Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 18, 1875, Page 4

‘U CHICAGO TRIBUNE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1875. TERMS OF THE TRIBUNE. AW OF ATAACEIPTION (FATARLE IN ADVANCE). Poxtage Prepald nl;lxh Offie; Deily, by mail..... 81 Snnd; B eekly 6,00 | Weekly” the rame rate, Fartsof & Te prevent delay and mistakes, bo suro and give Post. Oftice address in full, fnalvding Stats end Utnnty, Remittancesmay be made sither by draft, exprass, Post. Ofanorder, ot In registored letters, at cur sk, TERKS 7O CITY RUNECH! Daily, delivered, Funday ezcepted, Daily, delivered, Sunday Incinded, onts par weels Address THE TRIBUNE COMPANT, Corner Madisnn and Dearborn-ata,, Chicago, Il TODAY'S AMUSEMENTS. MOOLEY'S THEATRIE--Randainn steset. Eiark and Lasslle. d, a: hetwesn “*Dora and ‘* Jenny Lind,” AVICKEN'R THEATRE—Madiron sirest, between Drarborn aud Ntatr, kozagement of Chatlotta Cusahinan, ' Guy Manneting.” CADTMY OF MUSII— Hajsted reot.hetween Mad- II&‘! nfi.["‘“l:-m”v Kogagemant of Madame Janauschek, Tt Mary Btuart,™ GRAND OPERA-TIOUSI- Clark streot, l}\h stman Mouge, kKelly & Louu's Minstrols, raw," e ADELPHI THRATRE- W atroet, comer Mone ToB, Variety entertainmon! The Ironch Spy." MCcCORMICK ITAL orth Clark etrnet, corner Kins 18, Concurt by o Mnsicsl College. “BUSINESS NOTICES. WE MEAN ALL WE SAY,—I'ULL SET TEST GUM taatl Katisfaction or mogay refund ing, 1 alf the ususl rates. MCCTLESNEY, 81 The Chicage Tribune, Thursday Moruing, February 18, 1875, The fare for passengers between Chicago nnd New York has been reduced by the Balti- more & Ohio Company to £16.25. The in- dacemont is almost great enough to justify a prudent houseliolder in taking s pleasure. trip to the metropolis, and wasting his sub- stance there in riotous living, The new ‘ax and tariff bill was-under con- wideration six hours in the ITouse yestcrday. Btroug opposition to it was shown, and only one speech in its favor was made. ‘The Dem- ocrats are nnited against it, end the Republi- eans are divided, 5o that ity passage in its present shapo iy exceedingly doubtful, Locurey, the Democratic candidate for United States Senator before the Minnesota Legislature, gained two votea yestorday ; and thera is really dome chanco now, though o very smnll one, of his getting the election, A letter defining liis politieal faith wasread in joiut convention yesterdny, and worked the conversion of lwo Independent Republienns, Locures professes to be a strong Nationalist Ly conviction, aud this is the main source of Lis strongth outside of his own party. The Republican caucus political bill is to be brought before the Ilouse, it is said, by the Alabama Investigating Committee, who will attach it as n recommondation to their report, One of the members of the Com- wittee has reserved the right to object to the clauge for tho general suspension of tha Tabeas corpus. A great majority of intelligent Amcricans, we belicve, have reserved a sim- llar right. aud will be likely to exercise it pretty vigorously if the bill becomes a law. During the trial of a revenuo suit in New York yoesterdny it was discovered that n statute of 1868 forbids the use of merchants’ books a3 evidence against them, The statute I8 very clear, and it was immediately recog- nized by Judge Braronrorp not only as being deeisive in the premises, but ns being n necordance with the plainest principles of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence. It is remarkable that this statute escaped the notice of the legnl profession during the time that Jarye, Bawpory & Co, flourished, and when the operation of such a law would have bean wost immedintely beneficial, Mr. S. 8. Cox offered an amendment to the Tax bill yesterdsy, and it was adopted, im- posing a tax of £ quarts and $4 pints on thompngne, instead of £ and $3, a3 at pres- mt. It will be observed that Jr. Cox dis- eruninates in favor of small bottles, Ile will donbtless claim merit for his proposi- lion on the gronnd that it is in the Interest of temperancs, and at the snme time furnishes * incidontal ” protection to manufac- turers of native wines in New York State. {Tow remarkable it is that the * protective” 1fect of a bill is always * incidental,” while tho main thing ahout it is some great moral or economical reform | One of the jurors in the Brrenre case was teized with a epileptic fit yesterday, and obliged to retire from the court.room., The Court theroupon adjourned for the dny. It 18 belioved no serious delay to the trial will be caused by the juror's illness; {for, if ho does not soon recover, and both sidos sgreo, the case can proceed without bim. Tt is charitable to presumo that both sides would ogree. The chief cident of yesterday’s proceedings was the reading of Ahwm, Tintox's lotter to her busband, in which she prayed that he might sot ‘“‘need the further discipline of being misled by a good woman as I have boen by 1 good man." The great perponderance of - lestimony goes to show that Afr, Trroy did ot need such discipline, —— The mews from Boston calls foran explana- tion, It is stated that the Dircetors of the cago, Dubuque & Minnesota and the Chi- zugo, Clinton & Dubuque Railroad Companies lormed o Credit-Mobilior Construction Com- pany, bargsined with themselves to bLnild the roads, built them, and gobbled up Londs, lands by the milliou, ete. The awmount illegally absorbed by the Ring is put at over $1,230,000, The Directors are J, K, Guaves and J, A. Ruoouneng, of Dubuquo; J. M. Warxes, of Chicago; J. T, Joy, of Detroit; and Nataan TuAYER, J. M. Brooks, md SmNey Banrirer, of Roston, Ruou- 8e3a ig the distiller who is said to owe the Covernment 0,000 of back-taxes, Guavis {s known 08 pu cnergetio railroad man, Joy bas hitherto borno u rpotiess character, The Boston Directors luve stood well, No chargo has been brought heretofors against Mr, Warken, Nono of these men can afford to let tho statements telegraphed from Boston go without reply. o ——— The Chicago produce markets wera goner. ally tame yestorday, without much.change in prices. Mess pork wus less activo, and 100 per brl higher, closing at 818,25 