The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-05-04
Our Party Policy.

Grant, but We trust that the Demo
cratic masses of this State will never
descend so low that fea|ty to the
Democratic party is to be tested by
the endorsement or lenunciation of
any man or set of men. a man may
approve the general course of the
present State government, and De
Democrat, or he may condemn it and
still be q sound Democrat. No one
donbts that Gov. Nichols is a good
and pure man, and the same may be
said of each of the other officials OF
the administration, the members OF
the Supreme Court, and most OF the
Democratic members of the Legsia.
tule; but still many of our people
have been dissatisfied with many OF
their acts. We concede that they
have been surrounded by embarrass-
ing difficulties, which, to- great ex'
tent excuse their shortcomings. The
eminentlv Conservative policy may
have been controlled 10y complications
which they considered unavoidable
in order to save our State from Radi-
cal misrule. Of this the people have
heard much, but know nothing. Let
that be as it may, they arc willing
that by-gones should be hy-gones;
bat for tho future they propose to
shape their own course, and it a
course is adopted different from that
pursued during the past year, those
who have been in power must not
take it as an aftiont We do not
propose to endorse them or to de-
nounce them. Either wonll be bad
policy, and our people must not tie
divided on any such side issues.
A mistaken policy has warped and
embarrassed orr political course ever
since the war. 1t prompted the
great body of our people to vote for
Wells in 1866, for Taliaferro in 1868
it has controlled many of our acts in
every campaign since, and we fear it
has prompted many of the acts OF
omission and commission during the
last fifteen months. If the Demo-
cratic party has an honest majority
in this State, as we know it has, let
it elect the officers and carry out its
policy-no cringing, halfway meas
ures.
We want a new Constitution, be-
cause the thing we now endure is
villaipously bad, and because it is
not of our adoption. We want a
Convention to frame this new Con
stitution, and what is to prevent ""'
having it 2 Every one comedies the
present Constitution is miserably de
fective; the number of amendments
proposed by its apologIsts proves that
it is incurable. The Legislature was
not elected to make a new Constltu'
ton; the mode by which they at
tempt to accomplish this object is
vicious in principle; and the propos
ed amendments should be voted
down without mercy. We should
elect a legislature pledged to call
Constitutional Convention immedl
ately, or we should resort to tho
course adopted in l843-vote for {
Convention and delegates directly
We have but to look at the Govern
\ or's Messages, the Reports Of the va
1ious officers and the proceedings o
the legislature to be convinced of TIT
necessity. The cry from every quar-
ter is that the revenues are not sui
ficient to meet the expenses of the va
rious departments of government
but no remedy is suggested. There
is none inside the present Constitu
ton. We pay too much taxes, ant
we are covered too much, and in or
der to remedy these evils our system
must be simplifed and the powers q
government restricted, the power q
rings and mopopo1ies must be bro
ken up, the political atmosphere mus
be purified, and the supremacy Of tn
will and interests of the people mus
be asserted. To accomplish thes
ends a new Constitution must b
framed by a Convention of the pee
ple called for the purpose, and tb
party in the majority must elect
government to carry out its prime
pies, which will be responsible to il
constituents, and for which its cor
stituents will be responsible. Let u
have a straight-out Democratic pla
form, a straight-out Democratic ticl
ct, and if successful, as we must ar
will be, let our policy be to carr
out pure Democratic principles in Il
conduct Of governmental affairs.
So NAL II