The Opelousas courier., 1894-03-24
The Clarion's Lecture.

we know of, antagonized the Demo.
tional."
This is frank as to fact, and praise
worthy in tone. Having been 80 long
IN the service, it is hardly presumable
that, at this late period in our journal
lstlc career, we are inclined to switch
on on slde-tracks which we, quite as
we'll as the Clarion, believe lead from
the goal OF genuine democracy
Ihat paper appears to us determined
to make personal issue with this paper
OF political issue, We mean), as to the
real purpose of our articles. Let us H.
| lustrate:
| Inc priest breaches against the sins
OF his flock, not because he is dissatis-
lied with his church, but because he sees
evils and sins committed by his flock
which his enlightened, cultured relig-
ion convinces him should be avoided
and corrected. He sees and realizes
that it is going astray, apostatizing-
abandoning-neglecting the faith and
the practice of those virtues which the
church endeavors to inculcate and in
| still, and which while they adorn the
| membership, serve to glorify their
| And 50 with other denominations.
Should it be said by the Clarion that
| because priests aud preachers inveigh
against those sins and shortcomings
and give warning to sinners, that they
are abandoning the faith Will the
| Clarion take that positionq
As Journalists, we sound the alarm
| and point out the evils that have crept
! into the Democratic party, not because
we love Democracy less, but because
we would eradicate the impurities that
vvu hal xr;l
| (if it has not already done so) its Wig
| orous health. We are not of those who
seem to fancy that democracy must
thrive, it itithrive at all, on vitiated
food. ln its infancy it was nourished
on purity and on it grew up to gigan-
tic power. AS long as it fed on that, it
continued to grow and to strengthen;
but since the war demagogues have
alarmingiy adulterated it's diet, and as
natural consequence, it is seriously
troubled with indigestion, dyspepsia,
| cholera morbus and other maladies
which portend death to it, as a dominat
Eng eristenee. We regret this, and as an
humble physician, to the best of our
understanding, based on forty years of
experience, we have diagnosed the ac-
tual condition of The patient and would
dare prescribe remedies The Clarion
seems determined to make it's readers
believe we are abandoning the sick and
the afflicted, because we say it is sick
and it may sicken even unto death, un-
less it be given immediate attention.
How absurd-hOw monstrous!
1t appears to us that the Clarion gets
distinctions confounded, and because it
becomes entangled in the meshes of
its own devices, imputes, by implica-
ton at least, purposes to us which we
1,,x, onA ,f hi oh
therefore, could have their origin only
in the cogitations of its heptarchy.
The Clarion characterlzes our mode
of expression as flippant," but in view
Of our experience and its inexperience
in the school of Democratic politics. and
considering it's assumed right to pose
as the true exponent Of true Democracy,
might we not quite as appropriate
ly say it is impertinent7 But it has pub
lished dignlfied article, the ear-mark
of which can hardly be mistaken, and
we desire to reason with it for moment.
AS we have already said, it appears
to our mind that it has confused the
import of names and terms. 1t evident
ly confounds the principles of the party
with the party itself. Principles are
separate and apart from the party. 1t
is SO in the churches and it needs must
be SO in political parties.
The principles of the christian church
are good, and they inculcate humanity
and charity among other things; but
the church has practiced prosecutions.
The terrors and the tortures of the In
QUESTION were originated and practiced
in the church, and all was done in the
,agne of the gentle, humane, divine
principles of the religion of the Savior.
The martyrs suffered death for the
oss,7o hr,t oh inf - er,r
the upbuilding of itself.
GTime and reflection have led all man
kind, in every christian land, to con-
demn and deplore these deeds, but are
men apostatized from the principles
of christianity on that account9 We
now condemn many practices that have
grown up, and that outrage our sense
of right, and because they were BORN of
party, perhaps one will, which, in our
humble way. we have been affiliated all
our life, and because We would have
them suppressed and discontinued. are
we to be taunted with an implied ac-
cusation of infidelity to principles9
Has Christ's church abandoned true
religion because 1t has extinguished the
fires of prosecutions
The Clarion may esteem party above
sound principles, but we do not. We
regard it as only a means OF putting
principles in operation. In our life
long devotion to these, the Clarion can
not point to the occasion when we did not
stand squarely in the ranks of our par
ty. Can every member of its heptarchy
say as much II not. pray what ex-
PLANTATION do we owe itq
The Clarion was, it not conceived and
born of the throes of an indefensible
bolt from the usages and -honored
customs of the Democratic party, at
least an abettor and upholder OF that
monstrous political crime. Such we're
it's beginnings, and although only few
years old, it assumes the role OF polit-
ical confessor and, strange to say, i'm
AGNES that we must confess to it. To
answer all of it's article requires more
of our space than We can spare, but we
will add that we don't propose to abne
gate Democratic principles nor to bolt
from the party yet, do we dare to let
it be known that it should correct some
of the great errors into which, first, ne
cessity led and forced it and. next,
demaeogues would keep it. In doing
this. our face is not turned to the POpn-
lists nor to the Republican party, but
our purpose is to hold up the blazing
torch Of Truth that Democrats may
walk in it's light. We trust that with
this assurance the Clarion may find it
consistent with its journalistic duty to
sneak of us as We are, and to cease Its
efforts to create the impression among
its readers that the COURIER is weaken
ing in ite Democracy. 1t must know
that the errors of q party may be ex-
nosad--vea. Ondemned-WithOut neces-