St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1890-11-01

We hear complaints that the Farm
ers' Union is going to break up the
Democratic party. OF course these
complaints come from parties who have
been riding" the party for a long
time; and iii their opinion, dismount-
ing them is breaking up the party
The Farmers Union in the country
parishes, probably comprises four-ffths
OF the Democratic party. AS a rule
the farmers have been doing the vot-
ing, electing the candidates nominated
in the party conventions, and holding
none of the Offices. The candidates
have generally been selected for nomi-
nation by the professional political
managers, who now fear that the farm
ers are about to put an end to their
vocation. The nomination in conven-
ton, by the farmer delegates, of the
candidates thus selected followed as a
matter of course under rhe orVer of
things formerly prevailing. NoW bis
has changed, or is about to change
The farmers have organized. We do
not believe they intend to0bfeak up
the Democratic party, but to purify it..
As they do most Of the voting and pay
most of the taxes, and we may say that
indirectly they pay all the %4ses, they
have right to expect good Homina-
tions to be made. Heretofore they have
been disappointed in this respect. Ma
nv of the nominations have proved to
be bad. The party managers have been
to blame for this. The farmers have
borne with them until patience has
ceased to be virt2e. Look how our
legislators have done. As to any BEN
eft the farmers have derived from leg
islation in this State since the war, it
would have been better that there had
been no legislation at all. The direct
expense, the enormous State debt, and
the evils from bad legislation, would
all have been avoided. The farmers
and the Farmers Union will continue
to stand up for the Democratic party
if the party will do right in fact it
seems1at they propose to make 1T do
righI In proof of this, instead OF
breaking away from the party or at
tempting to break it up, they recently
went into the Democraic convention
in this parish, and controlled it. In
reorganizing the parish committee,
they put good men on guard: # any Of
them go astray, the next convention
will replace them. Instead OF blindly
instructing the delegates to the con-
gressional convention to vote firsty last
and all the time for certain individu-
al, without any obligation on that IN
dividual's part to serve them after they
nominated and elected him, they sent
discreet delegates there to nominate
the right man after they had found
him. Heretofore candidates have been
ga erally selected by the professional
palI y managers and after election,
they served these managers in prefer
ence to the people or farmers. Now,
the farmers with the assistance Of others
who are favorable to their interests,
propose to make the nominations, and
have some service rendered to them.
This is what is ca}led by certain par
ties, breaking up the Democratic par
ty. The farmers should see to it, that
hereafter the right kind of men are
nominated and elected, especially rep
resentatives and senators SO that good
and necessary laws will be enacted, and
bad ones repealed. The last session OF
the general assembly was mainly spent
in the service of John A. Morris and
the lottery; the farmers should see to
it, that such thing never occurs again.
The farmers paid the expenses Of that
body, but the service was rendered to
their enemy, the lottery. Let the farm
ers put their shoulders to the wheel,
all in body; let them come forward at
the next election, all in solid phalanx,
and overwhelm the real enemies of the
Democratic party-the lottery with Its
owners, Morris, Pinchbaek, Herwig,
Baldwin, and the lesser lights who
serve them. Then we may reasonably
expect to have good laws, good govern
ment and reduction of expenses and
then we will certainly be rid Of the
ocean of corruption that is constantly
flowing from that abomination OF
abominations," the lottery.