1898 Election in Union Parish Louisiana: Democrats vs. Populists Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by T. D. Hudson, 11/2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 1898 Election in Union Parish Louisiana: Democrats vs. Populists ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette"; issue of Wednesday, 19 January 1898, page 2, column 2 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== DEMOCRACY TRIUMPHS ------- POPULISM RECEIVES ITS DEATH BLOW. ------- Union, Lincoln, Jackson, Grant and Many Other Parishes Discard Populistic Fallacies and Return to Old Love ------- CROW, ROOSTER, CROW!! [illustration of a rooster follows here] The enemy met us and they are ours. The victory at the ballot box last week was so sweeping and complete for old Democracy, that our Democratic rooster has jumped from his cage and asserts his right to crow, and we don't feel inclined to stop him either, so let him crow ahead, albeit the crowing might make some of our defeated Populist friends a little sad. Union, Lincoln, Jackson, Grant and other parishes, that for awhile threatened to abandon the pure and staunch principles of Democracy to follow after the false and fallacious teachings of Populism, have returned to their old love. They could not sanction the unholy political alliances that have characterized the Populist party since its birth, resulting in any and all combinations, regardless of principle, simply to land some of its into office. But, alas! the weak ship of Populism was stranded upon the billows of public opinion, fairly expressed at the ballot box, ere it landed but few of its leaders into the port of anxiety -- office. As far as we have heard, Winn parish - the free state of Winn - alone has stood by the corpse of Populism at the trial last week. The majority vote throughout the state in favor of the convention and the Democratic nominees for delegates at large is estimated at 30,000. The victory of the 11th inst. was glory enough for one day's work in behalf of Democracy. That election was parti[ci]pated in mainly by the white voters, the intelligence of the state; and the result shows which party is the representative of white supremacy and honest government. It knocks out the false charge so frequently made by the Populist leaders that the Democratic party of Louisiana lives through the vote of the negro. Again we say, let the Democratic rooster crow to his heart's content over last week's victory. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette"; issue of Wednesday, 19 January 1898, page 2, column 3 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Nearing Its End. ------- The crushing defeat of Populism at the polls on the 11th inst., which will practically wipe that political party out of existence in Louisiana, was sad and shocking news to those third-rate politicians who had become professed converts to the Populist faith solely with the hope of riding into office. Its foreshadowed demise is the result of an overdose of Republican fusion, administered through the treachery of "Dr. Office Seeker," in the hope of "buttering his own bread" at the expense of his blind followers. Populism was brought into existence by the prevailing hard times and industrial depression that have pervaded this land for the past few years. It promised the heavily burdened "horny handed sons of toil" relief from all their woes, bodily and financial; and for a while the unthinking and dissatisfied element flocked to it in droves. But after a few year's trial they have been made to realize that the promises of Populism are vain and chimercial -- that the Populist party cannot bring better prices for farm products; that it cannot feed the hungry and clothe the naked; that it cannot stay the blighting drouth (for it is well known that the Populist parishes have suffered most severely from that cause) and bring abundant harvests. In short the Populist party has failed to make itself a panacea for all ills that flesh is heir to, save to a few of its leaders; and now since the people are determined to desert the vain sophism of its dictators, the Democratic party - the white man's party of the South - extends open arms to all repentant sinners, and promises upon a confession of their sins to again receive them into full fellowship. Populism had its birth on the precipice of "Hard Times." Its father was "Old Man rumbler" and its mother "Old Lady Discontent." Its offspring have partaken liberally of the disagreeable characteristics of their parents, and have been incessantly rocked and nurtured in the cradle of prejudice and dissatisfaction. Hence its approaching end will bring forth but few tears, save from those chronic and desperate office-seekers who have failed to get their life-long desire in that direction satisfied. --------------------------------------------- Now since the people have said that they want a new constitution for Louisiana, and have elected delegates to frame that document, it is in order to discuss the reform needed in that direction. First