Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, July 11, 1875, Page 8

.4 TERMS OF THE TRIBONE EATES OF CUBSGRIFTION (PAYABLE IN ADVAKCE). Postax® repald at this Office. a bt 3.0/ . Tartsof & yearat the samo rate. ‘WANTED—Uns active agent in exch town and village. Spocial arranzemonts made with such. { Epoctmen copics seat fros. { Toprevent delay and mistakee, be srre and give Post- :Ofce addresa in full, including State and County. i Remf:tancesmay bemade elther by draft, expross, Post- Oli.co order, or in registored lotters, at our risk. TERMS TO CITY BURSCRIEXES. Dally, delivered, funday excepted, 25 cents per week. Dally, Colivered, Sunday included, 30 ceats pat week. THE TRIRUNE COMPANY, Corner Madison and Dearborn-sts.. Chicaga, Il | i mm-mx. S1C—Halsted _ stroet, aroe. Concert bythe Prasger ADELPHI THEATRE~Dearborn strest, corner, Mon- t0s. Beasfit of Shirley gmu. ACADEMY OF betwsen Madlson and Mo: Pamily. TO-MOKEOW, “om‘mcu‘fnfifw_"“l“'}’h. mfiu‘“ bgt:oea Qlarx aaa 1 ngagoment aars Gompany. * The Two Orphans.® ACADEMY OF MUSIC—Halsted street, batween Mad. 400 and Monroe. Madame Blanche's Statas Artists and tho Prasger Family. M'VICKKR'S THEATRE-Madison stree”. between Dearborn and State. Duprez & Benedict's Minstrels. BARNUM'S HIPPODROME—Lake Shore, foot of ‘Washington street. ——eeee SOCIETY MESTINGS. ATTENTION SIR ENIGHTS!-—Specia! Conclave of Comi de No. 18, K. T., Monday eve: 3 %‘“‘ Mm-;;? :':'m‘fia lg:s- ordar ol the Al".‘:: g G. A. WILLYAMS, Recordar. A 'ER, Ni RB. A, M.—Stated ohm"“"fi‘mm;f{%fi, ;;.‘.”xfiiinl;m ook, tor Bastuses £0d warke &0 " g 7 ordes of {1 oN TUCKER, Soc. OLENT ASSOCIATION— ST. GFORGF'S !sm g T_a regular monthly meeting will bs held at their ;. Washi 3 d. ‘ng, Jaly 12, 1875, at 5 et O The Chidags Tribune, Sunday Morning, July 11, 1875. WITH SUPPLEMENT. Tlinois' new Constitution again comes to fhe front under any quantity of praise. The North American Review gives it in the lead- ing article of the July number. The Mis- pouri constitution-makers, now a¢ work, should take the hint. The Alphonsists have capturéd a Brigadier General and 170 other Carlist officers. The THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: "SUNDAY, " JULY 11, 1875.—TWELVE PAGES. Vista quarry may give out; that the bed of liquid mud underlying the upper strata of firm ‘clay, as stated by the Washing- ton Commission, is in reality a bed of thin but perfectly homogeneous clay, containing a | very small proportion of water; and, farther- more, that the weight of the building will force the water out of this clay, and that it } will then grow hard and compact; and that several of the largest eix-story buildings in the city have exactly the same stratum of clay under them, and have not settled on that account. If this be trne, and if Mr. Far- weLL has correctly indicated the drift of the report of the local architects, then there is no good reason why the building should not go on to completion. A few days, however, will undoubtedly settle the matter, more espe- cially as it is reported that the President will order the completion of the building if the local Commission reports favorably. — e One of the strongest points mede by Judgs Catox in the opinion he recently gave on the question of sbolishing the Polick Board was that relative to the character and duties of the Police Commissioners as a County Board. This is strong both in law and in the prac- tical results of the proposed dissolution of the Board. Its significance s a law-point is well illustrated by Judge Carox's holding that the County Commussioners might a3 well undertake to abolish the Board, and f.hereby deprive the city of its use, as that the Com- mon Council should abolish it, and thersby deprive the connty of one of its institutions. Being a creature of the Legislature, the Leg- islature could alone act for both county and city. The practical effect of the abolition of the Board would also be bad, unless the void it leaves were supplied by the Legislature. At present, the Board of Police being a County Board, the city ordinance is valid which gives the policemen the power of con- stables throughout the entire county, and the agents of the Board may pursue crimi- nals anywhers inside the county without in- curring the loss of time and usual inefficien- cy of getting the constables at the case. If the Board of Police has no longer any exist- ence, there is no police power in the city which extends beyond the municipal limits ; and a thief or murderer flesing from the police need only cross Fullerton avenue on the North Side, or Western avenue on the West Side, or Thirty-ninth street on the South Side, to lawfully resist arrest at the hands of a Chicago policeman. The time necessary to secure the assistance of a con- stable to make the arrest legal will frequent- twelve privates commsanded by these heroes seem to have escaped. A dispaich from Madrid to the London Zimes ssys that “gvents of great importance are looked for.” This must be an exaggeration. Spain is too far gone to have anything of great impor- tanoe happen in it. : 8 P One of the largest manufacturing insti- tutionsin the country—the Atlantio Cotton Mills of Lawrence, Mass.—closed yesterday ; 1,250 operatives wers thrown out of work, and will lose at least $80,000 in wages. The «cesson is & surplus of manufactured goods, which cannot be sold sbrosd. The tariff pre- vents exportation, and the home market is 100 small to keep the manufactories of the eountry in constant employment. Hereis a *“ protected " concern and 1,250 very unpro- tected operatives who would all find steady work and higher pay under free trade. e A double-edged politico-legal decision has been given at Montreal. Mr. Manceau con- tested the saat of Mr. Boureiu. The Judges put cut Rowreav because he had bribed the electors, anddisqualified Marnceav because he had done the same thidp. Pot and kettle. If BRovrav had been elected to an American legislative body, his expulsion and MarcEAU'S admission would have depended entirely upon ‘which of them would vots with the dominant party. Oanada has the English system, Con- tested elections are tried legally, not political- 1y, and