The Opelousas courier., 1884-02-02
Independent Candidates.

Z IN.
that q partial independent ticket was in
process OF formation against the regular
democratic nominees for Sheriff and
Clerk Of Court. These are the two
monied offices of the parish, and these
are the two on which it seems the dis
Sdtasted democrats have set their ewes.
Gentlemen, You had better maintain
your party allegiance, and vote not on
~ for Duson and Chachere, but for the
whole nominated ticket. That ticket
was selected by convention of repre-
sentative men you can't improve on
the personnel of the ticket; and Just as
sure as you kick, and start an independ-
ent ticket, you will get it overwhelm-
lngly defeated. There is not man on
that ticket that cannot go before the
people on his own merits and be elect
cd to the office to which he has been
nominated by the united Democratic
party of the parish. This is especially
the case with James O. Chachere and
Y. z. Duson, against whom this So
called independent movement seems to
be mainly directed. Both these gen
tlemen had strong opponents in the con-
vention. d. p. Lafeur opposed Cha
chere and Octave Fontenot opposed
Duson. Both Lafeur and Fontenot
will abide the result. They stand too
high in the estimation of the Democrat
lc party to do otherwise than accept it,
and they win support the nominees
who beat them in the convention. This
does net surprise us at all We have
known these gentlemen too long ever
to imagine for moment that they
would do otherwise than stand unfiincl-
ingly by the ticket and support it from
top to bottom.
But to come down to figures, What
reasonable hope have these Independ-
entsg What do they expect What
arguments can they present to show
they can make even decent fight
against the ticket nominated on the
9th of December It may be, We
think, epitomized thus: awe the dis
satisfied element of the Democratic
party will get together. We know
there are not more at the very outside
than five orr six hundred Of US. We
will put up a ticket of dissatisfied
Democrats, and then we will get the
Republicans to combine with us. They
will give us, say, two thousand votes !;
we will give them the proud privilege
of voting for us this win give us votes
enough to elect, at least, a Sheriff and
Clerk
But this won't do. Giving you all
these, md even few hundred more
votes, and still you will not; have
enough by great deal to elect your
candidates. But are the Republicans
all going to vote en- nsdsse for a ticket Of
dissatisfied Democrats, in preference
to the regular nominees I We think
not. We imagine il the Republicans
are ruled down to vote for Democrats,
q few hundred at least will cast their
votes for Dnson and Chachere The
great mass of the Republicans in this
parish is composed of colored men,
Out of every hundred more than ninety
are Republicans, and of the whites who
claim to belong to the party, not more
than one in ten cares a continental cop-
per for the colored man further than to
use him as b lever to elevate himself in-
to Office. lii the past fifteen years the
colored man land he constitutes as we
have said ninety per cent of the Re
publican party in st. Landry has
learned one thing, and that is that he
above all others needs the protection of
the law, and that in order to get this,
he must have good local officers, who
will enforce the laws of tho State. tt
is not the President Of the United
States, or tile Gaverner of the State, to
whom he must look, but to the officers
who administer the parish government.
| If these are not his friends, he has none
to whom he can look fbr protection
from mob law, vigilance committees,
bulldozers et id olls',e. gclesss. There are
leolored men to-day In St. Landry, who
still entertain a vivid recollection of the
time when they dared not sleep IN their
cabins at night. They know the fact that
| the bands of desperadees and midnight
assassins and cut-throats who brought
about this sad state Of affairs, were ar
rested, brought TO trial, aud landed in
the penitentiary BY the combined efforts
of our parish officers, and no one else ;
and they know in these very officers
they have friends to whom they can
appeal for protection, should the occa-
sion ever arise Id The future. And
our word for it, Republicans (at least
the colored element) in this parish who
will vote for Dus0n for Sheriff and
Chachere for clerk will outnumber the
dissatisfied Democrats about four to
one. At the gubernat0rial election 10
IDecember, 1879, there were two thou
sand four hundred and sixty seven Re
nE1hlicay, vS,tes in this parish. Hence,