oesh, and §18.26@18.27 1-2 seller March, Lard way in foir dewand, and 6o por 100 tvs higher, closing at §13.50 cash, and &18.55@18.67 1.2 for March. Meats were active and essier, at 6 1.2@86 580 for shoulders, 0 1-2@9 5-8c for ehort ribs, and 97-80 for shovt clears, Dress. ed hoga were quiet und stronger, closing at $7.75@8.25 per 100 lbs, Tighwines were dall and Bo lower, at §1.04 per gallon. Flour 'Wea quiet and steady, Wheat was leos notive aad o shsde frmer, closing at 88 7-80 oaah, and 84 1.2¢ for March. e ~a» i nud 1-8¢ higher, closing n) fee 0. iwcem id 70 e for My, Onts wera qalet 2t 14@ 8¢ higher. closing at &c for March, Rye wis quiet and fivmer al Me@LO0. Barley wan dull and weak, elosing ot #1,00 for March, and 1.0 for April. Hogs wero fair tive and steady. with sales chiefly at 6., 40; Cottle were quict and unchanged. were dufl, and e low Sheep The Jonse Committeo on Approprintions give evidence of their contempl for the vre. dictions of a deficient revenune by muking approprintions of £50,000 to $50.000 for pic tures painted by speenlators and hing up in the Capitol for sale, 'They bave included also ,000 for engraving certiticates for the Philadelphin Exposition, and, in order to allow the severnl Departments of the Govern. ment to be represented at the Centenninl, appropriate £500,000, What have the sev- eral Departments to show ot the Centennial that it costs the Treasury $500,000, requiring an extre tax on the boots and shoes of the people ? The Massachusetts Railroad Commission- era devote n page fu their report for 1875 to the Grangers. They say that the anti-rail- road movement in tho West Lins established three material prineiples. These are the ac- countability of railroads to the public as well ps to their stockholders; the necessity of dealing equitably with all men; and the ex- istence of a broad distinction Letween a rail- road corporation and n manufrcturing com- pany. Bince theso points have been settled, the issues pending in tho courts are, so the Commissioners sny, of comparatively little importance. Tailrond mansgement will henceforth bo of a difforent and better sort, no matter what the law may be, and the pop- ular nager will consequently subside. There are, indeed, signs of this already,—which is fortunate, for the anger, while it lasted, kept eapital away from communities which greatly needed it, The long Senatorial contest in West Virginia came to an end yestordny with the election of Arrey T, CarenToy, of Monroo County, to succeed Boreyas, ‘The new Senator was the collengne of R, M. T. Husten in Jerr Daviy' Senate at Richmond, e is a lawyer. He owes his election more to the accidental loca- tion of his home than to any peculiar qualifi- cations for the position, or to any fondness on the part of the people of West Virginia for Confederate idens. The choice was tho re- sultof & compromise, The people inthe north- crn gnd western part of the State waonted to have the Capital removed to Wheeling. The southern aud castern representetives were not strong enough to resist the demand for any longth of time, but still hind it in their power to offer a fuclious opposition, and were on this account worth conciliating, So a bar- gain was struck, A bill for the removal of the Capital from Charlestonto Wheeling was put tkrough the Legislature, and the Senator- ship wgs allowed to the southern and enst- ern representatives. CAPERTON i85 thus a product of log-rolling, snd in reality the choico of a minorit; A question having n bearing upon the pow- er of tho people to reviso their State Consti- tutions is likely to arise soon in Delaware. That State is divided into three counties, Kent, Sussex, and New Castle. The Consti- tution of the State makes the representation of ench county in each branch of the Legis- lature the same. Until 1820 the three conn- ties mnintained about nu even population, but since then New Castle County has been gain- ing on tho others, ond in 1870 had more than Lalf the population of the little State, The people of that county want the Constitution to be amended, and the people of the other counties insist on keeping things as they are. The legislativo representatives of Kent and Bussex Counties refuse to submi; the question of holding a convention to the people, and refuso to submit any amendmert to tho Con. stitution chenging the mensure of representa- tion, The people of New Castle County donot admit that they are tied down Ly the existing Constitution, and are considering; whether the majority of the people of a Stato have not the inherent right to reform their Constitu- tion despite nuy restraints and rostrictions in tho present Constitution. Indiscovering this menns and ncting on it, they have a long line of precedents, as well ag the clear approval of the American theory of solf-government. ‘Wa commented a day or two ago upon the bill reported by Senator Kxnok on the sub- ject of an clection for eity offteors under tho general charler, in case it should be adopted, but an examination of thebill itself shows that its roel purport had been misunderstood by our correspondent, Mr, Kenox's bill has ref- erenco, so far as this city is concerned, to the contingency that the people of Chicago, at tho specinl election in April next, shall vote to adopt the genarnl charter, In that case, the eclection in November noxt shall he for oity ofticers to hold office until April, 1870, when a new eclection will be held for officers to hold unmtil 1877, when tho regular biennial election will bo held. The bill recommended by the Citizens' Asso- clation provides that the question of sdopt. ing the now charter shall bo leld at the No- veniber election, 1875, To this Ar, Kenoe's bill hus no reference, and, if his bill is in- tended to take the place of the bill of tho Citizens' Asaocintion, thon it is defective. Unless the Legisluturo uhall amend the gen- eral law, ns asked by the Citizens’ Associa- tion, it i not likely that the people will adopt the genoral charter at the election in April next. 