The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-24

mannmission Of slaves, and will il great mca
sure tend to put stop to the rapidly wit
which the country is becoming filed up wit
free negroes. The court decided that the &C
OF the Legislature of 1855, in regard to slave
and free persons Of color, is unconstitutional
and, therefore, must be void. Previous to tn
passage Of the act, the emancipation of slav
could Only be effected by special act of the leg
lslature, upon the petition of the owner TIL,
act sinplifed the process, and made the man
omission Of a slave very easy matter TIL.
owner had merely to give notice, through thu
newspapers, for thirty days of such intention
and prove before a jury that the slave sought
10 be emancipated possessed a good characte,
and was able to maintain himself or herself
when the jury would bring in verdict OF eman-
cipation and the manumssion papers were i'm
mediately made out. This act has now been
declared demonstrations, land we presume here
after slaves can only be emancipated under the
old law 1t is matter ofspeculation with the
city press, as to in what manner the decision of
the supreme court will affect those colored per-
sens who were emancipated under the law de-
clared void The Bulletin appears to think
shat, should no third parties be affected in Pc
cunlary manner, they will not be disturbed; but
if persons who manumitted slaves were in debt
at the time and should be unable to discharge
the same, it is quite probable the manumitted
slaves would be liable to seizure, as the pro-
perry Of those who sought to free them.
The Washington correspondent Of the Delta
states that the hon. John NJ. Sandidge has in
Pacific railroad bill, the ''impor-
tant feature in which, to New Orleans, is that it
proposes a route that can be conveniently tap
ped by your Opelausas road He says that
the great question of the session will be the Pa |
cifc railroad bill, the details of which will not
only give much trouble, but may eventually
lefaat this great national measure. Three pro-
ects will be presented-one to make grant to
lew companies to be organised to receive the
rant che to constitute the New Orleans, Ope
ousas and Great Western railroad company,
he Vicksbprg and Shreveport company, and
arous other companies in Texas, Arkansas and
Iissouri the grantees for constructing the Pa :
fc road, and the third to recognise only the
Id King and Walker company, of Texas, and q
It them build the main trunk to the Pacific
-e adds: bill will shortly be presented in
easing the salaries of the employees in the diff 7
rent executive bureaus some twenty or TWEEN q
five per cant 1t has every prospect of sue -
SIS, inasmuch as congress has recently in u
eased the salaries Gifts members, for the rea- y
Il that the Increase was demanded in order to u
eet the enhanced and unprecedented high o.
ices Of the necessaries of life in the federal VI
pital. II tie argument is good in the one ="
Sc, /! is good in the other, and congress can u
we'll ignore the claims of gentlemen-their' e
uals IN all intellectual cquirements-who' vi
nduct the vast and complicated machinery of 50
: executive departments. The bill will pro- IL
e FIR paying commissioner of bureaus $4,000 % .
: annum, Instead Of $1,000 as now and ~
eff clerks will receive $5OOO instead of CT
300 and $4,000, and in proportion for the 81
yer grades. re
And, this is what the democracy mean by IL
trenchment' and IAN economical expendi- az
of the public money LII
'AcIFIC RA1i.RoAD-Mr. Cochran, Of Ala. rL
irman of the business committee of,he south oc
convention, reported resolutions denying the ch,
er Of congress to construct the Pacific rail- or;
1. The committee recommend that the road IN
'ullf On or near the 32d degree of north lat owe
e, by the different States on or near that to
oy private individuals and corporations in ora
hern States, and by such aid as can be OBJ mt
I'd from postal and military contracts grant orc
~ the federal government. They also c,o,
nmend that southern railroad companies hac
such other portions of the road as are r,r
taken by other parties; and that means 1s.a
used Tor building the road BY grants of the Cad
&c domain. From all Indications the con- al :.
on proved to be of as little importance or wb;,
est as either of its predecessors. " 81
'h RAILROAD The Vicksburg Times, of ton:
o'n 'nst' says the steamboat Gem put we'll
large lot OF railroad iron opposite this CT the
sterday' for the Vicksburg, Shreveport foun
Texas railroad. We are glad to hear the whc
goes oravely on, and we hope soon to bess ranci
1rlll snort of the ironhorse on the track of cept
oad--the first link of the grand design of town
g the Father of Waters with the Mother miles
cans. e in III
Flil DC notices as singular fact that in the
ents message the very slightest allusion 20 I' 81
lie to the British enlistment difficulty, andI '''A
he dismissal. Of Champion and the British 81 80
S is not namfd. Neither is the fact al anu q
to, that England remains unrepresented a.
since her minister was started WI u
This silence, indicating indifference in "s''
7m'ses, is said to be Marcys Rowland for ~ IeOel
rston,s Oliver, in emitting to notice the - :,
ty In the queens speech at the OPENING ~
last session Of parliament. while it is -
re Inllnlation that the absence ola Rr;t;sb P'''O