New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-25


obligation which was no more incumbent upor
i than upon the preceding body. But how die
they comply with the obligation thus recognized
They passed a Registry law; and then attached
clause to it, making it perfectly nugatory, BY
1 providing, in defiance of the whole purpose 81
isuch law and Of the seven specific words,
QUOTED and italicised above, that non-compii-
ance soiA The lasc shall be no 10 any man )
uoting! Where was ever before seen so daring
juggling away of the very constitutional man
date which men pretended to be executing
Never! 1t is Registry law which provides
that nobody need pay any attention to it, unless
he is bent on giving himself useless trouble.
Now, what but predetermined fraud, fixed
purpose Of continuing, BY oil the old iniquities,
Is defeat the public will and keep up their
asurped power. can be the purpose Of this bold
4 faced Legislative swindle upon the Constitution
land the legal voters Of our city, for the benefit
Of impestor hirelings and their employers
We have thus shown how power is obtained
! ne will now go on to show how it is used.
THE COMMON COUNCIL
None can have forgotten the shameless con-
Y
ing to hold q majority Of the places of election
IN grog shops, but in treating with contumely
the respectful remonstrance of very large
number Of most worthy and God-fearing citi-
zens against such an indecent proceeding. But
take the following as another example Of their
habitual conduct. The following occurred on
/ the 10Th inst, as related, in substance, by
i sararo1 If tho yeuuroy,ar svey,orfarc a,I nov
frmed by our own most excellent one.
In the Common Council, was submitted a
memorial from the trustees of the Seamens
Home, complaining Of the opposition experienced
I'D the discharge Of their duties from the run
uers sailor landlords; q number of affidavits,
1 FROM sailors and other, accompanied this d0cu
ment, to the effect that depenents on landing at
this port had been abused, assaulted and in
some instances cruelty beaten for taking lodg-
/ ings at the Seamen's Home, and for even ex-
pressing intentions of doing SO. The memorial
further sets forth that applications have fre
quently been made to the Recorders of the city
and to the officers of the police, but that protec
ton had invariably been withheld, and it thus
became necessary to seek justice from the City
Council
Mr.. Purvis offered resolution authorizing
the Mayor to furnish vessels arriving here q
sufficient police force to protect sailors and
Others from violence in the exercise of their
rights. This resolution was opposed by Messrs.
Wright and OSullivan, the former having mis-
understood its import, and the latter stating
| that he believed the sailors ,oere able to pro
rect Themselves.
MIR. Purvis rose to an explanation. He stated
that the resolution was only meant for the pro.
lection of the class of persons referred to, and
that he was astonished to see it meet with oppo-
sition. Vas II possible that an appeal Of this
kind could be disregarded when it was dis
inctly asserted by numerous respectable citi-
zens that the ordinary methods of obtaining
justice had entirely failed in accomplishing thai
end Did the Board wish to make itself a
laughing stock and incur the condemnation and
seern of all sensible and right-thinking men
Would they. the members, for paltry political
confederation, forego all sense of justice, and
close their eyes TO q most abominable outrage
upon personal rights and the laws of the land
Several other members spoke warmly upon
the subject, and the resolution was afterwards
amended 50 as to devolye the duly Of furnishing
policemen upon the Recorders of the several
Districts instead Of the Mayor, and after many
attempts to lay it on the table, refer it to
special committee, and to defeat it altogether
principally made by Messrs. Ker, O'Sullivan
and Latour-the resolution as amended was
adopted. A resolution was then adopted re-
questing the Police Committee to report whether
an increase Of the police force would be neces-
sary in order to carry out the arrangement re-
solved upon.
Such complaints show the conduct Of the Re-
corders and the temper Of the Council. The
Sailors Home is one; the Boarding he uses
many and their masters influential Most
grudgingly, therefore, and through the mere
force of shame, is little protection lent to the
former against the latter
AT that very moment, when the Council was
thus debating whether or not it could spare
police force, merely to prevent assaults, their
Grand Vizier, the accomplished oLeary, was
employing squad Of his myrmidons (as we.
learn from many witnessesl in watching the
doors Of the hall where the Know Nothings
assemble, and in trying to identify their. per-
sons! About the same time occurred a process
sion of the so-called Stove pipe-men, the anti
Know Nothings Itpassed under our windows,
headed Gas our neighbors assure us) by police
men, and having in its ranks, some think about
90, others 30, Of them, out Of the less than 200
who formed this sagacious association. Ashley
passed our office, they hooted. So here is our
city police, too scanty to watch thieves or hinder
braWlers, but copious enough to set spies upon
political association and to 90 drumming
about the streets and believing at an American
Journal But we proceed to other samples Of
this self-made Government
a FEATURE OF THE PRESENT CITY COZ
ERNAfENT
Below is an abstract of the Grand jury
Report submitted on the Sd of February of the
present year. Let those read it who deny the
necessity Of reform in our city government, and
who declare tha4 the reform movement origi-
mates with and is advocated BY wings alone:
s Your predecessor, the Hon. John G. Larue,
in his charge to this jury at the commencement
of this court. called our attention to many of
the causes of crime in our midst, and derived
from report thereon. Many of these causes
have been presented by our predecessors for
years, and their enormities fully set forth, so
that we mention them now merely to fulfill our
duty, satisfied that the correction must be
sought for in something more powerful than the
reports of Grand Juries. $50 Nv
The Jury regret that they are COM
PEELED to present the almost entire ineficiency
Of the police Of the city. The fact is apparent
in the impunity with which many well known
laws are violated without an attempt to enforce
them. as their duty compels them to do In the
opinion of this Jury the whole system of the
police of our city requires reformation but we
can merely call the attention of the proper
authorities to the matter leaving them to decide
upon the best method of accomplishing the re-