The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-08-29
THE WHITE LEAGUE STATE CON
VBFTI0N AT BATON ROUGE,

1 kAb[A 81 AHlldSN DCLOCIstlS VI lHiS anu
other sections of the State, and shared
| in by the CHIEF, that the Baton Rouge
Convention, comprising the most able
and cool headed representative men
of the party, would throw cold water
on the White League movement, dep
recate race distinctions in the coming
contest, and enunciate a platform of
principles that would appeal to the
reason rather than the passions and
prejudices of the white people.
These expectations have been COM
pleteiy disappointed.
The White League element seems
to have captured the Convention with
out a struggle, and the spirit of that
clannish organization pervaded the
august assemblage apparently from
the moment of its conyocation. The
Democrats proper, who declare alleg
lance and devotion to the name and
traditions of the ancient Democratic
party the Conservatives, who are
more Democratic than Republican
the Liberals, who should be more Re-
publican than Democratic, but are
not; the Reformers, whose status is
not clearly defined; all struck their
colors to the white flag and Joined in
the declaration that reforms impera-
lively demanded can be effected only
By the election to office of srhite men
of known capacity" The very pre-
amble to the platform signifies the
acceptance of the White League doc
trine, opening as it does with the an
nouncement that We, the white peo-
pie of Louisiana" do declare and re-
solve certain things.
Thus it is the Democracy, and not
the Republicans, who seek to make
the issue at the approaching election
one of race and color, instead Of prin-
ciple. It is "we, the white people
who are banding themselves together
to perpetuate odious class distinctions
and deny colored men any participa-
ton in the government, and not the
colored citizens forming against their
white neighbors, as has been charged
by the Leaguers.
In another column ne publish the
full text of the platform of ave, the
white people" and we ask our read
ers to compare it's declarations fairly
and calmly with those of the Republi-
can platform. It will be observed
that while the latter endorses the ex-
listing State Government for the great
reform ithas accomplished, the former
has naught for it but utilization and
abuse and wholly ignores the good it
has done simply because it is Repub-
liean in composition. The Republi-
cans distinctly pledge themselves to
reduce the expenses of the Govern
ment, and their record for the past
two years is presumptive evidence of |
the sincerity of that pledge; the
White Leagaers are wholly silent up
on the question of specific reforms,
with the single exception of an am
biguous reference to the State debt |
which had better have been left I'M
said for policy's sake. The Republi-
cans declare that duty constrains them
to support honest men for Office their |
opponents announce that only sh,te
men should be eligible. The Repub-
licans give their unqualified approval
to the funding bill as representing the
utmost liabilities the State is able to |
assume in her present impoverished |
condition, and endorse the proposed |
constitutional amendments reducing
the State debt to sI5,Ooo,OoO, taxa |
ton to 145 mills On the dollar, and
applying the revenues Of each year to |
paying current expenses of that year
" we, the white people, advise the
defeat of these salutary amendments,
presumably for no other reason than
because they were adopted by Re-
publican General Assembly and pro-
mulgated by a Republican Governor.
The Republican platform deproeates
and intimidation and calls
for q fair and peaceable election on
principle; in the face of numerous
League outrages throughout the State,
the white yves assert that they
have no intention of using violence to
attain their ends. The Republicans