The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-04-11
THE CALAMITY CRY.

The Republicans are engaged IN
preaching calamity. Their cry is hard
times. hard times. and they seek 70
saddle the responsibility upon the
Democratic marty sinply hecanse that
party is in power in the State. It Is
no longer IN power at Washington.
The Congress is in the hands OF the
Republicans since last December and
still these have done nothing ~ relieve
the hard times olir ''friends the en-
envy are inveighino against. They
have had ample opportunity to do 50.
President Cleveland has called their
attention to what he deemed the prom
or remedy aud they have not yet res
pended. They have pretended to DO
50, and had they adopted their pro
posed measure, it would not only have
not helped us down here bnt would
have been a positive injury to Us.
They proposed TO raise the tariff 10
per cent on all articles OF the dutiable
list. except sugar. and thus raise the
prices on all articles we consume with
ont a corresponding increase on sugar,
orr main product.
Onr Republican opponents appeal
I" the lahorers and tell them tat if
the Republicans get into power wages
will 60 mp. BY what process. pray
What can the Governor do to raise
wagese What can the legislature do
to increase them ? What will the Re-
pnhlicans in Congress do to better the
laborers' conditions
The crv Of hard times and low
wages is the demagague's argument.
Tie Governor and the legislature
can do nothing tending to drive away
hard times except to give us go"'i
government. and that the Democratic
party has done during its twenty
years OF power. No man dares deny
that fact it is too palpable for denial /;
It is impressed mon every page of nnr
history. The Democratic party has
given US good schools. good levees and
a clean administration Of justice; it
has rails ed the credit Of the state so
that Louisiana now stands a peer
among the nations Of the world. 1t
has established peace and quiet in the
land. and made it possible for women
and children to go abroad without
molestation or insult from degraded
blacks and worst whites.
If wages are low, it is owing to the
inevitable law of demand and supply,
which cannot he controlled by legis-
lation. When the demand is large
and the supply limited, wages % up
when the demand is small and the
supply large, wages 60 down: and
eve when the demand is large. if the
supply be also larger in proportion the
RACES go down.
But we are told that the demand
has been restricted by taking off the
bounty and that is what has reduced
tho wages. If we look beyond that
the bare statement, we find that the
causes which operated to reduce the
wages were put in motion by the slim.
Mus of the bounty itself, and that wa
ges were bound to come down even if
the bounty had lasted its allotted time.
The industry being stimulated to an
abnormal degree it attracted laborers
to such an extent that the supply be-
came greater than the demand and
VIC wages were DOuUu VI ldII. IL at
tracted to our cane fields hordes nf
Italians by the ship loads and the
inexhaustable supply from this source
alone did more to bring down wages
than the taking of the bounty or any
other cause. The lowering of wages
has checked off this supply. many Of
these are going away ana soon the
supply will re-adjust itself TO the de-
mand, and laborers may look for bet
ter wages, 40 matter which party il in
power.
But if the Republican party can do
something for sugar why don't it do it
now. 1t has power to do so; 1t con-
trolls congress it could raise the duty
on sugar, the best revenue producing
article. 1t has not done it and it will
not do it, because it is on record
against a duty on sugar; and it dares
q restore the bounty because it fears
the vengeance Of the North, East and
West.
The calamity ''howlers should bear
all this in mind and inform the people
when they set up their croaking.