The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-09
THE DEMOCRATIC PLEDGE.

so, but we fail to find it In the proceedings
the convention that nominated our Sta
ticket IN 1876, In Its platform in Gov. Ncholl
speech, or IN any speeches that we have rea
, as delivered during the campaign. or tn;
we heard delivered by the State cal
vaSSerS,
The Record is mistaken when il saws tbs
the conventionists claim that a specific prom
Use was made by the Democrats in 1876 to ca
a constitutional convention. What the cor
ventionists claim is, that, when the preser
bayonet edict was forced upon this State til
representatives Of the Democratic party sol
empty protested against 1t, and speoiticall.
pledged the party to repudiate it when i
acquired control of the State.
The eloquent protest of the people of thi
State against the imposition of the constitu
| ton of 1868 upon them now lies before us
The first paragraph Of that protest SHOULD
make any citizen of Louisiana blush when ht
opens his lips to uphold that Ubiquitous bayo
net edict. 1.-THE white people of the State o.
Louisiana" begins this noble protest
Through their State Central Committee
make this protest against any legislation by
Congress to force upon them, as the funda.
mental law of Louisiana, the constitution
framed under the military bills" Again the
protest continues: "The past action of the
people in this State sufficiently records their
protest against the mode by which the con-
vention was made TO exist We now protest
against the constitution framed by that con-
vention, because its purpose is antffts effect
will be to subject the white race to the domi-
nation Of the negro" Indeed, so repugnant
bn 20 hn
of Louisiana In 1868, and SO repulsive to them
was the method OF it's formation and the
means by which it was imposed upon them,
that they actually preferred the establish
ment of a military government to it's en-
forcement. In that time the white people of
Louisiana still remembered and still loved the
free principles of the American constitution
and refused to tndorse, by word or deed, an
organic law not only violative of those
principles but designed to subvert
them, and which was established, not by
the consent of the people, but by the power
OF the bayonet. Hence, in their protest, they
said: "Sinee history has first narrated the
events of the world, where has such spec
tacle been presented as that which we present
to-day-free-born Americans pleading to the
American Congress for the government of the
bayonet to escape more dishonoring fate"
your laws" continues the protest of the
Democrats of Louisiana to Congress against
the imposih N upon the State of the present
'did not even allow us to deter
mine this pitiable alternative-they or their
which is practically the same,
made the negro decide whether or not he
should rule the white race. In one parish of
1900 white voters $50 were disfranchised"
And again: eve submit this protest to relieve
ourselves of any suspicion that we yield even
a seeming acquiescence in the adoption of the
Thus eloquently continues the
noble protest Of the Democracy Of Louisiana
against the Ubiquitous constitution Of 1868
"Solemnly before God and our country,
and in the interest of common lineage
and a common civilization, we pro-
test against any recognition or ratifca-
ton of the proposed constitution VI
because that constitution is violative of the
of the United States; because It
Is not based upon the consent of the people
who are to be governed by it, and finally, be-
cause 1t has been adopted in fraud of the re-
laws themselves, not having
been ratified at an election in which every
qualified and registered elector was permitted
TO vote without fear or the influence of fraud"
Such was the language of the Democratic
party when the present constitution, formed
by adventures, robbers and enemies of the
State, assembled together by a military or
der, was about to be imposed upon the State
by the Federal army, and which thus imposed
upon the State stands as the constitution of
Louisiana to-day. This eloquent protest was
the platform upon which the Democratic
party was organized in 1868. The prin-
oiples 1t enunciates are the principles for
which the party has struggled through
Ill these long, weary years; the prom
ses it embodies have for nearly de-
,ade been the hope and inspiration of the
people of Louisiana. And now, when the
Democratic party, by the very vigor which
these principles and promises imparte to it, |
has obtained possession Of the State, we are
1oOlly told by the anti-conventionists that the
against which we protested in
5he name OF Almighty God is very good or
yanic law entirely satisfactory to our people,
and that the representatives of the Democra-
~ of Louisiana are under no pledge to call
constitutional convention for the purpose of
LONG away with it.
This is the baldest trifing. From the day
hat the Democratic State Central Committee
sent out its protest against the imposition of
,he present bayonet edict upon this State, the
Democratic party has been under a solemn
md specific pledge to call, the moment it
gained possession of the government, con-
yention Of the people that they might oblit-
crate forever this Infamous constitution and
establish one in conformity with American
Institutions, and acceptable to the great mass
IF the people Of Louisiana
For more than eight years this has been the
theory of the Democratic campaign. From
1868 to 1876 no man accepted Democratic |
nomination who did not recognize and accept
the obligation to use his vote and his influence