The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-02-14

The Washington correspondent OF the fhl-
adelphia Ledger thinks it extremely doubtful
whether congress would at this moment appro-
pirate cent for the purchase of Cuba, much
less a hundred or two hundred millions Of dol
lars. Not even a secret service fund will be
| devoted in either house topromote negotiations
for such a purpose.
Very likely not. Wisdom may not safely be
predicated Of a body in which bunglers and
bores largely predominate. The demagogues
and dullards of congress would be extremely
unwilling to appropriate money for any purpose
conducive to the general welfare, but only let
| a foolish scheme be started, or a knayish pros
iect be set a. going and let the members be we'll
| piled with champaign suppers and more sub
stantial and permanent gratuities and we will
| venture the assertion that any requisite amount
| of votes can be secured.
| CONGRESS will not appropriate dollar for the
| purchase Of Cuba. Of course not Congress
! has quite another use for the public moneys. A
moietv goes for the payment of the members
for their invaluable services, their profound
statesmanship splendid oratory, and devoted
patriotism Another portion fills the eapacious
pockets of horde Of greedy office-holders.
Yet another goes the lord knows where, but is
I filched from the government through the dis
/ honesty and peculation of its retainers.
\ Not a cent for Cuba, or fer any rational and
sensible project of amelioration. Not dollar
I for little army OF private claimants, who have
| been lingering and languishing through years
of penury, in the abiding faith that their coun-
try would not rob them of their just rights. Not
/ a sou for these wretched starvelings, who have
/ the singular i'll fortune to be the creditors Of
government which, founded in the immutable
I principles of Justice, violates the plainest ca
mons of ethics in its conduct towards those who
have claims upon it. Not shekel for the
wronged and outraged sufferers by French
Espoliations, who are doomed 10 perdition with
out resources for either they encounter an ad.
\ verse congress, or a hostile president. For
/ fifty years, they OF their descendants have
yainly besieged the national Legislature for re-
| lief Congress guards jealously the Golfers of
the government, when indemnity is asked for
wrong, or payment demanded forjust dues, But
\ if the treasury is to be paged by constructive
I mileage, unnecessary prolongation of the ses-
sion, or any other beautiful plan for rewardlng
the members for their precious labors, congress
Il at once exclaims sBarkls is Wlllln.''
There are some things which congress seems
disposed to do, fit will not appropriate cent
4 for the purchase of Cuba. 1t is not unwilling
i to reduce the revenue, by diminishing the du-
4 ties, and in SO doing appears laudably anxious
to encourage the pauper labor of Great Britain,
and depress home industry as much as it can,
4 by maintaining higher duties on the raw ma
4 terial, than on the manufactured article. In
stead Of proftting by the golden opportunity of
a plethoric treasuty-that rarest and most
4 blessed consummation-to increase our navy,
and strengthen that right arm Of our national
defence, congress will purr like an antiquated
mouser, over schedules for the reduction of the
tariff, and suffer our vessels to rot upon the
Il ocean. So infnitesimal are the expectations
of public good from congress, that when last
J. year the bill providing for the construction of
six war steamers was passed, although it mere
" supplied the deficit caused by the decaying
| tmbers and unseaworthy condition of other
vessels, it was hailed as al evidence of practi-
{ cal energy and patriotic forecast, such as the
national legislature has of late years but sell
dom exhibited. We are sadly afraid, however,
that it was but spasmodic effort, and that
congress will relapse into its normal state of
thriftiness for everything commendable, and
profigate expenditure for everything censura-
bic, N. o. Bee.
!, SUPREME CouRr OF Lou1s1ANA.--Isnard vs..
, Torres 4 Marquee -Slidell J.-This action is
upon a promssory note made in the usual form
4 BY Torres, to the order Of Marques, and by
4 him endorsed. On it's face the note purports to-
be for S ], 15O The defence is that at the time
(. Marquee endorsed the note, which he did for
\ Torres accommodation, it was for $3.50, but
that after he endorsed it, and without his knowl-
4 edge, it was altered to S $50.
The note was written in French. It was
proved that when Marquee endorsed the note,
the word fsouze' at the end of the third line,
and the figure / before the figures $50, were
not in the note. 1t was also proved that since
/ the note was discounted, Torres, after perpe-
tratng other similar frauds, had absconded 1t
was alsoproyed that there was nothing in the
appearance of the note after it was altered to-
excite the suspicion Of prudent dIscounter,
and that the note before the alterations were
made must have contained blanks, which were
unusual and which ought to have attracted the
attention of Marquee.
Held. Torres being a fugitive insolvent, a
loss must fall either upon the plaintiff, holder
for value, whose good faith is unimpeached, or
H upon Marquee 1t is a familiar principle that
II where one Of two parties, neither of whom has
acted dishonesty, must suffer, he shall suffer
who BY his own act occasioned the confidence
and consequent injury of the other There
was a want Of proper caution on the part Of
Marquee in endorsing note containing such a
blank. The want of proper caution on bis
part enabled Torres to commit a fraud, by fill
4 ing up the blank so as to increase the amount
\ in a manner entirely free from suspicion.
Surely the equity of Marquee, whose case is
certainly q very hard one, is inferior to that of
the plaintiff, who has parted with his money on
the faith of a state Of things which the lmpru-
dence Of Marquee enabled Torres to create
Judgment for the plaintiff.
lE- S-e>r<5--~S~-->>~.sc~~----> s&se1
Some very amusing letters from Utah have
been recently written by new saints, and pub
lished in the Chicago papers. One lately ac-
quired brother is in raptures with the instr
! tuition Of polygamy He has three wives.
the latest, he says, which he took months
ago, is from near Hamburg, Germany She
I is 1areer than either Sarah Ann or Eliza