The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-11-04
TO THE
Mechanics and Laborers' Union
Party.

| GENTLEMEN-I appreciate tho honor you have
conferred on me by placing me at the head OF
your parish ticket Us @ candidate for the Mayor
atty of the city of New Orleans and that feeling
is strengthened by the fact that am not NOM
Dor Of your organization.
| AS | understand your position. you represent
one Of the most vital and important questions
now In the political catalogue-thnt of Labor.
50 far as the general government Ia con
cerned. there are two very important questions
for its considerations and they are the currency
and labor questions.
80 far rs our own State and city are con-
| cerned. they have another question Of vast and
| serious importance, and thnt ID the immense
| amount Of indebtedness now hanging over
them. and their utter inability to meet their
| liabilities promptly face to face. or to find in
accordance with past experience, any satisfac-
| tory remedy for the evil
| The various experiments of Consolidated
Bonds. Premium Bonds. schemes and bonds nd
| inflntum have all been tried but tried In vain ::
our streets are unrepaired, our school teachers.
public laborers. police and subordinate ap-
pointees. some not paid at all and some paid In
scrip worth 30 to 40 cents on tho dollar. are left
to beg bread for themselves and their families
ut tho doors of the charitable institutions Of the
city.
| This Is not the first time that the labor uues-
ton has been @ very important ono and played
| d very important part in the politics of this
country. It was tho labor question that over
| throw Mr.. Van Buren, and the Democratic Adj
ministration In 1910.
| And for fear that the opinions Of an humble
mechanic Of New Orleans might not be consid-
cred of much value or Importance. will hero
| insert IN extract from q speech of Daniel Web
ster. delivered at Saratoga the nineteenth Of
August of the year above mentioned:
Extract of speech Of Daniel Webster.l
10 compare such a state Of labor wi h the
ours. is rreposteroua. And yet tho doctrine
now ia and not Of individuals only, but Of the
Administrati H., that the, wages Of American
labor must be brought down to those Of Eu-
rope.
i have said this is not the doctrine Of q few in
dividuals, and on that head think injustice has
been done to q Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Buchanan who has been made to bear lmrge
share of the responsibility of suggesting. such n
policy. If | mistake not, the Same idea Is
thrown out In the Presidents message at the
commencement of the last session, end in the
treasury report. Hear what Mr. Woodbury.
SHOULD tho States not speedily suspend more
of their undertakings which are unproductive;
means to employ armies of laborers in con,
Stunning. rather than raising crops. and should
prices thus continue in many eases to be un-
v"ara IN tho face Of contrycting curpencv the
| tract Of if on our financps would be still more
| to lessen our exnorta. and Commemorative the
prosperity ana revenIe o. our foreign Trade,
=, no ~ lot tuEu on lloH tlo puoalo Wo.hs
out producing crops. and thus bring down
prices, both of crops and labor. Diminish the
mouths that consume, and multiply the arms
that produce, and you have the treasury pre-
scription for mitigating distress and raising
prices! How would that operate In this great
sand mer employed on your public wol ks works