Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-24
Two Decades in Louisiana,
FROM $500 TO lS~tSo.
EMBRACING THE EENS or SECESSION
WAR AND EECONSTGNCTlnN.
IN. q. Democrat !

Baton Rouge may justly claim the It'll,
of tho historic and classic city of houi'
siaua. This claim does not rest
on its antiquity, or on It's rapid
rapid growth and commercial jmpor
tancc, These, for an American town
have been exceptionally slow and incon
siderable. Its selection by tho first
French voyagcurs, who descended The
Mississippi from tho French colony OF
lbcrvill, ut Biloxi, as II landiugplaco for
thcir frnil and r,dx sssrantcda'cd the
stalking off by Bionvillcof tho sito of the
present great city of Now Orleans aud
the passage of tho real mouths of tho
Mississippi river by tho English ships
It was in this little town that, at the
beginning of tho present century, tho
once proud and powerful Spanish vice
royalty, which had SO long welded its
sccptro over the vast territory of Loui,
siana, had made its last stand against
the constantly advancing and aggrcs-
sive Anglo American population.
1t isa novel spectacle in history, Illus
trative ofSpansh pride and tcnacity,
that with so feeble u grasp and surronn
ded by so many porls of carly and even
tnal absorption or lorclbo expulsion by
tho eager and cntcrprising Anglo AM
orleans, Spain should layc maintained
oven tho semblanCc of authority in this
remote littlo town, over u narrow dis
located slip of territory for tho period
of six or seven years after tho clssion OF
all the territory to the south, north aud
west, aud its occupation by aconslantly
augmenting population of tho most pro,
grcssivo, cntorprisng, and, as to all
claims or prctcnsions of European pow
ers, tho most aggressive and couquer'ng
of all the coouizinS races of tho world.
But 30 IL was; down to The autu mn OF
1910 there existed ut Baton Rouge u
Spanish Governor and Captain General,
with u full staff and al tho paraphcrna
liza and surroundings of yiccroyalty
The grand flag of old Castillo aud ARA
gon waved dctiantly over u strongly
built fort, which occupied tho now over
shaded and picturesque heights
where for SO many years tue United
States has maintained largo, Commodi
GUS aud beautiful barracks, aud arsonals
stores and pleasant residences for officers
of the army.
This Spanish llag was Il great oitcns'
to the crowds of American cmigrants
plying in their ilatboats, broad-horns
aud RATS along the Mississippi. Why
should 50 hated power be permitted to
hold this much cherished and eligible
site for town, and WELD u dcspotIc an,
foreign power over the beautiful mag
n0lia covered hills and rich valleys o
the lovely country lying between th'
line Of the Mississippi Territory and th'
Bayou Manchac, digniIicl in history by
tho title of Iberville river. This charm
ing section of tho Mississippi valley, the
atmosphere of which is fragrant the
whole year round with the bloom of it,
dense evergreen tropical forests, ant
wild shrubbery, and musical with til,
notes of millions of gail adorned birds
was regarded by the on-pressiug Anglo
Americans as the appropriate home of ;
liberty-lovins, progressive people, with
large capacities for tho proper use an(
development of its great natural adHan
tages, and with strong passions for rura
life and pursuits.
To this pcrvading sentiment and pas
sion of the Anglo-American sottlors O
this section must We ascribe the appear
auCc in the streets Of Baton Rouge, he