Richland beacon., 1876-09-16
The Independent Candidate.

ne question: has been asked us, Tan
real, ,rnc and sound democrat he influenced
10 become a candidate for office on an indie.
the parIy' We cannot understand how he
can, FIR by so doing lie manif.sts willingness
10 sacrifice the party To Lis own personal in
rerest. We are glad there are none of these
Independents in this parish, for if there were
they might cGnstruG the following remark, oe
the New Orleans Dcmocra, into personal
matter. That paper says:
Ii seems strange that the bump of selfim-
portance should be 80 developed in any man
as To induce lin To imagine init the people
OF Louisiana, or Of the whole Union VIII stop
IN the mi tst OF the present great fight for
rriu'm aud honest government To listen to
him and his petty grievances.
Yet this is the firm belief of some score or
so OF called independent candidates who
have sprung up in the past few months, and
who, IN long addresses 10 the people, narrate
their grievances, and solicit. much after the
manner OF butcher and baker, the popular
support, Promising, in return, 10 give as much
for the votes accorded them a. anybody else
in the field. These Independents are gener-
ally ihr Legitimate OILS ring of parish con-
veniion or parish primary hat Is they re
the dregs. t.e lcaving., the defeated candi-
dates, who find something 10 complain of,
same lohny'nI or log-rni.0g by which, they
have been drGrated; it is never an iusufi
cienry OF votes tina: has prevented their
nCmInarion.
: l,Is tn,ni
supplemented OCCASIONALLY by "A crafty appeal
To some local pref micr, lie Independent can
dldate takes the field and sometimes accom-
plishe> a good deal Of injury to himself and
everybody else
Snch independent candidates have already
appeared in about "a dozen localities there
are SOME of them, not many, in Union. some
in Caliweli, one in Assumption, hat the
Florida parishes seem their special stronghold
and p1radise; they are ont in force in Tangi-
pahoa, in 81. Helena, and now that the Liv.
inss on Parish Convention has made its
nominations and everybody that IAN for office
has not been nominated, the Port Vincent
lrlune thinks that the independent crop in
that parish will devclope itself very soon.
The vote in Vermont was, by $1,000 the
largest ever pollel in that State; larger even
than that cast in 1861, when the Union hung
on the result of the election; everything
promises an election more important, more
revolutionary than any we have ever had.
While Boutwell, breaches revolution in Mas
sachuseits; willie Radicals are everywhere
threatening to subver this government in the
fight; while, here, in Louisiana, our honor,
oar lie, our property is saked on the election,
some Sc f-suiicient and concerted politician
breaks out into loud complaint Of an injustice
having b 'en done kim at some ward election
or some parish convention. a wrong only to
be rishicd by his running for an cllice as an
Independents.
Ii is little to say that he will be beaten.
Independent candidates have never thrivcd
IN Louisiana; there is no middle ground for
them to stand on, no purga,ory between
Democracy and Radicalism.
Least OF all have Independent candidates
show, suspicion Of chance in this election;
1t Is TOO important for that. The prohibition.
lists in New England generally are well in off
or non presidential years How they thrive
this year is shown by the Vermont election,
where, though the total vote Of the State is
almost doubled, the prohibition vote Is only
one-eishth of that of II. The prohibitionists
are fanatics, who believe that the election of
Tilden is small and unimportant compared
to the local liquor law.
If then the people Of Vermont, to whom i,
matters little whether Democrats or Republi.
cans hold the reins o. government cast off,
repudiaie these independents, what will be
their treatment by Louisianians, who have so
much at stake. Our Louisiana Independent
cant idate has about the same chance of sue.
cess, and the same idea of his own impor.
lance, as the Vermont Prohibi,ionist. The
defeat Of Tild-n will not begin to compare in
importance, in his mind at least with his
own defeat and lie deems it a matter of
greater moment that lie shall get office than
that Louisiana shall get honesty, peace and
prosperity.
We hardly expect that any of the socallcd
independent candidates will sep down-that
is not the usual way with them. The reasons
and motives that have united to make them
candidates will prevent their retiring, these