The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-05-03
OPPOSITION TO THE LEGISLATURE
NO TREASON TO THE PARTY.
[MarksvilIe Bulletin. |

lMarksville Bulletin.l
1t is not often that the resolutions of
a village convention, convened for the
purpose of nominating candidates for
municipal offices, have any signif-
canoe outside of the corporate limits
within which they originated, nor
would any importance be attached to
the late Monroe resolutions were 1t not
for the discussions which arose, ana1
the political prominence of the gentle
men engaged in the debate. The COM
ing campaign will be one of great ex-
element and vital Importance to the
interests OF the State, and we do not
think the press and the people can be
too emphatic in their declaration OF
principles and their denunciation of
public servants who have failed to ex-
ecute the trusts which were committed
to their care. We believe, with the
Monroe resolutions, that "in order to
carry to successful completion the re-
demptiOn of the State Government
from the misrule inaugurated, there is
necessity for the Democratic party to
be united," we too ssdeprccate any in
dependent movement or third party
formations," but we do not believe
that movements, or formations Of that
character are to be prevented by ut
ternpts to bolster III the tlerciictions OF
unfaithful officers.
The Democratic party is an enlight-
ened party. 1t is composed of the
very best material in the State, and ii
there is any honesty, any Integrity ANY
devotion to the interests Of the people
within our borders, it can be found
alone in the Democratic purity. Eth
terta;ning these views we believe that
its ascendency is not of great impor-
tance alone, but is absolutely and in
dispensably necessary to the rclcrnp-
tion and prosperity of Louisiana. We
hold that ascendency must be main
tained, and that, in order to do so, cor
ruptiOn and nisrule must be rooted
out wherever found, even if it becomes
necessary to repudiate officers whom
the party itself has raised to power.
We must prove to our enemies, and
satisfy our friends, that, when we pro-
claim reform, we mean what we say,
and that we are determined to have
it in defiance of its enemies, whether
found in Republican ranks, or under
the shelter of our tents in the guise Of
our own livery.
Needed reforms cannot be inaugu-
rated, nor can the ascendency Of the
Democratic party be maintained by
pharasaical resolutions, in which we
thank the Lord that we are not as cor.
rupt as our opponents and Mt the same
time declare that it is treason to ex-
press our dissatisfaction, not with the
party, but with the unauthorized acts
of those whom the party trusted, and
by whom it was deceived. The De-
mOcracy of Louisiana has made q glor-
ious struggle for the redemption of
both the State and National govern
ments. The battles it has fought will
be recorded in history among the
grandest victories which principle and
patriotism ever achieved over fraud
and misgOvernment, and now that the
fruits are almost within our grasp we
say that all the powers of hell shall not
snatch them from US.
With Gov. Nichols and the policy
he has pursued we have no war to
make. We believe that he has been
actuated by the purest motives in ali
that he has done. He has doubtless
made mistakes; he would not be
human if he had not. But the Lexis-
laturc is not entitled toa like i'm
munity. 1t is II heavy def,ulter in
Democratic pledges, and if we permit
it to go unrebuked we cannot escape
tuc CllilSc oA SfiluS HypOCIlsy. WIT.
McEnery in his Monroe speech "recalletl
the struggles of 1876, and thought no
Democrat should retain his afliIiation
with the party who denied that its
pledges had been redeemed" We
grant that the party has done all in
its power to redeem its pledges, but
the Legislature which has just ad-
journcd is far being the Democratic
party. That Legislature was chosen to
execute the promised reforms. 1t
signally failed to do SO, and it now
remains for the Democratic party, by
indorsing it, to make its action the
action of the party, or, by rcpudiating
it, to give renewed ASSURANCES that the
State shall be redeemed. The session
of 1877 was all that we could ask, but
when 1873 came "what fall my
countrymen
The party had a working majority,
but the entire session was frittered
away in useless legislation. The peo-
pie throughout the State scanned each
days proceedings with an earnest long
ing for some measure Of relief from
the burdens under which they were
staggering, to find that the highest
point to which the Legislative brain
had been able to rise, was the incor-