The National tribune., 1903-08-27

less stretch of boys. For an extent great
er than that of some New England States
there is nothing but reeds, qualiRg
swamps, stagnant ponds and tedious arms
of the Gulf Occasionally firm ground is
seen on which there is a shabby, COM
fortress cabin and some tired mans at
tempts to create cornfield and garden.
He has n hard struggle with the moist
air. the hot sun and the eXuberant vege-
tation TO keep the weeds from simply
snothering his crop out of existence.
NEW ORLEANS.
New Orleans may be called picturesque,
but it certainly is not pretty. 1t is very
different from any other American city,
but not more attractive on that Sfounh.
The immense ma jority OF the houses are
little tiat-IUofed One-story frames. 4 large
number of them not more than 10 feet
wide, SOHO Cf them cut and painted into
imitation Oh :tone. and all standing up a
foot CT more above the low, wet, ni;tS-
matte soil No sewerage is possible, and
the flow from every house runs under the
hot sun in open cutters to some place
Heaven knows where, and not pleasant to
ina CINE, and in transit is distinctly of
fcnsive to every sense. The mitigation
and aggravation of this is 4 fact that over
seven feet of water falls from the skies
every year. which flush out tie cutters,
but keep everything wreaking with what
the darby calls ''Eumilidy i'll de atmes-
phere.' The spongy character of the
soil prevents the erection of any very
large buildings. but there are a number
of quite pretentious ones of three and four
stories, and Il number of private residences
with beautifuily-kept grounds. which are
charming GASES in the many square miles
IA
habited by people of every race, color and
previous condition of servitude. Where
to draw the color-line in New Orleans
would puzzle an chronological expert, and
looking over the people one meets on the
streets, one is not surprised at the refusal
of the conductors en- the street cars to ell
force the Jim Crow Law, because they
said it was impossible for them to de-
termine who was white man, and to
class one who is really so with negro
was a mortal Offense, which might cost
them their lives. Not only is there a
world of octefoens and quadroons with
French and Spanish blood in their veins,
but there has been an immense immigra-
ton of swarthy Italians, whom it is prac-
tically impossible TO distinguish from
many of those who have negro blood in
their veins. This brings us to another
race-problem. which is quite as serious in
New Orleans as that of the negro. The
Sicilians, who form the larger part of the
Italian immigrat ion, and who are con-
| stantly increasing in number, are absO-
lutey un-AnIeriean in their ideas and hab-
its of thought, and how they can be
brought up to our plane is matter of
most serious consideration. For example,
the morning that / arrived the town was
excited over another cold-blooded murder
in a long list of assassinatiOns growing out
+ of causes absolutely inc0mprehensible and
unsatisfactory to IN American mind. 1t
appears that some years ago q man named
Luciano had come to New Orleans, started
in business, and had received some fav-
ors from firm in Italy which supplied
lin with Il special line of goods. This
firm presently sent over a couple of girls
to him, but instead of taking them into
his family, as promised, he put them in a
cheap clearinghouse and neglected them.
Trouble at once began. The firm with
drew its goods from him and started a
rival. Then began assassinations one af-
ter another, with which the police were
entirely unable to grapple, but Luciano
managed to survive the feud until another
Sicilian ingratiated himself into his con-
fidence, was his inseparable companion
for three months, finally went with him
up INTO a photograph gallery to look at
some pictures, and as they turned to &c
dewn stairs, fired four shots into his body
| Now it is up to some of the Luciano crowd
| tJ@kill the murderer if he should escape
justice, or some more of his crowd, and
so the dance of death goes savageIy on
without any reference to the Constitution
and laws OF the State of Louisiana, the
police. and courts of justice.
| The only corrective seems another ter
ror-striking lynching like that which oc
CURED some 10 years ago and brought
about a temporary stoppage III the career
of murder.
| Not only morally but physically New
Orleans needs a revolutionary cleaning
The payements are as much of a dis
| grace to the city as the sewerage. a com
prehensive plan of sewerage, however
has been adopted, from which it is ex
pected that other Improvements will fol
low, which will bring the great city VI
to the standard that she should attain
alongside well-governed American cities
The sewerage plan, which contemplate.
an expenditure of $1S,0G0,000, and which
has already been begun with the best eff
fleets, proposes to run sewers far enough
below the surface to drain the ground
and the collection win be pumped int
Lake Borgne. This is the only possibl,
way, because the city being below til,
level OF the MISSISSIPPI Rlver, 1t VIII b.
absolutely necessary to lift all the waite
that falls into the city by steam powe
1 onto some place where it can run away t.
the Gulf. SO far as tried the system ha
had the best results, the ground has be
come dry to q depth of eight or 10 feet
walls have become firm, and damDnes
! largely disappeared. Heretofore it la
been impossible to dig grave anywher
near the city, because water would b
struck at the depth of foot or more, an
the dead have been buried in vaults erect
} ed above ground.
New Orleans should lose no time in be
ginning a reform of her depots.
strangers impression of city is largel
dependent upon the depot and its SUI
roundings, and the great Union Depot q
! New Orleans is about as dingy 4 place a
; can be found in the South, which is say
} ing a great deal. 1t is kind which di.
appeared north of Mason & Dixon's lin
/ IA quarter of q century ago.
The Southern Pacific Railroad has
: great deal of trouble getting out of Ne
/. Orleans to start on its Western cours
, The crossing of the Mississippi River
e very difficult, frequently dangerous, an
2 it is not clearly seen yet how it can |
made otherwise. 1t seems almost impo
! sible to build bridge, and the rapid flu
D tuations in the hight Of tho river mai
8 the ferryage and the approaches to tt
: ferry very tedious and troublesome.
For nearly 10 miles after crossing tt