except the Democrat. The
Democratic party in that city, the head
quarters Of the party in the State, must be
weak indeed, if among all the ably con-
Quoted journals there it has not been able
to procure an organ. The difficulty, how
ever, We suppose. consisted in the fact
that the organ was required to be purely
partisan and the anti-Republican press of
New Orleans would not surrender their
independence forsuch a purpose. VIZ thought
the Picayune and Times pretty strong
Democratic papers before the organization
Of the Peoples Party, and think that the
Bee and Bulletin are such now.
The Democrat is a neatly printed sheet,
five columns to the page, all reading mat
ter-the copy before us has not an adver'
tisement in it. If it is intended to be pub.
lished only during the next political cam.
paign, at the expense Of those interested,
very well; but if intended to be permanent,
it will have to be changed to a newspaper,
or something else, for the mass of the peop'
lie will not long support a purely partisan
political journal-they lose their interest
after the excitement Of the campaign is
over.
MEssRs. LEFEBvKE 4 GAMARD, successors
to Thee. Chachere, near the courthouse
square, keep constantly on hand all kinds
of dry goods, groceries, &c.
-~~~-Ws~~~~~~
Sinking slowly.
Diseases that progress rapidly to a eri.
sis are not the only ones to be dreaded.
Canker or dry, rot does not blast q tree as