Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1954 Political Tendencies in Louisiana, 1812-1952; An Ecological Analysis of Voting Behavior. Perry H. Howard Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Howard, Perry H., "Political Tendencies in Louisiana, 1812-1952; An Ecological Analysis of Voting Behavior." (1954). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 8115. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/8115 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. POLITICAL TENDENCIES IN LOUISIANA, 1812-1952 AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OP VOTING BEHAVIOR A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Sociology by Perry Holbrook Howard A.B., Harvard College, 1950 M *A •, Louisiana State University, 1951 June, 195** UMI Number: DP69493 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI Dissertation Publishing UMI DP69493 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 MANUSCRIPT THESES Unpublished theses submitted for the master!s and doctor!s degrees and deposited in the Louisiana State University Library are available for inspection. Use of any thesis is limited by the rights of the author. Bibliographical references may be noted, but passages may not be copied unless the author has given permission. Credit must be given in subsequent written or published work, A library which borrows this thesis for use by its clientele is expected to make sure that the borrower is aware of the above restrictions, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 119-a DEDICATION To M y Wife Katie Parker Howard ACKHOWLEDOMOT <( ^ \D The author has become indebted to a number of persons in writing this dissertation* He particularly wishes to express appreciation to his major professor, Dr* Rudolf Heberle, for Invaluable guidance and assistance in every phase of this study and to recall fondly nearly five years of association* To lectors Homer Hitt, Vernon Parenton, Alvin Bertrand, Paul Price, Eric Voegelin, and Robert Harris the author is Indebted for orientation in the fields of sociology and government* The study was carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Population Research in the Department of Sociology at Louisiana State university. Gratitude is expressed to Miss Louise Kemp, Director of Division of Research and Statistics of the Louisiana De­ partment of Institutions, for the opportunity of making special statistical computations! Mr. Joseph R. Kelson, Office of Secretary of State, for making available unpublished ward returns of the 1952 presidential election in Louisiana* Finally the author wishes to give special thanks to his typist, Mrs* Augusta Bradsher. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT . , ...................... H i LIST OF TABLES * . .................... vl LIST OF FIGURES . vti ABSTRACT . , ....................................... X CHAPTER I POLITICAL ECOLOGY* METHODOLOGY AND CERTAIN PROBLEMS ............. I II LOUISIANA EXPERIENCES REPRESENTATIVE G O V E R N M E N T . 11 A* Colonial Experience and the Constitu­ tion of 1812 • 11 B. Utilising the Machinery of Government * The Genealogy of Louisiana Political Parties............................ 18 C. The Parallel of Louisiana and National Politics and Jaeksonianism Triumphant . 2*f D. The Downfall of the Whigs and the Impending Secession * b? E. An Evaluation of Political Tendencies* l8**6-l860f and the Tragedy of Secession 67 III A NEW LOOK AT RECONSTRUCTION............. 78 A* Picking Up the Pieces * I86lf-1868 * . • 78 B. Politicians of Fortune* The Carpet­ baggers , 1868-1876 .......... 85 C. The Emergence of the Lilywhites .... 97 D. Solidarity in the Hills* 1879*1892 • • 102 iv Page £• The Populist-Republican Fusion* 1892-1900 ................. 113 F* The Disenfranchisement of Negroes and Whites* 1898-1900 127 IF ONE-PARTY POLITICS ANDTHE RISE OF LONOISM . 137 A* Ha chine P o l i t i e s ........... * 137 B* 19Good Government" O p p o s i t i o n ....... 1*+*+ C* Farkerism* A Respectable Failure • * • 15*+ D« Longism* An Appraisal •*,•••••• 163 V THE ELECTIONS OF 1952 AND THE FUTURE OF LOUISIANA POLITICS 210 A* Demography and Politics 210 B* The Rise of the "Independent"* The Gubernatorial Primaries »*».