The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-09-13
MosEnEY's BLUFF,

I'& - ~ Union Parish, sept. !, 1875
Editor Telegraph: ,"f.E - Iss-r.r,.t.
AS your supply of news from the rest of
the world has been shut off by the quar-
antine, perhaps a few notes from Union
may be useful to you in "filling" your
Z. The last issue of the TBLaRAPH has arriy-
cd. and, I. assure you, it was welcomed
with exquisite delight. I do not know how
many readers you have in this parish, but
they ought to be numbered by hundreds.
The people are solvent and intelligent, and
they prefer, the TELEaRAPH to metropol-
itan sheets, in or out of tho State. And
justly SO. The TEI.EaLAPH is published at
the trade-center of North Louisiana. It is
recognised as the highest authority in poll
tics. It contains able and original edito-
rails on all current topics of Importance,
It gives the commercial news, market re-
ports, and business items which are of inn
mediate interest to the country reader. 1t
furnishes pithy and pertinent comments
on local events. 1t is full of judicious, in
structive and entertaining selections from
tho best Presses OF the entire United States.
It has another recommendation 1t has
gained and maintained a reputation for
perfect sincerity. 1t is SO customary and.
L might say, natural for newspapers to
trim, and shift, and tack with every veor7
ing wind of popular sentiment or desire; it
is so common and so profitable for them to
snatch ut every new-fangled sensation and
to "warp tho living truth" to meet the de-
mands for excitement, that 1t is usually
regarded n mark of ,credulity to give any
credence to newspapers. have often
heard the question asked, "Do you believe
what you soc in the newspapers Happy
is that journal, whose long-continued
constaney, carefullness, and consistency
have established and secured unlimited
confidence in its veracity! Solomon says
lssBuy the truth and sell it not.' Was this
injunction addressed to newspaper menf
/ Union parish contains about $4,000 souls,
| about three-fourths of whom are whites the
number of inhabitants being slightly in
creased annually by Immigration and pro-
creation. AS a class these people are hon
est, Industrious, solvent, and thrifty. ]
would not speak "with flattering lips and
| a double heart" But must say that for
tho startling virtues of home-bred hospit al
ity, Hard common sense, unaffected devo-
ftion to duty cheerful contentment, cordial
tneighborlfness, and profound piety, these
tpeople cannot DO surpassed. ''-'"' (
OF course they are not perfect and not
Without many wants. Among their other
! wants, I viii mention three things which
tho people OF Union need. LIST. They want
railroad running through their parish.
and. They want moro sawmi1ls and q better
lelRss of dwellings. A little attention to
larchitecture is very needral here. AS far
: as know, the. German, French and En-
glish peasantry, and the middle, and even
lower classes in the North and West of our
q own country have vastly superior habita-
Y lions to those we find in the pine.hil re-
!, gion OF North Louisiana. In fact tho major
4 ity of tho houses in this section are the
. poorestin the world. The houses are chiefly
|, built OF logs, badly hewn, covered with
/, rough irregular boards, without windows
{ small doors, floors of foot plank and near
l the ground, chimneys OF sticks and mud
, firepiaces and hearths of dirt and frequent
} ly with good sized cracks in tho walls.
; They are nothing but inferior cabins. You
4 win find ,well7to-do farmers, with largS
lfe's com Siid with money ahead. who
live in just si,sn pensi This is strange and
understandable. There is plenty OF tho best
} building timber all over the parish. All
: kinda 81 .~@as aud howers grow without