New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1899-07-22

3 the large Mississippi steam boats, heavil
4 laden. going up the river. to come and tax
I him ahord the boat rounded too and tn
: captain came forward on the roof an,
asked, what there was to come aboard
lie shouted from the bank of the river i,
stentorian voice, Tho Senator from At
takapas. The captain made sign will
his hand to the pilot, TO back the boat gu
and said Let the damn Senator from
Attakapas go to hell The Senator 90
to Baton Rouge all tho same, and III,
honest work for his constituency
cur American friend never undauute,
got elected n member of the Police Jury
lie lacked one member to carry his pc
) scheme through. so he centored on tn,
member from New Iberia, Mr.. - VIII,
had on every proposition advanced by hin
voted against it. 1t required some 81,
work to get his friend from Iberia over
but he was fully equal to the situation
He said, Ephriam (that was his body
servant, go down at the corner of the road
and watch for Mr., +, and bring him home
gig and all. Ephaim carried out the
message and soon had man and beast at
the door Our friend, the member from,
Iberia, was upbraided by Mr.. i, for not
coming right strait to his house every time
there was n meeting. He soon had three
strait whiskies down our Iberia member
who he knew liked the critter and on top
of that n good dinner with plenty of wine
to wash the gravy down. Having his guest
| IN fine trim for an opening, he said sup
pose you have heard what Mr.. y said
about you "No, said he; well, he said YOU
belong to him and you dare not vote any
other way than the way he wanted Very
well. said our member we will see to day
if belong to him, They both went to the
meeting and to the great surprise of Mr. y.
he found his Iberia friend voting with the
opposition. Mr. b got from the Police
Jury an appropriation that day to clean
out the bayou, from New Iberia to St
Ma,tinsville the effect of which was that
boats could navigate. and freights were
reduced to that point one-half.
The period of collapse the dying Wing
party absorbed by fanatical movement
commenced in the north in 1853 and
reached New iberia in 1855, kHewH AS the
| ''know Nothing party" or under the
misnomer of the American party. Their
| plinci pies as enunciated, was down ON
| foreigners, especially the Dutch and Irish,
opposition to the Roman Catholic church,
| and their resolve, that mono but native
| Americans should hold Office. Tho agita-
ton of this strange movement gathered in
strength and violence and brought about
| a great deal of bitterness among our pco-
pie during its short life, but was soon
swallowed up by the Republican or anti.
slave party, which landed Lincoln in the
Presidential chair, and was the beginning
and cause of so much wasted blood strife,
suffering and death, between the people
of the same race, inhabiting tho same free
country and in general way practicing
the same christian faith. oh! That ter
rible war it came very near plunging the
nation into hopeless ruin. While we did
not think so at the time, believe it better
for the black race that they are free, and
am very sure it is better for the white
race that slavery has been abolished in
this land of the free and home of the
brave.
The sacrifice of that war was great
1t has been said in truth, that a "people
without the memories of heroic suffering
and sacrifices, are people without n his
tory | will pass over tho gloomy period
of the war, as 1t had no charms for me.
The civil authority from 1861 to 1865 was
of the towns doings were kept and those
ing the war. Our worthy and philanthro
pic friend VIM Robertson had a minute
book, but it too, disappeared in the pan
demonium of war and strife. When the
stars and bars, tho emblem of lost
cause, went down at Appomattox, when
the fate of war made it certain that this
country could not be divided and was to
remain one, with one flag, one people, one
nt Inottnu NJ
tered and torn, broken in heart, in spirit
and purse, we were willing to furl our
banner, and go back to our homes and try
and rebuild our shattered wastes. The
war over, New iberia put on her business
clothes and we were soon in the midst
of plenty, money flowed like water, and
the angel of happiness, with outspread
wings, seemed to hover over town and
people. "Be not therefore solicitous for
to morrow, for the morrow will be solici- |
tous for itself Sufficient for the day is
the evil thereof
We had not long emerged from that
terrible carnage of war, when all the land
seemed to be smiling in the fulness of
peace. We were in the brightest antici
pations; with all our hopes centered in
the future; there was hot single omi
sky of hope. Every cloud was decorated |
with silver lining When all ut once,
without notice, there came q pail, n kind |
whole Atmosphere pestilence was in |
the air. The evil bird Of contagion had |
beaten its wings and let fly its poisonous
germ. Poor New Iberia was in the clutch !
es of an insidious foe. The yellow fever
tub IL,
and decimatcd its population. In every |
other house there was mourning and |
weeping over lost and loved ones. Such |
was the sad year of 1867.
From 1865 to 1868 we were under mill |
tary rule, and with few exceptions, the |
rule was good We had to familarize |
ourselves with the free negro with sold
ier clothes on, that we had but a |
short time before left in slavery 1t was
a bitter pill to swallow at that time, but |
we took our medicine, and submitted to |
the inevitable. That was not the worst |
part of it the State was recognized in |
1868, and readmitted into the Union. |
The rogues and thieves were all turned |
loose to pillage the people. Thon
the Dark Days of Reconstruction, when
mob violence ruled, when laws were |
unuef 1oOU. ana t0e civil anbnOf1- |
ty defed, when in the pandemonum of |
corruption no man could predict what |
desolation awaited our people, or what |
would be the next scene in the political
drama. We had for nearly eight years
the domination of white adventurers and |
ignorant black barbarians sitting high in
office, accompanied by carnival of fraud,
of public funds, corruption,
robbery and malevolence in every depart
ment of the State, municipal and paro
chial government. Interspersed with all |
these evils, came tho native scallawag,
who could only be equalled by the plaques
of Egypt devouring everything before
them. They have all gone where the
woodbine twineth.
Under the Reconstruction act New |
iberia again resumed her municipal func-
tons. We will now diverge little, and |
proceed to give synopsis Of the organi-
zation of the town and its different
from 1899.
Act No. l6, approved March 18th, 1889,
created and incorporated the town of
iberia in the Parish of st. Martin. The
limits of the town were fixed from Bank
avenue to the lower limits of DIR. l.. J.
Smiths plantation (nothing below Weeks
atraat at that time yvas opun for Qala |