'The goneral law, as it now stands, is in many respects inapplicable to a city like this, and i3 so defective that to adopt it as it now stands will only add to our complica- tions. If the goneral law be amended to meet the wants of this city, it can be adopted in November next. in reply to & pavagraph in this puper erilicising the action, or proposed action, of those members of the Dritish House of Commous who are Luown ss ‘Tlome-Rulers." The writer complains that we referred to the want of unjou and har. mony smong the Irish peaple, sud impliedly argues thot they are and have been no more divided tban other people, We will not furthor discuss that quostion, leaving to Listory to determine it. 1t Las been sugyest. ed that in placing the whole number of Home- Rulers in the British Parliument at forty. soven we made an error, and that the true nwmber is soventy-four. Wo took our figures {row a classification, made after the late elec. tion for Parlinment, in o London paper, in which the number of Home-Rulers was put down &t forty-seven. We hiave nover soen in ony olassification of members in 8 British paper the number of Home-Rulors placed so bigh a8 seventy-four votos, and, while we sl not fusther controvert the nssor- tlon of our oorespondent for the We print a lef ¢t pake of peaco " on thnt point, we are unable to forget that, when thio motion for Home Rnle wns brought to a direet voto lnst sum- met, the nwnber who supported it fell far short of seventy-four. There may have been some ahsentees, It ix possible that there are rome Protestants in Ireland who favor there- peal of the legislative wunion with Great Britain, just as there havo been Protestants engaged in all the many Trish movementa which have been vendered abortive because of jealousy and treachery among the Irish, but they Lave never carried their co-seclarians with them. Noris the Catholic population by any means united in favor of Tonie Rule, though n mnjority are forit. The Irish dele- gation in Parlinment is divided on that sub- joct, ns on all others, and the repeal of the union 18, to all appenrances, more remoto than when O'Connell made its accomplish- ment the object of bis life. The Irish must first unite hefore it ean be carried. We do not desire to provoke or prolong controversy on the subject, All Trishmen in this country will watch with peeuliar interest the proceedings against Jons Mircues in the British Parlinment, and the subsequent action of his constituents in Tipperary. It seems to be settled that Mircner will be declared ineapable of elec- tion to the Commons; that a fresh writ will be issued; thet ho will be again returned, and 80 on, ed infinitum. Mitcurr's career is, of course, familicr to his conntrymen, but in view of his new appearance as an agitator,and the consequences that may possibly flow from tho contnmacy of his Tipperary friends, a few words about him may not come nmiss to the great mass of newspaper readers, His first conflict with theBritish Government wes in 1846, hisofense being tho publication in the then famous Nution of incendiary articles, one of which urged the uso of vitriol as a means of defense against British troops in the contingency of a battle in thostreetsof Dublin, Forthis offonse the Nution wns punisbed. MiTcnrn soon nfterwards, at the closo of the year 1817, started o nowspaper of his own, snd made it famous for coustructive treason against the Government. He was arrest- ed at the end of a three-months' cxpe- rience a8 an * independent journalist,” and sentenced to deportation for fourteen yenrs. He served six yeors of his time in Bermuda aud Australia, effecting his escape from the Iatter island and landing in the United States in 1854 IMis life in this country was not in avy remnrkable degree note- worthy, Ile established and conducted for a time the Citizen newspaper in New York and the Svuthern Citizen in Tennessee, During the Wer ho was editor of the Richmond Kz~ anminer, one of the most bitterly unscrupu- lous Secession organs in the South, Mirener, returned to Ireland last yenr. His election will be declared void on the ground that he hag never served out his original sentence of imprisonment, and is still linble to arrest and deportation, Wo regret to say that the purpose to adhere to the law known as Bill 300 is persistently pursued by the city authorities. That bill is o special Inw for such cities as do not wish to nssess and collect taxes under the general law of the State. It has proved to bo defective, but the city authorities propose to patch it in the hope, which will prove illusory, that it con be mndo effectivo. If there were no other menns of extrication save to go vn and amend that law, this course would be uncb. jectionable because necessary ; but there isn law, o general law of the State, nnder which the city taxes can be assossed and collected, which ig open to none of the special defects of Bill 300, and which is economical and ef- ficient. Under this genernl ldw the State and county assess property und levy taxes; un- der Bill 800 the city makes a sepnrate nssess. ment and levy. It isobjected that, under the State law, the Assessors ara unablo to nssess the property by personal inspection, and that all they do is to copy the books of the City Asscssors, It is objected that if the asssess- ment by the city under, the special law be abolished, then there will practically be no setunl nssessment whatever of property in tho city, but meve guess-work, While this objection is more imaginative than real, it can be obvinted by the law propesed by Senator Rourxsoy, of this county, to provide an As- scssment Board for this city and county, by which, in lisu of tho present town assess. wmounts in the city, the property of the city and county can all be as effectually assessed 0s it is now by the city officers. If thers be no constitutional objections to Mr. Ropx. sox's proposed law, it removes every possiblo objection to the transfer of the whole assess- ment and collection of city taxes to the machinery provided for State and county taxes. The city Is paying & heavy penalty for the luxury of having'an assessment under n special law, The wholo assessment for taxa- ble property in the State of