The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-07-17
McENERY AND PENN.

McENERY AND PENN.
The Mobile Register is laboring under
the hallucinotion that the Democrats
and Conservatives Of Louisiana are not
equal to the task Of running their State
Convention and kindly advises us to
nominate Gov. Penn, assuring us that
he Is the strongest and most popular
man In the party. because In 1872, when
J a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. he
ran ssveral thousand votes ahead of
Gov. McEnery, the candidate for Cover
nor on the same ticket. This fact by no
means indicates that Gov. Penn is or
was q more popular man than Gov.
McEDery. In 1871 Coy. McEnery
ran against the strongest man
In the Radical party in Louisiana, W.
Pitt Kellogg. At that time Kellogg
stood immeasurably better with the
people than he does now, and many
empty-headed Democrats were favor
able to him because OF some railroad
legislation he engineered in Congress
while In the Senate. There are plenty
of mutton-h heads in Louisiana who
would sell out, 'or sacrifice the whole
State, or. for that matter, the whole
unioa, and every honest and decent
principle. to get clap-trap bill through
Congress or the Legislature, in which
the name OF some cross roads village
In Buzzard Roost, or, Opossum Hollow
neighborhood might be designa-
ted as u terminus, or they
| II
the appointment OF police juror
for some ward of parish. Thus at
every session of Congress and the Legis-
lature, we find Radical members max
ing great noise over impossible rail
roads; impossible hospitals, and other
impossible enterprises, while the Sub
stantials," fancying that all that Is me-
cessary to build railroad is to pass q
bill. Immediately identify the willy Radi-
cal with the future glory Of Hog Wallow,
and fancy that even II he is something
OF liar and thief, his services are es-
sential to the prosperity OF the State,
and that In passing the said bill he has
done for the country more than all the
Democratic leaders who have for
years resisting temptation and
defying denunciations, stood by
the principles Of the Constitution,
and struggled to re-establish al
sound, law enforcing, and economical
government. Kellogg was one OF the
Radical rascals who In 1872 had worked
up a sort OF popularity OF this kind
among our people by railroad bills of
vast promise with no road In them.
Thus, In 1872, Kellogg was the most
formidable man In the Radical party to
run against, and he got many votes, for
the reason we have mentioned, which
ought to have been cast for McEnery.
Upon the other hand, Gov. Penn ran
for Lieut.. Governor against the little |
ignorant negro Antoine. Theresswas
"a strong feeling among d cer-
tain class of Conservatives in favor OF
Kellogg, and, at the same time, feel
ing OF disgust, even among the white
Radicals, at the candidacy OF Antoine.
1t is easy to see how, under these cir
cumstances, even If Gov. Penn had |
been the least popular man on the Fu-
sion ticket, he might have received
much larger vote than McEnery.
The larger vote of Penn was due also,
In part, to another cause. MeEnery rep
resented in the fusion the straight
Democracy, Penn the Liberal Repub-
lican party which Warmoth had organ
lied. Owing to this political connection
Gov. Penn received a large vote from
the more decent Radicals, who were
willing to vote for Liberal
Republican, but not for Democrat.
The circumstances OF the canvass Of
1876 are very different from those of 1879,
and il oil the same influences which
contributed to swell the vote of Gov.
Penn in 1874 were operating in his favor
now, he would be entirely Objectionable
to the Democratic and Conservative
party. His present political affiliations
cut off from him all hope Of Radical
support in case of his nomination, and
throw him with those gentlemen aspir
ing to the nomination solely upon the
party SUPPORT n0t acuh3 8ildug |,
We make these statements In justice
TO Gov. McEuci ~ nooss- e.o,nan+
Of Gov. Penn, and they are not to the
OF Gov. Penn A chiyal-
rous gentleman himself. we are sure
that he does not base any OF his claims
to q nomination on the fiction OF supe
rior popularity manifested by the vote
Of 1872.
What we have said to place Gov.
McEnery right, We would have said
under similar circumstances for Gov.
Penn, or for any other candidate before
the Baton Rouge Convention.
1t is owing to an accident to our press
that the DEMOCRAT appears later than
usual this evening.