The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-10-14
TO THE PEOPLE.


Weare etill under the bun Of one Of the sever
est epidemics that has ever visited our city.
The extreme of physical and moral suffering
has been. and still is. our portion. But we are
only mon at best, and even before the pestilence
is completely moved the unrelenting neceasi-
ties that go to make up the sum Of the strug-
gle for existence" will be upon u.s.; The respQn-
not to work. not only to sustain ourselves and
those dependent on u.s. bnt, after such q calam-
ity, to build up aghl n the waste y aces.
AT all times good government Is the greatest
blessing raan knows on, ehrth IN. or after,
time of unnavoidabe disaster it is doubly a
th 6essing If this be So then bad 1 Is
than oil incumbent on us tits to use our very
best energies to avert bad gHyernment.
will assemble in this city, to put In nomination
mon whom tho party are expected to endeaVor
to elect rs your local officials and Legislators
tain Indications lead me to believe that some or
all those who now constitute your City Coun-
Gil desire to be continued in office The question
or nominate mon they may in any manner in-
dictate. Or mon who hold views similar to theirs,
or who may be under the same. painful influ-
ences; and i they do, whether 1t Is incumbent
on the Intelligent voter to support candidates
for office who will surely not give US good locai
government. Let us soc.
It Is theoretically q convention of the repre-
seDtatives Of the Democratic Conseryative party
IN this parish, The very name implies that the
object o.; Of resembling is to cho9se rules who
devote their best energies In the direction of
the best interests Of the people as 2 mass.
every man Of them- sought at your hands the
positions they respectively hold. All Of them,
from Mayor down. claimed to be Dem
and accepted election under tho flaming
shibboleth of reform in the interests Of the
mass Of the people.
Have they been faithful to their pledge2 For
me- l say no, q thousand times no: and am
sure, | will find u hearty response at your
hands.
The present Mayor and Council represent the
money power rs against the absolute interest
OF the people. The highest behests they would
obey, the deepest obligations they know. are
those thgt pertain to the payment of any SO;
called debt" of the city, and the condonlng OF
any outrage committed by corporate bodies on
tie genera, interests Of society Not man Of
thought to be- illegltimato without resistance
not man of them is ignorant Of the fact that
millonS m on mi!IIons Of the 50 called debt Of
them has raised u voice Of resistance in the in
forest Of the people they pretend to represent.
The height Of their ambition is to work for the
holder Of tbespuriOus bonds while you stagger
under he burden Of taxation.
=, Aye. T. has been even Worso than this with
them. The Premium Bond law makes 1t Obig-
atory on them to. fund into Premium Bonds
only good and valid claims against the city and
yet they have funded some 81 100000 Of q class
nounced said bonds stricken with nullity.''
No man in this community knows better than
d9eH the May2r the Ilagrant illegality Of
yet he Is the father of the outrageous Premium
Bond law. which engulfed the legitimate cred-
tor OF the city In ruin In order to sustain the le-
gitimnte. And he and his Council have devoted
their best energies to the turning Of their lot
terry wheel. while all your interests have suf-
fered.
This Mayor and Council will tell you they
have economized more than did their prede-
Gessors. You put them in office TO do that very
thing. The question is. have they fully done
others? Others failed to meet your expecta-
uons. / have no excuse for tnem save that
their opportunities to do good were notso great
as have been those OF the present administra-
tton.
The assessment of our real estate is to-day
double the rate Of assessment in Chicago lin
proportion to populationl, and yet you all know
thAt real property IS more valuable in Chicago.
could not possibly sell tho house live in, for
cash, for what 1t is assessed at, and yet the law
requires property to be assessed at it's cash
value, and. worse than all. these assessments
are fixed on us for -four, years, without one word
of m mremonStrance from this admin istraton.,
IS to be paid, no matter what sort 2f bond he
holds, nor what becomes Of you. Your Mayor
and Council point with pride to the reduction
they flood the city with little slips Of exhibit.
one of which hold,
they turn the lottery wheel and of the absolute
punctuality with which they meet every pay
ment demanded under Its revolutions but they
soebr haDG aH9 6ar shut u to aGa e
great city neglected in oil Its foatures. know
decrepid old street cleaner who has done
nn no2r tor 70 the fI[y ana Who t holds her
buy food and clothes but the holders Of fraud
ulent We bonds are paid With the greatest regular
We are taxed to q degree that keeps US i'm
pOverished, and are required to pay ali the
taxes levied or mono at ono time md If We are
charged 10 per cent interest until We do pay.
we are, not allowed to come forward and say,
Hero Is the money to pay the policeman. the
teacher, the street scavenger-all who work for
u.s. that they may live; and We will come later
and pay the rest" no. the bondhOIder demands
that he shall be paid first or surely and your
honor and humanity, every Intelligent cOncep-
ton OF the true interests Of u great city. would
Indicate policy the reverse of this; ; but our So
called reDresentatives cannot see it. They live
and move and have their official being under
the eternal dream of preserving the credit OF
the city" and they call it 'preseryed with their
investment. and the football of Carondelet
street brokers AT, thirty cents on the dollar.
ne Of yoGr Is the
public squares are dilapidated and are used az
thirteen milch COWS in Coliseum Place In one
| morning. Lafayette Square, in the heart Of ou1
city. and right at the door Of your City Hail. is
in condition, disgraceful to civilized com:
munlJy- ASK tnem why 1t IS So and they vii
tell you they have no money 10 improve 1t. But
mark the readiness with which they voted $500
| to pay Mr. .Iacharie-outside counsel-to defend
At4dmministrator t4l lm Cnvanac against Administrator
McCatfrey. TO improve the square would be
legal and right; to thus vote our money to Mr.
Lacharie. Is Illegal and wrong. But the Council
have their reasons for doing the Illegal act and
to keep LAFAYETTE Square dilapidated is Ike
the professional street beggar in his rags, tt
keep up the appearance Of a poverty which de-
mands the Strictest economy"
Yes. these men have a. GitV attNrnpv and r
assistant city attorney, whose duty it is to at
| tend to your law business and TO whom yOu
grant full remuneration, and yet they sustain
| ilegitimate employees, while the street cleaner
the policeman or the teacher hawks his time
among the brokers'.
| haye said these men are the servants-aye
the slaves OF corporations and monopolies
Look at the condition Of the streets through
| which the street railroads" pass. Under tht
charters Of these roads the companies are re-
quired to keep the streets in good condition
and the rails must bear certain physical rela
ton to the surface, Of the pavement in order tha
| they will present the least impediment to veh
cles IN general. Instead Of this compact being
complied with, the streets In general are
| in miserable condition. and in order to protec
and utilize their rails to the fullest extent, tht
too oI,,