justice, not partisan prejudice, carries the day. - The New York Board of Education has done a very wise thing in completely reorgan- izing the system of musical instraction in the schools. Tho new plan embraces the ap- pointment of a Musical Director, who ranks 86 an Assistant Superintendent, and eight Assistant_Musical Directors. After the 1st dey of November next, the positions of all special teachers of music in the schools will ‘be vacant, and the duties heretofore per- formed by them will dsvolve upon the Di- rector and his Assistants. Ons of the best features of the system is that which makes music a part of the regular course of instruc- tion in all the primary and grammar schools, and the following provigion: *‘All teachers under the employment of the Board, and be- low the grade of Principal, shall be required to attend ope hour in each week upon the in- straction in music to be given by the Assist- «nt Musical Director, the time for such in- struction to be so arranged that the teachers msy attend at an hour after the regular school exsrcises, or wpon Saturdsy of each week.” Thers is a paper called the Christian ot Work, which is making s desperate effort to secure a8 robust and manly ministry. We have heretofore alluded to and commented upen its effort to reform ministerial cating, and now it comes out in favor of ministers who can mske long marches and do heavy fighting. Itsays: “We want no more doll- ‘babies in the pulpit, priding themselves on * their lily-white fingers, and pale cheeks, and dying glancea through the rim'of gold epecta- cles, but we want stalwart men. We know in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church a clergyman who carries his cat with him when be goes off to spend his summer vacation. I{.omnatbelrh!me the poor creature be- hind. His overfond congregation have strok- ed all the vigar out of him, and now he in fin-n. strokos a cat. There is nothing more re- _volhng tous than religious namby-pamby- ism." There is & world of good sense in the sentiments of the Christian af Work, and when those sentiments are put into actual practice and good, everydsy common sense takes possession of the pulpit, as it has of other professions, we may look to see its usefulness greatly enbanced. The loeal Commission of architects which has been examining the mew Government Building and its foundations by request of the City Council, in accordance with the sag- gestions of Tax Trisusr, has completed its report, and Mr. Fagwrrr starts to-night on Lis way to Washington with it. While the Oommission itself refuses to give any infor- mation as to the charncter of its report, Mr. Fazwews himself, who is probably in the se- cretof the report, is reported to" have di- valged certain facts of considerable impor- tance, which are undoubtedly included in the findirgs of this Commission. From what Mr, Farwews has thrown out we learn that very little credence need bs attached to the Statement thed there §s danger tho Busna ly enable the criminal to escape altogether. this upon hearsay; he must have official kmowledge thereof. The whole theory of the Constitution is that judgment for iaxes can only be asked upon the evidence of the officer authorized to collect the same, and who has failed to do so by the delinquency of the owner to pay. Bill 300 and its amendment undertake to rpquire the Comrt to give judg- ment apon the mere certificate of the City Collector that /e has been unsble to collect the taxes. This evasion of the Constitution end the general law is too weak to stand ju- dicial investigation. " The Supreme Court solemnly rémind the officers of the City of Chicago that “in summary proceedings to ditest owners of title to their property, the low is to b con- strued strictly, and nothing i allowed to be taken on intendment.” When the County Collector asks for judgment ‘which is to divest fifty or sixty thousand per- sons of all title to thoir real estate, the Courts will construe the law strictly and allow noth- ing to be assumed as true which is not estab- lished by proof, The County Collector can- not lawfully obtain judgment for taxes which If the Board were sbolished by an act of Legislaturs, this single practical objection to its obliteration would probably be removed by conferring the powers it has enjoyed upon some other city authority. THE OOLLECTION OF CITY TAXES, The announcement is made, unofficially it is true, but not the less authoritatively, that the ruling ring of the Common Council of Chicago will not certify in August to the County Clerk the amounts of money needsd to be raised by taxation, that the same may be extended on the books of the County Col- lector to be collected by him; but that they will have the taxes of 1875 collected under the special law known as Bill 300. It will be remembered that & few weeks ago the Supreme Court of this Stats unsni- mously affirmed the decision of Judge Wal- lace thatno judgment could be given for delinquent taxes under that act. The General Revenue law of the State provides that any city may drop its own special system for the assessment and collec- tion of taxes, and have the samé levied ac- cording to the State valuation and collected by the County Collector. All delinquent taxes have to be collected by the County Col- lector. Bill 800 provides that the city may drop its special system and collect under the State law., Nevertheless, the Oity of Chi¢ago persists in adhering to its special collections, notwithstanding the Supreme Court has set aside every tax-sale made under city laws since the Constitution was adopted in 1870. Last winter, in anticipation of the adverse decision by the Supreme Court, the Corpora- tion Counsel, instead of abandoning Bill 300 s to all future taxes, went to Springfield and obtained an amendment to that law, not, as he should have done, to enable the city to collect the city taxes of 1874 under the State Revenue act, but to patch and cobble up Bill 300 for fature use and retention, for the sole benefit of & ring of city tax-eaters and black- mailers. This is the old business of patching and tinkering a bad law instead of resorting to a law which the Court declares is valid and