The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-11-03
rs IT A PARTY7

litical and party chaos resulting from the
epidemic and the conseg uent inability to con-
duct q canvass. Yet, every day between now
and Tuesday next will but serve to develop
the Democratic strength and to further disor-
ganize the scattered and homogeneous elements
of opposition which are carrying Oh a. sort OF
guerilla warfare ON the party.
It must already be apparent to any I'm.
preiudiced man that none of these bastard
organizations, no matter what their pur-
poses or promises may be, can accomplish
any good or bring about any reforms, ct this
election at least. They represent but one
salient idea, and that Is merely the disInte-
grafton OF the Democratic party. Take, for
example, the Citizens Conservative Associa-
ton, which, at one time, promised to exercise
o most benecent influence upon our city pol
tiles, and certainly the time and occasion never
concurred to afford better opportunity for the
particular element supposed to be represent
ed by the Citizens movement to make itself
felt for the good in the direction of our local
affairs. That opportunity, however, has gone
by, and with 1t has passed away the useful
ness and capacity for good of the Citizens
Association
Ii we have not mistaken the whole spirit
Of this movement, 1t found Its justification in
the corruption that had crept into ward pol
tiles, and its sole purpose was to purify these
and entrust to purer and more capable men
the direction of our city affairs and
the control Of the local party machinery
That there was abundant provocation for the
movement we readily concede, while the OBJ
ject its leaders protested to have in view must
have commanded the sympathy Of all good
citizens. Yet, we were told and believed that
oil this reform and regeneration was to take
place within the Democratic party. It was
never given out that this movement had in
view separate and distinct political organi-
zation antagonistic to that party. AS we
understood it, the fight was directed,
not against the party, but the personnel of
certain of its self-constitued leaders, against
individuals and on personal grounds, whose
right to control the party counsels it was pro-
posed to challenge, and whose qualifications
for office were to be discussed.
The Citizens Committee declined to make
any suggestions whatever to the Democratic
Parish Convention, Or to offer any names for
it's consideration. It contented itself with
mere demand for good men on the ticket and
left the inference that all such men would
receive it's support. The Democratic conven-
ton met and put q ticket ia the field which
was very far from giving general satisfaction.
The Citizens Committee declared it would not
support the ticket as whole, and then set to
work to put up q ticket of its own. It I'M
mediately began to set up claims to separate
and distinct party organization, and the
methods by which it proceeded indicate most
Enthusiastically that it had q cut-and-dried pro-
gramme of its own, and that it was inspired
by some other motive than a mere desire to
see good men In office. The indications
are that this Committee has on hand certain
projects what they are we might conjecture
which its members knew would not thrive
before The Democratic Convention. Other
wise, why did they not come out and simply
say we indorse the following nominations
because they are good ones, and refuse to
support the other individuals, calling their
names and giving their reasons, and then
recommend other persons to be voted for?
Instead of taking this simple course and
merely appealing to the Democratic
masses to sustain their action, they
up full ticket, nominated by COM
mittee which has none of the clements of q
popular body, and all without making even
q charge Of corruption or inCapacity against
a single individual to whom they refused an
They began to form combina-
tions with parties hostile to the Democratic
party, of which they claim to be an important
integer, and are now devoting themselves to
the organization of all the elements Of opposi-
ton thereto. They go further and demand
under the law as q separate po-
litical party and ask representation as such
at the polls.
There is not q guerilla band nor free
lance engaged in warfare on the party which
this committee has not conferred with or
attempted to use in some way to the discom-
future of the Democratic party. Wherever
two or three have been gathered together,
whether as open and avowed enemies Or as
and soreheads, whether from
Old and lifelong political antagonism or from
personal motives of disappointment and
resentment, 50 that it was in the name OF |
hatred Of Democracy, there have gone the
agents of this Citizens Conn ittee to carry
comfort and solicit alliance and cooperation
First we heard Of them confabbing with |
he Nationals; then we heard Of them at the
in conference with the Re
turning Board Radicals, and now it Is re-
ported that they have actually made terms
With the Coored Protective Union, which is
,ut the nucleus Of the most offensive negro
element Of the old Radical party. 1t is
through the columns of the New Orleans o.
'erues, the special organ of this Union, that
n address has been issued by Mr.. Charles
J. johnson, chairman of the Citizens Elec-
ion Committee, to the colored voters OF New
Orleans. This address Is not published in g.
ingle one Of the daily papers In general cir
ulation among the white people and Demo-
rats Of the city-not even in the CITY ITEM,
he official journal Of the Citizens AS
ociation. Is 1t possible that the Oh
eyuer a paper whose existence is
nown to scarcely dozen reputable citizens
f New Orleans, was selected by the Citizens
for this very reason, as Its me-