The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-05-24
Las! bitches.

ioeiel anu Intelligent QeEOtlOn tC
Louisiana that in the opening cam
paign all political elements opposed
to the Radical party, all shades o.
honest opinion, would cordially unite
| in the Democratic Conservative or
ganzation to defeat the party which
for eight years has visited shame
and ruin upon the State. We be.
lieSe, nay, We are sure that this har.
mony Will finally be brought about
| Yet we shbmitlthat it is the height
of unwisdom, at this hour, when the
battle lines are being drawn, for the
Conservative papers to open their vi
rulent attacks upon those whom they
are fond of terming "Bourbons" and
"Last Ditchers." Last week oul
friends of the Picayune devoted 8
column of valuable space, which
; ought to have been used to expose
and denounce Kelloggism, to declaim.
ing against the Democrats, affirming
that they, as we'll as the Radicals
were to be fought and conquered. Il
it is ia truth the purpose of our ex.
tceifeht contemporary to organize this
double campaign against Radicalism
and Democracy, we warn it to count
its hosts before it opens its batteries
and displays its banners In the
country parishes it will find no fol.
lowers in its raids upon the Democ-
racy, and it wilb we think, find
among the trate Conservatives of New
Orleans little countenance in any such
plan of action.
The terms Bourbon" and sLast
Ditcher" have lost their offensive
force as epithets and their originality
as campaign rhetoric. Every blatant
demagogue who wants an office and
has been discarded by the Democra-
cy; every political renegade who
wants an excuse to join the enemy;
every spy in the enemy's camp strut
| +. III
ting in the stolen livery of conserva-
tism; every shallowpated editor who
cannot distinguish between princi-
pie and a pumpkihS every slang
whanging independent, feels that his
duty is to assail Democracy and he
proceeds to do it by shouting against
"Bourbons' and 'Last Ditchers," as
though the men who are thus charac-
terized were the worst and most ma.
levolent enemies Of the country.
Happily for the State, these terms, as
we have said are no longer, in Louis
lana, terms ofopprobrium. They are
but the designations of the chief of
party which, through all the vicissi-
tudes of the commonwealth have
stood by the true principles of Re
publican government and refused to
compromise the dignity of Louisiana
by compromising with the bands of
thieves who have held its government.
We make no attack upon the honest
Conservatives of the State; We are for
no double campaign; we have no war
with them; we have no war with any
party willing to league with the De-
mocracy for the redemption of Louis
lana. But we protest against the
folly, the idiocy of those really desi-
rous of serving the State, venting
their abuse upon the Democrats. So
far from displaying disposition to
rule or ruin, the Democratic leaders
have several times, reluctantly it is
true, because they doubted the poll
cy, left the organization of our cam
paign to the Liberals, or Conserva.
tives, and we do not see that any
practical results have been obtained.
Yet the canvass of 1876 opens with
the same old blatant abuse of Demo
Gratis, and the same cfap-trap about
conservatism, moderation, etc. When
the original character of the Republic
is restored, and when the State of
Louisiana is redeemed and regenera-
ted, the work will be accomplished
through the agency of party basing
its movements upon sound and i'm
mutable principles; and the men who
abide by principle; who stand by the
Constitution; who refuse to eompro-
mise with adventures and thieves,
cannot be safely or wisely denounced
by those who desire to be thought to
have the welfare of the country at
heart. We are in the midst of alb
normal social and political condi-
tions, and it is difficult always to see
clearly, and to judge accurately; but
when the work of redeeming this
State and country shall have been
accomplished, and the social and po-
litical atmosphere shall have so