•»»* 222 C« Louisiana Republicanism in Modern Garb 2*+8 D. The Future of Louisiana Polities * * . 268 VI CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION . ......... 273 SELECTS) BIBLIOGRAPHI ..... 28*+ V LIST OF TABLES Table Page I Population and the Vote, 1830-1860 ......... II Highest and Lowest Quartlies of Dlxiecrat Vote In 1 9 W and Per Cent Wegro, 1950 by Selected Parishes . * ......................... 192 III Continuity of Political Tendencies in Croups of Parishes* Parish Percentage Above the State Average • 19^ I? Differentials in Selected Batios of Composi­ tion of Labor Force in Certain Sugar Parishes and Population of Largest City or Town Above 2f*t99t 1 9 9 0 220 V Prodaet-'Moment Coefficients of Correlation Between Kennon Second Primary Support and That of Leading Candidates In the First Primary. By l a r d s .............. 237 71 Distribution of Voting Percentages In Ecological Areas of Baton Rouge, By Candidates, 1 9 9 2 ........................ 2¥t VII Distribution of Voting Percentages for Candidates by Scologlcal Areas of Baton Rouge, 1952 2h9 VIII The Presidential Vote of Wards Containing Urban Places ..................... ..... 299 IX Product-Moment Coefficients of Correlation Between the Vote for Elsenhower and Leading Gubernatorial Candidates, ByWard, 1952 » • • 265 X Rank-Order Coefficients of Correlation Between the Vote for Elsenhower and Selected Candi­ dates or Elections, By Parishes 265 vl LIST OP FIGURES Figure Pag® 1 Gubernatorial Election, 182**, Tote for Henry Johnson, by Parishes......................... 26 2 Gubernatorial Election, 1828, Vote for Pierre Derbigay, by Parishes . * . ................ 28 3 Presidential Election, 1828, Vote for Andrew Jackson, by Parishes .•*•**««*.***» 31 h Gubernatorial Election, 1831, Vote for Andre Roman, by Parishes «•»»»*«***•••»• 33 5 Presidential Election, 1832, Vote for Andrew Jackson, by Parishes '••**•••••*•»* 35 6 Gubernatorial Election, 183*+, Vote for Edward White, by Parishes . • . * ........... * » « • 38 7 Gubernatorial Election, 1838, Vote for Andre Roman, by Parishes * ......................... **0 8 Gubernatorial Election, l8*+6 , Vote for Isaac Johnson, by Parishes .*'*«'•••*•*«• 53 9 Gubernatorial Election, 1850, Vote for Joseph falker, by Parishes • *.•••**«»*•*» 56 10 Gubernatorial Election, 1852, Vote for Paul Hebert, by Parishes »•»•••* 60 11 Gubernatorial Election, 1856, Vote for Robert Wlckliffe, by Parishes ,*'*•+*«*«••» 63 12 Gubernatorial Election, i860, Vote for Thomas Moore, by Parishes •*•••*•••»»*»'• 66 13 Political Tendencies, 1S**6~1860, Average Quartlie Distribution of Democratic Vote, by P a r i s h e s ........• . ................ 73 1** Gubernatorial Election, 1865, Vote for James Wells, by Parishes .......................... 83 vil Figure Page 15 Gubernatorial Election, 1872, Vote for John MeEnery, by Parishes «... ........... « . 90 16 Gubernatorial Election, 1876, Vote for Francis Niehells, by Parishes . ♦ ♦ ............. 9*t 17 Gubernatorial Election, 1879, Vote for Louis Wilt*, by Parishes......... • ............... 105 18 Gubernatorial Election, 188**, Vote for John HeSnery, by Parishes 107 19 Gubernatorial Election, 1888, Vote for Francis Wleholls, by Parishes . ................. 108 20 Gubernatorial Election, 1892, Vote for Murphy Foster, by Parishes • 119 21 Gubernatorial Election, 1892, Pluralities for Losing Candidates • • * ............ ...... 120 22 Gubernatorial Election, 1896, Vote for Murphy Fester, by Parishes ........ ......... 125 23 Gubernatorial Election, 1396, Majorities for John Pharr, by Parishes * ......... * • . * 126 2*t Per Cent Loss or Gain of White Hegistratlon, 1897*1900 ......... * ........... 132 25 Gubernatorial Election, 1900, Vote for William Heard, by Parishes................ 13** 26 Gubernatorial Election, 1900, Vote for Fusion Candidate, Donelson Caffery, by Parishes .... 136 27 Gubernatorial Election, 1901*, Vote for Newton Blanchard, by Parishes .••*.**•.•••» l*+0 28 Gubernatorial Primary, 1908, Vote for J. V. Sanders, by Parishes 1**2 29 Gubernatorial Primary, 1912, Pluralities for Candidates, by Parishes 1h7 30 Gubernatorial Primary, 1916, Vote for John Parker, by Parishes ........... ........ 153 viii Figure Page 31 Gubernatorial Primary, 1920, Vote for John Parker, by P a r