New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-03
LOUISIANA.

| MuddIe-W1lI WRFmOth RHd the Demo-
Gratis COaIesce F-Men, Not Principles
in the Ascendant.
That our readers may know what is said
about Louisiana politics and Louisiana poll
ticians, we copy the following racy letter to
! the New York Herald without indorsing its
statements:
NEW ORLEANS, April 25, 1S72.-As fore
| shadOwed in the Herald, the Democratic
State Convention, recently assembled in
this city, postponed nominations and ad-
jOurned over until June ,, the day preceding
that fixed for the assembling of the Re
form Convention. This, in their opinion,
affords time to test the success of the Gin
! cinEati movement and will also furnish an
opportunity for recOnsolidating the party
by a coalition with the RefOrmers. AS
might be supposed, this action was not ac-
cOmplished without a struggle between the
wise old heads, who advocated delay, and
the impatient young element which hun
gered for the heshpOts. In noise, the latter
had decidedly the advantage; but when it
came to vote, they ''panned out" so
meagTely that recantation has since been
the order OF the day.
Politically speaking, the convention was
a failure, and dealt in nothing but blank
cartridge deuunciatiOn. 1t denounced War
moth, Grant, the CustUmhOuse clique and,
worse than all, one another. Down in this
ardent climate denunciatiOn is the staple
commodity with all political gatherings. A
convention without wealth of it would be
like a barber shop without soap. Every
thing we do must be done at high pressure,
and explosions are consequently frequent,
though seldom very fatal in effect.
The witches CaldrOn in Macbeth did
not contain a more heterogeneous stew
than does the political pot in Louisiana.
We are evidently going through the labOrs
incident to new political birth; all old
party lines have either been trampled in
the dust or have become so hOpelessly en-
tangled that neither reason nor harmony
can be found any where. The dissensiUns
existing in the radical ranks have already
been topic of national discussion and need
no further comment; tbOse of the Demo
cratic have grown out of them, and have
been nurtured by vOracity for office.
Six years deprivation of official POSITION
and emOluments has made the Democracy
rabidly hungry, and they are ready to
make any individual sacrifice or coalition
that will place the golden grapes within
reach. The old organization is still clung
to as power of some moment, but all ad-
init that without outside help it can accom-
plish nothing; and in casting about for a
new departure every little apple tree tries
to keep itself floating ON top. With the
exception Of small but respectable mi
nOrity, who cherish vain hopes that Gen
eral Grant could be induced to surrender
the State gov trnment in compensation for
its electoral vote, all loOk to the Cincin-
natl convention and the action of the
national Democracy in regard to it as de-
cisive of the fate of the party in this
State. They do not do this in any cheerful
frame Of mind, and are evidently very 10th
to quit the old hulk, battered and tempest
tossed though it be.
Perhaps they would be more recOnciled
to their manifest destiny if WarmOth was
out of the way, but one of those curious
complications so often occurring in politics,
has placed this pet abOminatiOn of the
Democrats in the saddle. At the head of
their forces WarmOth it was who made the
breach in the enemy's citadel, and War
moth it Is who, in spite Of them, leads the
way through Cincinnati, the only acknOw-
edged road to victory. The pill Is bitter
one to swallow, aud no wonder they not
only make WY faces, but actually rebel as
getting outside it, and with reason. This
young man, WarmOth, who PLAYS the game
of politics as cOOllY, and much in the same
style as a veteran gambler handles the
'pastebOards,' is probably the most astute
politician living in the South to-day. He is
bold, determined, tarseeing and politically
unscrupulOus. He is, without doubt re-
and a majority of the abuses which
have been 50 heartlessly imposed upon the
people of Louisiana, who have been
accustomed to regard him for years past
with the utmost antipathy. On the other
hand, he is socially the best of fellows,
makes friends of all, enemies included, who
come in contact with him, and. to do bin
justice, he has for some time back earnestly
labOred to tighten the burdens upon the
people, the original imposition Of which he
excuses on the ground of party eXigency.
The truth Is, that no white man, politician
or otherwise, can live four or five years at
the South without becoming Southern in
sentiment. As soon as he comes to perfect
ly comprehend, through business and social
relations, the standI Oint from which the
Southern people are forced to regard
political events, he loses his faith in the
theories born OF colder climates and gradu-
ally falls from that grace instilled by New
England primers. This is the resulC in al
most every instance, and WaTmOth'S pres
ent attitude would seem to indicate him to
be 10 exception to the n le
Long ago he probably realized the fact
that his inOrdinate political ambition could
not be gratiticd without cOnciliating the
older AID wiser people, who were destined
sooner or later to come into possession of
Their own State, and he set himself about
the task so quietly and SO shrewdly that
before he was off with the old love he was
far on with the nHw. 1t was the first real
iZatiOn Of this fact i'll the Democratic State
Convention, where he actually had a strong
body OF supporters, and the discovery that
large majOnty Of his later appOin tments
through the country are dyed in the WOOL
Democrats, inspired the TRADE Of denuncia-
ton poured out upon his head by the disap
pointed.
That WarmOth has already entered into
negotiations with the leaders of the DemOc-
racy for a coalition is not only well known,
but was admitted on the floor Of the CON
ventiOn. 70 this wedding the latter brings
the entire white vote of the State, Demo
Gratis and RefOrmers, while he furnishes
only handful Of personal friends and the
State patronage, armed. however, with an
election law Of extraordinary powers, des-
ignated originally to perpetuate Radical
rule in this State to a remote posterity, but
now to be etfectually invoked for its re-
demptiOn.
The curse that comes home to rOost in this |
instance is, however, fully paralleled and |
by WarmOth's alleged demand |
for the gubernatOrial nomination as prime |
of the coalition. This startles the |
old war horses from their prOpriety. 1t |
brings "goOd devil and good Lord" so
close together as to leave no escape between |
them. lnseparable from the ratification of |
this coalition is thus presented for discus |
sion the heartiest kind of meal of humble |
pie, and this your true Southerner would |
almost rather die than partake of. From |
these facts your readers may Judge of the |
turmoil with which the political pot now
boils, and how nothing can be extracted |
from it in the way of certainty, except |
burned fingers.
Perhaps its surface bubbles alittle slower |
and pasipP AFT present, in view of the near |