New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-15
fYos the New Oricsns Republican,
ROMANCE or POLITICS IN TINE eAcKwoops
Life in North Louisiana Since the War
BY W. JASPER BLACKBURN, EDITOR OF THE
HOMER ILIAD.

/
| 11.-FOrmatisn of state Tickets for the
Campaign of 1S72-The Democracy
Make Full and Final Surrender in
the Vain Hope of spOiis-Republican
Treachery to North Louisiana.
| When you come to tread, in the path of
duty, upon the cOrns of your friends, COM
mon sympathy and the dictates Of ordinary
courtesy would seem to demand that your
steps should be somewhat select, and that
the foot should be put down with some
| degree of extra caution, though with none
the less of frmness-tnat the truth should
be told plainly, but in as mild and gentle
| terms as possible. And so shall | proceed
to write concerning the State tickets brought
before the people in the Louisiana campaign
| of l872-that is, so far as the Republican
party is concerned. As to the Democracy
| the piebald and mOngrel and fragmentary
| opposition to the Republican party in that
campaign-I do not consider that l am
under any sort of obligation to use honeyed
| words or hunt for choice phrases; indeed, l
| do not think that truth, love or mercy de-
| mands or would hardly tolerate any such
tone or temper on my part, ''ln these pre-
misses" as my eloquent friend Senator Bar
| Der would say.
With the adjournment of the Legislature
VI lo'~ Inc pOilUlCdl CduiuTOu VI AOulSldud
| commenced to boil and blubber in good
| fashion. The pot was a mixed one. The
ingredients were diversified and the fire was
h0t-hencs the fermentation was rather in
| tense, not to say alarming. Of course the
| pot boiled over from the very start, and
some who were watching the fire and stir
| ring the "mess' got burned at the very out
/ set. And there was stench-a gaseous and
tainted fume-which went up from this fes-
nd CIV yvfTv hat
:dered the political atmosphere unpleasant,
not to say sickening, to tastidious nostrils
|: throughout the land; and those of very
.accnte sense of touch in this respect could
snuff the breeze even from afar, to sitting
degree. l well remember that the odor
reached North Louisiana at once, and ere.
ated there general stir to and fro in search
of a decent political refuge.
This boiling and stencil breeding political
cauldron was, of course, located in New
Orleans-the principal source Of all pO-
litical rOttenness and rascality in Louisiana
where the ravenous Democracy have al
most full sway at the polls, and yet where
almost all the Republican officials spring
up to reap the fruits Of victory achieved by
the Woodworking and Unprotected and
sill more poorly rewarded Republicans OF
The back woods parishes.
The number of conventions holden from
April to September of 1872 to tabricate and
manufacture State tickets for the NOvem
Der election OF that year may not have
been a thousand and One-may not have
been as numerous as the autumnal leaves
in VallOmbrosa; but sure l am there were
as many as a cat has lives, or as it takes of
tailOrs to make man; and they were in the
main about az noisy and thOughtless and
pointless as the wailing elements of bed
lam, or q regiment of mouthing and COM
planning caterwaulers under the straI ge
influences of q sickly moon.
We had at that time perfect political
Babel. Every man had his own political
dialect, and would at times even forget
that; 80 that he could not understand any
thing or tell what in the world he did want
only that he would like to be Governor"
or have some other place affording big pay
and cheap" of steal.
So the political cauldron of Louisiana
commenced to boil furiOusly, early in the
spring of 1872. and Warmoth displayed a
disposition to stir with all sorts of sticks.
He tried first one kind and then another,
in quick succession, and still the pot would
not boil and blubber to suit him. He would |
take the Liberal rod and give stir, when |
the seething mass would splash into his |
face; then he would reach for the Peoples |
rOd-the retrenchMent and reform staff |
with no better result; and then he would, |
for a while, daily with the broken and dirty |
sticks of the broken and dirty Democracy, |
with ''side-lOng LOOK and lingering eye |
upon the solid and still unbroken Republi- |
can flagstaff. And had he taken a vigorous !
hold upon this, he would have been all |
right, and been able, at once, to control |
successfully the boiling and blubbering |
mass.
But Governor WarmOth would not do |
this. At least, he did not. He seemed de-
pretty much still to have his own
way in everything, as he heretofore had in
the Republican party; but as he had now
reached point in the Republican party
where he could no longer do this, he deter
mined to leave the party proper and try to
organize outside of its lines.
Meantime, the Democracy were not only
split wide open, but thoroughly disorgan-
led and dispersed as party.
A convention of Reformers was called to
organize in behalf Of the people, par ex-
cellence. This move was composed and
backed in the main by played out party
hacks and superannuated fossils OF the
Democratic stripe, with few young as
Drants who were ready to espouse any
cause that might lead on to fOrtune"-lead
20 office and emOlument-all OF whom form
lily declared they were willing to swallow
he negro from head to foot, "giZzard-heel
md all'-washed or unwashed. After the
'tfice- seekers in this move were counted out
here were none left as common voters"
The Democracy proper also commenced
he convention business with a view of
ringing out or exercising some influence
n bringing, out and forming State ticket.
This move was composed in the main of
oreheads-men who may perhaps at times
orget all things. but can not justly be said
o learn anything, political malcontents
Who worshiped slavery, and will die and 60
o hell cursing its abolition.
And all this while the two wings of the
republican party were Tapping about and
eating the political fOur-quarters of all
reation for a safe roosting place.
And 80 finally, after these fragmentary |
lements had held a score or 80 Of conven-
ions, and all had nominated about as
many distinct and separate State tickets, a |
eneral compromise was entered into all |
Ound. And that compromise resulted in
lacing before the people of the State the
wO tickets which were run at the last cleo
On-tickets which were in some respects
heats, both to the different political par.
les and to the people at large.
On the anti Republican side the thing re.
olved itselve into pure and simple Demo
ratio ticket, and very weak one at that
ohm McEnery at the head was a very weak
nan before the people, mean those who
7ere expected specially to support him
ecause neither in point of ability nor poll
cal antecedents did he possess any rally
ig points; and particularly did his record :
luce the war drive off as Der very force all |