Tllinois is in round numbers 1,200,000,000. This i8 upon an aversgo basis of 60 per cent of tho real value, The city and county have only one-seventh of the population of the State, and hold pos- sibly about the same proportion of taxable property. The ahero of the general taxation properly belonging to this county is, there- {fore, about $170,000,000, computed upon the Stato rule of G0 por cent. But the city assoss- ment being a close approximation to the full cnsh value of the $300,000,000, the State Board takes the city nssesameént and adopts it for the State, thereby adding $130,- 000,000 to the total value of taxables, and taking that much from the other portions of tho State. The result is, that holding on to Bill 300 compels tho people of Chicago to psy one-fourth of the wholo taxes of tha State, the State Insisting that, if wo assess ourselves for local taxes at a full cash value, wo ought to be nsacssed at the same rate for State pur- poses ; and 80 Wo o on year after year pay- ing the ponalty of an obstinate adherence to that defective law, Under Bill 800 and the city charter, the Common Council is limited in its authority to lovy toxes to such rates or per cent as will producs tho actual suin of the aunual nppro- printions. If for any cause but 75 or 80 per cont of the toxes only be collected, then thero is @ deficiency to the amount of the difference, which takes the form of **floating debt,” to pay which there iy no authority to levy any oxtra tax, Tlese anuual defiziencies now aggregate soveral millions of dollary, which bear interest nnd which aro growing at compound rates. If the city will abandon Bill 800, it will be relioved from the vestrictions of the charter, and the Council mey - certify annuslly such suwmy 08 may be necessary to defray the cur. rent exponies and to meot the legal demands upon the city, Here is o direct means of ex. tricating the city from its financlal embar. rassiaents, which will become daily more aud more complicated, and which means of extrl. cation cannot bo obtained in any other way. Wanppenl to the representatives of this city nnd county in the Legislature to logislate for the city interestR—to get rid of Bill 300, and compel the assessment and collection of taxes under the general law of the Btate, Let us have one assossment, one collection, one tax sale, one corps of tax officers, and n general delivernnce from the financial difliend~ ties which embarrass the City Government in every department, and which will surely sink it in the future if a chango is not male whereby enonugh taxes can be colleeted to pay running expenses and stop the increnso of the tloating debt, THE RAILROAD WAR, The opeu wmfare declared between Mr, Gannerr, of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and Mr, "ox Scorr, of the Pennsylvania Company, threatens to be long and sharply contested. T'he cawus belli daten back to the timo when the Baltimore & Ohio Raflroad waa extended to Chicago, thereby furnishing anew oud formidable element of competi- tion to nll the Lnstern trunk lines, and more especinily to the lines owned aud operated by the Pennsylvanin Company. This was the first offense of the Baltimore & Ohio Company. The noxt was ity persistent re- fusal to enter into the 8aratoga combination for fixing a uniform rate for freights. The Baitimors & Olio Railroad, having been man. oged with the carefulness and economy of o private corporation, did mnot reguire to earn a profit on vast quantities of watered stocks, or pay o dividend on mouey squanderad upon construction com- panies, It was, therofore, abla to hold out cgainst the proposed combination against the people. The Penusylvania management have taken the only menns of reveage at their command. They bave denied to the Balti- more & Ohio Road the use of their tracks in Philadelphia, by which the Baltimore & Ohio made their dircet connection with New York, But tho Baltimore & Ohio have other, though less direct and advantageous, ways of getting into New York, They ean run over the At- lantic & Gront Western Railroad from Mans- field, snd then ri¢ Erie to New York, They can also put on stenmers between Baltimora and New York. President Gannerr has already ennounced a materinl reduction in passenger rates, and will follow with a corresponding reduc. tion in freights, to punish the Pennsyl- vanin Compeny. Of course, the Denn- sylvania Company will have to do like- wise ; and, if the warfaro continues, the cutting of rates will go on till the pnssenger ond freight taril will bo lower than ever be- fore. The public will enjoy the benefit of this cut-thront system os long ns it lasts, thongh it may sulfer somewhat when the war is over and the compnnies endenvor to recoup their Josses. We havo an iden that the Balti. more & Ohio will have very decided advan- tages in this struggle. To begin with, it will liave the good will of the public on acconnt of the position it took with regard to the Saratoga-monopoly combination. It will be especielly fovored by both Baltimora and Chicago, and will contribute largely to the growth of Baltimorc’s business, 1t is practi- cally out of debt; its capital stock represents only about the actual investment; its manage- ment is of a steady, uniform, and stable chorncter. But the Pennsylvania Compony, under the impetus of Mr. Bcorr's strong personal feoling in the matter, will probably tight long and bard, CATHOLICS AND THR PUBLIQ S8CHOOLS, ‘We print elsewhore another communication from Mr, Grnionry, signed * Inquirer,” who demands that tho Catholic side of the controversy on public schools shall have n hearing through him in tho colunns of Thx ‘Trinune, Whether or not the Catholica are as anxious that this gontleman slnll become their exponent as ho is ambitious to occupy that position, we have no means of knowing, Hia zeal, however, warrants us in assuming that he represents tho average sentiment of n portion, at least, of the Catholic community on this subject. 