The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1874-05-30


Comprising the Parishes on
Calcasfaals Cameron, Lnfay-
cate and 81. Landry
AS q candidate for the Office Of
state Senator, Z uaem e my duty
10 you, no less than to myself, to
announce publicly my political
( principles ia these daYs of poll
tical intrigue and corruption, when
l the general rule among candidates
! is 20 eone:liate voters Of an par
! ties, ! know that such ain announce
ment viii cost me hundreds Of
votes, which 1 might secure by
silence; but, ia my humble judg-
ment q man WHO asks the people
To trust BIN with the responsible
Office for which I am a candidate,
ought to be willing to trust the
people with a public declaration
OF bis political sentiments.
There are, besides, special rea-
sons, shy You have a right to OK
pect me to speak, and to speak
I plainly. They are because this is
the FIRST time in my life I ever
sought a political Office because
this is the first time i ever sought
any Office whatever in this district;
aud because / am personally nm
acquainted With many of you, es-
| pecially in the parish Of Lafayette.
DISTINGUISHED by the Constitu-
ton OF the United States for seven
1 years after the late war; enfran
chised only BY the last general
amnesty act Of Congress, Il have
taken but little part ia politics
since the war. That little, like
my political action ever since I
came, a boy Of nineteen, to
Lonisiana, has been in the interest
Of the Democratic party. / have
never voted any other national
ticket, nor any other State ticket,
except at the last general election,
when voted the Fusion ticket,
except for the Office of Secretary
of State, for which / did not vote
at all My Democratic record ia
clear, even from q just suspicion.
/ challenge proof to the contrary.
When, id the fall Of 1879, the
Democratic party went down, for
the fourth consecutive time ia
twelve consecutive years, before
the disciplined ranks of the
Republican party, |, like thou
sands Of its lifelong support
ers in all parts Of the Union, be-
Iieyed its reorganization rs ma
tional party impossible. / con.
sidered it, as national Dar{n
dead beyond the hope Of resnrrec-
ton. La tie succeeding State
elections, particularly in the West
ern States, | saw there was not
even tie semblance Of a State
Democratic party, In some States
the Grange, or, more properly,
Patrons Of Husbaudry, party,
stepped IN and took It's place; Ia
Others, there were no nominations
opposed To the Republican nomi-
nations; the Democracy voting. it'll
at all, with the Conservative.
against the Radical, Republicans.
Stih ! refused to make new patty
affiliations, and my political prin
ciples remained unchanged.
At the same time 1 have always
contended, and Still insist, that
radicalism in politics is fatal to
the life Of any party, There are
radical Democrats. as well as
radical Republicans, and / never
have allowed, and I never will
allow, any one to dictate to me
what / shall believe or say.
/ believe that every American
citizen has an inalienable right to
the free exercise and expression Of
his political views, being account
able to the people therefor.
| believe that most Of the glory,
of the American Republic II due
to the administration Of the DEM
ocratic party, and to an adherence
to that cardinal principle Of that
party, Fidelity to, and Il strict
construction oil, the Constitution