of all we want a suffrage law that will guarantee a pure ballot, honest elections and do away with the corruption and fraud that has heretofore disgraced elections in Louisiana, and at the same time guarantee white supremacy and the rule of the intelligent voter and taxpayer. We also want a general reform in the judiciary - a plan that will give us speedier trials at less expense. We want also the barbarous penitentiary lease system abolished, so that the convicts - criminal though nevertheless unfortunate - can be guaranteed humane treatment at least. We want a chattel mortgage law, so as to enable poor farmers who own only live stock or other property to procure money or credit by pledging their own effects. We want a jury system something like the one in vogue three years ago. We want the rate of taxation reduced, and also the number of officials and their salaries cut down in keeping with the times. These matters will be considered at length later on. --------------------------------------------- Hard times has prevailed in the hill parishes of North Louisiana ever since Populism began to make itself felt. But last week's election knocked the Populists completely out; and now since our..... ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette"; issue of Wednesday, 19 January 1898, page 3, column 2 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Vote of Union Parish. ------- The election on the 11th inst. passed off very quietly in this parish. Of the 1376 registered voters a little less than two-thirds cast their ballots. Sellers, the Democratic nominee from Union parish to the constitutional convention, defeated Rockett, the Populist nominee, by 34 votes; and the constitutional convention question was carried by 38 majority. R. B. Dawkins, one of the Democratic delegates at large, received 338 votes, running about 30 ballots ahead of the general average of his party. All the Democratic candidates were victorious in this parish by good majorities. A comparison of the votes, by wards, of Sellers and Rockett with the vote for and against the constitutional convention, will show that the Democrats voted for the convention and their nominee, and that the Populists who supported Rockett were opposed to the convention. It was generally understood that the Democratics favored the convention movement, while the Populists opposed it; and the vote on this issue clearly shows that the result was not brought about by the special popularity or unpopularity of either of the opposing candidates, but simply because the Democratic party had a majority of the voters. Hurrah for old Union! She has again placed herself under the bright banner of pure Democracy. Below we give the vote of the local candidates by precincts, as well as that for and against the constitutional convention: |=========================================================================| | PRECINCT | | | | For | Against | | | Dawkins | Sellers | Rockett | Convention | Convention | |=========================================================================| | Farmerville | 69 | 80 | 23 | 79 | 20 | | Colson | 6 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 18 | | Ouachita | 25 | 24 | 2 | 22 | 1 | | Marion | 46 | 43 | 22 | 48 | 17 | | Spearsville | 31 | 30 | 64 | 16 | 62 | | Grange Hall | 19 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 19 | | Junction City | 3 | 3 | 20 | 5 | 15 | | Shiloh | 88 | 81 | 42 | 84 | 31 | | Ebenezer | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 15 | | Mt. Ararat | 20 | 35 | 45 | 28 | 39 | | O'Possum Walk | 10 | 13 | 52 | 7 | 56 | |_________________________________________________________________________| | Total......... 338 | 360 | 326 | 331 | 293 | |=========================================================================| ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette"; issue of Wednesday, 19 January 1898, page 3, column 3 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== And Union parish and Jackson too came in out of the sage brush of populism and casts their tents once more upon the peaceful plains and beside the still waters of the democracy. All this goes to indicate that the white man of Louisiana realize at last the emptiness and delusion of the populist's claims and they are casting behind them a party which has nothing to its credit but a long list of broken pledges, hypocrisy and double dealing. The populists, so far as we can recollect, have held three State conventions in Louisiana and in each case the ticket as nominated by the conventions has been pulled down by a handful of self-constituted leaders and a new ticket put up as a result of dickers with opposing parties. The rank and file of the party have been the victims of corrupt leaders who have not hesitated to trade off the party for their own personal profit whenever occasion to do so was presented. Populism is a dead cock in the pit in so far as Louisiana is concerned. ----Baton Rouge Advocate. ###############################################################################