New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-30

festered. 81 dc not know, said an i'm
perial statesmsu of old, show D dance Of
to sing, but know how to make Of a
small village great city" This is pre-
cissly what every Southern statesman
ought to know.
Political events seem again drifting into
sectionalism, and the state of colonial de-
pen6enee may become greater than at
present. The protective system is as
much the right of one section as another
and we should avail ourselves of its ad-
vantages. To do SO we should revive
the lost art of "vilIage building, and our
Gulf villages offer very favorable locations
for this patriotic enterprise.
The Crevasse and the Fisheries.
In observing the active industry of crab
fishing which prevails in the village of
Pass Christian, it was our luck to encoun-
ter German who stands by admission at
the head of that industry. In some
what prolonged interview he explained
the difficulties which embarrassed the
fishermen. "Der creyasse," he said, had
driven away the sheephead, ousted the
oysters and brought the river cat in their
place. Zach mein Gott," said he with
emotion, "when dere wash no crevasse I
drivish mein cart into de wasser und dakes
me COP der oysters Ply der load, und mein
poy wash NIT me dem timesh, now dere
moost pc elm lugger, ind zwei und drei
mans, to go over to der islands for der
fish und oysters"
''Then fish are not so cheap as before2"
''Nein. Odertimesh der beeples puy
der stringsh of fish like dat, measuring
about two feet, ''for dime. Den dey
puys me not der boochers meat, now dey
moost puy dat meat at bit or bit and
half pound, because of dat dam crevash!'
It was suggested that the United States
ought to stop the "crevash," because it
was destroying all the Gulf fisheries which
supplied the city of New Orleans, and be-
cause it would be better for the health of
the city and the coast to have body Of
salt than of fresh water about them. This
attempt to enlist the fishing interest in
behalf of Federal improvements was some
what interrupted by Herr Ichmein's at
tention to his crab nets, and by the pro-
fame epithets which be addressed to 'dem
dam loafers vat sthole me mein craps ven-
efer I turns my pack"
1t was further learned from this worthy
man that he had emigrated from some
where about "Bingen on the Rhine, >
where he had been reared to the business
Of farming, and especially of grape cul-
ture. Forty years ago he had been ped
dler in Alabama, then merchant and
farmer in upper Mississippi. He had en-
listed in the Confederate army, had been
in twelve fights, great and small, had lost
by fire, raids and investment in Confed-
crate bonds, and he is now, with the in
dustry and thrift of his race, reduced in
his old age to the necessity of dealing in
old rags and iron, and standing at the
head of the crab fishery at this station.
His INDECENT and begrimed appearance
has naturally led to the belief that old
Ichmein has large sums of specie con-
cealed somewhere, and this might lead
some night, in some communities, to
knocking him on the head and digging
up the floor of his shanty to satisfy a
natural public curiosity on the subject
His testimony on the food question CORE
spends with that of others, and should
lead to the cooperation of the Missis-
sippi Congressman in stopping off the
crevasse which Injuries so much the vii
lagos along the coast W. NJ. B.