1, The first point which this gentleman makes on Tae Trinuse's position is, that we cite no nuthority for our * accashtion ngainst tho Catholics of the country of struggling to close tho public schools.” As Tue Tripune Lias not made any such accusation, wo do not sco why we should cite any authority for it, ‘We have baon careful to point out in previous orticles that wo do not believe the Catholic Inity of this country desire to with- draw from, cripple, or closo .thu publio schools, but that o large proportion of the Catholicelergy desire to haveestablished acpa- rate schoolsto bosupported from the rovenues of the State, In other words, that thoy want a portion of the public-school fund diverted therofrom and used to support separate Cathi olic schools. We havo even gone so far as to sny that the clorgy havo been autagonized by the laymen of the Church on this question. 1f thore i anything, however, which can in- duco us to believe that the Catholio laity of the country, as well as their priests, waut to close the public schools, it will bo a series of Just such communications as Mr. Grraozry's, tho logienl conclusion of which, as we shall show, is the abolition of the public-school system, £, What Mr, Geraonry asserts with refer. ence to the school systems of Austria, Franco, and Belgium is entirely irrelevant, Austria novor bad a free-school systom until a few years ago, when Prussin demonstrated that an intelligent and educated peoplecan completely overcome and rout throe times thoir nuwber of ignorant and illitcrate people, Then the Prussion system was adopted. In Austria, Fronce, and Belgium, which are Catholic countries where the Btate and Church are closely allied (tho former being largely undor tho domination of the latter), the public schiools are Catholio schools. The course of instruction includes religious tenchings based on Catholic dogma. 'fhe system is com- pulsory., It would, indced, be un out. rage on the rights of consciouce to forco the ochiliren of TProtestants and Jows to attend such sohools, The Protestant snd Jows would undoubtedly do- cline to soud their children, aud prefer the alternative of being expelled from the coun. try. A swall allowanoe is made from the gen- eral fund with which the Protestants and Jews may set up separate schools ; into these they wmay introduce theirown dogmatic teach- ings in place of those of the Catholio Church. They find it necessary, however, to add con- siderable suma of woney to the proportion of the publio fund they receive to enable them to support these sectarinn schools of their own. But all this simply proves that, in Adstria, Frouce, aud Delgium, where school attendance is mode compulsory and whore the only schools maintained by the Btate are Cetholio, the Protestants nud Jows are also pormitted to have doguwatio schools of their own, 8. This Austrian aystem s in no sense s polnt of comparison for our owm Iafle first place, thero is no conneclion or union under our Government botween the Church and tho State. In the second place, our pub- lic rehiools are everywhero and by law com- wmon, secular, and non-secturian schooly, where there are no dogmatic teachings v ever, If the peeuline tenets of the Protest- nut religion viere tanght aud euforced, there would be justice in the demand of tho Cathe olica that they shonld not be taxed for their support, or, if taxed, thal thay should reccive an allowanco from the general fund for the support of separata sectarian uchools, But as attendanca at these schools is not even compulsory in the great majority of the States, and ny there is no sectarinn tenching of uny kind in auy of them, we cnunot sce how they can be likened to the Catholio dogmntic scliools of Austrin, nor how any one sect in this conutry can consistoatly denund a sep- arate school to bo supported by public taxes. 4. Mr. Geraony says the Catholics * only deraand from the State what il takes from them.” Wo presume this means that the pro- portion of the school tax paid by the Catholies shinll be devoted to tho support of dogmatic schools for Catholics, It mmnstalso bu con- templated that the Catholic dogmnas shall b taught at these schools, for, otherwise, there would be no necossity of having o set of schools separate from those whers no dogma is taught, This brings us up to ono of two conclusions : Either the Cathiolics desire that their proportion of the tax shall be set nside for their exclusive nge, while all tho rest shall go toward mnintaining tho presont secular, unsectarian schools, or they desiro that the entiro tox shall be divided up among all the scets for the estab- lishment of dogmatic schools for tha varions denominntions, If the former, tha Catholies ask not only sometaing that is clearly unconstitutional, improper, and une American, the recognition of o partienlar Church by the State, but nlso that they, only a religious body, shall be treated in overy respect like o distinet nationality in this country, whose rights must e defined by treaty and respected like the rights of every other nation. This would be the condition if the State set aside money for the support of Catholic schooly, as such, and no other. The only other theory is, that the euntirs school tax shall be broken wp among the varions sects in proportion to their contribu- tions thercto, That is to say, the Catholics should receive their share, nud also the Episcopalians, the Reformed Episcopalinns, the Methodists, tha Presbyterinns, tho Con- gregationalists, the Baptists, the Close-Com- munion Baptists, tho Seventh-Day Daptists, the Sccoud-Adventists, the Millerites, the “ Christian " dect, tho Universalists, the Unitariang, the Lutherans, the Quakers, the Shakers, the Mormons, the Swedenborgians, the Spiritualists, and all the other countless divisions and enbdivisions of religious secty which we cannot reeall. Certainly, if the Catholies have o right to demand the propor- tion of tho tax they contribute to the general fund for the soparate maintenanco of dog- matic schools, then all tha ether sects may demand the seme with equal fairness, In- deed, it would be essentially unfair to give to the ono and deny tho other. Then, wo would ask Mr. Grracury, what would be- come of the public.school system ? Is it not a logienl