The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-04-11
THE CLAIMS OF TIE DEMO-
CRATIC PARTY.

The day Of election will soon b..
come and gone, and as it approaches.
It Is meta that rhe voters shanld con
'1der the claims Of the parties which
seek their SURFACES.
The Republican party ruled the Ces-
TIMES of this State during nine wears.
from 1868 to 1875. and in that short
period it inaugurated suc!, a reign Of
n't HIsacy. tyranny and oppression as
has never been witnessed in the civil
liyf.tt warla.
IT lnanguratea negro domination
and studied every device to cypress.
hnnnliate aud crash the white peanle
OF the State. 1t squan1erel millions
OF the peoples money to enrich I'M
prlnclpird scoundlels. and nergare3
the people to the point Of confseation.
1t piled up the public debt from some
thing less than five millions to some
forty-tive millions Of dollars. which it
lett as a legacy to the Democratic
party which succeeded il. 1t brought
about an era of turmoil and bloodshed
which desolated the State until the
good people arose in their might and
crashed it out of power. The history
OF the ontrages ofthe Republican par
~ during it's short reign in this State
would fill volumes and reveal such a
tale OF profiigacy, spoliation, corrup-
ZION, tyranny and oppression as would
almost pass understanding.
The Democratic party has been in
power tor twenty years. Assuming
the reins of government under great
difficulty, when the State was Ian
gushing and almost i'm the throes Of
dissolution, it had an arduons task
before it. 1t had to provide for the
enormous debt created BY the Repub-
l1can party ; it had to restore peace
and quiet i'll the land; it had to re.
establish our all but ruined leyee sys-
rem; 1t had to start up public schools
Tor both the whites and the blacks: it
had to reform our parochial govern
ments and stop the spoliation of par
lsh funds it had to re-adiust parish
matters and provide for the payment
OF the parish debts left by the Repub-
ican police %inries; it had to purify
the administration Of justice and to
make all men equal before the law: It
had to re-establish public confidence,
raise the credit of the State and set
up the supremacy Of the law.
All this the Democratic party has
faithfully done. It has religiously
kept its promises to the people. It
has restored peace and quiet in the
State purified the administration of
Justice; established the supremacy of
the law given us schools for both the
whites and the blacks, where few ex-
listed for the blacks and still less. if
any, for the whites before it has reg
ulated and provided for the public
debt, materially reduced TIE same.
and raised the credit Of the state
above par !; wiped ont the parish debts
and re-established gooa local govern
ment at a reduced taxation, with mo-
ney left for public Improvements 5; IN a
word, it has done all that it is posi-
bic for a party to do for the moral and
material advancement of a people.
1t stands before the people now,
promises to continue the policy it has
inaugulated and under which the
State has prospered. and when asking
the people for their suf1rages. refers
them to its history as a pledge Of what
it will doin the future. What more
the people asks
Let them consider the record and
rely on it. Let the achievements of
the past be the measure of the future.
Let the frnition of the present be the
gauge of things to come.
Stand by the Democratic party
which has been your truest friends
in the hour CT yonr sorest needs.
Testify your gratitude for it's good
deeds by marching under its banner
on the 21st inst. and voting the full
Democratic ticket.