The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-05-19

| The city government OF New York is In a
| state Of wild excitement, and all over peanuts
That luxury OF the gods of the theatre, that
chief attraction of the circus, the arnchis
hypognea has brought about a serious conflict
of authority between various branches of the
city government, which has necessitated the
use of the police and which has already
brought forth number Of indictments and
Investigations.
A peanut merchant of the metropolis ap-
piled some days ago to the Board of Alder
men for permission to locate his stand on the
sidewalk Of an important and crowded thor
oughfare. This petition was granted, and an
elegant peanut shop was opened there last
week, to the great delight of the public
The proprietor Of tho store in front OF which
this establishment had located itself objected
to this, on the ground that it seriously inter
fered with his business. He requested the
Mayor, therefore, to veto this permission. This
the Mayor did, precpitating by this act a con-
fict between himself and the Board of Alder
men. This squabbe, however, was but the be-
ginning Of wars innumerable. The Commits
sioner Of Public Works appeared upon the scene
| in support Of the Mayor, and objected not only
TO the peanut vendor as a nuisance but claimed
| that the merchant who had objected to his
presence was also obstructing the street with
his sign post, awning and merchandise and
swept them all away with the peanuts. Be-
ginning with this case, he inaugurated
| savage warfare on ObGtructers of the pub
lie highway of all kinds. The Board of Alder
mon fought the Commissioner energetically,
and, instead of giving in, continued to au-
thori2e new encroachments on the streets, all
of which distractions the Com missioner per-
sisted in removing, on the ground that the
city charter absolutely prohibited any person
from granting to individuals this right of OBJ
structing the streets.
This war was still going on when Recorder
Hackett joined in the fight. He summoned
the grand jury at once, and directed their
attention to notorious violations of the
statutes, He told them that street obstruc-
tons and nuisanceS were authorized and suf-
fered to exist in dire ct and gross violation OF
the law, and advised them that it was their
duty to inquire who was responsible, and
whether any public officers had, by criminal
neglect of duty, or any other indictable
offense brought them selves within the grasp
of the law.
INiS ClldlSt cAtlttu lit NOW lOlh dlubI-
men to the very point Of madness. Recorder
Hackett was denounced n the most violent
terms, and committee of aldermen ap-
pointed to investigate his sanity. The
speeches made in debating the question Of an
investigation are reported as quite violent
and demagogicai the aldermen pleading in
plaintive tones for the right Of the poor, per-
secuted peanut men, and calling on the public
to sustain them in their bold fight to make
peanuts cheap.
Thus stands the war at present, with half
dozen squabbles between the Mayor, the po-
lice the Board of Aldermen, the Com mission
err of Public Works, Recorder Hackett and
the grand jury. In the meanwhile, the
Mayors marshals are proceeding to clear the
streets Of all distractions, and as soon as the
grand jury begins with its indictments we
shall probably see the streets OF New York,
as they should be, free to the people Would
that somebody could inaugurate war of this
kind here, where the public Is treated far
worse than in Manhattan.