New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-20
THE SCRAMBLE FOR sPOILS.

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THE SCRAMBLE FOB sP01Ls. -,
The leaders ~ the turbulent Democs
racy of this city begin to experience now
sweet and pleasant thing it is for oretn-
rem to dwell together in unity. They know
this by contrast, however, for the most
hopeful among them all can not foresee a
peaoeabIe and amicabls solution Of the
contest now waging over the prospective
division Of the yet unoaptured spoils Of
Office. The whole camp is in violent
| ferment; the privates are in open mutiny,
the officers are at their Wits end, and the
s.Redeemers of Louisiana" in bad way
generally. Nothing that ever took
place at the st. Charles Theatre,
or in any other Republican con-
vention that we ever saw, was equal
to the saturnalia of disorder that has
characterized the preliminary proceedings
of the Democratic Parish Convention of
Orleans. Delegates who have emerged
victorious from six hard fought ward con-
tests are to be elected because they failed
to receive the stamp Of approval from the
higher or privileged classes, who AFRO
gantly write themselves the gentlemen
of Louisiana" Being gentlemen born,
who, they argue, so fit to assume the lead
and direction of affairs? They control
the press, the capital, the social institu.
| tlons, and why not the votes and con-
sciences of the lower orders also. The
poor mechanics and laboring men, here
tofore so obedient to the high behests of
these born gentlemen, have found out
two important things:
l. That they are in very large MAORI
ty and have the numerical strength to
control the Democratic party.
2. That the gentlemen of Louisiana"
seem to have little use for them except at
primary and general elections.
To Offset these reasons and the motive
for disafection, their opponents have con-
troll of money and possess the influence
which comes naturally to the employer.
The so-called better classes are fully con-
scious Of the advantages this power gives
them, and they will either starve their
subordinates into submission, or give
them long contest. Besides this ad-
vantage the minority party, by q judi
cious use of money and and few plausi-
BILE promises, meant to be irredeemable,
can obtain plenty Of recruits in the ranks
of the inferior ''redeemers," and thus
break up anything like an organized op-
position. This policy may be supple
mented by ostracism ad minimum.
A large majority of the faction of the
Democratic party is composed of the Irish
laborers who have generally been counted
upon by the political leaders as so much
solid stock in trade-a sort Of mobile
capital, easily controlled on the score of
good fellowship for some countryman
whose name has been put upon the ticket
as a sort of stool-pigeon. There are a |
good many Germans also, whose votes the |
Democratic leaders confidently count on
and generally secure on much better
terms than they &c. the Irish. When |
there appears to be any danger Of losing
the German vote, the Democrats usually |
raise the cry that the Republican party
proposes to restrict them in their privi- |
lege of drinking beer on Sunday, or some |
such clap trap, and by q judicious addi-
ton of other trihing auxiliaries, secure |
their main object at little cost.
With these two great wings of large |
army waiting for orders to march to the
POLLS on election day land cast their votes |
for the redemption of Louisiana, the
Democrats regard nomination by the |
parish convention as equivalent to an
election. So far as this city and parish |
are concerned, perhaps it is so. It there
fore becomes a matter Of serious moment |
to make selection of the ''redeemers
One would suppose, TO witness the fuss
that is made over this work, that there
were but very few suitable persons extant,
and some danger exists that they will not
be found. Each individual knows, of
course, that he himself would do, but as
all have more or less doubts about each
other the deliberations assume most
boisterous phase.
Before this convention met We had been
led by the rose colored view of things
presented by the party organs that the
great Democratic Conservative Tilden,
Hendricks and reform party was SO full Of
virtue that you could scarcely go wrong in
selecting saint out of any man you met
IN the streets-one ''whose nomination is
It once satisfactory to the people and
,reditable to the delegates" That, Of
course, will come after the present pain
ul parturition is over, but at present the
work Of pulling the right man into the
light place resembles pulling the hair of
heir numerous competitors out by the
cots. Ii
This internecine fight is intensified by
he quiet attitude assumed by the Repub-
leans. For the present they seem to have
bandoned the municipal and parochial
ield to the gentlemen Of Louisiana" and
heir stubbornly mutinous subordinates,
he "short hairs, and the battle between
hese home forces is fierce and edifying I
Perhaps after one party mas soundly
,eaten the other, some new combinations
a Io 4 4l,a., !.