Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1880-03-03
Breakers Ahead.


its great men, then that party, to our mind,
exhibits certain evidences Of decay. SO
long n. the right Of party members to
crltici-c the honesty Of party leaders cN-
lists. and 80 long as the party continues to
pnrgc itself Of the bad men within IT.
councils, long will that party be n use
| ful nnr. and will is success hc attended
hy material prosperity and happiness But
Whenever the party lash i, laid with I'M
| sparing hands across the back of That
man vino dlrc- mention the wrong dotng-
of those IN power, and Whenever the cry
of traitor IL raised against the winter or
| SPEAKER who darcs expose the corruption
that exists IN the political army to which
hc belongs, il may be taken n. fact that
the great party i. losing its character aud
standing, and is degcnciating into fac
| ton.
We consider flat IN the free criticism of
public men and measures in the fearless
| expedition Of the wrong doing Of those
found the most certain safrguard-thc
-urcst protection Of that liberty which is
the basis Of thr Republic. From this
criticism results n purglng process which
clcnnsc- III" political y stem and ever pre-
serves it, purity.
Thus much 10y way If preface before de
h.,
cess is of absolute necessity in the Demo
cratic party in the state Of Louisiana.
In l-6- W. began the fight for civil hh-
| crty. aud during the contest that continued
for many years there was no chance for
even the worst men of the party to be other
than HONEST, pure and patriotic, without
straight over 10 the enemy. a dcarth of
official -poilS-tlc absence of temptation.
in fact in the shape OF fat offices, kept
pure those men who might have yielded.
Indeed, the instinct of -rlfprr-crvation
kept all the people together, aud side by
side in Democratic rauks the good aud had
men of the party made fight against the
Spolcr.
i'nt thing, have changed. Tho State is
ours, the offices are all our own, and with
the contamination hoped for, PRAYED for
and fought for, finally accomplished, We
should he II happy family-happy in tho
fruits Of victory, happy III the mcans to do
good, happy in the opportunity to avoid
those evils that We charged upon our OPP
poncnts.
Hut il begins to look very much like the
leaders of the Democracy are afflicted with
iaillng- similar 10 those that IN days gone
by We were wont 10 believe peculiar to the
Radicals. The patriotism Of somc great
men seems 10 be made mp Of an cagrrnc-s
for Office. Combinations and rings in
Democratic and official circles are believed
To exist. II is thought that the votes of
the people have been traded oil by a q
gautic system Of barter and sale, which
had H. beginning before the last election.
The Democratic party in the State Capital
Is divided int" two camps, not yet hostile,
but soon perhaps to he. IL IL claimed that
legislation urnn ihr question of public
printing il really legislation, or an attempt
at legislation, in hchalf of certain indI>ld-
ual>. and that the success of either faction
in the Legislature will be- the success of
"A man ar set of men. II is declared that
men holdin. important official position
have made Use of their official power Ia
secure the election Of their favortcs to
place.
All these rumors, and 4 Thousand Others,
are floating through the air in and around
tho statc-hou,r, and II man should be-
lirvc even a tithc Of what he hears he is
forced to the conclusion that the Demo-
cratic party in the State of Louisiana
needs pnrglng. and needs II badly. TIM
old proycrb is: that there il fire when
there i, - much smoke. There il rotten
hess and the fuulcst of corruption SOME
! whcrr, and it is hard To have to wait So
long for that uphcaval of the elements
! which viii result III n general publication.
One thing certain: there is danger ahead
for the Democratic party ~ this State.
NJ great political organization can safely
| 20 through this hail.storin Of accusations.
even though the stones that fall all around
be only IN the nature of hints and i'll
nucudocs, There are too many open
secrets IN New Orleans. Reorganization
/ is needed badly. cur public men should
lee above rcproach. Ercp iusinua,lons
may do harm when they become general.