The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1883-07-18
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND
FACTIONS.

years. Ii all that time it has known
no other faith, taught no other doc
thine, acknowledged no other supre'
macy than The triumph of its prlnci-
pies. 1t stands to-day where it has
ever stood and will always stand,
the sworn foe of factions, ciiques,
rings and bosses.
Latter'y it has found the interests
of the parry in bad hands and 1t is
seeking to assist in wrestling power
from its failhless cuslodians. 1t has
seen the party run in the interests of
few politicians who obtained place
by fraud and bribery, and who are
using it tor selfish purposes and who
will scruple at no means, however
foul, to retain l.. 1t has seen the
rise aud reign of lottery rings, city
rings, country rings and all other
kinds of rings. It has seen The forms
OF law used to cloak jobbery and ex
cuse peculation. 1t has seen IN
blushiog cheek put on the garb Of
honesty and pass for brains. II has
seen veal worth pushed aside that
impudeuce might have place. 1t has
seen mediocrity pass for brains and
vanity pass current for real worth.
It has seen sham, hypocrisy, prating
patriotism and selfish, sordid motives
airing themselves in high places. 1t
has seen the promises of reform
made and shamelessIy broken. 1t has
cen The picture of reduced taxation
and heard the complaints Of the peo
pie at their increased burdens. 1t
has seen the public haois languish
and die. It has seen the ballot-box
made q mockery and the administra.
ton OF justice become by.word.
This paper has seen all these
things and many Others Of the same
sort With have served TO dissearten
and disgust the people everywhere,
and it asked itself: Can this be De.
mocracy? Are we to palliate and ex-
cuse all these things because they
are done in the name Of the Demo
cratic partyp Are we to serve the
Devil because lie has stolen the live
ry of Heaven? The answer was too
plain. We bad either to condemn
them or become particeps criminis.
We chose to condemn and we do con
denim all such practices, all such
sham and pTeterse as undemocratic,
indefensible aid worthy of condem
nation. If this be faction then we
avow ourselves openly in favor OF
faction.
But the willy politicians and ring
sters are deceiving themselves. The
people have seen through their thin
guise of pretended patriotism and
have determined to weed them out
to spew them out utterly. Fraud
they will not stand. Pretense they
will scorn. Rings they will crush
and ringsters they will spurn. They
want honesty and fair dealing, and
they intend to haze 1t. If the State
ring through its possession of the
party machinery succeed in nomina
ting ring rulers for the State Offices
and offer US four years more of its
power, the people will raise the stan,
dard Of revolt. They will have re
form peaceably if they can, forcibly
if they must.
This is plain talk, but the time for
talking plain has come. When the
ring and ring organs try to inlimi
date all who are opposed to them and
tocrush out all opposition by abuse
and the use Of vile epi-hets it is time
to give them to understand that they
are standing on slippery ground
When the right Of discussion is de
MED it is time for the people to take
n bold attitude and maintain it. The
people constitute the Democratic
party and no man or set of men have
q right 10 claim a monopoly of patri
otism or to dictate to them wha,
their course shall be.
The cry of faction" has lost it.
power to brighten anybody. The
people understand that stereotypet
dodge of the machine politicians ane
estimate it at its proper worth. 1
is the resort of trlcksters who hav'
selfish purposes TO subsesge and wh'
,cry "fac,iou" every time anybody at
tacks their stronghold. If the Dem
ocratic party in this State is no
strong enough to rid itself of ma
chine politics and to reti e to tn
shades Of private life the machin
politicians and survive the blow, i
IS no longer worthy of the name
. But it can and will do so. The fgh
will be bitter one but the peopl
will win. The doom of the rings i
sealed. They may squirm and clutc
at the reins of power but they ca
hold them no longer. The soone
= they understand this the better
d will be for them.
Bridget was the one who first put 0
u the "war paiut"--not the Town Talk