The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-04-15
SOME RESULTS OF POLITICAL
INDEPENDENCE.

Particularly persistent and strenu-
Gus efforts are being made in This
campaign to convince the Democratic
voter that wandering from the party
lines after having registered his po-
litical utilization is very questiona-
BILE and unusual procedure, and that
disregard Of the implied obligation to
support the nominees of primary in
which he has participated is an Of
Tense in violation of good morals al
most akin to any one of the seven
deadly sins"
As our esteemed contemporary, the
New Orleans Times-Picayune, re-
marks, the proposition that independ-
ence Of thought and vote is an evil
treachery to the party and crime
against Democracy is too absurd to
discuss. Such a contention is con-
trary to 'tthe very principle that
lies ait the basis Of the republic. II it
were accepted there would never be a
chance for reform or for change OF
government. It was independent Re-
publicans who assured the election of
a Democratic president in 1884 and
again in 1892; it was independent Re-
publieans who made Wilson the presi-
dent today. 1t was independent DEM
ocrats who, calling themselves the
Young Mems Democratic Association,
overthrow the rottenest municipal
government that ever existed in
America and saved New Orleans from
bankruptcy and ruin, and it was SIM
ilarly independent Democrats who in
1896 got rid of the scandal of a
doodle council many of whose MEM
bers were under Indictment or in jail,
and started New Orleans on it's pres
ent career of progress, with new
charter, provision for a sewerage and
water system and nearly all its pres
ent improvements. For all reforms
we must depend upon the thinking
voters, those who vote as they believe
is right and in the public interest as
against chose who have no ideas OF
their own, are the slaves of others
and vote with shut eyes the ticket
handed them hy their political master
and boss. =
What is true OF New Orleans in
this regard has been repeatedly dem
onstrated with even greater force in
the city of New York, where in the
last municipal election the regular
Democratic organization and its cam
didates were beaten by an independ-
ent and fusion movement that had the
earnest support Of President Wilson's
most prominent local friends and was
headed by his appointee to the New
York collectorship of customs as the
Independent Democratic-R Republican
Progressive candidate for mayor.
AS to the contention that participa
ton in partyprimary binds the voter
absolutely to support the party ticket,
William j. Bryan, the Democratic
party's standard bearer and presi-
Dental nominee in two campaigns
and the man to whom more than any
other the present Democratic presi-
dent owes his nomination, has written
and published the following specific
declaration:
ssThe individual member of party
at all times reserves the right to vote
against a nominee of q party and to
abandon his party entirely whenever,
in his judgment, his duty to his coun-
try requires it. = If abandon
ment Of party is ever justifable the
voter must determine for himself
when the time for abandonment ar
rives. When should he decide? The
proper time, If not the only time, is
after the party has adopted it's plat
form and named its candidates.
With such record of precept and
practice to guide and vindieate him,
the independent Democrat in LOUISE
ana should have no qualms of con-
science and no hesitancy about vot-
ing his honest convictions next Tues
day.