The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-12

else, Is to protect his Industry from OPP
preston and to secure him in his life and
the collection OF his earnings. IT has
no more right to expend the public
money In hiring unnecessary labor. or
for paying high prices for labor be-
cause hard times prevail, than 1t has to
make large and expensive purchases OF
calico, or forage, or groceries, because
com MERGE is depressed and merchants
are failing.
II the theory OF these workingmen
is correct; II IL be true that 1t ID the duty
OF the municipal government to use the
public money to support and benefit
the poor, then it is patent to every gen.
erous mind, and must be to every work.
ingman who has any manhood, that the
claims of the men engaged In this
movement must be deferred. There
are, we are told, several hundred OF
these men, strong, able bodied laborers,
who are making this demand. IL we
concede that their claim is just we must
also concede thati the thousands OF
wretchedly poor widows and orphans
In the city, who are in actual
want; the poor, sick, lame and halt,
who are unable to leave the city and
hunt for or perform work, must also be
provided for; and surely every working
man, who is not selfish and unmanly-
brute, must consider that these miser-
able and helpless classes are entitled to
be first relieved by the city treasury.
AS the city Ia bankrupt, and has not
even funds enough to relieve half of
these, we do not see what right the
able bodied working men have to come
forward and claim the funds.
Ii the men engaged in this movement
will consider moment, they will realize
the absurdity of their demands. In
deed, IL government desired to destroy
the laborer, 1t could not adopt surer
course to do 1t than to listen to the
demands .of these inconsiderate mobs,
nine times out Of ten organized and in
stigated by politicians and ward bum
mers who never did an honest stroke Of
work and never will. Thus In short time
business would be ruined. work would
become scarcer still, and society
finally be reduced to anarchy.
The greatest sufferer from bad and
prof1igate government is the laboring
man, for he has only his labor to de-
pend on, and when the demand for that
is destroyed he becomes O pauper and
mendicant.
But why all this fury and indignation
on the part of the employees Of the De-
partment OF improvements The me-
oessary work must be done one way or
the other, and it cannot be done except
by laborers and with horses and carts
under either system. Under the pres
emit system more money may be squan-
dered on given amount Of work than
under the contract system; but II the
contract system saves, on q
given amount OF work, one hundred
thousand dollars, the operations OF the
city will be extended and more laborers
employed. Nobody will be starved by
it; nobody need be cut out of work
except the hangers-on. the strikers
and bummers who always infest every
system of work carried on under politi-
cal auspices, while the city's work will
be done more cheaply, effectively and
expeditiously. Then we are about to
have some local railroad bgilding.
which will give employment to several
hundred men.
Upon the whole, we see no reason for
any indignation on the part Of the
workingmen toward the City Council,
and we do not believe there exists any.
The Juror has, we believe, been raised
by politicians for political purposes,
and not In the interest of the city or of
the workingmen. The Administrator Of
Improvements ought not to have the
patronage In his hands that he possesses
under the present system. In the hands
of the best OF men 1t would become ring
power that would largely influence the
politics and the affairs Of the city. Not
one man in ten thousand could use such
patr onage for the public good, or con-
duct the work Of the city under the
present system Of that department Wig
orously, effectively and economically.
The Mayor now has an opportunity
OF doing the city a great service. He
can curb an inordinate political power
and institute, for trial at least, a system
Of work which promises to save the
city large sum Of money. We hope
he will sign the ordinance. We are very
sure he can not be bulldozed into We.
toing it.
CHRISTIAN, TURK AND JEW.