sufficient. The State law requires the officer applying for judgment on delinquent taxes to declare on oath that he has failed to collect the same. Baut, under Bill 800, the county officer applying for judgment never had the business of collecting the city taxes, and could not say that he had failed to collect what he never had suthority to feceiva. The Suprems Court declared that judgment conld only be applied for by an officer having au- thority to receive the taxes. The amended 1aw declares that the County Collector may omit the oath that he failed to collect the taxes, or that the taxes were delinquent, and that it would be sufficient for him to say that the City Collector had reported to him that the taxes had not been paid. And under this flimsy make-shift of an amendment it is pro- posed to go on with the taxes of 1875, and have them lost, as have been the taxes of 1873, and probably 1874, The Supreme Court say in their opinion that *The affidavit of the County Collector, | 8s required by the General Revenue law, implies that he had legal authority to corrxcr, and that his inability to collect has resulted from his being unable to obtain that from which collection could be made.” . . . “It is evident if there were no authority to col- lect, the affidavit would be wholly useless, ginos its sole office is to establish prima facie the delinquency of the taz-payer, and this re- quires that he should have failed in his duty to vay.” The Constitution of the State makesthe County Collector the exclusive officer to ap- ply for judgment against delinquent taxes. The Court says that officer must have had legal authority to collect, and if he had no authority to collect he could not ask for judgment for a delinquency of which he had no gnowledge. It will not do for him to go into court and ask judgmenteupon a claim that the City Collector reports certain taxes unpaid. The Constitution and the Revenue law know no such officer as the City Collector in the matter of the collection of delinquent taxes by sale. The Constitution expressly excludes all others than the Connty Collector. Bill 800 excludes him from the collection of city taxes until after judgment for delinguency. The Constitution provides that he alone shall sell after judgment, and he alone can apply for judgment. He alone can report the | delinquenay to the Court, and he cannot do he was never authorized to collect or receive, nor can he ask the Court to divest owners of their title to their property upon the hearsay testimony of an officer unknown to the Gen- eral Revenue law and to the Constitution. The city authorities declare the charter of 1872 is in force in Chicago. But that char- ter requires the city taxes to be assessed and collected by the county officers. If that charter be the law, it became the law since the date of Bill 300 and its amendment, and they, being inconsistent with the charter, are repealed thereby. On this point the Su- preme Court say: *“That act (charter of 1872) does not even indicate a disposition on the part of the General Assembly to allow different systems of municipal taxes and as- sessments, for it provides for their collection by substantially the same process as is pro- vided by the General Revenue law.” Despite all this, and the costly warnings of past experience, the corrupt ring in the Com- mon Council recBlessly and wildly propose to go on and peril the collection of the taxes of 1875. Hundreds of persons will not pay the least attention to the sale for the taxes of 1874, and the city will lose immenss sums of revenue, until such time as the owners choose voluntarily to pay. “What is the motive for this trifiing with law, policy, and interest? | The only conceivable motive for retaining the city system is, that, if resort is had to the State law, the offices of City Assessor and his assistants, the Tax Commissioner, and all of the subordinatss of the City Collector, will be abolished, and sixty or seventy thou- sand dollars-will be saved annually. To save these officers their employment, the City Government of Chicago takes the respon- sibility of incurring future bankruptcy. ‘WHAT DOES IT MEAN ? Mr. Mg Smerroan, the President and ruling spirit of the Board of Police Com- missioners, is accredited with a very remark- able statement, which it is hisduty to explain more folly. It was made in a conversation with Ald. Comcoraw, the ‘“Boss” of the Twentieth Ward, and a person supposed to have a special knowledge and a peculiar ap- preciation of the inside workings of local politics. Smenmaw, having been called toac- count by Corcoray for some previous asser- tions, replied in the following strong terms - I will sy, Mr. Coxoomax, that 50 far as in me Hes, T shall not leave one stone unturned until I have exposed everything about how the present setof offtclals are running the city, The public shall know all; I will not rest until they know all the iniguity that is being transscted datly in our midst. They shall know why the bunko-ropors, gemblers, and can-csa shows are allowod to have full sway, And I tell you, gentlemen, when they do kmow all there will be a oW, and if some of the iniquitons officials sre not found hanging to s lamp-post, it will not be because the exposs isnota complete ane. This language can only refer to the in- famous condition of things that has prevailed in this city since the advent of the ** People’s party " in office. Riot, indecency, crime, and dissipation have run wild. There has been no gerious effort to check or punish the career of crime. Vice of all kinds has been unre- strained and unhidden. The announcement of the success of the *People’s party” was sufficient to bring to Chicago a horde of gam- blers, thieves, and confidence-men from all the cities in the country where the anthorities wera prosecuting them. They found here a cordial reception, full scope, and a fertile field. The doors of gambling-honses wars thrown wide open. Headquarters for thieves and bunko-men were egtablished and generally mown. Houses of prostitution weres opened on the principal thoroughfares with the thin disguise of a saloon or oigar-shop in front. Burglaries have increased at a