The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-08-20
of municipal government. About ten days


ilattened as suddenly as IL struck by bolt Of
John Sherman's contraction lightning. what
had promised to develop into The best market
in the West collapsed In day. Stock buyers
who had come here from Chicago and other
points and purchased cattle by the car load
vanished, and men wondered at it and, as
cribed IT to hard times. The truth is, these
stock dealers were driven away, The mufll-
cipal assembly introduced bill assessing
stock dealers 5000 and $500 year as license.
The bill passed one house. and the dealers
readily saw 1t would become law. They
could not afford to pay such sum for the
glorious privilege of building up st. Louis
market, and SO they returned to Chicago and
re-estabished themselves there. This is but
single instance. But the people must bear
the result of their own short-sightedness and
folly for q while. There will be storm after
a while, and the fragments OF the present mtl-
nieipal government will hardly be worth
gathering up
THE MILITARY FEVER.
Since the strike, aud the bloodless war that
suppressed 1t In st. Louis, q military fever
has ragged here. Since martial glory is SO
easily earned. and no risks to run, everybody
wants little. Companies are being formed
in every ward and voting precinct, and men
who never dreamed of rising to the dignity
of corporal wake up in the morning and see
themselves designated captain or lieutenant
in the papers. The little boys are stirred with
military enthusiasm and march through the
tin pans for drums.
The great difficulty in the way of converting
every male citizen into q volunteer soldier Is
THE MILITIA LAW.
1t does not offer very much encouragement
towards maintaining standing army in
time OF peace"
This law permits volunteer militia COM
panies to be formed, and provides for arm
ing them, but not until they are regularly
enrolled and sworn into the State service. Our
heroes here object to this. They do not want
to serve the State but to have independent
organizations.
Last night a large meeting of citizens
was held to devise some plan of organizing
and arning standing and effective militia
force Tor the protection of the city. After
appointed to agree upon o plan and report to
an adjourned meeting. It is pity these war
riors can't get arms. They would never do
any harm with them beyond accidentally
shooting somebody occasionally. This stir
about military organization being essential
to protect the city and maintain the law Is the
WORST KIND OF HUMBUaaERY.
Who do they propose to arm against? The
few poor devils who recently met in Lucas
market and spouted about capital and labor
They have dispersed, and are as harmless as
a flock Of sheep. Indeed, there was never any
danger in them, as the raid of the police dem
onstrated. Are these uneasy patriots going
to arm to put down the workingmen who are
daily organizing? II SO they will find they
have undertaken monster task. These
Sw.or1klngmen are among the best eitizens Of
cord with the statutes Of the State, In the hope
of eventually Kidding themselves Of the evils
that bastard Radical administration, and a
corrupt and fraudulent local government
the people are In sympathy with them, and
woe be to the faction that attempts to put
them down by force Of arms. lie is fact
worthy Of special note that the very men who
ruling Spirits and advisers Of the Mayor W and Ind
his municipal assembly These men are
afraid of
THE woRKINGMENs MOVEMENT
because it means a restoration of Democracy
pure and undefiled: 1t is significant that
organization of militia under the State law.
LET us have a city guard" say they. This
means an armed force that the present city
rulers can control and use in carrying out
their schemes. But the war fever will abate
In time and the would-be soldiers settle down
once more to handling yard sticks and PEN
holders in place of muskets and sabres.
A NEW ENTERPRISE.
There is another movement on foot among
some OF the largest grain merchants of this
city that will result beneficially to New Or
leans, If it proves success. The st. Louis,
an arrangement with the Central Railroad of
Iowa and its connections for the transporta-
tion of freight at reduced figures and pool the
earnings therefrom. This opens up to st.
Louis the greatest spring wheat producing
country in the West, and the Kansas City and
Northern road expects soon to be bringing an
average OF 100 car loads per day to this city.
ALI that Is necessary is to establish market
for the wheat here, but this cannot be accom-
plished without
THE COOPERATION OF NEW ORLEANS.
@.~
portation in barges to your city, and from
there export such quantities as are not con-
Sumed by the immense country tributary to
the Crescen City. 1t is argued that portion
OF the fine cotton and sugar crop now grow
ing in the South must be exchanged for wheat
and flour, and that no point is SO available
for this exchange as New Orleans
The enterprise is but just in it's infancy, but
there is every. hope of its proving a success
1t is proposed to have committee of mer-
the commercial men there in regard to the
matter. St. Louis and this portion of the
Mississippi Valley are fast awakening to the
commercial Importance of New Orleans as an
and it will be no distant day when the COM
merce of this city and New Orleans will unite
in some of the most important undertakings
of the country.
THE NARROW GAUGE.
Conventions are being held in the wertern
counties of the State for the purpose Of rails
ing means to begin the work of constructing
the narrow gauge railroad, previously spoken
OF in your st. Louis correspondence. The
farmers and merchants OF the interior OF this
State, and of Kansas and Colorado, are evil
IDENTIFY determined to put this road through,
and it is the humble opinion of your cor
respondent, that when completed it will prove
as valuable tributary to New Orleans as 1T.
LOUIS. The immense quantities OF produce
coming over it must find a market somewhere,
af