New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-05
CONFIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CIR
GIIIAR,

tee, and especially challenges attention.
1t may not crafty him that it should
have come into our hands from the coun-
try, but as the public interests merit
greater attention at our hands than the
partisan committee of Mr.. Patton, we
are impelled to furnish the document to
the public. His proem is the usual Demo-
cratic groan as to "misrule, and an APP
peal to patriotic impulse" Then he
comes down to practical matters, and IN
way that is as grotesque as his purpose is
reprehensible. After urging the subdi-
vision Of parish into districts under the
superintendent each of a director he
proceeds to caution his correspondents
that cheerful department is valuable
element in political canvass. We admit
that many Democrats in the country
exhibit very bad manners, and might
extend their solemn determination for
reform in that direction, but Mr.. Pat
ton seems to be Indifferent to murders
particularly anxious "that in conversations
with each other no gloomy forebodings
shall be INDUCED, and that the result OF
the coming election shall be spoken of
as a foregone conclusion" There is OBJ
viously a grand, gloomy and peculiar
misgiving in the average Democratic
mind that the Republicans are about to
discomft the noble Democracy again.
Mr.. Patton has shared this doubt, has
felt the convulsive pulse of his party,
has noted the grimace on its face, and
the qualm of its stomach, and has been
constrained to prescribe by circular.
The advice is rather old, has never profit
ed the Democracy during the past eight
years, but Mr.. Patton now inlpar.s to it
a comforting pungency, that may per-
suade the party to try it once more: to
wit: 1--WE have the means Of carrying the
election, and intend to use them" In
our issue of yesterday We showed what
sthe means were in Richland, More
house and Tangipahoa parishes, and the
Democratic cavalry there have perhaps
prematurely announced the central COM
mittee's ''intent to use them, We mag
inc the mounted Tangipahoans, who last
week rode wildly through the town, yell
ing and firing guns, must have just
received the Patton circular with their
fresh ammunition. The vehemence of
their demonstration denoted no gloomy
forebodings'' and very cheerful satisfac-
ton with the means And why should
they environ a graveyard there during
the interment of colored man and alarm
the mourning friends, had they not been
cautioned from the central bureau here,
"You can not convince negrO's reason,
but you can impress him by positive
statements continually repeated.' A
positive statement punctuated with a
bullet from a repeater drawn from the
belt, is fruitful fundamentally of the
Democracy, and as "a negro's reason
can not be convinced, and as his vote, not
a concurrence of his reason is sought by
that party, the 'cavalry are expected to
persist in positive statements. It will
be noted that in section three of the
Patton instructions ward clubs should
form at their several places of meeting
and proceed then On horseback to the
central rendezvous" The advantages
cited in this regard are amusement and
interesting ceremonies" and impressing
'.the negroes with a sense of your united
strength" Colored citizens will doubt
less find more amusement in being alb
sent from the ceremonies" but the OBJ
jecs is less to provide them with diversion
than that the ''sense OF your united
strength may intimidate them from
exercising their reason, to which MIR.
Patton pays the highest compliment when
lie confesses it is not plastic to Demo-
cratic methods of conviction.
But something else is necessary to the
Democratic campaign plan. On the day
Of election, these negroes whose reason
is so stubborn, and whom even the ''in-
teresting ceremonies on the crossroads
will not deter from voting, will assert
their right at the polls SO resolUtely, that
the cavalry may be constrained to find
some amusement" in dispensing, killing
or manning some of them. The riders can
then dismount, help themselves to realm
of blank affidavits to the effect that there
has been no intimidation. and fill them
ont to suit the exigency. This is the
sixth section of the instructions. Mr..
Patton remarks further On "there
are some who will object to this plan as
involving much trouble" They reasonably
may-any combination of men who pro-
pose to prosecute canvass in such wise
will involve themselves in very serious
trouble. Ii political gangs start anew to
disquiet Louisiana, and they have already
begun in some quarters, they may sud-
denly collide with national authority
that esteem such gentlemen pests and
and public nuisances to be roughly abated.
Circular No. comes in to emphasize
circular No. l. A Democratic parish COM
mittee has determined on San active and
aggressive campaign" and it wants two
things; first, moral support, and what is
of more consequence to Democracy that
fourishes quite prosperously without