frightful rate. Sneak-thieves and pickpockets followed in the wake. The ‘“fences,” underthe name of pawn- brokers' and junk-shops, have done a thriving business. People who have been robbed have generally bedn able to recover their property by a sacrifice of a portion of it, or the pay- ment in money of a large part of its value, but not otherwise, and the thieves have rarely been apprehended and brought to trisl Theras has not been a day when thers was not some glaring piece of *“bunkoing” or other device for swindling strangers out of their money. It is currently reported and gen- erally believed that there is a regular organ- ization of confidence-men and thieves under the control of a notorious gambler, who takes o strong hand in all the elections. There have been the most notorious frauds in the local elections, at which repeating and ballot- box stuffing have been almost openly prac- ticed. All these things are matters of com- mox notoriety. The police organization, which has been incrensed 100 men, have not, daring Corvin's entire administration, made any marked or persistent effort to stem the torrent of vice and crime to which we have referred. They have been forced to occasional, spasmodic outbreaks, but they have never beea followed up. Public indignation having been lulled for the time being, everything wasallowed to go on as before. Now, the Polics Board has ‘been held responsible for this infamous atate of things by the public at large, and it has been generally supposed and believed that Maiex SeEwrroax, himself the chief of that Board, and almost supreme in its conkol, was more responsible than anybody elsi. Hence it is that the Mayor and Common Council have had more popular sympathy in their move- ment to abolish the Police Board than they have ever hed before, or are likely to have again. It has been fupposed that, in getting rid of this Board, w should be rid of the hindrances to the disciyline of the police- men and to the proper jrosecution of the criminal classes and the’protection of the property interests of our citizena. Mr. Manz SaErmay, it would seem from the statement we have guoted above, now claims that it is not he 1or the Police Board that shonld be held accauntable for the scan- dals and outrages that Inve disgraced the city for nearly two years; He mays that it is somabody elas, and tht the degres of guilty malfeasance is such as would warrant the reople taking the matter into their own hands and hanging some of the iniquitous of- ficials to the lamp-post! But SHERIDAN very mysteriously suppresses the names and de- tails. Now this will not do. In its present shape, SHERIDAN'S statement will only be re- garded as a piece of delusive humbug, uttered with the purpose of escaping blame and of gaining some public sympathy pending the police row, and unsustzined by any facts. To whom docs Smemmax refer? Is it the Mayor? Is it o cliue of Aldermen ? Is it Remy, the Police Superintendent, or Hickey, the Deputy? Is it the Police Cap- tairs? Isitn general demoralization of the police force? If the latter, why has the Police Board failed to exercise its power to reorganize and discipline it? Is it any one or s number of thesa officials who have pre- vented Mr. SmERmAN from the proper dis- charge of his duties, and who ought to be hanged to & lamp-post? He has made very serious charges, and he ought to substantiate them or withdraw them. More than this, they are not now in a shape to command any general credence, and will not relieve Mr. SmeRIDAN of the responsibility which attaches tohim for the nctual condition of things, which he himself acknowledges to be suffi- ciently bad to justify hanging somebody. Come, Mr. Szgrman, make good your words, and expose the men who are so gnilty, or else have the decency to retire without fur- ther struggle from an offics where you can no longer be of any service to the community. THE POPL'S CORONATION ANNIVERSARY, A cable dispatch states that the Pops had another of his innumerableanniversaries, this one being the anniversary of his coronation. TUpon this occasion, the little handful of de- cayed Roman nobility which hangs about the Vatican waited upon him with its con- gratulations, and in reply the Holy Father congratulated himself zpon having remained among his Romans, ‘“when the events of 1870 might have counseled a different course,” and that ¢ his Ro- mans had remained so faithful to him in the midst of all his political afflictions.” So far as the Roman nobility is concerned, the Pope is undoubtedly correct. The Roman nobility, which embraces a little * colony " of aristo- crats, the nephews and other relatives of Popes, have remsined faithful to the Vatican for the same reason that a barnaclo remains faithfal to the keel to which it sticks. It lives upon it, and, taken from it, could not support itself. If by his * Romans,"” there- fore, the Pope mesans these blue-blooded pensioners upon the graciousnsss and gener- “osity of his Chair, he is undoubtedly correct in the assertion that they have been faithful to him. If, however, he means the citizens of Rome, or of Italy, nine-tenths of whom voted against him at the Plebiscits, then is his credulity something remarkable. The Romans are faithful to the Pope s their spiritnal guide, and as unfaithfal as unfaith- ful can be to him a8 a temporal potentate. ‘The fetes of rejoicing over free and united Italy have always been of the heartiest and most enthusiastio description. Last year, at the celebration of the twenty-fifth an- niversary of Vicror EMANUEL'S coronation, nine-tenths of the citizens of Rome joined in the most exultant rejoicing, decorated their houses with flags, and illumihated them at night. Nine out of ten of the Roman people would vote and fight against the restora- tion of the Pope's temporal powers. And these are his faithful Romans! It is 8 pleasing and harmless delusion, however, and one that does not disturb Rome. The Romsan cynics will laugh at it, and the Roman people like him too well in his per- sonal and spiritual relations to them to dis- turb him in his fond but foolish fancy that they are still loyal and faithful to himasa political po‘entate. The