New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-04
LOUISIANA POLITICS.

erning party. The elections in Louisiana
were conducted before the war in exactly
the same manner as at present. We ex'
tract from q Democratic Journal the
organ of the Douglas Democracy in New
Orleans, description s . Democratic
convention held in May, 1860. It is
headed .sThe Packed Convention" and
proceeds as follows:
Very little Interest," - may be expected.
il excited or taken in the proceedings OF
the mongrel convention now citing at Baton
ROuge-yclept . Democratic convention.
Tho members Of this body q much repre-
sent the people or public opinion of LOuisi-
ana 20 the offioe-holder and their thug allies,
in this parish, rho made the Orleans delega-
ton, do ito wealth, its intelligence, it's char
actar, or its patriotism.
For gears past the political exhibitions OF
this State have been such, that save for its
half.dO4en votes in Q national convention,
being at the disposal of the best offers. no
more Importance is attached to 1t than
there would be for q pr0nunciamento OF
Utah or New Mexico. At this time there
is still less than usual, for the degrading
character OF our political organizatlQps
have reached point below which even the
depravity, meanpess and servility of office
hunters and Of6ce-h0lders can not descend.
four italics.1
1t is then added:
The true Democracy of these States can
not, thank Heaven, be prevented haviDG
their way BY any combination of plOhSDte
politicians and unprincipled iobbers.
Such was the mode of conducting the
politics of Louisiana ''for years past" be.
fore the war. The Democratic officers Of
the Customhouse, Postoface and other
federal stations .'mads the New Orleans
delegation" The half dozen Democratic
votes in the national convention were at
the disposal Of the best offer"
If we are told that this accusation By
the ''true Democracy of these States" is
violent and slanderous, we find in it pre-.
cisely the language of the Democratic
press of Louisiana to-day. It, however,
comedies with what we said yesterday Of
the election combats in 1853. of which We
were an eye witness. We will say on au-
thority of the record that there is not as
much luminosity between the Republicans
end their opponents to-day as there was
between the Democrats and Know.
Nothings of the period to which we refer.
As Republicanism was not then a party
reproach, and colored men had no pre-.
tense of suffrage, we refer this fraud and
violence to the social ideas of those who
have conducted our elections.
To the notorious abuses of the ballot
box, and the purchase Of nominations
which preceded 1860. history will add the
intimidation and violence employed by
the Democracy of Louisiana since the
extension of suffrage to the colored race.
The Conservative Picayune is mistaken in
saying that the Republicans will assume
the assassination of Senator Twitchell
and Tax Collector King as campaign Ok.
element. This act of violence, even il
proved to have been caused by political
purpose, will only show the continuance
of the system of Colfax, Coushatta, Fell.
ciana and New Orleans. It is the settled
political practice Of the Democratic party
in Louisiana.
It is not probable that anything we may
say will have the effect to reform this es.
tablished system. We expect q campaign
conducted by the same bullying press,
local intolerance, violation of personal
right, and armed intimidation of oppo.
nent voters which has always distinguished
the Democracy Of Louisiana.
Perhaps some practical suggestion to
the property and business conservatism
of the State and city may fall upon re.
Elective ears. We will try it. Before the
war New Orleans was the seat of an inevi
table trade. The agricultural planters o.
Louisiana were rich and entirely indie
pendent of foreign capital or of immi
grant numbers. New Orleans could then
carry its horde of corrupt and violen,
politicians without impairing its CONNER
cial profits. The Louisiana planter then
purchased the labor for the increase o.
his crop, and looked with dislike upor
the immigration of men whose ideas upor
that subject might differ with his own.
New Orleans to-day. depends upor
foreign capital; upon distant commerce
and upon the ready access of strangers
to her wharves and counters. New Or
leans has been, by the commercial rivalry
Of other cities, deprived Of the trade
monopoly she once enjoyed. She il
striving to regain Or replace that trade by
additional facilities of railroads and
steamships. Not having the capital fol
this indispensable enterprise, she mus
solicit it abroad. The lands of Louisiana
are not worth in market anything ikt
their former prices. This is caused b!
the disproportion between the arabic lane
and the amount of labor employed in agri
culture. Louisiana, then, needs immigra
tion-ihtelligent immigration.
Does not conservatism see that Will
New Orleans and Louisiana could carr,
in 1860 the frauds of Plaquemines, ant
the thug murders of New Orleans, neithe
the city nor State can in 1876 support {
system which arms the worst elements o
society to plumber the rich by forced cam
paign loans, to terrify the timid into al
abdication Of their rights, to divert from
the lawful trade Of the city every dollar o
distant capital, and to turn from the Stat