The daily comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1850-1856, 1854-01-06
The Crescent AND JuDcE CorroN.

~ ~ NNAscSDAS AssO WODoL N'VAAON
The phrase "up cotton, " is now OBJ
solete. cotton is down; and If we mus,
believe the merry editor Of the Ores.
cent; Cotton is dead and one oi
the staple articles of Louisiana's Agri.
culture, will be no longer quoted "or
change" As the Crescent says, I'VE
no longer look upon ridicule Us the
test oftruth' = nor do zoe, and nc
one acquainted with the facts of the
case. will remain long under the i'm.
preston that Cotton is all wrong
there will, BY and by, be reaction in
favor Of Cotton, and it will take its
accustomed position in the price cur.
rent. Judge Cotton has conscienteous-
" discharged what he conceived to
be his duty, and about his being either
right or wrong, there is an honest diff.
erence Of opinion. The question in
volved, is the constitutionality Of a
railroad tax, or any other similar tax,
to force the people Of this Republic
to build up companies Of doubtful ex.
pediency, and when supported by the
public treasure-invariably matters
Of speculation aud monopoly. We
cite as an example, the Great North
ern Railroad affair. which up to this
moment is nothing less than great
speculation on the part Of money deal
ers. As an evidence Of the fact, when
a committee from the last Legislature
was appointed to enquire into its af-
fairs, they found that out Of $500, 900
received from the State. there remain.
ed in the treasury Of the company, the
sum Of nineteen dolIays, for contin.
gent expenses; and the directors Of
the Company had tho impudence to
tell the Legislatures committee, that
if$5OO,OO0 more was not appropriated.
the State would have to loose the
100000 already donated. But the
committee asked to be informed as to
what had been done with the money ?
In answer to which question, they
were blandly asked to refer. to the
papers,
This is invariably the way the peo-
Piles money is used, when given to CON-
panies having charters to swindle
them but to return to Judge Cotton
in charging the Jury in the Grailhe
case, he told them that the Supreme
Court had decided the matter, but
pointed to still higher law--the Con-
stitution ofthe United States. with
which the decision Of the Supreme
Court Is IN direct opposition. What
then ? Must it be wondered at, that
a jury Of disinterested citizens, deci-
ded as they did? Pronounce Judge
Cotton the modern Doggberry, and
cite Hennins Digest, Griffens Credit
ors, Brecdlove on Turner, or any 9th
er legal authority; we say Judge Cot
ton (who we have not the pleasure of
knowingly stands in an enviable posi-
ton, and SO far from having violated
any Of the solemn functions" of
Judge, he has fortified himself on the
side of the mass Of the people-at
least such Of them as are not yet en-
barked in rail road speculations.
THE MYSTERIOUS SrRANcER.-We
yesterday observed a number of per-
sons standingin Notre Dame street,
watching the movements Of stranger
who has during the last ten days
promenaded daily to and from the
English Church up to the Court
House. He walks slowly on the
Church side Of the street, molests no
one, and is quite inoffensive in this
singularity.-It is said he is the son
of very wealthy parents in the United
States, but no reason can be assigned
for his walking propensity He was
not very long since brought to the
police station to give some account Of
and in reply, he demanded
if any charge could be preferred
against an individual for simply prom
enading Notre Dame street, and whose