, 1864-04-02

/" THE people of Walla Walla are expecting to H.
Illuminate the city on the arrival of the first stage
from Boise. Wonder if the City Council will not
pass an ordinance declaring it penal ofense to dis
play any combustles the occasion. We are led to
this reflection by the fact that at the time when the
eff the battle of Gettysburg and the capture of
Vicksburg was received, preparations were making
for grand illumination, and such an one was then
passed, Just in time to nip the patriotic demonstra-
tion in the bud. Of the Council will be con-
sstent enough to pass similar ordinance to prevent
demonstration on the completion of the Boise stage
line"
The above precious mOrceGU is from the Portland
Union. Immediately preceding it is a paragraph
giving credit to gentleman from Walla Walla" for
items of news and it is presumable that the same
gentleman communicated the item in regard to the
ordinance. Every one here &C give guess as to
who the gentleman" referred to is; and we half
suspect that the editor of the Union, by publishing
the item, has been guilty of bstraying confdence for
that gentleman" when diVulgng secrets invariably
enjoins his victim not to say an'thing bout it '
At all events, those acquainted with the facts
will only say that if the gentleman did impart
this bit of inteyence is characteristic of him and
if the editor of the Union is alone responsible for the
story, he is a-charaeteristic cuss himself The
facts in regard to the ordinance referred are these
1t was introduced into the City Council at the in
stance of several merchants who urged its passage
upon the ground that on one or two occasions piles
OF rubbish had been set fire in the streets by
less boys exploding crackers and their sole object
in the matter was to save their property from eonha
grafton by any such c~naes I'D ponn -lairtnd
with climate wildouDt tne Wisdom o. the meas
ure for during the prevalence of the high winds that
frequently prevail in the dry season the city liable at
any moment to be set fire by careessnes in depos-
iting fire in the streets. The ordinance was read
the first time in the City Council on the 22d of June
and passed on the 29th. The surrender of Vicks
burg took place the 4th of July and the defeat of
Lee at Gettysburg occurred on the same day. The
of these victories was not received hero until
the middle of July-nearly month after the pas
sage of the ordinance referred to so the public will
the utter groundlessness of the charge made
against our city officials, and it is about fair spec
linen of the SANDER published about our city by the
press at distance while they have at the time
had agents here calling upon citizens for patron
age We ask the editor of the Uuion to correct the
statement he has made, and at the time assure
him that the city of Portland never boasted of
intelligent loyal, liberal, patriotic set of Council
than Walla Walla did at the time of the passage
of the ordinance prohibiting the explosion of fire
crackers or burning of other combustible matter in
the streets"
To the credit of our citizens, we can say they are
not 'gunpowder PATRIOTS" who run wild with ex-
element at every event that transpres and like the
publican, stand upon the of the streets, to
give vent to the intensity of their "pheelinx" that
their neghbors and the outside world in general may
learn how immensely patriotic they are. But, while
they Gas majority are second to none in deepfet
love ofcountry and genuine patriotism they rejoice
as sincerely over victory to the Union arms and
mourn as truly over defeat those who make a
great display, and they have stood by to scatter
their MEANS not to the winds in wild demonstrations
of rejoicing, but with liberal hands to charitable OBJ
ects at home and for the relief of the SICK wounded
and dying soldiers in the field,