The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-09
THE COUNTRY PRESS OF LOUISIANA

ILL OOON LIN hhCO vi LIZ II
The Marksvile (AvoyelIes parish, Bulletin
says:
We like the general tone OF the press OF this
State They are divided upon many issues
| express themselves freely and unreservedly y
still upon one point they are q unit, and this
is the complete annihilation OF Radicalism in
the coming campaign, To discuss political
opinions and probabilities thus early Is indi-
cative of the fact that they wish to dispose OF
these minor matters preparatory to thegreat
onset. The Democratic press of Louisiana
has been tested on many and trying occasions
and never found wanting. In the coming
campaign, without q single exception, it will
do its duty and do it nobly.
This Is just tribute to the Louisiana press,
especially to the country papers, During the
ten years of reconstruction, when there was
little credit and less money in fighting the
thieves and adventurers who held possession
of this State, the Democratic papers in the
parishes. as long as they could collect money
enough to keep going, held up the banner OF
the people with a courage and pertinacity
which entities them to the everlasting graft
tude of their constituents. Printing laws
were framed by the Radicals to sustain and
even enrich the publishers of Radical sheets.
devoted to the defamation Of our people, and
to crush out the Democratic papers. In a
measure these Infamous laws were success
full. Many Democratic papers in the country
we're compelled to succumb, and swarm of
dirty and INSCRIPTIONS sheets sprung up In
the State, to support which the tax
payers were mercilessly robbed. But
the Democratic papers which survived this
sort OF st. Bartholomew massacre Of decent
journals did the State infinite service. They
kept the fires of resistance to Radicalism
alive and burning brightly. Their Indignation
never wearied: their courage never faltered:
their vocabulary of denunciation OF wrong
and robbery was never exhausted. The enc
mics of the State, the plunderers of our peo-
pie, won all power and wealth; but there was
one victory they could not gain; they could
neither debauch the country press nor en-
tirely annihilate it, and it lived to scourge
them and often to make then ashamed of their
purple and fine linen. More to her country
press Louisiana owes her redemption from
Radicalism than to any or all other agencies
It Is a little singular to note, therefore, the
illiberallty with which the first Democratic
Legislature we secured dealt with the country
papers. The printing law, as it appertains to
the country press, reads as if our Democratic
Legislature considered that there was no
difference between the vile, slanderous and
Infamous sheets which for eight years
maligned our people and fattened on the
money stolen from them, and the newspapers
which, through poverty, adversely and sore
temptation fought the battles of the State and
did so much to win the victory. Indeed, there
were some worthy and wise Democratic
Conservative gentlemen In the last Legisla-
ture, elected on the tide Of victory impeIed
by the press, who seemed to have as great
a horror Of newspapers as the devil has
of holy water, These great statesmen,
who owed their political birth to the
breath of the country papers. were haunted
all through their brief tenure Of greatness
with the dread that some Democratic journal
would get two cents per square more for a
public advertisement than it cost the pub
Usher to set it up, and they were never happy
except when Matching up bill to reform the
DEM cratic press out Of a dollar or two In
toxicated with power and greatness, they
were wild and furious with the delirium
tremens of retrenchment and REFORM and
with serpentine elongations and
voracious stomachs swarmed in their boots
and twined and twisted around their desks
and necks, and all through the session they
were furiousIy busy with bills to exterminate
them.
Happily, however, the energy, patriotism
and real ability In the Democratic press is
building 1t up again, and it is now power in
the land; power, too that Is certainly
potent for the good of the people, the
and consolidation of the Dem
)cratic party. There is no portion of our
editorial labors more pleasant and instruct
i've than the reading of the utterances of our
. country cousins" and there is no column of
The DEMOCRAT which Is more interesting and
read than that which Is headed
8 Views of the Country Press" Louisiana
should be proud OF her country journals.