St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-05

have just been held in this State. Par
tisan expressions of various sorts have
already been made, and not a few in the
malicious spirit Of the recent utterances
in the Senate. 1t is pleasing to turn
away from these obscene defamers to
this statement of the case by fair, in
dependent aud bipartisan critic II ke
the Philadelphia Times. Says the
Times:
The only important spring State cleo
tons have been held and they leave the
two great parties with honors easy.
The Republicans have carried Republl-
can Rhode Island by a reduced MAORI
ty and the Democrats have carried Dem
ocratic Louisiana by an increased ma
jority. Both States were warmly con-
tested, solely because the majority par
ty in each invited the opposition to
hopeful effort by its serious discussions.
Had Rhode Island been carried by the
Democrats, there would have been no
reasonable doubt as to her Republican
vote for President in November but
had louisiana elected WarmOth Gov
eruor with Republican State officers and
Legislature, that State might have voted
for a Republican for President, and
doubtless would have been returned
Republican regardless of the vote. But
Warmoth had to face his own election
laws, tempered somewhat by the courts
giving the Republicans a representa-
ton on the election boards, aad he is
defeated anywhere from &c, 900 to 10000.
The significant lesson of the Louisi-
ana election is in the fact that War
moth with his experience in organizing
and handling the negro vote, utterly
failed to enlist the colored voters in his
e, ~ hn did If anH
made a good run in other parishes
they took little interest in the election
and largely refrained IRON voting, and
in the distant parishes of the northern
portion Of the State, they turned out
and voted. but largely voted the Demo-
cratic ticket.
1t is not specially surprising that the
Louisiana colored voters refused to
vote for Warmoth. He was the first
carpet bag Governor of the State; he
organized them into secret bands with
lavish promises of idleness and plenty,
and before the rule of the Adventures
ended the State was bankrupt and the
negroes were starving. The presenta
ton of Warmoth again as a candidate
recalled his protested promises to the
deluied colored voters, and they had
no enthusiasm for cause that had al
ready been tried and won, with sweet
ness to the taste, but bitterness in the
digestion.
The Democratic lissensons, bitter as
they are, seem to have increased the
vote for the Stale ticket, while the dis
pute was fought out on rival Democrat
ic tickets in New Orleans. The Repub-
licans supported the reform Democratic
ticket, but the Democrats have stood
to their State candidates with great
fidelity. Doubtless the nomination of
Warmoth did much to force Democratic
cohesion, as the Warmoth administra-
ZION left bad taste in the mouths of
the people that yet fingers with them.
With all his faults of the past, he is
among the best of the carpet-bag Gov
errors of the South. He remained in
the State, commanded respect as
planter and is personally liked by all
who know him. He believes that all is
fair in politics, and the Democrats,
with Warmoth's old election machi
merry in their hands, regarded every
thing as fair to beat Warmoth.
This isjust about the situation. 1t
could not have been stated more fairly.