conclusion from his demand that the intention is to close the publio schools ? JOHN BRIGRT'S BPEECH. The perilous straits inte which the Liberal party lias fallen in England are shown by the speech of Mr. Joux Briout, at Birmingham, to an audience of 20,000 men of his own con- stituents, on the 26th ult. The Liberal party, in utter despair, applicd to Mr. Brrcur, with tho hope that he would be able to supggest somo platform for them, counsel them as to the course it would be safest for them to pur- sue, heal its dissensions, and close up the gap left by the retirement of Mr, GLADSTONE. Mr, Baiour, owing to physical and mental afflictions, hias beer silent for several years, but for nenrly a quarter of a century ho had supplied his party with ideas, and the promi- nent men in the party looked to him with the hope that now he would be ablo to give them somo fresh counsel and lay out a well-defined policy which would not only heal the dissen. sions in tho party, but give it asn impulse towards tho nscendency, Mr, Brient, however, hed no programme to propese, no leader to suggeat, no opinion to offer on the policy to be adopted, oven were a leader chosen. Ilis speech turned entirely upon ecclesinstical matters, although deliv- ered to an audience of 20,000 people, who wera onger nud anxious to liear what the old statesman liad to say about nien and mensures, aud what he had to suggest that would give them gid and comfort. ‘The speech, however, contains much that is in Mr. Briour's best vein, although it will hardly serve as a docu- ment upon which an issue with the Tories may be construoted or a campaign fought. His specch is occupied with the internal troubles and the extornal relations of the Church of England, and i8 in the direction of disestablishment, Althongh it is not pre- sonted in & manner tomake an issue, yet there are many points in it which aro of gen- eral interest. Concerning tho general char- acter of the Public Worship bill, Mr, Bnionr says The Public Worship bill of last vossion fs & trifio ; it 1maken no alteration in the law ; 1t aimply provides & new Court 10 whichi parlsfoncrs from all poriebes io Englund may go and lay comploints ogainst the minix- ter, But it does ot law down the law ; 1t leavea that 10 the Judge who may bo appointed, and ¢ can deal ouly with vestinenty und millinecy, (A lough,) They caunot touch tho sermouy, They miay deal witls the question of the gt that comes from the candles, Lut they canuot deal with tho questlon of the light which conie from tho curnestness sud power sud goditke siucerity of thoman who preaches, In the course of the speech Mr, Bnranr made two strong charges against the Church, first, that it was not in harmony with the spirit of the sgo; and second, that it wns tho encwy of reform, Ou the first point he said “Then we ave Lrought faca to faca with this groat fact, which fs—oud T wish yon to consider this—that the Staye Ohinrch, 58 wo have it now, 18 not and canuot te in Larmouy with the sge, [Cheers,] I sbould like to ank you what there Ls thut was estatlivlied in the refyn of Queen LL1zauyi thal wosin barmony with the reigu of Quecn VicToura? fApplanse,] Why, the diTereuce betweon the two Queelis is euvrmous, and canuot bo exaguerated. Tho arbitrary dofugs, ts abaolute pow- er, and tho insulting assestlon of 1t iu (Lo roigu of Queen ELizasgcu canuol be o harmony with th toode eratlon, the Justice, the kinduesy, aud the sympathy wolch you have fu the Quesu of our own daj. (Cueers,) And on the second : Twill not compluin, though T mizht complain—aznd 1t 16 u strong arguinent i the case—tlat Whorsver you find the Church of Euglaud powscful thers you Bud the opposition to any legisletiva or administrative re. form most powerful also, [Hear, Lear,) We have ro- ceived no aurvice from the Church of England ss a body. There have beou occasionul, and remurkable, aud sdwirsble excoptions, but »a s budy we bave re~ ceived no sorvice on all the gieat measures of chauge and improvement which have %o Lisssed this country durlug the last bult-ceatuzy, (Heur, hesr.] Mr. Baiont has no wmore sympathy with tho religious character of the Church as sn iustitution than be bLas with ita influence upon the aga and its relations to leglsative reforms, and he dwelt with peonliar bitter- ness upon the scandal attached to the constant sale of livings, and vehemently denonnced {hia *rallie in the mest saered and Uir most sulenm eldlee in the Chureh of En 'y L When it camo to tho applicalion of the speevh, the kpirit of which was apparent to every one, ho had no recommendriion to make, nithough ho hed been rowing seeds which must some day bear frut, In his eonclusion he says: Now, sir, i conclwion, T aag Tam not asking you or your constitnenvies, b uny perty or sectlon of o party, to plunge into a violent sgitation for the overs thiow of the Eatablished Chnrch of Inglamd, 1 think it would Lo a great ealamity tndeed thut u great chunge like thixt ahoulil votue of viulent hatred and discumsion, aud that 1€ should bo nccomplished in a temyent which fo almost Uiko the turmoll of n great rovolution, 1 88k you only to conlder st, and Tappoil uot ouly to you who mag be Nonconforniiuts, but Iuppeal to thoss Who do eare about it, wha do care, as they say thoy do, about Protestantfam aud relfgion, It s not for meto Jo'n tn any crusado aguinst the Chureh, T Liave offered to you to-night my hnmble contribution to the discus— #lon of tho greatost question of our thne, {*Oh1™] If Lum nble to form any Just Judgment upon it, I should 92y tiat whil Lo gieat day for freedom in this conn- try, und for Protestantlem and Christlunity, which shiall witness the full enfranchisement of the Church within the resim of England, [Loud checrs.) Thae whole speech paves the way towards an effort for disestablishment. It is not the speech of a man of action, but rather of prophet foretelling what must coma in the {uture. So far as it furnishes any issue upon which the Liberal party moy rally, or maps out any policy for a campeijm, or aflords any comfort to the distressed Liberals, it is point- less; but as the solemn words of a