St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-10-24
SIXTH DISTRICT CAMPAIGN.

work. But two weeks now remain
until tue close Of the campaign ant
rs yet no steps have been taken b!
the campaign committee looking I,
the systematic canvass of the dis
trict and no Ane save Col. Robert
son himself seems to be taking an!
active interest in the m after. Here
t0f0re this has been unnecessary
owing to the fact tina. Democratic
nomination in this district has beer
tantamount to an election, hence
the candidate has himself usually
made = personal canvass Of the dis
trict at his own personal expense
and without any necessity for max
lug much display. The present cam
paign is different IN this particular.
aud not only must y personal
canvass be made by the candidate,
but public meetings must he held
in order to reach tue great masses
Of the people and to inform them Of
the real issues shat confront them.
10 the credit of Col. Robertson il
may truthfully be SAID that although
he ia now q candidate for the sixth
consecutive term for the position he
has 50 ably filled in the past, he is
nevertheless = poor man, notwith.
standing the opportunities for get
rich by questionable methods At
forded so abundantly to men in his
position. He has consistently
sparned all such temptations and
is to-day . poorer man than he was
when he first entered Congress.
Such being the facts. he should
not be required or expected to
shoulder the entire burden Of tLe
expense necessary to conduct the
campaign. While it is true tina,
he has . personal interest in being
elected and . natural and very
laudable desire to carry the banner
OF his party safely to victory, yet il
must be remembered that there is
more involved than the personality
of Col. Robertson in this fight.
Party success, and lot party sue
cess alone, but we might almos,
say the very existance of the party
IN this district is involved in the
fight now pending, and for this
reason every Democrat should put
his shoulder to the wheel in . uni
ted and determined effort to bring
about success.
It was hoped that in obedience
to the spirit of the fusion arrived
at between the Democrats and the
Popuiists, the latter party would
see the necessity for making COM
mon cause with the Democrats in
the Congressional IS we'll as in the
State fight, and in pursuance Of
this plan they would endorse Col.
Robertson. The middle-of- the
readers from four parishes, how
ever, met in Baton Rouge and put
put a candidate of their own, thus
splitting the silver forces iu the dis
trict ana indirectly giving assistance
to Duson, the Mckinley candidate,
who, claiming himself to be . silver
man, is nevertheless supporting
Mckinley on q gold platform.
Whether this action on the part OF
The Populists is q covert move in
Tue interest of Duson's candidacy,
or whether it is simply . piece of
'hortsightedness and bad iudg-
ment on their part, we cannot ii
his time say, but whether it be the
one or the other, it is certain that
he cause Of free silver has been
placed in serious jeopardy thereby.
It therefore becomes necessary
Tor Democrats to get to work in the
of their candidate and to
invite those Populists who earnestly
desire above all else the triumph Of
Tree silver. to join with them in elect
ing Col. Robertson. The compaign
should get to work aud
the fray BY putting Demo-
cratic speakers out in every parish
and thoroughly caAvassing every
parish and ward III the distsict, SO
that the voters may be informed
hat every vote they may put in for
the Populist nominee is really 81
vote taken from the silver cause, be-
cause the fight in the dlstric: lies
between Robertson and Duson, and
every vote given to the Populite
n0mlnee is q vote taken from Rob-
ertson, thereby strengthening Du-
son BY that much. The Democrat
&c party in this district has no Boss
Hanna back Of il to furnish it with
money for the prsseeu-
ion Of the campaign, as is the case
With the Republican candidate.
Col. Robertson, we are sure, would
rot il he could, buy his way into
'ffice, as the corruptionist Duson
expects to do, aud he must there.