The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-03-13
THE APPROACHING CAMPAIGN.

THE APPROACHING CAMPAIGN.
The election to be held this Fall,
the first under the auspices of the
Nichols State Government, will in
many respects be very important
one. In the first place, the cam
paign is to be had and the election
held, under conditions and circum
stances very materially dif1erert from
any we have had in Louisiana for
eighteen years. For the first time
since the election of 1860 the whole
people of the State are to have full,
free and fair opportunity to give ex-
preston to their opinions and con.
victions st the ballot-box, undis
turbed by wars crude alarums" and
unvexed by the political rogusry of
radical supervisors and Radical Re-
turning Boards, whose special mis-
sion it has been since 1868, to defeat
their will as expressed at the polls.
In the next place, the election will
be an important one, because it re
mains to be seen, whether the opin.
ion held by some, that there is to be
a disintegration of parties in this
State is well founded or not, 90 far
US the party which the white people
belong, who with their brave allies
among the colorcd voters, have re.
deemed our fair State from the curse
of radicalism, our own opinion is that
there ought not to be, and will not
be any division or dissension. It
must strike every intelligent man as
being of the most paramount impor.
lance that we should secure the fruits
of the long fought for victory that
was won at the last election, and that
we should relax none of our efforts to
make it permanent and lasting.
1t will be a great mistake to sup
pose that we will have a walk over
the track this Fall. The radical
party has been too long in power and
the spoiIs of office have too savory a
smell for them, after having tasted
them once, to relinquish them with
out another struggle. They are Of
course crippled, the snake, so to
speak, is scotched, but not killed,
and we predict that they will have
vigorous leaders using every effort
TO re-unite and and re;juvinate their
once formidable party. 1t will de-
pend on ourselves whether in parishes
like Rapides, with large colored
population, these efforts will have
any considerable success. In the
face of determined and limited op
position on our part it will be an Ut
ter impossibility for them to rally
their forces. But if we are lukewarm
and Indifferent on our part, and if we
should lose sight of the importance
of our success, and any divisions and
dissensions should grow up in our
ranks, it will have the effect of en-
couraging them, and Of increasing
our labors ultimately, ifnot of endan-
gering our triumph. Many general
has seen his army worse demoralised
by success than defeat, and many an
easy victory has been lost under-es
timating the strength of the enemy.
Our defeat in this parish at its last
election, was due to tie had start We
made on our part, and while it is ye1
much too early to start the campaign
itself, we cannot refrain from calling
our attention to the matter at this
time, in the hope that they may pre-
pare the way for a propitious and
earnest start when the campaign i.
really opened. A wise maxim bids
US prepare during peace far war, and
we commend it's soundness to oul
readers.
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