New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-15
DIR PLAN OF SALVATION.

ever since the Inauguration Of Repub-
lioan government in this State, or take hold
in a spirit worthy Of enterE rising men and
strive to build up the trade Of this city
and their own fortunes at the same time.
| 1t is quite manifest that the power q
wealth and the patronage of private sta
ton have lost to a greater extent their IN
fuence over political affairs here. Whether
for good or evil, the voters Of the State
have declined to heed the alluIing prom
ises Of such business men as have assumed
to direct them il their political duties.
There have been strenuous attempts
to divide and antagonize the two ele-
rents, to place a line Of demarkati0n be-
tween the poor voter and the rich citizen.
In all political movements the latter class
alone has been consulted. Their names
have been solicited to give respectability
and finish to all proposed plans, while the
men who were required to work for their
daily bread, and could only vote, were not
invited to participate in the councils,
whether in the ward, the parish or the
| State committees. But the material and
| weghty matters Of the campaign We're
left to chance. The poor people were ex-
pected to vote for the candidates which
we're nominated and indorsed by the So
called cold and respectable citizens, but
they very naturally refused to do this, and
gave their su4rages to men Of their own
choosing, who, in most instances, are men
Of their own class. Such was the case in
1868, 1870, and also in 1872. This prac-
tice prevailed last canvass in a more
marked degree in the country than in the
city.
After each election, however, it has
been the custom for the defeated party to
retire into itself and boast Of deteTmina-
ton not to recognize or have anything to
do with the radicals, scalIawags and car
pet-baggers, by which titles they desig-
mated the Republicans. They we're ne
groes and the friends Of negroes, with
whom association, even in business
way, would be a species Of moral pollu-
ton. AS the REPUBLICAN has before
warned them, the owner Of business
stand would lease his property to mer-
chant, and, having nothing else to DO,
would lounge around and abuse the Gus
toners Of his tenant if they happened to
be negroes, or white Republicans, the
friends Of the negroes. This foolish con
duct produced disastrous results, which
naturally reooilcd upon the offender, for
the customers were driven away from the
merchant, who in turn moved his stock
away to a better market, and left the store
vacant Then the property owner "
grumbled at radical rule and high taxes,
and joined the tax-resisters.
In many instances, the traders have
been driven into the country, % keep
crossroads store, and sent for his supplies
to St. Louis or Cincinnati. There has
been such a change wrought, by such
practices, and the altered relations Of
labor and capital, that there is q constant
drain Of money from this State 70 the
Northwest, for supplies, which ought to
run in this direction, and would, if our
merchants were as jealous in their bust
ness matters as they are bigotei in their
politics.
Now, It is or earnest desire to see ali
this changed, SO as to enhance the profits
Of business men, not by heavier charges,
bat by an expansion Of business. Instead
81 inserting all their Advertisements in
two or three Democratic papers. who
fatter them by pandering to their Prejn-
dices, and which are all confined p nearly
the same narrow limits, they should adj
dress themselves to their customers
through such mediums as are likely to
reach all classes. They should act and
talk as though there were no politics 10
business that though they may not Ike
the principles Of Republican, they have
10 objection to inviting business relations
with him.
When a merchant restricts his Gus
toners to a particular class, he virtually
decreases the population of the locality on
which he depends for support to the ez-
act number Of the excluded class. Our
merchants have been doing this sort Of a
half business for five or six years, and
they have grown poor at it. The party
they favored in the late election has been
defeated, as it was in 1868 and 1870.
Now, unless they bring a little wisdom,
little common sense, to their aid, they viii
follow the old precedent, and poke along
in the same protitless way as before, grum-
bling and complaining at the same time
Of the darkness caused by their standing
in their own light.
4 few simple remedies will effect Won
ders. Let our merchants. bankers, insur-
ance men, and everybody else except
newspaper men and officials eschew poll
tics except at the polls or primary meet
ings and throw open their doors wide to
the public and treat every man as q man
should be treated who presents himself Us
a customer. Let each man suppose he
counts one at the polls iii be votes) and
no more. no matter how his name
figures on the assessment roll. Let il be
understood that an aristocrat on ten
thousand dollar basis is an essential fail
'.e. and to set q? tor being e4linentIy ~
spectacle on less than half ; million. with