The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-07
CITY TOPICS.

New Orleans has not been for years so full Of
people as he is to-day. Walk on Canal street
about noon, or wander about through those great
arteries of trade, Camp, Magazine, Tchouptoulas
or New Levee streets, and mark the contrast
there existing with the scene presented few
months since. See in the hotels how all is life
and hustle. Go to the levee when the boats come
in, the depots when the arrive, and see the
swarms Of visitors aocking ashore or out upon the
platform, all intent upon getting into town as fast
as possible visit any Of the theaters in the even
ing, or even content yourself with passing along
St. Charles street when the bands are playing, and
you will wonder where this immensely increased
population has come from to stow itself away
quietly into this widespread city. And scores
of country freedmen, doubtless attracted by the
assembling of the Legislature, are to be seen hsre
and there about the streets totng their carpetbags
or bundles, and carrying the inevitable hickory
club. And the increase of crime and casualties
of late may be taken as another indication of the
presence of an augmented population. Within
the past week three or four persons have been
run over on the streets; and one who walks about
town much cannot have failed to notice increased
difficulties of rapid perambulation. We take it
that the nonresident population Of New Orleans
to-day numbers not less than fifty thousand souls.
There was quite flutter at the Opera House
last evening about the last thing which our readers
would dream of. For the FIRST time this season,
and, for all we know, since the establishment of
the Opera in New Orleans, the "young Douglas of
the SOUTH" his excellency Governor H. G. War
moth. graced the fashionable parqnette of our
temple of music and was the "cynosure of neigh
boring eyes," The audience was very slim.
Meek says of the Russian acrobat at the st.
Charles, that he is only Pfsu-fau. Oh hesyenl
Some butchers the othsr day presented pc.
tition to the members of the body called the
Legislature. which is rather cool. They ask that
some law OF ordinance be at once passed compel
ling the closing of what are known as private
markets, alleging that the existence of these
markets is detrimental /, the interests of the city
generally, and the city market butchers particu
larry. They have some Justice in their petition, as
they state that the keepers of the private markets.
being sadded with no exorbitant stall rent, can
undersell them, and they claim that as they pay
the city for the use of the stalls, the city should
make such use profitable to them. There is how
ever, another side to the question. 1t is that of
the citizens to whom private markets are great
convenience, and who by patronizing them can
save great deal of their market bills As to the
sanitary objections to the free markets, they could
be obviated by placing such institutions under the
supervision and control of commissioner ap-
pointed for that purpose whose duty 1t should be
to see all municipal ordinances strictly enforced.
We cannot, therefore, sympathize with the butch
ers, and hope that their petition will fall stilborn
amidst the mongrel crowd to which they present. |
ed it.