venerable statesman, looking only at the best interests of his conntry and of religion, and tracing the present confused ond turbulent cutrent of ideas to its inevitable outlet, it is a grand prophecy for the future and an eloquent plea for religions freedom and Church enfrauchise- m:nt. The real greatness and truth of this speech will be most apparent when the ovents which he has predicted transpire, and a9 such it will go into history. THE DEBTOR CLA3S. In pemrly all discussions of the ways and means of specie resumption, it has been nssuned on one side and tacitly granted on the other that the great mass of our peoplo form what has been called *‘the debtor class,” and would therefore be injuriously affected by any advnnce in tho value of the ‘““money” with which they must pay their debts, The Nation attacked thig theory a monthortwoago, and Davip A, Wers, in the letter on which we commented Wednesddy, gives it n thorough overhauling. The truth of the matter is, that the mass of the people aro both debtors and creditors, A man n.ust own o good deal of property or Lave a good incowe before he has sufficient credit to allow him to borrow any amount of money. Thus, only & minority of our popu- lation can run heavily in debt. The menwho owo much must have owned much in orderto get tho loans thoy must repay. They can therefore stand s slight advauce in the value of tho currency. The great majority of the puople are in debt only from week to week or fromn month to month. They are trusted by their grocers, and bakers, and butchers, but thesa little dobts are all they owe. It is a fact by no means to bo forgotten that these people aro debtors because they are credilors, Their employers owae them, as a rule, more than they owe their tradesinen, Tach one of them las in Lis account certain debits which are offset, and usually more thnn offset, by cortnin credits. If the two sides of the account balance, he is noither winner nor loser by an advance in the value of the commodity with which he pays his debts and in which he is paid by his debtor. If his credits oro larger than his debts, that is, if he is oarning more than he spends, ha gains by any such advance. Almost all Americens who save money are creditors, Very fow laborere save enongh to engage in business on their own account. They put their surplus wenlth into the banks, or they buy or build a dwelling 8o as to have a home of their own. The men who mnko deposits in banks are creditors, not debtors. The wage-getting class are the lnrgest creditbrs in the country. They own tho greater part of the savings- bonks deposits, Theso deposits, according to Mr., WeLrs, amount to $1,100,000,000, though they are usuclly stated at from $700,000,000 to £800,000,000. Thus hundreds of milliona of dollars aro deposited in savings banks by tho very wnge-gottors who are usually reck- oned by thoughtless persons as members of **tho debtor elass,” The ninth annual report of the Massachusotts Commissioner of Sav- ings Banks, which has been published sinco Mr. WeLLs wrote his letter, shows that the 179 savinga banks of that State hold $217,. 452,120 of deposita! The depositors number over 235,000, Notwithstanding the hard timesof 1874, tho deposits increased 7 1.2 per cont. DMassachusetts is an exceptionally thrifty State, which enjoys high protection for her industries; but these figurcs are a presumptive proof of the accuracy of Mr, Wzrs' statement, The truth of the matter is, that there is no such thing in this country as a debtor class of itself, unless we count bankrupts in that cate~ gory. All their property, nuich or little, be- longs to, and will be taken by, their creditors, 80 that they cannot bo hurt by an increase in the value of currency. All other men, with the infinitesimal exception of those who re- coive each day what they pay out the same dny, aro both debtors and creditors, **‘The debtor clase,” as the words are commonly used, is & myth, o bugaboo with which Messrs, Burren, Voorurrs, and KELLEY ore trying to scars an intelligont people intoa foolish abhorrence for the world's currouey, honest gold, and a foclish belief in tha spec- ulator’s currency, dishonest and dishonored paper, The Senate Judiciary Committee has come to the unanimons conclusion (which is entire. 1y oxceptional for a Congressional Commit. teo) that the law of June 22, 1874, generally known os the **Press.Gag law,” is o most harmloss sort of enactment, and has no par. tioular application to libel, Tho Committee has been careful to explain what the law docs not provide, but it neglects to say what it does provide. They are of the opinion that it does mot nuthorize the arrcst of o Cincin. natl, or Chicago, or Bt. Louls editor at his home and taking him to Washington to be tried on a oharge of libeling an office-holder there, But it still romains that o Ciucin. nati, or Chicago, or 8t. Louis editor sum- moned to Washington by a Congrossional Comumittee, snd forced by law to go thers, may bo amested whon bhe gets there under n criminal indictment found against him in the District Courts for an plloged libelin Ciucinnati, 8t. Louis, or Chicago. Worse still, it provides that a cor respondent at Washington, represonting a newspaper in any part of the couatry, may bo indluted and arvested, undor the excep. tlonally severs law of the District, at any time & member of Congress feels himeelt unpufteg or injured by what the correspondent may Tinve written for his lints nowspaper, lt.ix not diflieult to understand that this jg for. midable weapon in the hands of oy, 108y men to bo used either for iulimhlnliun,,, revenge, nnd practically to “ gag” {ho men upon whom the jonrnals thronghoyy thy country depend for their information, Thy arrcat of WinrtizaAw Lem, editor of {hg New York Z'rihune, and of Bvrwr, corrasponde of the Detroit Free Press, aro examplog of both theso contingencies, which are by o means remote, Tu the light of thess gy, the Senate npo! is not & cetory, — LAXD IN THE 80UCH, One of the most practicnl methods of re. storing prosperity to the South would e to divide the great tracts of land still Lelg hy individuals