New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-02


The Letter of tho City Attorney.
We admire genius, and are altogether sus-
ceptible soul for an editor, being always car
ried away by those brilliant scintillations that
are occasionally struck out Of great minds on
great occasions The counsel of the corporation
has the true metallic ring about him, and when
we say this. not being Democrat ourselves, we
calculate to be accepted as authority on the
subject. The letter referred to above may not
be equal in some respects to the Hulseman
letter Of Mr.. Webster, but the occasion was not
the same. Mr.. Webster grappled with an in
ternational questionable counsel Of the cor
poration with only municipal one The issues
depending on the former, were peace or war
on the latter, horse cars on Jackson street or
no horse cars The former was addressed to a
foreign ambassador Of royalty. glittering with
stars, radiant with ribbons, redolent of musk
the latter to the Committee on Streets and
Landings, redolent of-slings and tobacco.
But for comprehensiveness that is to say. taking
d broad or expansive view of the question, we
say without fear Of contradiction (and if we are
contradioted, We don't value it ia droit) that the
letter Of the City Attorney is fully equal to the
Hulseman letter--if not more so.
The Committee on Streets and Landings seems
to have thought itself called upon tointerrogate
the City Attorney, touching the legal rights of
the city and Of the Railroad Company respee-
lively, at this great crisis. big with the fate Of
the Jackson street horse train. Concerning the
mere legality of these matters, the learned gen.
tleman very properly leaves the Committee
where he found it.
The Committee on Streets and Landings seems
to have thought itself called upon to ask the
Attorney, if the application Of the Railroad
Company for q renewal Of its right to run horse
cars on jackson street, could be legally
granted. To which the learned counsel as
tutely replies 6 have examined the applica-
tion referred to me, and hare come to the con-
elsfsios that liz is doubtful if the application can
be granted" he thus leaves the Committee,
very properly, to resolve that doubt themselves,
which, we take it, conveys sly, severe, but
capital hit at the Committee for asking very
silly question Of the learned gentleman-and
wollops the Ounces Of the Committee, with great
incapacity to understand their business, which,
to our mind, is exceedingly appropriate, to say
nothing whatever Of its being very entertain
ing. IS
There are lawyers, though we hope but few,
who, had they been questioned officially upon
any legal point, would, in reply, have given
some indication Of their opinion touching that
point Some very learned counsellors might
even have left the Committee quite in the dark
as TO many other matters, which are luminously
and expertly handled by the City Attorney
combining themselves wholly to the subject upon
which they we're interrogated. There are mar
row men in all occupations. Does it follow be,
cause one is q lawyer, that he does not know
more than the Committee on Streets and Land
ings, Of things which are not law, We take ii
not. So, some Committees on Streets and
Landings might know more than some lawyers
Of things which are law. Hence some Commit
tees might be expected to resolve the doubt of
the City Attorney. touching the question OF
legality in point. But ne must say, that from
what the able letter Of the City Attorney i'm
plies respecting the present Committee, we have
no hope that they will do any such thing The
legality will have to be left out Of the case
But however little the City Attorney may
know concerning the legal point Of the contro-
versy, there are other points on which he is per-
fectly at home. Not only does this nnprece-
denied Committee on Streets and Landings lit
ought TO be on rally come in for stalwart
blows from the trenchant double edged steel pen
Of the counsellor, but the GO two bodies Of the
Council itself gets goss Of the most trying de-
seription, while the treatment Of the New Or
leans and Carrollton Railroad Company can
only be appropriately called, e laying the COM
pany cold" The following may be considered
the opening Of the letter:
On the 9th Of june last an application was made by
the company accompanied by petitions very quietly got
up f0r the occasiUn for extension of this right
twenty years. upon the sole plea Of public CON
Feneice Now, 1t is scarcely possible for the Council
composed Of two bodies to act with deiberation upon
important an application, In few days. The matter
should be referred to appropriate committees and
committees should have time collect facts and gather
inormation that they may understandingy report to
the Oouncil'
We wish it understood that what we say, is
not out Of any hostility to the company, nor the
corporation, nor the committee, with whom, in
their perplexity, we have the largest sympathy
nor out of any Partially for the gentleman
whose able exposition we have under review.
We trust we are quite capable of doing justice
to ell these, as well as to those whose interest
in the question consisted in the expectation,
now almost destroyed BY the letter Of the City
Attorney, Of riding in the horse cars on jackson
street during the ensuing g twenty nine years
Of the petitions very quietly got up,' We
know nothing, but what we do know is, that it
is just like railroad company ssnow days.
and We have no doubt of the fact. We are tired
of these sly doings We like to see them ex-
posed, as in the ensuing paragraph. wherein the
City Attorney is seen to be wide awake, what
ever he may not know about law. No one
shares in his aversion to law more unreseryedly
than we
The company thought the best policy was to defer their
application until the last moment and then by urging
public procure renewal without due ex-
animation The names of large number Of the petition
written by accommodating amanuensis who
obtained their consent kindly relieved them from The
trouble Of writing
We might ask some questions of the Council
We might, indeed, ask if the Council knows it
has two bodies, and If it considers their rela
tienship in any respect similar to that of the
Siamese twins. But we would consider this sort
of eatechism Of no particular utility, coming
from us, for we feel that the Council, since its
late troubles with the Railroad business of pious
Brother John Egerton, has not subsidized into suf-