The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-10-03
Yours Truly,
TIM. LINKINWATER.
NV nn1rAus Sent 9th 1ef

A'A1As1AA,ss ~ Pof - A3 AoV"'
Friend Democrat - The first cold snap
of the season is passing away after brief
duration, reminding US that sundry articles
Of comfort had best beprepared, coal, wood
and warm clothing.
Our Gas Company Corporations are
noted for geaerosity) have advanced the
price Of coke from thirty-fve to sixty-fve
cents per barrel, and there has been some
stirjin the coal market.
We have perfect mania for street rail
roads now, and fit continues there will
soon be complete network ofrails around
and through the place. The last one cam
n,enced is to run down Royal street, but
the property holders and residents Of that
old fashioned, narrow street "can't see it
and have laid an injunction on the pro-
ceedings. Rail roads are good thing and
usually run on the ground, but this last
step is running the thing in the ground
and there is so much opposition that it will
hardly be worked through. 1t would be
great benefit to US, and a paying investment,
|if some of our capitalists abandoning city
rail road tracks, would inaugurate an oppo-
sition Gas Company, and q new Water
Works Company. The old ones have had
a monopoly too long and do not afford
the, accommodations our widening limits
require. This is especially true Of The
Water Works.-the whole upper part Of
the city is without any other supply Of
water than that furnished by cisterns, aud
in the event ola fire or long drought
great distress is often felt. The present
company does not furnish water in abuh-
dance even where it is supplied at all, it
frequently occurring that the hydrants will
furnish nary drop " when vel go for wa
ter The city is growing up the river,
nearly all the residences are in that direc-
ton and great deal Of business is done
there, the city is daily improving, widening
and extending in the up town district, and
this want Of q sufficient, steady and sure
supply Of water is a great draw back. A
company that would fill the void would
make good thing Of it, and by opposition,
might galvanize the old company into a
small amount Of activtty, as our multiplying
city rail roads have done with those old
fogy concerns, the Jackson street and Car
rollton rail road lines.
Our Public Schools opened on Monday
Of last week, with large attendance of
scholars. The discipline and course of stu
dies pursued in them is equal to any in the
country, and afford to the rising generation
every opportunity to obtain an education
fitting them for any position in life. They
are now under charge, in great measure,
of officers and teachers who were connect
ed with them prior to the war, and are ft-
ted for their situations by years Of practical
experience.
In years gone by when Cd niger was a
niger" it was no unusual thing to meet
one that could read and write, and often
they possessed fair education. In nearly
every instance this knowledge was gained
through the teaching Of young masser :
or "old missis " or some other member Of
the immediate household. One Of the pre-.
tended objects Of the Freedmen's Bureau il
to give to the negro an education, and re
cent developments have shown that thou
sands Of dollars have been quietly pocketef
by the agents and chargedto "school fund.
The Radicals will find that their labors ar,
thrown away in a negro school room, for i,
is very different thing to teach one negro
to read and write, surrounded by every cir
cumstance that would tend to brighten hi.
ideas, to teaching room full Of kirk,
heads gathered promiscuously from thu
alleys and by-ways CT town. But it make
a good "leakage" from the public tank
and that is the one thing needful to tn