little handful of impotent nobles, with their titles derived from nepotism, flatter and bamboozle him into this belief; but the Roman people are too well satisfied with the freedom from ecoogiastical rule they have been enjoying ever to part with it again, and in this respec: they are no mors faithful to Pros IX. than they are to the Emperor of Russia. The anniversary of his coronation, therefors, has no significance beyond his power as the spiritual father of his people and as the head of the Roman Catholic Charch. THE CONDITION OF CHICAGO'S STREETS. There is no city in the United States which has better opportunities for beantifal subur- ban drives than Chicago. The Bouth Park and Drexel Boulevards, in the South Division of the city, and the magnificent Lake-Shore drive through Lincoln Park and beyond it to the north, are not surpassed in attractive- ness, healthfulness, and beauty by any other drives in the conntry. The scenes on these driveways on the fashionable nights are not less brilliant than similar scenes in Central Park, New York, in Hyde Park, London, the Champs Elysces and Bois de Boulogne, in Parig, the Thiergarten, in Berlin, the Cas- cine, in Florence, or the evening resort for carringes in any other city in the world. The elegance and variety of the equipages will compare favorably with those of other and larger cities, and the horses are generally superior. Yet, notwithstanding these ad- vantages and attractions, there is a very serions drawback in the lamentable oondition of the city streets which Jead to these delightful drives. Not one of the large parks and public drives on either side of the river can be reached without undergoing personal torture in trav- ersing the streets to get to them. On the South Side, Michigan avenue, the most fash- ionable and handsomest thoroughfare in the South Divigion, has not been paved for sev- eral years ; and, when it was paved, there was a poor quality of gravel put down, which has ever since been either a bed of slush or & cloud of dust. For a time South Park ave- nue, south of Twenty-second street, supplied the want; but South Park avenue was paved with rotten wood, and it is already so full of deep holes that a carringe runs great risk of breaking to pieces to drive over it. West ‘Washington street, the fashionable thorough- fare of the West Division, is badly out of re- pair, and the road leading to Central Park for amile or more is abominable. All the streets leading to Lincoln Park, on the North Bids, arein a condition far from comfortable, and easy riding is everywhere impossible until the suburban drives are reached. Smoething should be done speedily to rem- edy the inconvenience, discomfort, and dis- grace of this general condition of our princi- pal carriaga thoroughfares. There was a rea- sonable excuse for property-owners to defer a necessary repaving of streets for some yoars ofter the great fire of 1871, on account of their losses and sabasquent poverty. But it is extremely short-sighted on their part to continue this policy any longer, where the streets are beyond the capabilities of ordinary repair. They can scarcely expoct that their .the city'sportion of the new Court-House, and property will improve in value, or even retain its old values, so long as. the streots remain practically impassable. The cost of repaving is comparatively small, as there is no grading, filling, or curbing to be done. The laying of the blocks can now be done very cheaply by private contract, and property-owners can ‘see for themselves that they secure good work.~ We think also ‘that the Board of Public Works is largely re- sponsible for the condition of some of our streets, which might heve lasted longer if thoy had been promptly and thoroughly re- paired when the breaks and holes first ap- peared. There is much repairing that onght tobe done on strects that have been laid within the past two or three years, which would put them in vastly better condition for the present, and assure them a longer term of service. One thing is certain: The in- terests of the city cannot fail to suffer seri- ously if the present condition of the strects is allowed to continue, and it will constantly get worse unless some decided steps are taken towards an improvement, both on the part of the Board of Public Works relative to the prompt repair of streets not altogether worn out, and on the part of those owning property on streets where the pavement is worn out beyond repair. THE LARKZ FRONT: WHY NOT RENT IT? As long ago as 1867, the Legialature of II- linois, through the influence of bribery, un- dertook to sell that portion of the leke front north of Monroe street to the Illinois Central and other railrond companies, to be used by them ng a possenger depot. The considera- tion for this conveyance was the sum of 800,000, to be paid to the City of Chicago. There were various objections at that time to the ratification of suchsale: The price ‘was deemed insufficient ; the authority of the Btate in the premises was questioned; the title of the city was controverted; there was a claim on both sides as to the riparian rights; there was also & pretense of claim on the part of the United States Government ;. and there was an exceedingly strong assertion on the part of property owners on Michigan cveruo that the lake front had been dedicated for park purposes, and none of it could be sold or diverted to other uses without their consent. The result was a refusal on the part of the city to sccept the money, $200,000 of which was deposited with the Comptroller, ond a refusal o confirm the sale. The United States Court was appealed to, and en- joined the city from making the sale. In the meantime matters have greatly changed. The fire swept away all the pri- vate residences to which the park had been considered an adjunct ; that part of the city has been practically abandoned for residence purposes; livery-stables and saloons have succeeded the palaces, and henceforth that section will be devoted to basiness purposes. Last winter the city advertised all its unused real estate for sale, including this portion of the Lake Park, reserving, however, a strip of sufficient