New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-30
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF LOUIS
lana.
HEADQUARTERS LIBERAL PARTY OF LOUISIANA,
New Orleans July l3, 1872. )

standard bearers Horace Greeley tor Presl-
dent and B. Graft Brown for Vice Presi-
dent, and presented for the consideration
of the people a declaration of principles.
The Baltimore convention, cOncurring in the
causes and reasons which gave birth to
that great popular movement, Endorsed
their nominations and accepted the plat
form on which their candidates stood. It
has thus set an example TO the country
which every consideration of political
safety and eXpediency requires should De
initiated within the States
If the Democratic party has maintained
its national organization, 1t is only that the
alliance with Liberalism may be rendered
stronger or more effective. The delegates
who met at Baltimore for the purpose ct
cementing that alliance could not have an
ticipated that fractions of their party, IN
the several States, would set themselves IN
opposition 20 the Liberal Reform move
ment, by using their organizations for the
purpose of perpetuating divisions through
the nomination and support of separate
electoral and State tickets. They knew
that without union on these points the ac-
ceptance of Greeley and Brown would be
ONLY a mOckerY, delusiOn and snare.
In other States, as IN Illinois and Indiana,
the plain course dictated by common sense
and common honesty has been followed
and a close union with the Liberals has
been effected. In one a JOINT State ticket
has been nominated, and in the other the
formation of the electoral ticket has been
RENTED to the whole body OF Liberals. In
every State except Louisiana, friendly rela-
tions have been established between the
Liberals and the Democracy, and efforts
have been made in good faith to unite the
| Liberal and the Democratic vote for State
I as well as for national purposes. In LOuis1-
! aua alone a different course has been pur-
| sued. In Louisiana alone the Liberal
| party-that party which hFst rallied 10
| tha support of the Cincinnati movement,
which anticipated the decision OF the
| national Democracy, and which gave a
! re istIess impulse to the Greeley and Brown
| ticket-has been treated by the Democratic
organization with contumely and scoru,
! and made the object of bitter invectlve and
denunciatiOn. And yet, in Louisiana, per-
| hans more than in any other State, thor
| Ough union OF the Liberal and Democratic
| vote ia necessary to success. So evident is
this fact that on the adjournment Of the
| ODera House Democratic Convention, thou
| sands of Democrats in New Orleans and
throughout the State abandoned the Demo
| cratic organization and Joined the Liberal
| party. These accessionS are counted by
tens of thousands They are so numerous
that we can assert as an indisputable fact
that, in at least half of the parishes, the
| Democratic organization is without fol
lower, and in the greater portion OF the rest
the Liberal party commands large ma
iOrity of what was once the Democratic
vote.
In the whole State there are but six jour
nails supporting the Democratic or united
State ticket, and of the fifty-siX parishes
not half a dozen are represented in the
| Democratic State Committee. In spite Of
these conspicuous facts, the Democratic or
ganizatiOn, thus reduced to minimum Of
voting power, persists in keeping up a show
of separate and Independent organization
and the Democratic committee, thus emas
culated of representative character, has
nominated and presented a State and cleo
tOraI ticket. No rational man believes tha
| they expect to elect either one or the other
and hence the public can come to no Othe1
conclusion than that they are running then
State ticket in the interest Of the BatoI
Rouge candidates, and their electoral tickle
for the purpose of defeating Greeley anC
Brown, the nominees of their own NatiOna
Convention. We distinctly charge this upol
them, because we have no right to ASSUME
that they are so blind as not to see the fact
of the situation, or so silly as not to fOrese
the necessary effects of their own acts
1t is proper for the whole country, a
well as for the people of this State, to know
that the Democratic rump organization
while pretending to accept the decision o
the Baltimore convention, is in reality hos
tile to the national Liberal candidates, an,
that while it presents an electoral ticket Il
the name of Greeley and Brown, it Is try
ing to give the vote of the State to Grant.
Whether this course is the fulfillment 0
the contract entered into last winter be
tween the CustOmhOuse party and til
Democratic committees whether it is tn
, result of more recent and more secret 0bal
gains, having for their object the control 0
local offices and patronage, or whether 1t l
dictated by an unreasOning Obstlnacy Whlc
prefers a total ruin to success obtained b.
concession and Cancellation, the public wi
decide according to the probabilities OF tn
case.
Whatever may be the decision the Lii
eral party feels that, if unfortunately til
State should be lost, they will at least no
be held responsible at the bar Of publ
opinion. But they are convinced that tn
good sense of the people will avert the ca
lamitOus consequences which might Other
wise result from the bad faith or tn
irrational preiudices of the Democrat
leaders. They do not believe that the pee
pie will permit the State to be sacrificed a
the dictatiOn of men who have shown then
selves utterly incOmpetent to understan
| the necessities of the times, and incapabl
of achieving anything but -deteat.
, The Liberal party appeals to all citizen
who are opposed to Grants administration
. to all who are sincerely in favor of Creole
| and Brown; to all who wish to defeat tn
, Vaccinations of the corrupt and Wicke
faction represented by the Baton Roug
ticket Their convention, to be held on tn
nth of August, will represent a vast mG
! iOPity of the Liberal and Democratic voter
of the State. and their ticket will be SUI
ported by an array of numerical force
, backed by an amount of moral influence
which will reduce the Democratic bolt t
insignificant and, perhaps, inapprecabl
| Tho nEpTln understand tina
, | in this election the State must 20 eIthe
for the Liberal or for the CustOmhOus
party. The success of the one insures GU
1 vote for Greeley and Brown, and will Civ
| us that practical reform in State affair
which we SO much need. The success 0
the other, with Mr.. Kellogg as Governor
and reversiOn of the executive office t
the notorious c. G. Antoine, will entail o
f ! us a DerDetuatiOn of corrupt and venal leg
islatiOn and all the horrors of government
RENTED TO the hands of the ignorant, tn
vicious and the degraded. For any Usefu
? purpose the present Democratic OTganiZa
, ton is pOwerless. 1t repels rather than al
tracts popular sympathy. 1t appeals Onl
to a name which has become an empt
) word; to memories which recall the division
and resentments of bitter past; to pTejU
dices and passions which are the legacy q
an era of strife and blood; to issues whic
have been settled, and to controversies
which are closed.
f The Liberal party turns from the past t
the future; it seeks to heal the wound
which years of sectional hate and angr
conflict have Inflicted on the country;
strives to release the people from the gal
ing letters of party tyranny, and to con
bine in one great movement all the OppC
: sitiOn to the corrupt and despOtlc govern
ment at Washington, and to the equal
E, !, ,1b