The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-12-25
The Poor.

lEEOH Iue NEW OElGaus 4iuuSSJ OeCeIIlDGF Iztu.J
The severe structures of a contempO-
rary upon Hthe horde of office seekers"
who throng the City Hall, and its queru-
lOus protests against Intrusion upon the
gentlemen who recently We're fortunate
enough to obtain amarjOrity ofthe votes
cast, are impressive. Two months ago
such a gathering, NANCY as it is des-
cribed, would have been far more accept.
able. The visit possibly would have
been honored by the discharge of sky
rockets and the blare of brass bands.
Intelligent s~uffragans would have been
received with open arms and the pat
riotism which induced them to tender
their vote and influence for Mr.. This
man or Mr.. Thatman, would have been
hailed as the dawn of an enlightened
era, when the spirit of Seyenty-Six fired
the American heart, and resistance to
tyrants again became obedience to God.
We venture to assert that it they had
come, " some III rags, some in tags, and
some in velvet gowns with theirregis-
t%ratiOn papers in their pockets, every
freeman would have enjoyed a hearty
welcome, and that both the suffrage Of
himself and his personal friends would
have been gladly received.
We very much question whether the
new city government, annoyed as no
doubt every member of it is, isprepared
to-day to take the high ground assumed
by Il contemporary, and call i'll 81 squad
OF policemen to dispense Summarlly a
mob, which is not only a serious OBJ
struction to public business, but in the
| highest degree obnoxious to a number
of sensitive gentlemen.
Unfortunately a crowd of expectants,
seeking slnecures, genteel employment,
severe drudgery, anything which will
till the vacuum which nature so abhOrs,
represents but one phase of a political
canvass. We have passed that UtOpian
age, when hOnOrS are laid by a grateful
pOpulace at the feet of modest merit. In
these days of modern progress Cincinna-
tus would grow gray at his pillow, I'M
sought, and the individual who hoped to
achieve prominence without violent eff
fort and intrigues, which few might care
to recount, would be regarded as the fit
subject OF a lunatic asylum. HarmO-
niOus as was the conduct Of the recent
casvass it is not cOntended that the
unanimity with which standard bear
ers were selected, eclipsed the tran
guilty of Elysium. The gentlemen
whom hundreds saw dashing about day
and night, in cabs, hail fellows we'll met
with all, are certainly not utterly de-
pendent upon friends for their present
good fortune? The excitement is over,
the lottery has been drawn, and each
lucky ticket holder is estimating his
prize, but are there no dependents upon
whom this unexpected prosperity is to
shed one ray Of lightf Must Bridget
who was promised anew gown when the
ten or twenty thousand dollars per an
mum became an assured fact, and who
with beaming cOuntenance greetS the
successful candidate with anticipatOry
smiles, be severely snubbed? VIZ think
not. Circumstances may so combine
that the gown will never be forthcOm-
ing. 1t is the predicament of possess
sion for the patronage one hopes to bes-
tow, to wane. Experience will prove
that there does not exist a 1.-THE of the
offices a still uncertain candidate feels
safe in promising. Hundreds of those
who daily congregate at the City Hall,
and watch with dumb but anxious CLAN
ceS the opening and closing of the doors,
are destined to suffer bitter disappOint-
ment. Hundreds of families, whose
fires during the recent cold weather
have remained unlighted, hoped to find
the cheerful blaze in the appointment
delayed, 10! these many days. The
fact that crowds do Turk there day in
and day out, that the hard pressed are
Obdurate, and hungry men stand stupid
ly staring in, far from being a theme
for harsh comment, strikes us as very
pitiable indeed. It indicates that the
labOrers are greater than the harvest;
that thousands are prepared to pine on
slender salaries, remaining month in
and month out without a dollar, be-
cause there is no legitimate work for
their hands to do. This indicates a de-
gree of distress which few appear to
realize. Constant apprehension has
seriously unsettled every branch of
traffic. Those possessed ofmeans clutch
with nervous energy every dollar not
absolutely requisite for daily use.
For three days the city has been agog
with sensational reports, the origin of
which it is impossible to trace, but whose
dreadful puTpOrt is on eEerybOdy's lips.
Many sober men would prefer to have
the blow fall rather than live in a con-
slant state of uncertainty, They would
accept revolution, Tapine and murder if
it brought a speedy and final termina-
ton to the existing uneasiness. Sensa-
tional as the assertion may sound, New |
Orleans is to-day terror-stricken at
whatit cannot conceive. Notwithstand-I
ing q diligent search among what we
have heretofore regarded as reliable
sources of information, we are unable |
to throw any light upon the subject.
The effect, however, is far more appar-
emit. Unless we return, and that quick
ly, to an absolute restoration of conf
depce' those lingering about the pre-
cincts Of the City Hall, will not REPRE-
sent a 1.-THE Of the unemployed.