width of the latter on the east side to retain the riparian right. But the rail- ronds refused to buy the land with that right withheld. Property in that part of the city has declined in value, much of it having been sold for farlsss than the aute-fire prices. In the same period, owing to losses by fire. defalcations, and defects in the law for the collection of taxes, the city has become em- barrassed by large temporary loans to sup- ply deficiencies in uncollected taxes. These loans bear interest. The conversion of un- productive land belonging to the city into cash would now be & great relief to the city. The original price offered by the railroads for this one piece would go far towards building render taxation for that purpose unneces- sary. But, we suppose, there is no possibility of an agreement for the sale of the property, which remains unproductive.” We have heard a rumor—for the truth of which we cannot vouch, but which we hope may be trne—that it is, or will be, proposed to lease to the rail. toads the ground north of the Exposition Building—the same that was covered by the act of 1867—at a rental of 10 per cent on the valuation of $800,000; the lease to run for 20 years, and the improvements to be tax- able. This would give the city an annual income of something like $100,000, which would be an important addition to its revenues, and would rapidly extinguish all its floating debt. This lease may be executed without any surrender of any of the rights of the city or parties, either as to title or as to riparinn rights, or as to individual rights in the continuancs of a park. All thess difficul- ties, which stand in the way of a sale, will be svoided in the event of aleass. Upon the ground thus leased the combined rail- roads will erect & depot building such as will | warraat for anticipating considerable success. But, meanwhile, our own experience has taught us that, at a emall outlay, and by o very simple megns, a large portion of this smoke may be avoided By carrying the chimney of Taz Trrsuxe Bailding about six- teen feet higher than it was, we have saved from half & ton to one ton of coal a day, and there is certainly 40 to 50 per cent less smoke than formerly. The smoke comes largely from partial and poor consumption of the coal, and this is owing to a defect in the draft. The best and cheapest-way of overcoming this is to increase the height of the chimney, which at the same time carries what smoke thore is higher than before. The general adoption of this plan would relieve Chicago of a large part of the present nuisance, until smoke-consumption shall hive become a reg- ular adjunct of every steam engine, Wi CORWICES. The fire ordinances of this city make cer- -tain provisions looking to protection against fire in the case of all buildings more than two stories in height (above the basement), and in these provisions it is expressly stated that no cornice of wood * shall be placed on any building over two stories in height, not count- ing the basement (if any) as one story.” Any one, however, who will take the trouble to look about the city will find that this provis- ion is shamefully violated in the cases of scores, if not of hundreds, of buildings. On almost every street, buildings are put up, the owners counting the first story as a basement, which in the majority of instances is 10 or 12 feet and perhaps mora in height. Then two high storiegare piled upon the top of this “base- ment,” and thesa are topped with a pine cornice or fire-trap, which, in case of fire, serves the purpose of easily catching from sparks, con- veying the flames un the roof, “thence spreading them down through the building and over the neighborhood. These brildings are constantly going up in the most reckless way, and the owners seem to be doing it in a malicious manner, as if actnated by a spirit of defiance in evading the fire ordinances and lotting tho suthorities know that they can build as they please, withouat reference to any laws or restrictions. Is there no way of stop- ping this violation of safety and this ‘malicious and reckless invasion of the rights of those who have built in accordance with the ordinances? Wethink there is, if the in- surancecompaniés and the city authorities wili do their simple duty in the premises. The former have it in their power to do a great work in compelling obedience to the laws by making it so costly for builders that they cannot afford to evade them. They should charge a heavy extra insurance for wooden cornices on buildings where the cornice is (say) more than 20 or 24 feet above the grade. Many of the buildings we have re- ferred to are over 40 feet above grade. No building higher than a cottage, in fact, should be allowed to have a wooden cornice or pine-shinglo roof, and, if the in- surance companies did their duty, no building higher than a cottage would have one. The city authorities also have a duty to perform in the premises. We now have a now Board of Building Inspoctors, and Ald: Bamzy, its Suoperintendent, if he i3 not & merely ornamental official, aund intends to earn his malary, will give his serious and active attention to this matter. The practice to which we have referred is not only reprehensible as a direct violation of the spirit of the fire urdimmaés, but it is little less than a criminal and maliciously criminal violation of the rights of law-abiding citizens. THE TRAIN ROBBERY. tymee more we are called upon to record a vola attempt to rob a railroad train. Hith- erto, the operations of these desperadoes have been confined to the distant sections of Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, where the popula tion is sparse and the roads run through lonely and unfrequented sections of country, far away from any place that could intecfere with their infamous and murderous work. This time, however, the attempted robbery s in our own State and at our own doors. A train on the Vandalia route had stopped at a watering station near Casey, IIL It was ofter midnight when the train reached the spot, and it had hardly halted before two desperadoes uncoupled the express-car from the rest of the train, sprang upon the locomotiva, and