The Louisiana populist., 1895-05-17

hungry Democrat q well-fed Republl-
can! And thus ignorance and intel
ligence may bind the intelligent free
man! Certainly have a right to sell
my vote to the highest bidder. Every
vote is sold, FOR there are none who
would vote for a man. or set of men,
the execution of whose principles
would reduce. however Justly, the
suffragan to poverty. Men vote that
they may preserve all they have and
acquire more. Consequently when
elections are to be held there are in
terests to be looked after. Every ir-
terest has a candidate, and that can
didate will be elected who has the
strongest support And what else is
such support than money? And
whence comes the money? Clearly
from those who hold the most
property. And do they support
men not pledged to their interests.
which are the preservation Of present
possessions, and the aquisition Of
greater? No man bribes an alder
man for the mere sake OF setting q
principle in motion, regardless of
the benefit he may receive from its
operation. Every bribe is an invest
ment, and every dollar given to a
campaign fund" is bread cast upon
the waters! The question arises, is
there no way to prevent bribery un-
der existing conditions? Absolutely
none. In a Democracy, who are
to bring the guilty to justice? The
majority. And in every country who
constitute the majority. The poor.
Who control the government? The
rich, for is it not they who bribe Off
cials, and when the officials of gov
ernment are for sale, does not the
purchaser control the government?
Who then is to execute the law
against bribery? Will the rich
prove traitors to themselves?
What then is the solution of
municipal misgovernment, and at last
of state and national misgovernment?
Disfranchise all but property owners,
say some. and though such dis
franchisement is OF no avail. still it
contains the key to the solution of the
question. Property is the source of
the trouble. 10 limit the right of
suffrage to property holders would
only narrow the scene of mercenary
warfare. The smaller property
holders would at last be depressed,
and the ultimate creation of the pres
ent evils--an oligarchy of wealth
would be hastened; for there would
then be fewer to buy by half!
To get rid OF municipal corruption
we must place the voter beyond the
necessity of selling, or make it impos-
si6le for the purchaser to continue
to buy. Every man wants and wishes
property. Men buy from and sell to
each other, to acquire property.
Property is then the cause and
remedy. Unless men may have
that honestly - prosperity = which
they seek to acquire dishonesty. there
shall be no end of corruption. There
once was slalery; men were unequal
in liberty. Some had every free
dom; others had none. All desired it
when they came to know it. There
was corruption and crime. and at
last a war for liberty. The United
States at last declared all their people
equal in liberty, and that those inca
pable of achieving, let alone main
tanning liberty, might preserve it.
The constitution itself was changed,
and by law it was made impossible
for one man to sell or convey his lib
erty to another.
There is now property, men are
unequal in possessions. Some have
property; others have none. All de-
sire it when they know its
ThereAsis is corruption
and crime, and at last
there will be war to obtain it, and
that those who are incapable of OBJ
tanning. let alone maintaining prop
erty. may preserve it. the constitu-
tion itself will have to be changed,
by law; it will have to be made. im-
possible for one man to sell or convey
his real property. either actual or po-
tential, equal to that of all other, to
another. Equality in freedom vas
the solution of the evils of slavery.
in property is the only solu-
tioa of municipal and national miss
The Democratic sugar
kings of Louisiana, abandoned their
party for prospective property-those
men are educated and rich-what
then do you look for in the way, not
only of treason, but downright de-
and anarchy from the man
Of rags and ignorance? You will
suppress them! As well attempt to
suppress the tide.
JAMES ARMSTRONG, JR
The People Arc L,arning.