The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-09-18

/ LAKE LAaAlkIBn, LA, cc3t. ~, low
Mn. EDIToR--The late attempt al
holding congressional convention, at
Morgan City, has resulted inla perfect
muddle, into which our district has
been thrown, andfrom which there is
not the shadow Of a hopettbat it will
be extricated. Instead of one demo-
cratic candidate, thercgularity ofwhose
nomination is contested, we have two
candidates with very questionable
rights to the candidacy. Unless Mr..
Billiu OF Mr.. Acklen can show that the
convention which nominated either of
them had a clear majority of nncon-
tested delegates who cast their votes
for him, it is learthat neither of them
can claim to have been regularly nom
mated. If, instead of acting like poll
tieians, who went there to subserve the
interests of individuals, bent upon de
feating this man and nominating that
man, our delegates at Morgan City,
both of the Billiu and Acklen factions,
had, like cool-headed and patriotic citi-
zeus, looking forward only to the good
of the district and the success of the
party, wisely dropped both these gen
tlemen and united upon new man,
who had had snothing whatever to do
with the quarrels and differences which
resulted so disastrously to the party,
they would have performed their duty
and carried cut the purposes for which
they were sent there. We have several
men in the district, who are available
men, sound democrats, against whose
private and public record not a word
of reproach can be cast. BY the nom
ination of any one Of them the unfor-
tunate wrangles and differences in orr
ranks, would have been forever reconcil-
ed and set at rest 1t is true these men
made no claims to the nomination On
the other hand, Mr.. Biilin and Mr.
Acklen had too many claims to this
nomination, while the people, who
really were the most interested in the
matter appeared to have had no CLAIM,
at all worth consideration, either in
the parish or congressional conventions.
1t was all Acklen or Biiiia, or no Ackle1a
or no Billis, whilst the question ought
properly and periodically to have been,
neither Achlea, nor Biiliu, but some
other, the best and most available, upon
whom the whole democracy of the dis
trict could have been solidly united,
and whose election would have been
secured beyond doubt in November.
Had this been done the people would
have hesved a sigh of relief, and would |
have greeted with unspeakable graft
tude the patriotic delegates who had |
procured this relief. Among the many |
men who could have been nominated |
by the Morgan City convention, / can
name, Col. w. w. Pugh of Assnmp-
ton, Gen, Allen Thomas of Ascension,
Gen. "A. DeClouet or Judge A. De
Blanc of St. Martin, E. b. Olivier, ESQ.
of Iberia, and NJ. f. Girard, Esq, of
Lafayette, any one of whom would have
been an available candidate; they are
all men of unimpeachable record as de-
and private individuals, and
They are all endowed with more ability, /
and real and substantial
worth than either Mr.. Acklen or Mr.
Biliiu. The difficulty is, that these
men do not aud willnot seek the nom
nation. Now, Mr.. Editor, is it really
too late TO remedy the evil? Cannot
the democratic committees Of the par
ishet meet, and call upon Messrs. Billiu
and Acltlen to withdraw and declare
unequivoeally that the democrats of
the district will vote for neither of
them-beeause it will be tantamount
to throwing away their votes; as it
must be clear 10 them as the noon-day /
light that neither of them can be elect
ed? 1t is for the democracy of the /
district TO decide whether it is time
yet to drop them forever, and select a
new standard-bearer. NNDEx.