St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-08-22
LOUISIANA POLITICS.
THE STANDARD OF REVOLT.
Baton Rouge Truth.

ANASA4OJ VIZ S44S A<OA4ASSA"OAS ~
iterated by the organs Of the ma
chine, the logic of events is driving
them irresistibly to a position Of
pronounced antagonism to the ma
tional administration, which is the
first and best representative of the
natianal Democracy. It is true that
criticism is now mostly directed
against Senator Gibson, who has
been accepted by President Cleve-
land and his Cabinet as the most
useful ally in applying in Louisiana
the policy of reform, which is now
the subject of 50 much animated
debate throughout the Union. But
the leader of the recalcitrant ele-
ment, the junior Senator, has taken
a more advanced position. He
openly declares that Mr.. Cleveland
is traitor to the Democratic party,
and pronounces his policy failure
and his Cabinet a set of impractical
BILE idealists, who fail to compre-
bend the time-honored principles
Of the party.
Here is an open issue; and what
ever debate may legitimately arise
concerning the validity Of these
complaints, it is certain that his
followers must henceforth support
him in resistance to the presidential
programme, while the friends Of
Mr.. Gibson will be relied on as the
active partisans of the Administra-
ton. A Democrat who is not in
sympathy and accord with the
leaders of his party, may be pure
party man in the ideal and theoret-
ical sense but practically he will
be prone to make independent coal
itions for the advantage of his own
faction, and to thwart the admins
trative measures which his party
supports.
The Regular Democracy on such
an occasion will be apt to be irreg-
ular in fealty to the general policy
of the parry for there is a manifest
inconsistency in the attempt to
rally its followers by shouting the
party cries and waving the party
banner, when those cries and that
banner represent the antagonism to
the general leaders and organizers
of party action and party discipline.
It is like fomentating a rebellion in
the name of the King, or promoting
Catholicism by warning on the Pope
Its opportune, then, for every
Democrat to consider the tendencies
which are now directing him.
Whittier shall he go? And where
can he go? Just as sure as all
roads lead to Rome, all paths of
divergence from the National DEM
ocratic party will carry the hesita-
ting partisan into the ranks Of q
Radical opposition. You cannot
try experiments on the edge Of a
glacier one false step precipitates
you into the depths below. And SO
you can not daily with party fidelity
in the distemper and heat of disap-
pointed ambition. tits wiser and
better to adopt the philosophical
suggestion made by the Times
Democrat, and deserve promotion
by patient continuance in we'll
doing. For all this acrimonious
criticism can do no good in any
sense. The people have some cir
cumspection, and when they see q
candidate one day full Of fulsome
praise for Gen. Gibson, and the
next day dealing out unstinted
abuse, they infer that somebody
has been disappointed in getting an
Office /; not that the character Of q
vereran servant of the people has
changed in day.
For all this wind raised in the
distribution of the patronage will
blow over, and the popular verdict
on our Senior Senator will be pred
icated on calm and sedate judg-
ment of his public services, and not
on the passionate cIamor of disap-
pointed ofice-seokers.
Besides all this, it is better not
to raise a howl about Customhouse
influence. We all remember how
anxiously all factions have been
trying to WELD it.