ordered the engineer to go abead. The latter was evi- dently panic-stricken and knew not what to do, and while he stood, either paralyzed with fear or irresolute a3 to what he should do, the fiends shot and killed him, and then put, on steam. Two miles further the engine was stopped and the robbers sought to force an entranee into the express-car, but it was man. fully defended by the messenger until some surpass any similar building in the United States. The erection of this building will at once add value to the now vacant land in the neighborhood; will lead to its improvement; add largely to the tax incoms of the city; be of great public convenionce; and be a fit complement of the architectural besuty of Rebuilt Chicago. ‘We have, as we have said, no positive evi- dences that this report is undoubtedly true; but the story was so promising of good re- sults to the city that we have ventured to present it to the public, with the question, If it be not true, why may it not be made so? An annual rental and tax of $90,000 or $100,000 for an unimproved and unproduc- tive block of ground for which the city has no present or remote use is not, or ought not, to be ignored by a City Government which has several millions of floating debt, in the shape of interest-bearing paper outstanding in anticipation of uncollected taxes. It is to be hoped that the city, which probably cannot sefl,mnyh—ymdfi.ndnla!see; and, if it can- not convert its unproductive land into cash, it may at least make 1t productive by leasing it. The once-strong prejudice against the oceupation of that site for any purpose no longenexists, and there is now quite as strong. a desire that there shall be a grand central depot built there, which will be of conven- jence to the traveling public and be of profit and an ornament to the city. No one can have failed to.observe the enor- monus increase of smoke in the business part of the city within the laat two or three years. The reason for it is the vastly greater num- ber of steam-engines now in use, and the increased consumption of soft coal. There is scarcely a large business-block in the city which is not supplied with at least one steam- engine; every building with an elevator or hented with steam has one constantly at work during the day, and often all might long.- The result is a vast quantity of gmoke, which, following the direction of the wind, is blown into windows and doors, and against the ontside walls, blackening and soiling every- thing in its way. The nuisance is becoming olmost intolerable, and is sexiously marring the beauty of our city. Certain parties are now engaged in perfeoting contrivances for the consumption of this smoks, and therels muoh of the passengers reached the spot, when the desperadoes fled into the woods and escaped. The bravery of the express messenger saved his company from loss, so that the projected robbery was a failure, but. the scoundrels left behind them a murdered mon—murdered in the most cowardly manner, and withouat neces- ity or cause. This is the fifth or sixth occurrence of this kind which has taken place within the last two or three years, and, if we remember rightly, none of these marauders have ever been brought to justice and hanged. So long, therefore, as the officers of the law fail to arrest these desperadoes, and with each fail- are they only grow bolder and bolder, is it not about time that the railroed companies them- selves did something? The express messen- gers go armed, but asa rule they are the only officials on the train who hava any means of defending themselves. The utility of arming tho express messengers has been shown on several occasions of late, where they have protected their property, and on ome occasion &t least kill- ed one of the scoundrels, But sup- posa that on these trains, instead of an express messenger, all the train employes were effectively armed. -This would fur- nish a fighting force of ten or twelve men on every train. Suppose, furthermore, that every train carried a few Sharpe'srifles, under charge of the conductor, which could be given to passengers in case of an emergency, kbw long would these infamous operations con- tinue? The railroad companies are culpably, if not criminally, negligent in failing to pro- tect their passengers. These robberies will not cease until several of the robbers are killed or hanged, and they will not be killed until they are confronted by the train employes wil arms in their handa. It is simply dis that 8 whole train of unarmed passengers should be exposed to the depredations and assanits of two or three desperadoes, armed must be efiectively armed. We hope that these last robhers taken, but the Governor shonld offera large reward for their flmn.-'x:- attempted robbery was not only an th;: upon the rights of tho traveling pulic, 1, it was a disgrace to railroad mARagum . s bave Ly, will ever o nevi A New York newspaper proposes old scores by calling the Mufmnppiu\‘rl‘:i iy ellipso, of which St. Louis and Chicato s foci. This proposition, apparently coneiliat, and reasonable, is in reality Mm"fl would maxe of both cities imaginaty pein:e. rubont old scores ooly by rubbing m:‘; by quarters of a million of people—half & Tlliog whum live in Chicago. New York is Ja<lons, « PERSONAL No-Tico: there was no tornado predicted. % yestesdey, o Capt. A. E. Goodrich, of this city, jain Cyag, da, enjoying himselt amazingly. Tilton is wniting & new book,—a sact of P paoton plece to ** Tempest-Toased.” At the municipal olectiona of Rom headed the list of auccessful cmdl\h:f‘m’ Mr. Charles R, Thorne, Jr., has diseazlainy pronounced white hat, and Stzele is Lanny, James Lick has not recorded his st wyp which was to be an improvemant upon the lagy A neat Yankee trick has appeared iu Betho, where the flower-sellars wire their Ll somy the planta. 