The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-10-20
Vol. III. No. IS.

congressman Gay forwarded the follow.
ing letter OF acceptance:
To the Democratic Voters Of the Third
Congressional District of Louisiana:
have recei we'd official notification from
the chairman of the Democratic nOmina.
ting convention, lately held at New Ibe-
ria, OF my nomination IA your candid to
Orepresent you in the fifty first congress
OF the United States.
am deeply sensible of the honors con.
ferred upon me by my fellow citizens OF
the Third district through their represen.
tative Convention.
Their Endorsement OF my course in the
past | must attribute more to the friend.
ly partiality of the members Of the con-
ventiOn than to anything it has been in
my power To accomplish.
My personal preferences and the con.
ditiOn of my health led me to desire to
be allowed to retire, but these are trou.
blOus times when no lover of his country
can we'll hold back his mite of influence.
| l accept your nomination because
there is much to be done and am willing
to do my part.
My election will depend on your united
efforts and exertiOns.
| You have before you every incentive to
the most vigorous combined efforts for
the supremacy Of the Democratic partv,
We are confronted by the gigantic ef.
forts of the Republican party to regain
control over the executive and legislative
department Of the government.
Their success means to the people Of
Louisiana the unsettling of their social
relations more important than any other
confederation; besides the destruction Of
the prosperity and even the existence Of
the material interests OF the most impOr-
tant part of the state.
After passing through months Of soli.
citude aud responsibility in assisting my
colleagues in attempting to guide the
sugar and rice interests in the path of
comparative safety during the revision of
the tariff by the house of representatives
we are now threatened with danger In q
much more serious form.
The Republican senate after months
devoted to the consideration of their ta.
riff scheme. have determined to maintain
the duties on manufactured goods, in
some cases to raise them higher so that
every article We have to buy will be kept
up: while they reduce the duties on SUI
gar and rice to one half of what they are
at present under existing law.
They have Joined with the views ex.
pressed by the majority of the Republic
can members of the house in practically
constituting the Chicago protection plat
form to mean that northern manufac.
turers shall be fully protected, but that
protection shall not incluhe the sugar
and rice of Louisiana.
All disguise is now thrown aside and a
policy is proclaimed which will lead to
the destruction Of the successful culture
of sugar cane and rice in the South un.
less their efforts can be prevented by up.
holding Democratic influence.
The Democratic policy is to maintain a
high duty on foreign sugar because it Is
one OF the larges: sources OF revenue
most easily collected and falling most
uniformly on the whole community.
The Republican policy Is to cut down
the duties on foreign sugar becaure that
reduction works large reduction in the
revenue and every dollar thus reduced
prevents a reduction on northern manu-
factured wOOlen clothing, blankets, hats
tinware and other goods which they have
determined shall not be reduced.
sincerely believe that every laboring
man In the sugar and rice districts Of
Louisiana, whether white or black has
AZ great personal interest in voting at
the November election for Cleveland and
Thurman for Democratic Congressman
as any of his heighbOrs can have.
The important improvement about to
be inaugurated In bayOus Lafourche and
Plaquemine will require industry and
the cooperation of influence to sustain
and carry forward by further appropria-
ton.
The improvement Of bayou Pladuemine
| regard as bearing the same relation to
the waterways Of the interior as the
roots and trunk OF the giant oak bear to
its branches.
Let us first establish firmly the roots
and the trunk then the improvement of
the branches, which permeate the inte-
riOr will be universally recognized as
worthy.
After two years In laying the founda-
ton Of the permanent improvement Of
the outlet of the Calcasieu river to the
gulf, in securing surveys and estimates,
the report OF the ary OF war to the
present Congress declared that outlet un-
worthy of improvement.
This means that the expenditure re-
quirpd was greater than the commerce Of
the stream justified.
have arranged for another pxamina-
ton and report with the hope that the
local engineer may be more favorably
impressed with the importance of the
commerce of the CalcaSieu river.
As there is no prospect Of the adjourn
ment Of Congress before November may
be deprived of the opportunity and pleas
ure Of visiting my constituency but
feel assured that the Democracy Of the
Third Congressional District will rally to
tho nolla in Noyamhar and odd anafhax