The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-10-20
THE PLATFORM AND NOMINEES OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

FsLloU- VOfers-When candidates are put up
for popular support, iDasmuch as Intelligent
voters have an interest In their election to
office only in proportion to the extent that
they will, as paid public servants substitute
good for bad government, they have right
to know specifically what opinions said can
ddates hold on the great vital issues that
may be at stake.
Here is the 'Platform' Issued by the Dem
ocratic Parish Convention, on which the can
didates offered for our suffrage are supposed
to stand, and which all Democrats are ex-
pected to indorse:
I'VE advocate q vigorous effort t, economize
and to enhance the resources of the city; the
restoration of our: commercial prosperity and
the tightening Of the burdens thereon; the
equalization of assessments; generous school
system, with equal advantages to white ana
colored; harbor improvements and the abate-
ment Of wharfage charges at the earliest Drac-
an4 hs %
contract system which In Itself Is buta Inonop-
oily directed against the laborer Therefore we we
representatives Of those aims and objects, ana
| are entitled to the, support OF all those who
sympathize Herewith
| AS one OF the voters to whom this conven-
ton appeals for support Of It's work, reject
| this platform as being utterly without definite
| meaning (unless it be q meaning absolutely
hostile to the interests Of the mass Of the peo-
ple), and In some of its parts insulting to the
intelligence of the voter, whether he be the
man Of wealth or the humblest laborer
This people have before their eyes every
haur great and oppressive evils OF @ specific
nature" which have well nigh ruined them, ana
about complete ruin. And, to add to pre-e&-
listing evils they have to stagger under IN
told losses in life and substance Inflicted by
tho still prevailing epidemic.
1t is at time like this that party, whose
| very name should inspire every man with
hope, puts up candidates for local govern
ment and for legislators, many OF whom 1t Is
impossible for the Intelligent and 7vrtuous
citizen to vote for without violating the plain
| est dictates Of propriety and common sense,
and holds up as its shibboleth the skeleton OF
so-called sprinciples" ] have quoted.
In this platform there is contained but one
specific avOwal, and that Is smOthered in It's
birth by the baldest, the most impudent in
suit to the intelligence Of voters that can be
imagined. The convention says 1t favors-
Tho suppression of all monopoles. and es-
peclally the alb liton Of the present contrae
system which in Itself fs but MONOPOLY I'll
rected against the lab1rer.'
IF the convention is honest In calling the
contract system q monopoly, then they are
simpletons, for it is simpI an lmposslblllty
for that to be 81 monopoly which Is tenn
pOrary contract entered into between the
city authorities and the lowest responsible bid
ders after due advertisement under the law
We cannot believe such body Of men to be
fools, therefore they are justly amenable to
the charge of q low pandering to the desire OF
a few hundred laborers to get into the work
of cleaning the streets under the old and lar
more expensive system, while smaller
number would be turned out who now work
under the contract system.
Perhaps such an appeal as this may tn1lu-
enCe the man who simply wants to get in, but
it ought to strike every working man who
pretends to know what Democracy means as
clearly Indicating in convention ana candl-
dates spirit which will surely be carried into
every Identification of their work il they are
elected, and which will be pernicious in the
extreme.
Surely. the worzingman cannot require to
be told again that the very reason he IS this
day without work is because all property ana
all Industry have been officially robbed TO
almost complete exhaustion. The great
charge against tho Radical party was that it
robbed us of our substance through the forms orr
of taxation for governmental purposes. Ihls
was the great charge we brought; under this
we all rallied; under this we achieved victory
Every man-property holder and working,
man-felt the great evil: we rebelled against
1t, and we, cast off the incubus.
But is the workingman a fool that he can
not divine the real animus that lies at the
bottom of this bait thrown out to catch MS
vote and than leave him stranded? think
not Is there q voter who does not know thai
the place Of Administrator of Improvements
was instituted by the manufacturers OF oul
, city charter to give chance Tor political
pllindering? Rod West grew rich on it's pick
ngs in a year, and stepped from n, the CltJ
tunties it affords are almost without limit
and when the declaration OF principles aims
a blow at the only check that ever has beer
put on an incumbent, it simply means thai
the doors are again to be widely open tC
plumber of the taxpayer that the o1ceholdel
may be enriched. The combination cares
, not one curse for the laborng man; they are
simply and solely providing for their man o.
men.
And now comes Democratic convention tC
give us as a platform Of "principles" five parts
of O. paragraph the vaguest generalities, ant
, the sixth part an utter abandonment OF th'
t shibboleth under which we have f9r year;
been fighting and an insult to the Intelligence
of the hungriest man who waits for work.
FelIow-voters, let us ask these candidates
) some plain questions. II they are real men
free Of the trammels OF "bum erlsm,
, the welfare Of the utterly helpless widow anf
{ orphan, on whom corrupt politicians prey
without mercy-they will answer them fairly
and squarely; II they are silent then e h1app 3
will be the "money power, and COD hell
? all who have to work for q living
J QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES..
1. VIII you sustain the Premium Bond law
or will you devote your best energies to it
abrogation at the hands Of the Legislature?
2. Do you, personally, pay claims agains
yourselves which you know you do not owe
9. II you do not pay claims which you. d.
not owe, do you, or will you,, favor paying
bonds which you know or believe the city o
New Orleans does not over
2 4. If you have large batch Of claims pre-
sented against you personally, vii you no
sift the legitimate from the illegitimate ones
: and only pay the former? And if paymen
of the latter is insisted on, then will you no
resist even through the courts Of justice?
5. Then, will you devote your energies t.
bringing the subject Of the city debt befor
the courts2
6. Always having proclaimed, as Demo
= Gratis, that the Radicals were illegally involv
ing the city in debt and running the whole
; people, il elected will you now work unceas
ing1y for the rejection of every bond that w
! do not legally owe?
7. Will you work for the abrogatlon Of 81
infamous law that fixes enormous assess
Q ments on US for four years, and will yol
work for their reduction to something lik
the standard Of the other great cities
8. Are you in favor of the adjustment 0
the license .svstnm-the greatest outrage Oh