The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-09-22
A GROWING EVIL.
[Sugar Planter.l

Among the many evils ex listing with.
in the ranks of the Democratic party
to-day, and which seriously menace
the very life itself of the party, there
are none more fraught with danger
than the representation accorded the
various parishes OF this State, based
upon the total Democratic vote polled
at gubernatoriai AMI presidential cleo
tions. Under the existing custom and
precedent the represe uta ton of the va
rious parishes in State and in district
conventions is based, not upon the &C.
tual white Democratic vote cast, but
upon the total Democratic vote, regard
less of color or anything else. This is
wrong in theory as we'll as in practice,
and steps should be taken at the earli-
est practicable date to remedy an evil,
which, if persisted in, must eventually
result in the disruption and disintegra-
ton of the Democratic party.
1t is not our purpose TO discuss the
means or methods by which large
Democratic msjoIities are obtained in
certain parishes. Our objdct is simply
to appeal to our brethren of the press
to agitate subject which Is pregnant
with evil to the Democratic party, in
order that the State Committee, or the
next State convention, may divise
some plan whereby tho present unjust
basis of representation may be changed
cratic party prevented.
To-day several river parishes, with
a small white and IA large negro
population, are accoded a vote largely
in excess of what they are legitimately
entitled to-. Take, for instance, the
parishes of Tensas, Concortiia, Rich
land and Rapides and one or two 9th.
ers. So large Is the vote accorded those
parishes by the State Central Commit.
tee that, united, they could aim ost die
tate to the remainder of the State the
entire ticket, from the Governor down,
while the Florida and other parishes,
with a larger population than the north
Louisiana parishes, will have little if
any voice in State con ventions--at least
not tho voice to which they are en-
TITLED in proportion TO their white
Democratic vote.
The argument Of the advocates Of
the present infamous system of rep.
resentatiOn Is that the vote given by
the "black parishes" referred to is a
legitimate Democratic vote, no matter
how obtained; that it represents the
intelligence, skill anu labor of the
white men who secured IL; and that it
is not just to depl i've them of rcplesen.
tation based upon II vote which is
actually Democratic, regardless Of the
color of the suffragan.
We are charitable enough to cons
cede tina! there may be something in
these arguments, but there is no.
enough, in our mind, to justify the
continuance of our system which gives
to one white Democratic voter in Ten-
sas voice in State conventions five
times greater than that accorded a
white man in East Felieiana-a system
which is subversive of every principle
of white supremacy.
In the matter of representation we
are building up the Democratic party
OF Louisiana upon rotten foundation
upon structure whose base is the
brother in black and who, like Samp-
son, will pull down the Democratic
temple above our heads ere many
years shall have rolled away. 1t rests
with the wise meu of the patty to say
whether they are going to allow such
a calamity to occur, or whether they
will at once begin applying the knife
in order TO rid the Democratic body
polite of Il putrid sore which is fast
the whole party and
menacing lis autonomy.
Let the representation of each and