5 Tooley has left Ban Francisco fcr Virpiy City during the firat two weeks of Duly’s pry. pective success. Dr. Jobn Hall wants clergymen to prexk i gowns,—to accommodateall the old wo.aea in by pulpit, probably. . Great Britain secretly hates arbitration, a3 bas forzed a $2,500,000 caunon todo the ney arbitration with. i Miss Kats Stanton has thoughtfully notifad tne celibates of her vicinage that she Lias *dpy lectures to solect from.” Mac)ahon has thirty-ssven orders, ar.l tha thy atres will commence grumbling s0on 12 be dug not moderate the number. In six weoxs st Si. Petersburg M:ne. Judy made & fortune which should yield Ler an ap uual income of 16,000 francs a vear. * The latest journalistic enterprise in T.oudan iy the Obdituary, » weekly death L. D:ctber Dana suspects anotker instance of Chilis’ play D.D. Cone is President Grant’s private scers. tary. - There'll be a conic section some duy which will leave that Cone scme:hat tronccted. The detactive fores of New York has been put on the alert by the .intelligence thut Gaorps & new piece. Al Smith, gambler, of Chicago. ia »zid to ban won 16,000 on the Monmouth Cap racs at Long Branch. The New Iork Graphic ia authority for the statement. Tt looks as if tho Rev. Robert Collyer is trying to get his salasy raised, too. He sa)s Uhris- tian can go to the circas without risk “—Lows oills Courter-Journal. The Brooklyn Argus accuses Tilton of stand ing on the sea-shore at Conoy Island ** wrspth Swintonian musings.” This pats Boa: io Turmer aad the nightsbirt nowhere. Fred Grant snd young Sherman hava onensi their banking and broking offico at Wa hing oo Freddie’s resignation ia io. and the ecomies o our country begin to breathe dsflance. President Grant, Secretary Fish, and pariyan rived at Camdean, N. J., yesterday, fr.m Loog Branch, and, afier being joined by Col. Fred Grant, started for Cape May in s revenuo catier Nashville, Tonn., has a literary socialy which clinches an argament with a tablo-and-chalr e~ counter, and then seizes, empties, 51d takes torcible possession of the firat streot-car whisk comes 2long. An Augusta, Ga., man stabbed himuelt withs knife, cutting a deep gash in his heurt. Hs hived for thircy daya afterwards, and biameso disgusted that he went out on a spres, gt drask. and fell dead. In view of the number of unfounded ::aalls already distracting the public mind, it 1s 2 alisf to learn that Prof. Limpricht in the hardsomest manner publicly ** retracts his opinion of the re- iations of four isomeric monobromobdsnzenedul phonic acids.” Two more Parisian jonrnalists, ). B.aati, ot Le Presse, and M. Periviar, of Figaro, met over the B-lgian border, fought, and satisfisd what they are plessod to term their ** hotor.” Tno average Fronch jourualist wonld appear to nare rowly escape being & malignaat idiot of £1e moth contemptible type. Charch, with his family, is speuding s part of his vacation in Canads. Ho will enjoy ths re- mainder of 1t at the councry sest of J. W. Dosns, E q., in Connocticut. It is hoped that he will return in excollent condition, msn:al a0t pbysical. i Commander Hilliard, of ths Departmont of Iilinois Grand Army of the Republic, haa fssned General Order No. 4, announcing the maigns- tion of Comrade J. S. Reynolds. Assistant Adjo- (ant-General of the Depsrtment. Comrads Reynolds has done much to'extend the Ordsr and jts usefulness since he bas held the offiee. Holen E. Brown and Sarah A. McClees, Prest- dent and Becretary of the New York Womao'® Christiso T. mperance Union. wiito to Whitelsw Reid, praying that *the Lord, by His Eoiy Spirit. may enlightan his mind, soften his hesrt, 0d briog bim to the Enowledgs of the tiulh” in order that he will close his beer-saloon the editorial rooms of the Tribuns ofice. The Iate J. Bunsby, mariner, having been io- vited to express sa opinion in re Boeches, s contributed the following lacid exposition of bi# views to the Congregationalist : Tnder such circamstances, quly omniscence eould escurely form, sad presume with conddence (o € press, an sbsoluta judgment. And, being 88 they are, jt is nataral that all who are caliod upoo 2 say anytling aa to what it may be roascnable to thinky and suitabls to do, in relation to the genaral subject—~ 30 {ar 1a sy opinion and action may be called fo¢ 2 der the present probabiiitiss—shon'd desire touss @ most extreme and candid deliberation, . A miner stood beside his mine, Ho ‘palled his beard, then looked sWaF Across the lovel 323 of sand, Deneath bis broad and haify band, A band sa bard saknots of pilua. “1t looks 80 Like & ves,"” eaid he; He hia beard and be did sy, = 41t looks Juat LXo a drled-ap sea’ 5 Again he pulled that beard of bis, But eaid no other tuing than this, —Joaquin Miller. ! Diad Josquin confined his own observations &2 this timit, he might be now a Lappy father 008 farm, with all the long bair on his wife's instead of hisown, and a reputation far commed sense, honesty, and good feeling which acres such statementa aa the above will never gain fa% bim. HOTEL ARRIVALS, Papmer Hous e—E. A. Curtis, Toledo; W. B. Angne tus, Missisaippd ; J. W, Besumont, !bunizhrb!l': l: H g ton ; W, = seoh Porter, Dogton ; T. W. Guid, Bos 2 Btacy, Mosea Taslor, New York; L Simpaca. H F ¥ hindolyn, Baliimors; A S. Richestss 3 H. Hosenthl, Philadelphis's J, ‘Dadd Doble, Philadalphis ; Toin Tooers, 1 i e o ) Philadelphta: M. B ot Claciansd]; 8 Andrews, L. M. Bates, New York; W. W, Walker, Grand C. W. Thompaon, W. W. et Todixpa ; H..C. moth, Louisiana: A Hollrook, New C. AL Lawler, Michigan ; George B, Bix, New Yo R, George, 8. Paul; Col. T, D, M1y, Pulladeipniss Biair, Pittsocrg ; B P. Wade, Claveland ; A. J. say, Nebraska City ; Joseph Bpesry, Now Hav! iherman to the teeth, when the men connected with the running of the train, outnumbering them four to ome, might prevent it if they had revolvers within reach. The law now pro- videa that every train shall carry an ax, sledge, and saw, to be used in case of danger from accident. In view of these new dangers, ths law mow ought to provide ihat trains mont: C. A, Barrow. A New Yotk A. J. Sprague, Toledo; ¥, W, Hartvig New Ya Thaddeus &, Ely, Memphis; N, 2 T Boaton 3 W B Oy T l‘;rrx; Michigan ; mont, . W. ' 3 i New York . Charles Hol San Francisoo; & e ol s’ Bt Bt St G F Chandior, Doston; Gem. T. 1L, Mea Charles B. Desn, lowa; Gearge B, Shaw, Esa Clalrs L. & Fuller, -ounton | W. H. B, Dubagus 3. ihalion, New Yuck | William Secliy Fawcett Rowo intends to roturn to America wid ' The Rev. Edward Sallivan, Bector of Tuire