The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-07-27

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ers interfered aud separated the COM
batants. Deputy Sheriff Israel made
an affidavit charging the parties with
committing an affray, and after exam
ination of the case Justice Vicknair
placed accused under bond to appear
before the Parish Court.
| ALDERMAN BoUDREAUx ON THE
FENcE.-We print elsewhere COM
munication from /" Councilman, I'd
ward,n replying to our structures of
last week on the proposed scheme to
fence in the public square. The wri-
ter says that it is the object of the
Council to improve the appearance of
the town; very good, then let the
fence project be abandoned forthwith
| The Market House fences were in
tended as an Improvement also, but
that they have proven otherwise is a
fact too patent to be contradicted.
The apparent intention of the Coun-
Gil to remove these fences is indica-
tive of the general opinion that the
mooted Improvement has deteriora-
| ted into nuisance. What reason is
there for assuming a different result
from repetition of the same expert
ment in another part of town If the
handsome grass plots of Crescent
Place have been transformed into
unsightly weed patches because of
inclosing them with fences, isn't it
natural TO suppose that a similar dis
agreeable transformation will follow
the feneingin of the public square 7
Ii the fences of Crescent Place have
been allowed to become dilapidated,
| with broken turnstiles in some places
and none at all In Others, with a
patch here and gap there and want
of whitewash everywhere, what as
surance have we that the same state
of affairs will not ensue with regard
to the public square fence, if our AL
dermen decide to inf1ict such an in
stitution upon us9 How many more
people would promenade " on the
square if it was fenced in than prom
enade there now ? and how many Ia
dies and children will rendezvous y
in an enclosed weed lot who are kept
away from tho open square by the
imaginary fear of roaming cattle or
hurtling base balls I? We have yet to
| record an accident from either of the
sources just indicated and we have
yet to observe disposition on the
part of ladies or children to prefer
the treeless, shadeless square to the
sidewalks as promenade. The OBJ
| lection in regard to the obstacle a
fence would offer to the free and rapid
handling of the hook and ladder truck
still holds good, despite the " four
large gates the plan calls for" mas
much as the loss of time and incon-
venience caused by having two gates
to open, would be fully as great as
would be occasioned by turning the
lengthy truck in the narrow compass
of street between the truck house and
the mooted fence. Councilman's pc
culiar statement that we oppose the
building of the fence for the sole rea-
son that it will interfere with bail
playing is SO frivolous aud palpably
erroneous that it does not merit Sc
rious consideration. Our reasons are
what we have stated them to be, and
In our opinion they are conclusive.
We favored the construction of the
Market House fences, thinking they
would tend to " improve the appear
ance of the town with little expense
Time has shown the mistake. We
profit by the lesson of experience, and
call upon our excellent fellow citizen,
Alderman Boudreaux, to do likewise.
We shall expect him to exercise his
usual sound Judgment In this matter,
and to aid in squelching tile proposed
scheme to squander the peoples mon
ey in defacing our "only public
square,"
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