The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-07-22

Police Escort to Prize Fight-Wall
Street Notes-What They are Doing at
the Watering Places-Immigration Mat
ters-Notes About Town, etc.
New YORK, July Is, 1882.
EDITOR CHIEF:
No one whose memory goes back thirty
or forty years can fail to mark the
difference in the celebration of Indepen-
dence Day. Forty years ago there was
not country village from the Green
Mountains to the Ohio but was all ablaze
by daylight. 1t was not day for big
folks only; it was the one day in the
year when the small boy had chance,
and lie did not let it go by if he knew it.
There were only two holidays in the
year, Thanksgiving and Fourth of July.
Foreigners were scarce, and we knew
nothing about the heather holidays of
New Years aud Christmas. Decoration
day was not yet invented; but there was
hardly q town between the Penobscot
and the Mississippi but could muster a
warrior on the Fourth of July that had
fought in the Revolution. What an
army of those heroes there was, and how
they did last! 1t is almost a hundred
years since peace was finally concluded,
but believe there are still quite num-
Der Of Revolutionary heroes on the pay
rolls of tho Government who fought,
bled and died for their country in l776.
Bancroft says that they are immortal,
and think that he must be right.
1t seems as though every year it grew
more dull and spiritless. If it we're not
that l remember twenty years ago we
we're engaged in a pretty lively skirmish,
I should begin to think that patriotism
was dying out. Perhaps there is enough
left for seed; time will tell.
The battle between capital and labor
is the toughest problem with which we
have to grapple in New York at the
present time. Like Banquo's ghost, the
burned thing won't 60 down. On the
one side is hundred millions of dollars,
and on the other the muscles, without
the aid of which the dollars are worthless
as chaff. We have had plenty of strikes
before, bnt nothing like the present
The organization is perfect, and so fal
the contributions from without have
prevented any absolute suffering among
the strikers. 1t is true they don't have
Spring chickens and ice cream; it il
yery possible that their porterhous'
steaks may come from behind the horns
but they all get something to eat, ant
to their credit be it recorded that very
| few of them take too much to drink
There has been no violence of any con.
sequence, no disturbance, aud this o
| itself is matter Of profound congratula
ton, for these strikers represent power
which, if it once broke loose, would mak'
VIM. H. Vanderbilt and Jay Goult
tremlle in their boots. It is we'll the.
are fed and housed. hope the strik'
may end before hunger reaches them. 1
is not to be supposed that they woult
see their wives and children starving
while two men who never did all homes
stroke of work revel in a hundred mill
ions of dollars. So we anxiously wal
for the end.
In speaking about the Fourth Of July
l am happy to state that, although un
commonly dull, we were not altogethe
bereft of rational and moral amusements
An Irishman named Sullivan has bee1
marching about the country for the pas
six months, begging somebody to trea
on the tail of his coat. Some mouth
ago he sent one Paddy Ryan to grass
away down South, and from that day t
the present lie has been aching to knoc
somebody down. So strong was th
desire on him to dislocate somebody
Jaw or break somebody's neck, that h
absolutely offered any adventurous slug
ger who wished to become subject fo
a Coroner's inquest $500 if he would onl
furnish him with about twelve minute
amusement. We have number of en-
: terprising candidates for States prisol
who would have esteemed it an honor
be knocked ont by the champion, bl
the chances seemed even that, bein
knocked out, they might not be able
get back; and they were not as fortuna'
as Guiteau in being spiritually prepare
for their exit. Still, $500 is good de;
of money; it is as much as many a
honest man earns in year. The prii
was tempting, but the applicants fey
One Tug Wilson was imported all IL
way from England, and he signitied b
, intention of giving US Fourth of Jul
treat. While not ambitious of beit
knocked out, he declared to his frien'
he was going to pocket Sullivan's s50'
but on the Fourth of July he did u
come to time. Five thousand peop
. steamed out to Washington Park, maj
of them expecting to see man killed,
at least half dozen ribs broken. Thong
). Tammany was in session at the time, al
John Kelly was enlightening his folio,
ers how Patrick Henry signed the Dec]
! ration of Independence, one-half of t
Board of Aldermen managed to ste
r away, for it is not every day that nj
can see genuine prize fight for fiji
cents. One hundred policemen, und
+ command of Captain Gunner, were {