The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-06
WOULD ABOLISH LAGNIAPPE.
New Orleans GrOcers Seek q Law Agalnss
. survival &C slavery.

. survival &C slavery.
NEw ORLEANS, March The Rseail
Grocers Association OF New Orleans has
announced it, intention to ask the t.ouini-
ana legislature tn abolish lagniAppe. one
Of the oldest trade practices of Louisiana
and possibly the only surviving one dating
from Spanish days. by making it q mis-
demeanor punishable with fine and i'm
prisonmsnt.
LAKnlapps dan-yapp 10 the Louisiana
dialect for Ia hApa. the gift. and n an
early form OF the gift enterprise. trading
STAMPS, &C, by which the purchaser
gets something In addition 60 his purchase
Il dates track a century and q half oT
two centuries. has cast iron rules and
cuts "a large figure in the trade methods
and general life 81 the poorer glasses
principally the negroes. Ths Rroosra
and other retail dealers have vainly
struggled for years to suppress IL.
IAagniapT.e was an important adjunoi
20 slavery and did much to brighten In.
life ~ tne slave. and u N scarcely % ~
wondered at that the negroes should cling
to IL to-day. The slave. being unable IN
own property Of any kind. had no money
and no chance Ia purchase anything
Lagnisppe was a means of getting caf-
3
The negro slave doing her masters mar
keting gave the order to the dealer who
gave the most lagniappe. usually sone-
thing sweet. such AZ biscuit, candies ~
gtmdrops. which last Appealed In the
negro almost AZ much a. DR. Cook snys
they do To the Eskinoa. similarly th.
negro nurse who took the white child
Ia the grocery or confectionery to spend
picayune for candy and cake usually
stsered the child Ia an establishment
WHERE ne issaiapps vac big.
IAgnlapp~ has survived through the
gr~ater part Of two centuries against ell
manner of opposition. New and more
scientific schemes IT donation. trading
! stamps. &c. have been introdsIced
/ only 20 fall before lagniAppe.
The retailers took up the fight axAlnss
what they de~Hed an sb'hse several
years ago. They were thoroughly or.
/ saniKed and very powerful. and thsy
I presented convincing argument Agains'
very smallest purchase. Il ate up al
I profit
1 " was resolved. therefore 20 Aooljsn
il nn the ground that u Was hotter ~
give customers full weight and the bet
quality Of groceries rather than 90 cai
down the quality and quantity IN order
J to give lagniappe with every purchase
The retailers hound themselves not "a
give lsgniapps.
IL being found that aoms % thsr,
were violating the Agreeusent. rnaas.IrsN
wers taken 20 discipline uankalidsrN
/ hut in spite " Agrsemsnt and Of threat
| lagniapp- won out. The belief that the
purchasers w~rs through lAWniappe ap-
Tuarpntly GET ting somsthing Tor nothing
Outw~ighed all the arguments % political
| economy against ".
The retail dealers now oonFe-s thsiv
I failure by their deciaion 10 carry the
mai ter h@fors thu Legislature and MAKE
lagnisppe an O9encs and the giving ~
cake. candy or Other bonua TO purchassr-
= misdeneanoT II n unlikely that The
| Legislature will interviews. LAgntapp-
u likely 70 survive and rsmain . burrows
instAnOs % the survival % ons of tb@
chArnctsriatius 81 slavery half CENTURY
tftsr slavery waa nDoiiNh9n.