The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-29

oStt.'Sb uegEo SUFFRAGE cue.
Manifestly 1t would be Quixotic to attempt
to correct 50 incorrigible blatherskite. But
have deemed 1t necessary to refer to the
matter for the purpose of preventing people
OF honest intentions from being mised and
to inform all whom it may interest to know
the fact that the writer Of this review Of negro
suffrage was an Abolitionist, who was st1fIl-
GENTLY desirous Of the freedom of the nigter
to fight three years for it in tho ranks of the
Army of the Potomac.
Well, TO resume: The result of three years
OF NEGRO SUFFRAGE
In the District Of Columbia was that q ring
had obtained control, that the debt of the Dis
triet had increased from less than 50, 0OO, 900
to over st4,0OO,O00, that property holders we're
the most unfortunate class Of people within
Its limits, and finally thata Legislature was
in perpetual session, which, when finally dis
persed by act of Congress, sig nalized the end
of its career OF robbery by carrying off all
the feather busters, spittoons chairs, desks,
books and other portable furniture of the
Legislative halr i'm which it had been sitting !!
The system OF prefecture which replaced
the anarchy OF negro government In Wash
ington, was the product mainly Of the wisdom
of Senator Morton. It embraced o. District
administration of three commissioners, O.
municipal executive i'm the shape of police
board with enlarged powers and a judicature
left over from the old regime the whole ap-
pointive by the President and, 50 far as results
have demonstrated, not clearly responsible to
anybody for the proper discharge of their
duties.
THE OLD REGIME,
bad as 1t was, had one advantage in that its
head was A. r. Shepherd-an autocrat who,
while abusing his powers in many directions,
used them for the benefit of the community in
one, namely that of improving the city and
maintaining order within it's limits. But the
new ssegime, which have described as sys-
tenn of prefecture seems to have abandoned
nothing of its predecessor except its virtues
and to have substituted nothing new except
imbecility in conception and Puritanism in
execution of its duties.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
has chiefly done nothing, for the reason that
the Democratic House would give it no money
to squander But at last, having obtained d
quarter Of q million for Improvement of
streets, the commissioners have perpetrated a
job which, in addition to being detestable in
its turpitude, has the disadvantage Of being
in the smallness and meanness
of it's scale
The municipal end of this do1ble-headed
experiment, that is to say, the Police Board
with plenary powers, has done even worse
The police force Of this city is, in proportion
10 the population, sixty per cent more numer-
Dus and costly than that Of st. Louis, which
select as an example because it has the
reputation Of being the best and
MOST oHEApLY poLIoED
,ity in the United States In view of this
arge excess in numbers and costliness of the
Washington police force, we might naturally
Expect that exceptional order would be main
aimed On the other hand anarchy reigns.
rhe police are kept busy smelling out
lssignation houses, raiding gaming houses,
,laying confidence games upon street walk
rs and peeping through keyholes to sec II
anybody takes drink on Sunday. Mean
While the city is the paradise Of ruf1ians and
he
ELYSTUM OF SNEAK-THIEvES.
The streets have been turned into Kinder {
artens and legion of nuisances never before
card Of in any civilized city have taken pos ,,
essfon Of the thoroughfares. The only street j
equation in force Is one against fast driving.
his regulation is strictly enforced in order
hat the children and nurses to whom the
treets have been given up, may fly their kites |
nd trundle their baby-wagons in the middle {
{ our busiest thoroughfares without danger i;
{ interruption. Add to this all sorts of ad-
ertising lodges, which parade the streets in
ideous shapes by day and jack-o' lantern !
by night, and which would
OF be allowed to move half % block '
sfore being apprehended as nuisances in
ny other city in the civilized world, and you !
ave some idea of what large city without /
unicipal government looks like To attempt
drive q spirited horse through these streets I
to court runaway, with q consequent :
nash-up of your own and your neighbors Q
roperty in rolling stock, besides running the e
inor risk of killing half dozen or so of the =
Exempt children who infest the streets, and,
ith the consent of the police, make play
'ound of them. But | need not attempt to
scribe the situation in detail Suffice to say n
at such an utter v
ABSENCE OF MUNICIPAL ORDER T.
I'd such total anarchy in municipal affairs 2
Rs never seen before in any civilized city of :
5000 people. These things have become /,
and the next Congress will be p
lied upon by the property holders of the y
strict to discontinue the experimental sys- +,
m of prefecture, and give the District of a
,lumbia some responsible sort of govern II
ent. This movement cannot fail to lead to +
5eussion of the prevailing system of suf- ii
lge, and it is not at all improbable that We II
all ultimately behold the remarkable spec u
Gle of Republican Senate passing and q = +
publican President signing law to modi- le
the evils of Il
NEGRO SUFFRAGE,
nilar to the laws that have been devised by G
, Democratic statesmen Of Kentucky, Geor- b
/, Texas and Maryland / have devoted "
much space to this purely local topic for ii
) reason that it bears upon great question, ci
itch must for some time to come, occupv al