St. Landry democrat., 1884-02-02
Parties as instruments.
N. o. Pioayune.

N. o. P1cayune.
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio
have way of managing parties pecu-
liar to themselves. When the party in
power foTgets the source of power, they
remove the props of popular support
from under it. That is salutary sort
of lesson, and it is occasionally neces-
sary in every State.
In the greater number of the States
men are afraid to administer the neces-
sary rebuke. They have an idea that, if
their particular party is defeated, the
principles represented by it will be con-
sidered as finally abandoned, and hence
they condone incompetence and un-
wOrthiness generally to save certain
cardinal doctrines Of vital Importance.
We are not at all prepared to say that
this view is invariably false. There are
times when the doctrine: Measures,
not men, is of paramount importance,
when personal preferences must be
overlooked, and when even very grave
personal objections must be forgotten.
That has been the necessity of the
Southern States for a long time. For
many years they have felt that the
Democracy was the life-boat and all
the rest was the open sea. The leaders
OF the party have unquestionably pre-
sumed a great deal upon the strength of
this fact. They have done the most re-
prehenslbie things, expecting net for
giveness, perhaps; but tolerance. They
have counted upon the popular fear of
change, and the result has usually justi-
fed their confidence.
The time is fast approaching, howev-
er, when this calculation will prove mis-
leading. In Mississippi, Louisiana, Al
ALBANIA, Florida and South Carolina, the
white people have heretofore been
threatened constantly with a return of
African supremacy. They have quite
properly been willing to accept any al
tentative rather than that. The De-
mocracy has stood with them for civili-
cation against barbarism, and all
secondary questions have been relegat-
ed to the future. But those questions
come to the front just to the extent that
the Republican party shows DISPOSE
tion to abandon the race issue, and it is
now evident that the main strength of
that party will never again be exerted
to force any Southern State under Re
publican control through the medium of
the c0lored vote.
That nightmare vanished, men are at
liberty to look around them little,
and to treat parties as useful instru
ments rather than as necessary evils.
The white people of this State, and of
all tile Southern States. are devoted to-
the fundamental principles of the Dem
ocratIc party, and they will never quit
it when those principles are at stake
but when they are secure in that regard,
it is altogether possible that they will
be found open to new departure,
cflnnln THAR. M al iy1foT-
ests seem to require the step. We say
this because we think it ought to be
said because we think both the State
and the national Democracy ought to
consider it seriously.
Louisiana can be very easily saved to
the party. Give her the reform she de-
mands at home, and the protection she
needs beyond her borders, and her vote
may be counted as fixed and known
quantity in the political estimate. But
II her local government falls hopelessly |
INTO the hands of demagogues, and if |
her most important material interests /
Ire attacked III Congress by Democrats, |
there is certain danger OF revolt. Ii !
5his is true, two conclusions follow ne
LIN the first place, everything /
that can be done must be done to relieve I
5he political situation within the State. /
In the second, the Democratic members /
# the House of Representatives must
1e brought to a sense Of the imperative I
less of the demand for the protection OF /
lie agricultural interests of Louisiana +
particularly Of sugar.
Parties are made to be used. They /
'Orfeit all claims to allegiance when
hey cease to be useful Rational men
tand by the party that stands by them.
The war is over, the Southern States
ave recovered their proper status in
he Union,-Caucasian supremacy is es-
ablished III safety. New issues are
laily arising, new complications are
constantly threatened, and it is by no
means chimerical to leok to the forma-
ion of new parties in the near future.
But this is Presidential year, and all
t us would gladly see the National De-
noeracy once more vindicated by the
opular vote, and by the vote of the
tates. That is why we urge attention
D the embarrassment and dangers of
he situation here, and why we appeal
D all Democrats in Congress to Pemem-
er the State that has been so true to
he party through all its varying for
unes.