The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-15
/ FRIDAY, JANUARY, 10, 1904,
Lagniappe-A Battle Royal.

81 A remarkable and an intensely me-
,.,,nr contest is now on in the city or
Nou Orleans. 1t is n life and death
struggle and pcop'a all over the country
,ho have visited New Orleans from
l;me Ia time, to Us slvlndlcd by Mart,
r,ras fakirs, or for other purposes, arc
looking on from afar with K1ho o.
SBhreathless interest, all the whlle hoPlhs
MAI the right may prevail even though
tho heavens shall fall or the crcaky
@icvee which semi-circles the Crescent
city shall break and permit the raging
waters Of the Mississippi River 70 sweep
The loveliest city in the world across
HE sugar plantations and rice farms INTO
tho Texas corner Of the Gulf or Mexico
&'s This contest Is all about lagniappe, a
Thing that has lived and flourlshcd III
New Orleans s one Of its distinguishing
Hirstitutions ever since the days before
General jackson was grown and when
nobody ever dreamed Of a Packenham
Invasion or Of cotton balo forts.
Lagniappe is a trade institution pecu-
liar to New Orleans known to every man
woman and child in the town. The Word
As. of course, of Span h-French origin
and is pronounced as If spelled "Lanyap.
1T means good measure, extra weight,
something thrown in. The original Span
1sh word was ia napa." meaning gift.
INT the Creo,,s softencd it into "lagni-
8arpo" QanyaD
@ lust when the custom was adopted IN
New Orleans of giving something with
every purchase, "for lagnappe," the
Oldest inhubitant does not remember, but
al is n fact Of history that away back
Eiyt,rder the Creola and Spanish retailers
adopted the practice Of making gifts with
every sale however small The gifts
usually consisted Of candy, cake or to-
bDcco. The lagniappe was one of the
chief perquisites Of the negro slave who
did the purchasing or marketing for the
family. and the grocer, butcher or other
retailer who gave the largest lagniappc
secured the best slave trade.
With tn. negroes this gift continued
great institution through all the days OF
slavery The white children also took
20 it, and in time the practice of giving
larniappe became so popular that every
tea..r was compelled 20 give it or lose
Il trodt,.
Thus lagniappe became an established
Institution, and it extended it's domain.
E1. became word that expressed much.
Z Young men out on spree at night would
81 drink in one bar-room until bedtime,
when the last drinls would be taken
3 With the house. which the house was eX-
pected to throw in as lagniappe-that is
10 say, extra or good measure Men
who spent a night in the old-tim,a famous
Eombling houses of New Orleans and
y lost their last cent at rou'ette or faro,
would be handed a stack of chips by the
@ dealer, which would be accepted as
&lugniappe. Instances are recorded where
luck returned to the loser with his lag
n ninrpe stack OF chips; returned with such
Sstrength as to enable him TO break a
#"tank.' and in turn he would recoup
" The bank with ''lasniappe" Many, in
M Heed ars the stories to.i in New Orleans
s pr the curious doings of lagniappe.
U.s. Rut for many years PAST lagniappe has
y Keen a burden to the retail merchants,
ms can be well imagined, and various
a llave been the attempts 10 get rid Of 1t,
81 but all ended IN disaster. alagniappc had
4 prevailed for half dozen generations
& md SO pervadcd the whole life OF the
: community that tie people wou'l not
4 surrender It,
The introduction in recent years of new
N iclms Of lugniappe. such as the trading
Nj Stamps. coupons, gifts. prizes, etc. never
q cradicated the old system, and nearly
6iaGvery grocery had to keep on the counter
a half dozen glass Jars filled with candy
cakes. raisns. nuts. ETC.. from which tbs
+ purchaser could select such lasniappe a
8h s preferred.
3 But at last 'agniappe has tumbled tc
Mts the ground, and on the first day of TINS
# year the decree Went forth that it mus
"a die, a New Orleans special TO the New
Work Sun tells us the story of its down
fall. and says IT is due TO the labo
M@liniens The Central Trades and Labo
Council found lately that ,agniappe wa
approving injurious TO union interests
@ The largest agniappa it declared, wa
ssBgiren by those dealers who sold the Pre-
@ ducts of ''penitentiary. child ana sea
labor" and the wives and children O
union la borers were tempted. ii was Dc
aEo.1red, by lagniappc u purchase "A elias
oE goods whose sale VAS Injurious 10 tn
Interests Of their husbands and fathers
The labor council Accordingly adopte
revolutions denonncpg lagnappe and n
Enuesting the frieads and members {
organized labor 10 refrain from eneou
Aaging the practice. The resolutions ha'
given the grocers and retailers the d
aIortunity they have long been lookir
Nor. and they decided that no more lai
nlapps should be Siyaa after January u