The Opelousas courier., 1896-02-01
Disgraceful Dickering.
N. @. States.

N. 0. States.
Ii there is ono thing the Populists
have denounced more vigorously. and
v~iciously than another it is political
dickering for the spoils of office. From
the forum, in their platforms and in
their press they have cried ont aloud Tor
pure political methods. The Puritans,
in their ~fiercest paroxysms OF piety,
were never more vociferous than the
Populists have been for the purity of
political aud election methods. And
yet no party, no gang Of boss politicians,
have ever negotiated or attempted to
negotiate II more scandalously corrupt
combine than that which was conceived
in the P0pulist convention at Alexan-
dria, and which is the only serious off
spring of that precious body, which
squealed for honesty, for "a pure ballot,
while its chiefs were fixing up the prep
arations for a sCaDdalOus combine with
the sugar-teat Republicans and niggers.
Tt is an open secret that, with the ex-
ception of Mr.. Booth, the head of the
ticket, and an ambitious youth from
Baton Rouge, who was SO hungry for
glory and office that he was eager to
accept anything in the shape, even the
shadow, of an Office, there is not a sim
gle nominee on the ticket who desired
the nomination and that they were all
persuaded to stick until Il dicker could
be consummatetl. In other words, the
ticket, with the two exceptions, was put
up as ii stake to dicker. Then an
executive committee was appointed with
full power to pull! down any nominee
that could be traded On and put some
other person ia his place. The Popu-
lists are as Il general thing poor men,
but many of them are strictly honest
and honorable men, who canno be
made tools Of by designing politicians,
and hence it vas early seer that no
dicker could be made with the bounty
grabbers, the old Republican carpet
bagge,s and niggers on the floor of the
Convention and that any open attempt
to do that would break up the Conven-
ton 4; then the scheme of s~upplanting
the Convention with IL select coterie of
politicians with power to trade was sug-
gested. 1t was Il scheme that makes
the bosses and heelers of New Orleans
them green with envy. To use the met
aphorical distinction made between
Warmo;il ard Kellogg by q Republican
nigger politician of the Warmoth wing,
the Populist leaders, sam cells and the
New Orleans bosses am sa~nd-paper."
Indeed, the whole result OF the Populist
Convention was ii provision for a sean
dalons dicker for the Offices with the SUI
gar and black Republicans. The Ring
politicians will certainly trade and
dicker; but, if manly can be applied to
such transactions, they trade in a man
ly sort of way; they observe, at least,
the sembiance of republican methods /;
every fellow has a hearing and is given
il chance. But they never put up a bar
gain and corruption committee to open a
shop to trade in. This @ and lower
method OF political %dickering has been
invented for the first time in Louisiana
politics 10y II party that claims to be for
pure politics, pure elections and for
principle only, first, last and all the
time.
And what is this executive committee
OF the Populists to dicker for Is the
object to secure honest, able and pat
riotic men to fill the offices of the State ?
Is it to seek the nomination Of men who
will inteIiigently handle our State and
city debt; who will extend and hold mp
our school system who will encourage
immigration and the investment of for
eign capital in this State? Is it to elect
men who will give us healthful legisla-
ton on all the lines of our industries,
commercial, agricultural, etcP No, not
by any means. These objects will cut
no figure in the dicker. They will
weigh no more in the scandalOns dicker
between the Populists and the SUI
gar and old Republicans than theyes9
or will in the proceedings of Il regular
ring convention in New Orleans. NJ
interest of tile impoverished farmers
will be cgeaTdered. The object Of the
dicker will be first to defeat and destroy
the Democratic party, and then turn
loose the hungry hordes Of the combine
to gather up the spoils. The dicker
will be for office and the patronage of
Office and spells. and for nothing else.
1t will matter little who the nominees
may be, provided the sugar Republi-
cans have a fair share Of them, and of
those that pay best and control the most
patronage, and under all this the dicker
will apportion the parish officers, the
school boards, the police %juries, the as
SCISSORS, the sheriffs and all the multi
tude of offices which manage the To-
cal and almost the domestic affairs of
the country people, and here is where
the niger will come in for his share,
and then the sugar-teats will secure
another chance Of sending three Louis
lana congressman to Washington to Of
fer for sale the honor of Louisiana to the
Republicans for bounty, and the Pops,
why they will just get nothing, or get it
in the neck.
Important Convention.