St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1879-10-04
The Convention, e Committee
and the Arty.

The parish Democtic convention
met here last Satury, and elected
delegates to the Ste convention,
elected a new parishommittee, and
nominated the partiaickct which is
announced in its aropriate place.
Probably the most imrtant thing the
convention did was tn hing it did not
do, to-wit: the failure, nominate can
didates for district j,ec and district
attorney. We have ;rady expressed
our opinion in regardo the error of
| the parish committein leaving out
district judge and disct attorney in
the call for Il nominng convention.
1t may be the opinion some that the
convention should hayheld strictly, as
it did, to the programme marked out |
by the committee, al should have
gone no further; but b think other |.
wise. We arc thorghly in accord
with Mr. Prescott, wh,urged nomina-
lions by the convention these Offices
When Mr.. Prescott rought up the
subject, after candidcs had been
snominated for the sene and house of
representatives, but fore the other
officers enumerated inhe committees
call had been nominal, we think it
was very properly pstponed until
candidates for all the 6ces enumerated
IN the committees ca had been dis
posed of; then who Mr.. Prescott
drought up the subjccagain, we think
it was in order, and he nominations
should have been nile. The COM
mittce had no rightto hamper the
convention by its paraI call. 1t had
Just as much right to live out any or
all the other offices; itad just as much
right to prevent the Invention from
clccting another paliscommittce, and
thereby perpetuate itsf in power. But
if the committee had g1e to this extent,
the convention woulburely have re-
sisted. Now TIE acbn of the COM
!, mittee in leaving out 70 Offices, is as
. mucl, violation of tirigllt which, only
Il convention Of the pity should eSer-
+ else, as the leaving them all out.
= The only difference inhe offence, is i'll
b degree, not in qualit The conven-
: ton should have kepth view the good
c liof the party, and sho1ll not have been
influenced by the ptial call OF the
: committee, nor by II private agree
ment or espediency Of individuals
;, There was no party recon why one office
e should he nominated for more than
+ another, nd the con yntion in failing
: to nominate for all, ha opened the way
for the violation of party discipline
y The first error or evi done is a sect
n sown that sprouts anlkrows and multi
ii plies, like the famou dragons teeth
The committee committed tho first error
- the convention followd suit, and nov
we have two indepedcnt candidate
4 for district Judge and ill certainly hav'
two for district attoley. These can
dates are not candidaes of the party
and will they supporthe party ticket
But how can it be possible for the can
1idates on the party lcket to suppol
them Without the support OF on
or both of them the nrty ticket is tina
much weaker, and dis weakness is
CONSEQUENCE of the weakness OF til
convention in failingIo nominate. Bt
if tile candidates on the party tlckt
support one set of hese lndepender
candidates for judge and district a
torney, is it REASONABLE and in acco
dance with human naure to expect I'll
other set, who are unsupported by I'll
party nominees, to support them? VI
thing however we my reasonably c:
pecH and that is, thdndependent cal
. didates for judge anddistrict attorne
who are not supported by the par
II. nominees, will Undue other indepen
DIS ent candidates to core out against Il
on regular nominees, in order to get the
ee support; and in addition to this we W
probably have some d the "disreputat
he combinations with Republicans" tn
. we used to hear so much, about. L
. dissatisfied and the independent e]
. ments in the Democratic party, AID
,sh by the solid Republican vote, may q
feat the regular 1emocratlc tlcke
of there is great dangefof it at any ia
. This danger has beef incurred, FIRST,
, the action of the committee, and secon
ly, by the failure of the convention
:. disregard or go bey'1nt the action
the committee. It the party be {
~ feated in this campaign, it will owe
''s, defeat to these tvD bodies--its o
liza committee and it's own convention.
will be slaughtered literally i'll
40 house If it's friends ;aDd from all 81
friends may it he delivered. All
comes from having 1le wrong man
men in the wrong p!lce. When it Y
Ia engineered through the parish &C
OF mittee to have no Nominations for.
ha trict Judge and district attorney,
'ge party was betrayed. Why was
! thing done in the committee 10 h;
- per the convention, to divide the SCI
ment OF the party on the subject