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Show YEARS OF MISKULIi IN LOUISIANA. The Democrats by Their Own Nefarious Practice tilve the Opposition Hope. New Oiii.eaxs, Feb. Hon. A. H. Leonard, the republican nominee for governor, gov-ernor, has scut a lengthy letter to chairman Ducoti of the state committee, accepting the nomination and dealing with the issues of the campaigu. In thu course of his letter he says: "Where people are free, opposing political politi-cal parties arc Invariably found; where such parties do not last, the people aro not free, in 1S77, the democratic party took forcible possession of the state government, and has ever since maintained absolute power by violent and fraudulent means. For sixteen years the people of liuisiaua have not had a government such as guaranteed to them by the constitution of the I'nitod States. "A condition of things so utterly abnormal has been woefully injurious in consequence. The development of magnificent resources are retarded ml the moral tone of the peo. dt lowered to a degree that seriously threatens threat-ens the underlying principles on which so-ciety so-ciety itself is based. The results have been disastrous even to the democratic parly, for, under the conditions which licit party has created, reckless and unscrupulous men have naturally risen to power. "What else can be expected, when force usurps the place of argument; when bullets are substituted for ballots; when men who claim to be, and who are accepted as, members mem-bers of the self styled ''Ruling Clai9," act as oltlceraof election, and consider It simply a joke to certify to returns which they knew to be. and in many instances uublushingly admitted to he, false and fraudulent. "All that is necessary iu the coming contest con-test is a free elcethm and an honest count. We ask for nothing more. We should submit sub-mit to nothing else. In the words of the ii publican platform, "The right of every citizen to cast one vote and have that one vole duly counted is their paramount right." In conclusion Leonard says: "There is reason to hope that the influence of many of the more Intelligent members of the democratic demo-cratic party will he exerted to provent bull dozing and frauds at elections, which have so long disgraced Louisiana. Moreover, the disruption of the democratic party will, to a certain extent, dispell the unreasonable prejudice w hich has heretofore existed in the minds of many democrats against the republican repub-lican party, and make it difficult for the re turniug officers to couut out republicans in a large majority." He accepts without reservation the platform plat-form adopted by the republican state convention, conven-tion, and proposes to statu! by it in the coming com-ing campaigu. |