The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1892-05-14
The Result.
From the Louisiana Review.

In another column will be found a
table of the vote for Governor, as re-
ported by the officials who conducted
the recent general election. 1t shows
that Governor McEnery received a
greater vote than in the white prima-
~ of March %, Notwithstanding the
disadvantages under which he labored
from the misrepresentations of his op-
ponents and from the merciless work
ing of the election machinery in their
hands.
How many more of his votes did the
election mill grind into Foster votes,
in common with those cast for the Re-
publican candidates and Tannehill, the
Peoples candidate, may be conjectured
but never ascertained
Governor McEnery and his asso-
ciates had been nominated twice by
clear majorities of the white people
of Louisiana, against combination
largely composed of Farmers Alliance
men, officered by many notorious
chronic boilers from the Democratic
party, with contingent of conscien-
tious men lured into this combination
against the Democratic party by. the
various false pretences set adoat by un-
scrupulous demagogues and place hun
ters.
Governor McEnery and the rest of
the nominees on his ticket represente d
the Democratic party and they owed
it to themselves and to their party to
stand or fall at the election in defense
of the rights of the majority. To have
done otherwise would have been to
surrender like cIavens to brutal dis
franchisement of 1900 Democrats, in
New Orleans, by q quartette of con-
spirators who had treachsrously
usurped Returning Board functions
that the Democratic party all over the
Union had reprobated when Ruther-
ford B Hayes was put in the presiden
tial chair in 1877, through the action
of the Wells Returning Board.
Forty nine thousand Democrats, the
retnrBs of the election avow, in voting
the McEnery ticket, upheld the rights
of American citizenship and expressed
their adherence of Returning Board
methods.
To pass over in silence the ontrages
that have been perpetreted upon the
rights of American citizenship and civ
il liberty 10 Louisiana, would be to le-
gitimize them, invite their repetition
at every election and make the name
of Louisiana by word of derision and
obloquy.
United, the white people of Louisi
ana have tile numbers and the in
fluence to direct its affairs without hav
ing tecoure to The shameful practices
and frauds that characterized the re
cent campaign and election. They
demnralize our youth and if persisted
in they can but bring additional woe
and disgrace upon the State.
If it is the sentiment of the mass OF
the white people of Louisiana that the
orgy must cease and that order, righi
and decency, shall again prevail, the
appliances of fraud must be destroyed
This can be done by amending the
provisions of the election law which
furnish them. So long as they are per
mitted to exist just SO long will th'
rights and liberties of this people be a
the mercy of any scheming Governo
| who may wish to continue bis tenure
of Office or designate his successor.
The cry for peace and unity will b
but hollow sham and mockery til
| the election machine is broken.
Tho new legislature has it in it
power to heal the wounds that reeeu
events have made and reunite tn
white people of the State.
| It remains to be seen if it possesse
the manliness to do it
On the legislature and on the power
that be, alone,, must rest the responsi
bilily for the reign of discord and dis
trust that now hangs over the State.