St. Landry democrat., 1879-12-06

was at the helm. The Republican party
of the parish and his Democratic allies,
the former through devotion to party
and to him, and the latter through de-
votion to lust for office and to crafty
likes and dlsllkes, were puppets in his
! hands-some without knowing even
{ that the alliance ezisted-which be
handled individually with the skill and
dexteIity evinced by Prof. Simon Rich
ard with his puppets.
! His plan OF attack was well con-
ceived and we'll executed. The Repub-
! lican party was not permitted to commit
the folly Of holding /; convention and
nominating ticket OF avowcd Rcpub-
! lIcans, neither was the Republican
parish committee allowed to do it. The
! fight was to be made through independ-
ent Democratic candidates, and for
! only part of the oifices--the principal
parocIlial ones. The main point of
! attack on which the allied forces were
! to be hurled was the slleritf's Office. and
! to carry with it District Judge and
/ Clerk of Court. How his Democratic
allies aided him will be seen by conf
parison OF the vote for sheriff at some
OF the strong Democratic precincts last
year and this year. But his wing, which
was tie big wing, OF the allied forces, was
hurled with mastery skill. In the short
+ time he was here before the battle, lie
! discovered that one Of his candidates,
Or to be allegorical, as we are on the
! military syle, one of his lieutenants
would not be properly supported.
! 10y the Republican wing, owing to
sbme little misunderstanding during
the few years just gone by, in
regard to "race. color and previous CON
dition," etc, and calling things by bad
names. Here was a difficulty to be
gotten over, and he did it as we'll as it
possibly could be done under the cir
; cumstances. Numerous meetings were
held among the Republicans and they
We're instructed and drilled not to vote
scratched ticket. He practically nomi-
mated the ticket and kept the secret in
his own bosom, went to New Orleans
and had it printed in such manner
with red back that it could not be
Initiated here, and presented it to the
party and to the public of st. Landry
on the morning of the election. And
what was on that ticket: They all had
! Ia, Sns
all had but the one same name for Clerk,
but for the office for which his distaste-
ful candidate was an aspirant, he had
the name of both candidates ON some
tickets, but his favorite was alone on
some--the greater part probably-but
the opposing candidate was not alone
90 a solitary ticket. And here is where
the beauty of the work comes ip. His
favorite being alone on the great body
of tickets, could not be taken off with
out scratching the ticket, and the rank
and file of the party had been taught
and drilled not to vote a scratched ticket;
but the tickets given those leaders in
the party who were opposed to his
favorite, could not be voted without
being scratched. But still, notwith-
standing this beautiful arrangement,
! the assault on this particular point or
office received disastrous repulse. AS
to how it succeeded on others we refer
| to tie table which we publish to-day.
Now the battle is over and the smoke
cleared away, let us look at the results.
Gn the first place the Democratic party,
if not routed and driven from the field,
was worsted to say the least of it; in
the language of the prize ring, it re-
ceived a very black eye. It has lost
both on the State and Legislative tickets.
Some who have aspired to or had lead
ersllip aud position in the party, will
probably not hereafter be considered by
some as good Democrats as they have
professed to be, on account of their
alliance with the Republicans. The
Democratic party of the parish, unless
reorgauized and expurgated little, so
as to get clear of those who prevent
nominations for all offices, and who do
not support the nominations after help
ing to make them, and in short get
clear of all political wolves in sleeps
clothing, cannot go into another con-
test for local offices with any prospect
of success. Men will be afraid to ac-
cept nominations for fear independent
Demoeatic candidates will come out,
divide the Democratic vote, secure the
Republican vote and defeat them.
/ AS to him who bas been the great
actor in this struggle, what has he
gained? An office for himself9 No.
An Office for friend that would be
any profit to him? No. But he has es-
tablished the fact that he is power in
the land and that Ills name is a tower
of strength. And being so, his voice
will be potent in the new political CO.
partnership in this parish, of Indepen-
dent Democrats and Republicans in
comn.endan. But he has accomplished
something higher and greater than all
this: Those who carried into this CO.
partnership the political capital which