The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1876-09-02
PLATFORM
of the
Democratic ic-COnsc2U0tive Purtu
Of the State Of Louisiana.

| We, the representatives of the Democrat
| !P-COnservative party of the State of LOui
| Siana, in Convention assembled, d, hereby
declare administrative and political reform
| to be the paramount issue in the conline @
general election, and we earnestly appeal
| to our fellOw-citiZens OF every former pOlitj
cal association of white and colOred to zeal
| ously cooperate with lis in our pronounced
effort to effect such reform.
We arraign the Radical party of Loui
sian;t for marked and frequent violations
of the letter and spirit of the constitution;
for the assumption of illicit powers for the
benefit of party. and to the grcar injury
and almost total ruin of the State; for for
| mentng dissensions between the races and
deliberately existing strife and turmoil.
thereby cruely sacrificing the lives of col
Oied and white citizens. with the intent Of
procuring uuwarranted and uncOnstitutiun
al interference i'll our State affairs.
We denOunce the usnrpatIve and bad gov
ernment which Louisiana has suffered for
the last four years, usurpatiOn under
which officers elected by the people have
been displaced, the government arbitrarily
overthrcwn by federal power, the Lcgisla-
ture invaded and dispersed by bayonets in
time of profound peace, and sucfi violent
and unlawful interference adds bu' another
to the long list of crimes for whsch the Re-
publican party should be held to account in
November next.
We hereby proclaim that it is our desire
and fixed purpose under any and every pro-
vocation to have a fair and peaceable elec
ton; but we demand and will insist that
ther shall be no violence Or intimidation ex
crcised towards such of our colored fellow
citizens as may wish to co-oppcrate with
us for the redemption of the State from
misrule
We fully recognize the binding effect of
the three recent articles of amendment to
the constitution Of the United States, and
accept the same as IL final settlement of
the controversies that cngendered civil
war, and we pledge ourselves to protect
every citizen i'll the exercise of the rights
acquired and guaranteed by said amend
mrnts, whatever bo his race color or pre-
viOus condition.
We hereby pledge our party to the salts
faction of all the legal obligations issued
by the State of Louisiana TO ihe most sire
nuous efforts III the direction of reform and
ond economical administration of the gov
ernment, and especially TO the abolition OF
all unnecessary public officers TO the re-
duction of the fees and salaries of ofhcsrs ::
to the standard OF Ii fair remuneration and
the consequent reduction of taxation to the
lowest possible limit commensurate with
the necessary expenses OF the Government
aud the preservation of the public faith,
and to the crIrtalment of the dangerously
large patronage OF Ike chief executive of
the State.
We declare ourselves in favor of the pas
sage Of the Texas Pacific RAILROAD bill, now
pending before Congress, and reconlmcnd
our members Of Congress to advocate its
passage at an early date
We advocate the fostering of the public
schools for the benefit of all tho educatablc
children of the State. and that equal advan-
/ tage be given to all children, colored rs
well as white
We cordially approve of and endorse the
platform OF the national Democrrtic party
recently assembled in convention at st.
Louis, and feel inspired with the hope of a
better Government in the future; but the
great question of reform is brought before
the people of the whole country by 4. great
national party. and we pledge Ourselves to
use our utmost efforts to secure the success
Of those great exponcnts of national 'eforul
Sam'l J. Tilden and Thos. a. Hendricks.