New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1878-10-26
THE PLATFORM AMI. NOMINEES
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

extent that they will, as paid public SER
wants, substitute good for bad govern
ment, they have a right to know speeih-
cally what opinions said candidates hold
on the great vital issues that may be at
stake. s F
Here is the Platform issued by the
| Democratic parish convention, on which
the ca adidates offered for our suffrage are
supposed to stand, and which all Demo-
Gratis are expected to indorse:
eve advocate vigorous effort to econ
omise and to enhance the resources Of the
city; the. restoration of our commercial
prosperity and the tightening of the bur-
dens thereon; the equalization of assess
i ments; generous school system, with
equal advantages to white and coloTed;
harbor improvements and the abatement
of wharfage charges at the earliest pract-
cable period; the suppression Of all mo-
nopolies, and especially the abolition of
the present contract system, which in
itself is but monopoly directed against
the laborer. Therefore, we confidently
claim that our candidates are fit represen-
tatives of those aims and objects, and
are entitled to the support Of all those
who sympsthize Herewith" se4
As one of the voters to whom this con-
venhon appeals for the support of its
work. 1 reject this platform as being
utterly without definite meaning (unless
it be meaning absolutely hostile to the
interests of the mass of the people,, and
in some of its parts insulting to the in
teligence of the voter, whether be be the
man of wealth or the humblest laborer.
This people have before their eyes
every hour great and oppressive evils of a
specific nature which have well nigh
ruined them, and which can not continue
without bringing about complete ruin.
And, to add to pre-existing evils they
have to stagger under untold losses in
life and substance inflicted by the still
prevailing epidemic. a'1t..
1t is at time like this that party,
whose very name should inspire every
man with hope, puts up candidates for
local government and for Legislators,
many Of whom it is impossible for the
intelligent and virtuous citizen TO vote for
without violating the plainest dictates Of
propriety and common sense, and holds
| up as its shibboleth the skeleton of So
called principles have quoted.
In this platform there is contained but
one specific avowal, and that is smothered
in its birth by the baldest, the most inn
pudent insult to the intelligence of voters
that can be imagined. The convention
says it favors-
1.-THE suppression of monopolies, and
especially the abolition of the present
contract system, which in itself is but o
monopoly directed against the laborer."
If the convention is honest in calling
the contract system monopoly, then
they are simpletons, for it is simply an
impossibility for that to be monopoly
which is temporary contract entered
into between the city authorities aud the
lowest responsible bidders after due ad.
vertisement under the law. We can not
believe such body of men to be fools,
therefore they are justly arenable to the
charge of low pandering to the desire
Of few hundred laborers to get into the
r work of cleaning the streets under the
old and far more expensive system, while
a smaller number would be turned ou'
who now work under the contract system
Perhaps such an appeal as this may in
fiuence the man who simply wants to ge
in, but it ought to strike every working
. man who pretends to know what Democ
racy means, as clearly indicating in con
vention and candidates spirit which viii
surely be carried into every ramihcatiol
of their work if they are elected, an(
which will be pernicious in the extreme
Surely, the nottingham can not requlr
|, | to be told again that the very reason he i
this day without work is because all prop
erty and ali industry have been oficiall,
robbed to almost complete exhaustion
, The great charge against the Radlca
party was that it robbed us of our sub
stance through the forms of taxation TO
l governmental purposes. This was tn
: great charge we brought; under this W
all rallied; under this we achieved victory
Every man-property holder and work
ingman-felt the great evil; we rebelle
9 against it. and we cast off the incubus
But is the nottingham fool that b
: can not divine the real animus that lie
at the bottom of this bait thrown out 1
a catch his vote and then leave him s,fAnd
ed? / think not. Is there q voter VIII
does not know that the place of Admins
: traitor of Improvements was instituted b
a the manufacturers of our city charter
give chance for political plundering
Rod West grew rich on its pickings in
q year. and stepped from the City Hall t
n the United States Senate. The opportu
mites it affords are almost without hmi
: and when the declaration of principles
/, aims q blow at the only check that eve
has been put on an incumbent, it simpl
means that the doors are again to b
9 widely open to plumber the taxpayer tbs
n the oficeholder may be enriched. III
combination" cares not one curse fl
the laboring man; they are simply an
a solely providing for their man or men.
And now comes Democratic CONVEX
lion to give us platform of principle
d five parts of paragraph the vaguest gel
& eralities, and the sixth part an utter abal
donment of the sbibboleth under whic
= we have for years been fighting and q
It insult to the intelligence Of the huDgrie
II man who waits for work.
Fellow voters, let us ask these cand
3 dates some plain questions. If they a
n raal men, free of the trammels of "bur
merism, and interested in your welfa
and mine-in the welfare of the utter
r helpless widow and orphan, on who
= corrupt politicians prey without mercy
u they will answer them fairly and squared
i Ii they are silent, then happy will be Z
a Hmoney power" aud God help all WI
have to work for living ...
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES.
- l. Will you sustain the PremiumIBol
10 law, or will you devote your best energi
70 TO its abrogation at the hands Of I
10 Legislature?
% 2. Do you, personally, pay clair
M ,yoi,roaluao uubiab NON lrnauu VI