The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-06-28


will help them most in the next election,
Here we are all split up politically. Itmay
be very true that everything is not exactly
rosy in the Republican camp, neither does
the peace which passeth understanding
reign supreme in the armies of the Democ-
racy, The pronunciamento of Tammany
has not acted like Mrs. Winslow's Sooth-
ing Syrup. And so, as Mrs. Partington
sagely remarked. "there's no tellin' who'll
be President, till arter election" 1t is in
large cities like New York that the labor
to- day is the largest manufacturing city on
the continent of America and one of the
largest in the world. Hundreds of millions
capital are invested in manufactures and
all the buildings down town are living
hives where hundreds of thousands toll
through the day and night. With the early
morning thousands upon thousands come
pouring into the lower part of athe city and
are swallowed up by the dingy, smoky
buildings in all of the by streets and ave.
nues. Besides the thousands shut up in
these grim buildings the streets are always
crowded. The spirit Of unrest seems to be
upon every one. Even the tramp in the
city keeps on the move; it is only in the
late hours of the night or the early morning
that he snatches q little ftful sleep on a
Park bench or doorstep, knowing that
like Ishmael, his hand is against every
man and every mans hand is against him.
1t seems strange to talk of the sufferings
of labor and poverty and in the next breath
to tell of our gilded aristocracy giving
thousands of dollars for picture to hang
upon the walls of their costly mansions.
Mr.. Vanderbilt gave $4,000 for single
Messonier. That single picture represents
the labor of one hundred years for men
who earn ten dollars week, and there are
thousands of such in Mr.. Vanderbilt's en-
ploy. No wonder they feel discontented.
The enormous travel Of this city is never
fully realized, till yon see the official state
ment that since the organization of the
Elevated road they have carried over $50
millions of passengers or about equal to
nine times the entire population of the
United States. In connection with this
take the millions who ride on the surface
roads and the millions who walk and you
then understand the pertinency of Uncle
Josh's remark, when his friend tried to get
him off of Broadway: "Hold on, Joe, hold
on; Jest let's wait till this percession gifts
BY"
Tammany returned to town jubilant. Sa-
ratoga had given it all the great Sycamore
demanded, so that there was no chance for
q ruction. 1t is generally conceded that
Mr.. Manning handled his forces with the
skill of Won Moltke and the willy wisdom
of Bismarck. He had difficult and dan.
gerous task to manage revolutionary and
discordant elements, but even those op-
posed to him freely admit that he exhibited
the most consummate wisdom, and it now
looks as though united front would be
presented on election day to their Republi-
can enemy. But as Mr.. Billings sagely re-
marked, "You can't cen Almost always
tell" Election day is four month, off. In
every political calcultion there is IN un-
known quantity. That quantity is like the
white man, being onsartin, and that quantity
may settle the election. Some of the
bands came back from Albany playing 'sIt
is but a little faded Flower" don't know
what they meant BY it, but next time
meet Allen @. Beach or The. O'-Grady
am going to ask for an explanation.
Our free baths are now in full blast, and
you may be certain that the average New
York hoodlum does not neglect to avail him.
self of the city's benefcence. He may go
without his breakfast; dinner may live
in his memory among the ancient myths
md legends of the past; he may miss
a go to Harry Miners or Tony PASTORS,
but he never misses his bath--at least in
summer. And apropos of baths, there are
some blessed souls in onr midst who devote
the entire summer to assisting the children
of the poor to little fresh air at the sea
side. No one knows the sacrifice and suf-
fering that these blessed women and men
endure in the performance of their holy
task. They leave their own beautiful and
orderly homes to go down into the slums
where poverty and disease hide from the
light of day. In dark noisome cellars, and
squalid garrets they find the wretches they
seek to aid, and take them tenderly down
to the sweet breath of the sea. No reward
is theirs but the promise which shines
eternal, BLESSED are the merciful, for they
shall receive mercy"
/ begin to think that suicide is an epi-
aemic. spoke of it in last weeks letter,
and its terrible frequency compels me to
speak of it again. This week six cases
more and of the most peculiar character
one rich commission merchant with splen-
did prospects, happy home, large bank
account and a young and lovely wife. He
went home one day last week, appeared
as well as usual, kissed his wife affection
ately and then walked down to his Office
and shot himself. Another hung himself in
still another took his life in one of the
beautiful little summer houses on the ris-
ing ground short distance from the mu-
scum. Another we'll dressed gentleman
went into saloon, called for glass of
beer, then stepped into little back room
and hung himself-so quietly that people
who were ten feet away knew nothing
about it. The marvellous feature in con-
nection with this is that all these people ap-
peared we'll to do. They were not wretched
cramps, but belonged to the better class.
The thermometer touched 81 deg. on
Thursday, and the rush from the city was
What with President making
and stocks we have got about as much on
hand as people ought to attend to in hot
weather. It is little singular that our
theatres and churches close at the same
time, and the representatives of each de-
vote themselves to healthful recreation,
but if any one imagines that the devil goes
to sleep here because the Dominies are
away, he commits very grave mistake.
Parsons, priests, actors, artists and mer-
chants get their summer respite on the
ocean or amid the mountains and the val
les. For the newspaper man there is no
,urcease; he is compelled to sit upon the
watch tower forever to warn his fellow
men of the worlds wicked ways and to