The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-22
TnE WORKING MAN.

W RRh bl,tA1D " hNt
would eat and wear clothes. he must
work for the same. and II he marties
and has u family, ms the wife aud chill
drcn must cat md wear clothes too. the
amount OF work must IN all probability
be greater.
But IN this same organization the
word work has u very comprehensive
Significance. Work may be- Of the
brain on of the hand. and ifof either, then
there are many varieties. Some brain
work Ia simple, and some other IL din
cult in the extreme. and exhaustive. So.
also. some hand work requires more OF
delicate skill. aud some other Ia simply
a matter Of severe muscular exertion.
Work Of all kinds In moderate degree
is not only material necessity, but IL Is
well for mans physical welfare. Ex-
~cossive work In the misfortune Of man
exceptionally the fault. All work. IN
the aggregate. rebounds to the welfare
and happiness Of civilized man, though
by increasing luxuries II increases his
wants. The barbarian Ia not free OF the
obligation to work, though having tho
fewest and simplest wants his exertion
IL wholly physical and limited TO the
lowest degree.
But. notwithstanding. oil civilized
men have TO work. in the classification
Of society the term working man" Is a
distinguishing one. and applies literally
only to the a who earns his bread
by the sweat of his brow. Another, and
probably Il better definition. because
comforting greater dignity. il the man
who by physical cxortion produces
something. in contradistinotion to the
mere consumer or the brain worker who
Celebrates tho plans on which the pro
Queer h to work.
or this latter class OF producers We
write TO day. they. are by no means oil
that Is good Of the great body polite.
but they hold the honorable md impor-
tant position Of being absolutely essen
tial to civilized organization. They are
among tho chief foundation stones of
society-honored Of all ihtclligen: aud
good men. aud valued as we'll a. non.
ored.
In tho great political calamity that
has befailcn Louisiana They have not
passed unscathed. On the contrary.
they and their families have boon made
to feel that bad government can extend
its balcful influence even over those
who 1.-Two by the sweat Of their brow
aye, can v deny them the privilege
of working by absorbing or blighting
the capital Of those who furnish work.
or by creating such general poverty rs
to diminish or annihilate the demand
for the products Of the workingman.
Nor can tho working man fly from
the trouble that bcsets him. Vicious
government has reached it's acm in
Louisiana and other Southern States.
but II has also existed for years at
Washington. aud its blight IL sprcud
broadcast over the land. Only the other
day we saw one OF the old and skilled
mechanics Of New Orleans Just ro-
gone In search of tho constant occupa-
ton he could not find here. On our
iDquiring why he had returned. he re-
piled. because 1t liz more difficult to
get work In California than hero, and
there are ten times as many men look
ing for work there"
Then, like the property holder"
the working man and his capital (his
skid Is here. and here he must remain
and continue 1.-THE struggle for exist
ence."
What is the lesson? Why, that the
working man is mn integral part, nm i'm
portant member, Of the great body
II the body dies, he dies too.
The body Is dependent on him, and he
on the body. 1t Is q fatal fallacy to say,
=" All I have to do Is to work for a living
| am more independent than he who
houses and lands" There must
be work to do before work can be done;
and there will be no work while govern
ment means carpct-bag rapacity. The
working man must give intelligent
to his political condition, and
he must organize and strike hands with
the good men Of every other calling and
condition, to the end OF driving from
place and power the usurpers and
thieves who have so long cursed the
land.
We have not INDUCED in these re-
marks because Of any the least misgiv-
ing as to the political integrity and nc
.ivity Of the working man; on the con-
our experience with and know
edge Of him is to the effect that he
takes infinitely more interest in
than do other classes who have
much o time to spare for both think
ng and acting; but We think it a duty
clearly remind him that if there ever
vas Il demonstration of the mutual de-
oendence OF the property holder"
the "workingman," and il there
was an imperative necessity for
heir striking hands in a common strug-
gle, that demonstration and that neces-
'ity are on us now Ruin is upon all
like, and no class or condition Of good
men can honorably keep out OF the con-
iict. In louisiana there is no ordinary
contest between equally patriotic aud