into multitudes of mnall fynyg It would have beon n good thing fm-m; blacks if they could have got for themaelyeg the ‘“forty ncres and n male” which g, Democrats charged that the carpet-bagpor promised them ns a gift from tho Govern. ment. Mrvy, tho practieal philosopher, ayg Exensoy, the transcendentalist, have both Invished superlatives on the moral and e, nomical Lonefits of land-owning, A vagrant, shifting popnlation is o constant menaeg ¢ lew and order. It manufactures criming and paupers faster than schools, pris 3 ‘poor-honses, nnd seaffolds ean take care gt them. That same populntion, settled on iy, homestends,will, in the great majority of eases becoma sobl:r, i’nduntr[i’::us. thxjifly,)nndu:nc;i porters of the law. Tho French plmflunl;, have supported the Stato and obeyed fhy powers that be with religious fervor s they nequired an interest in thosoil of France, They are always on the sido of tho Govem, ment which gives the best guarantoo of th maintennnco of law and order. Gawbrrg never exeited more alarm in monarchiy minds than when he mnade his famous toy through tho provinces, harauguing tho pers. antry in bebalf of the Republic. If the pens. nnis wera onco convinced that stability of jn. stitutions would be secured by the Republic, then, it was admiited, the Republic woal come, English writers have traced tho ex tinction of the old English yeomanry toty nbsorption of small holdings into lavge one, events, Tho greatest reason of the enormow growth of our population has lee the chnuce offered every immigract to become n land-owner. The poor of En. rope, who there kad no chauce to ever pos sess more land than Harowp of England cf. fered TlaroLp of Norwny,—*‘a grave, 6 fes: by 2,"—have thronged here in such numbex that nearly oll tho arable aren has bes occupied. The westernmost farms of Kan. ans and Nebraska edge tho grasshopper an! arid regions. Land-subdivision has lee carried nenrly far enough at the North, Af the South, howovaer, the old plantations are still in grent part kept unbroken, ‘The sl is worn-out, but tho ownership of many acry conveya sacial diguity in the South ag it doct in Great Britain. Itis for this reasou that the remnants of the old slaveholding aristoc. racy cling fo their vast cstates, which yield little but taxes. This land-monopoly system should Le broken up. The impoverished land, well nigh ruined by successive cotton or tobaos crops, should bo sold in smnll lots to mer who will give each one of their scanty hold. ings the caro it neads. Capital is wanted, A number of small eapitals will do more in agi culturo than onelarge capital of equal amouit, The history of Franco and Belgium and tht Rhine provinces of Germany during the lest hnlf-century proves this. If the South wen full of emall farme, it would accumulett wealth far moro rapidly, Prosperity woulé return to it, and by returning would cut meny 8 Gordian knot of politics, Some efforts in thie direction have nlroady boen made. A fow months ago, 8 Louisis planter offered to sell three-fourths of kit estate, in small lots and on long time,to men who would live on their land snd cultivato it. It was said at the time that his example would fil wany imitators, but as yet they have notap- peared. The Bouth Carolina Tax-Payers Convention of 1874 sppointed s Commis sioner of Immigrat on and adopted measunt for breaking up the vast plantations inte little holdings. The Convention, howerer, wished to divide the land among white im- migrants, leaving tho vagrant blacks to their fate, This was sheer folly, The negroes asd the native * poor whites” ‘ns land-ownen ‘would be producers of wenlth instend of mer consumers of it. The wisest policy s that which will put the present landlesa Southers people into .possession of Southern soil & guickly as possible. When tho South bas got through vainly waiting for the Govern- ment, MoExzry, the firc.eaters, and To¥ Bcorr to make it prosperous and happy, ¥° trust it will sensibly adopt this practicablt mothod of reaching the ssme goal. Awpr JomNeoN's election to the Senate LS received a new significance from the way it rogarded by tho repudiation party, TheXNew England Reform (?) League, at its moetingis Boaton, Feb. 1, adopted tha following resals: tion : Retalved, That the slortion of Axpaxw Jomsso (& the United States Sonste {» an miliract indursatwent f our docteing, that coutracts involving usury 13 morally vold: and {be Soath wilk ultimatuly uultu i the fnduatrial masas of the Narth in docruelng repudiution, not only of the fictitious ustional ¥a¥ dolt, but of ail other sa-called dobts, tho priscpd whereo! has been paid in the form of {ntereat. It will be remembered that Mr, Jouysoh inono of his official communications, tock tho ground that when the United States bsd paid, in the shapo of interest, o sum equal 0 the principal of the debt, then the principd! should be considerod 8s paid, The Bostd repudiators have evidently selected Jomyso¥ ns their leader, and the ex-President may J¢ hocome conspicuous as the champion of policy. Tho Laporte (Ind.) Chronicle, of which 3r. Jisren DPacrarp, M. C., fs editor, devotes several columns of its valuablo space to 87> view of the mansgement of Tne Cuca®® Tripung. It specinlly finds cause for grid i the foct that Tnx TnisuNE rejolced in the de feat of tho rulo ea it was first proposed® Congress giving to a me.o majority the pove er to talie up auy act without permitting s bLate, or the offering of any nmendment call tho previous question, and pass thesume « The objection of this paper to tliat nxbifin;!. rulo was entertained by such’a nutber of 8 clear-beaded, intelligeut Republicaus of the Houge that the unjust rule was defe Bubsequently, r. Hoan and M. BLiiv® 5 other membors of the House prepardd 80¢ rule which gave to tho mafority of the Hoo® the power to control its buainess, ood 0 off dilatory motions made to arrest the action of business, but at the samé ) prohibited ony less number theo v q irds to take notion on a bill withod giving time to debate the same sud t0 x;:" poss and vote on amendments thi reto. % sule tlis poper supported sud o fended time