Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1879-12-03

/ all Things according 10 the VIII OF tHS Ifo-
pie as expressed at their primaries. While
sSnse eiaim that rings and combinations
have brought about the final result, there
can he no doubt but that those rings and
combinations grew out Of the loose aud
peculiar method that the people saw tit
to adopt.
1t is universally declared by the people
that this election has been tn, most cor
rnpt ever bcld ia Claiborne parish. The
s,r,f.s aud anitnositics enyrn'ler-d by the
struggle viii endure longer than the Off
cial terms Of the candidates that have
be-n elected. For Our~lf We are PERSON.
ally cognizant Of but little Of all this.
We repeat only what we hear from the
people that We meet and from tho~- who
talk with us aud in our presence, aud we
do not too strongly define the popular
verdict when we declare that there Ia n
feeling Of disgust pervading the connu-
muui,y that in II parish like onrs such a
state Of things should exist II is not
needed that we go into particulars. The
/ people know what has been sarl and
done. else they could not have passed
| Judgment. And AS to the responsibility
/ that may be- easily settled.
Some declare that the blame rests with
the people. aud others lay the fault 1T the
door of the candidates. We have only Ia
say that the action, of the people in the
he thinning was M wise, while il was nat
ur,l. There was hardly the semblnnce
of opposition to the Democratic party IN
| Claiborne parish. Men failed to Ace that
our weakness ~ u party was Ia be- found
| IN onr seemingly invihciblc strength. II
was believed that hurdle race could he
made The majority of candidates oppos-
ed u nomination and their friends sided
with them. Past experience Ind made
! the voters shy Of conventions when CON
trolrd by men whose chief claim Ia dis
tinrtion is that they ARE INSCRIPTIONS and
cunning politicians. They were thus
easily Influenced to break on from party
traditions. They were ripe for revolt
10 many candidates were in the field that
the division Of the people into factions
made the rncc purely Selfish one.
In this state Of the public mind nomi-
nation wonld have been of murc danger
to the Democratic party than the hurdle
race. Our reasons for this belief have
been given in previous NUMBERS Of the
Guardian. We have reviewed the situa-
tion calmly aud d-passionatrly. We had
no axe To grind. As the only party j"nr-
nal in the parish We had to advise the
people ON an important matter and ""
knew that much depended on the posi-.
ton We took. We knew that sooner or
later the party in Claiborne parish must
20 through precisely the struggle that Is
now over. We we're III Az ahnormal stu
alton As observed before. our weakness
lny in our strength. A crash must come
Thought we, hut whrn' After viewing
the situation from MI points We concluded
that n nomination now would irirtrlrva-
bly, injurc the party upon t.c eve "f an
election Of national Importance Onr
views as how that injury w"uld he brought
abont having been written once need
not be- here repeated.
Now, that the battle is over, We can
afford to look over the field to estimate
the damage and ~ learn with what
strength the Democratic party can enter
the neat battle.
The principles of the organization re-
mnin thc sanr The individual conduct |
of party followers aud leaders in Claiborne
parish have in no wise injured our capaci- |
ty for future good. We have required |
some of those sad teachings Of experience ,
that are Of absolute nrccssit, 10 mrn ~
we'll ~ PARTIES From the teachings Of
TIN, rlrction we dr,lucc the valuable les /
son that II il unwisr Ia depart from the
custom that generations Of able leaders
have rngrattrd upon uur party policy.
We have learned that We eau only b.
capable of pure and exalted action when
personal ends are subordnated To the
h''"N VI w patty w H"'' N"i"'"
that If We trust too much To the strength |
of numbers aud forget the need of contin-
ned party discipline that We are very like
the horde al barbarians when oppo>rd to
the trained forces of civilization. We
have learned that We are not entirely
party Of purity and honesty. aud that no
matter how elevated aud patriotic are the
objects of the Democracy that individuals
who work side by side with us may be
drprav-d, dishonest aud unpatriotic.
In short, We have learned that tn he
successful We must not divide our strength,
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