Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, March 5, 1876, Page 4

4 THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 1876—SIXTEEN PAGES nr firmer, at 6%c. Barley was in good demand and 24c¢ higher, closing at 58c for March and A 584ce for April. Hogs were active and firm, at Postage Prepaid at thin Ofice. | 6 4 | $7.85@S.10 for light and at $8.25@9.75 for +60 good to farcy heavy. Cattle were in active z demand and were strong at $3.50@5.25 for common to choice. Sheep were quiet and easy. One hundred dollars in gold would buy $114.62} in greenbacks at the close. Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. will be held in the Directors’ Room of the Board of Trade an adjourned meeting of the Mer- chants’ Alliance, an organization growing out of the recent investigations of a committee of the Board of Trade into railroad discrim- inations against Chicago, and designed to se- cure cheap transportation and to foster and defend the commerce and trade of the city. TERMS OF THE TRIBUNE, BATES GF SUDSCRIPTION (PAYABLE IN ADVANCE). ily Edin postpaid, 1 year..... Kas hea Parts of yearat ae rate. address FOCE WEEKS for. wre eae aT Parts of sear at ‘WEEELY EDITION, POSTPAID. ¢ eer. SRP ieeipst cone: Elub of twenty, per cop ‘The postage ic 1s vires Specimen copies seat be 4 To prevent delay and mistakes, be sure and give ost ‘Dffico address in foll, including State and Counts. Romfttances may be made either by draft, express, Post-Ofice order. or in registered letters, at our risk. TERMS TO CITY SUBSCRIBERS. Daily, delivered, Sunday excepted, 25 cents per woek, Defy, delivered, Sanday included, 30 cents per week. Address THE TRIBUNE COMPANY, Corner Madiron and Dearborn-ste., Chicago Il. AMUSEMENTS. To firmly establish so necessary an Associa- ‘so-pay. tion the co-peration of our business men is demanded. ‘heir absence at the last meeting ‘was noticed with regret, and it is hoped that they will turn out Tuesday and lend a help- ing hand to the formation of an organiza- tion the design of which is to further their own material interests. In spite of the re- cent back-down on the part of the pool lines, the contest over railroad freights is not yet ended, and our business men must combine snd labor if they wish protection agemst the extortions of monopolies. CORMICK HALL—North Clark street, corner of Encee becureat p.m. by Elias Colbert. Subject: The Heat of Worlds.” ROWS OPERA-HALt—No, 517 West Madison Fane Gachure at 3 p.m, by Ex-Gov. May, of Mich- igan. Subject : “Patrick Henry.” NEW CHICAGO THEATRE—Clark street, between Lake and Baudolph, “‘ Der Veilchenfresser.”” To-monRoW. HcVICKER’S THEATRE—Madison street, between Dearborn and State, Engagement of John Dillon. + Married in Haste” and “Trotter Southdown.”” WOOD'S NUSEUM—Monroe street, between Dost- orn and State, Afternoon, “ Household Gods.” Evening, “The Brewer of Freston,” by the Richings Opers-Troupe, HOOLEY'S THEATRE—Randolph street, between Clark and LaSalle. ‘The Csliforris Minstrela, ADELPHI THEATRE—Desrborn street, corner Blonroe, Variety performance. SOCIETY MEETINGS. Thero comes a story from Washington that the Attorney-General is actively employed in taking steps to prosecute Gen. Berxnar be- fore the criminal courts, and also to prose- eute Mansn for having ‘‘squealed,” by con- fessing that he had bribed a public officer. The law is quoted to show that persons pay- ing bribes are equally punishable with the officers who take them. The country, which put a forced construction on the letter of the Attorney-General concerning leniency to “‘squeslers” giving testimony in the whisky cases, may attribute this intimation to punish Marsa as a sort of warning to other wit- nesses in other cases. . But the law provides for such cases, No witness can refuse to testify before a committee of Congress, or in an impeachment trial, on the ground of his own guilt, The law compels him to testify, but provides that testimony thus obtained shall not be used against the party testifying. If there be any other case of official corrup- tion, there will be no attempt by the Repub- licans to defeat the exposure ; they will, on the contrary, lead in the prosecution, and let no guilty man escape. —_—_— ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE DAY. ‘There are many lessons in tho social ecan- omies to be learned from the downfall of the Secretary of War, and there are many prob- Jems suggested by it, one at least of which must be soon solved if malfeasance in office is ever to be stayed in this country. This problem lies at the very root of tho ruin of Secretary Betsnar, and therefore deserves attention. Out of the 8,000,000 families in the United States there are at least 1,000,000 who may be termed “‘fashionable,”—who indulge in fashionable follies,—the most of whom live clear up to their means and many of them far beyond them, and who are continually straggling to make an outward elegant show. Of thesa 1,000,000 families there are perhaps 100,000 whose incomes are very large to im- mense, and who spend more every year than the salary of the Secretary of War. They are the “cream” on the milk of “society.” ‘They dominate the other 900,000 fashionable families. They ere the envy of them. They are imitated by them, 60 far as it is possiblo, ‘The 900,000 spend their lives in struggling to keep in the wake of the upper 100,000. They come as near to their diamonds, silks, laces, velvets, and equipages os their money and credit will bring them. These 100,000 families have become proverbial the world over for their waste, extravagance, and fashionable flam. They are known not only in Washington, New York, Saratoga, Long Branch, and Newport, but also in London, Paris, and all the great cities of Europe, for their extravagant expenditures and their prodigal waste of money. They spend more than the same class in any of the foreign cities, and cut a greater dash, and, it may be added, 8 more ridiculous one. Out of these social grades and their infln- ences, one upon the other, arises the problem which pertains to official life in this country, and this problem brings up three important suggestions, which must be considered in the attempt to solve it. We believe that any one of these three suggestions, if put into actual practice, would do away with official turpi- tude, But, can they ever be put into prac- tice? They are none the less, however, worthy the serious consideration of the peo- ple of this country, and ought to have it un- less the people of this country are themselves 0 fearfully demoralized since the War that they are indifferent to these violations of pub- lic trust. The first of these suggestions is : Can these 100,000 spendthrift families come down to Republican simplicity, to plainer dressand manners, to less of ostentation and tawdry isLAIR LODGE, No. 392, &. F. & A. M.—Members are uereby notified to meet at their Hall, 72 Monroo- at., this forenoon at 10 o'clock sharp, for the purpose pf stiending the funersl of our Inte Bro. Jacob Det- weiller, Members of other lodg-s cordially invited. Bervices st the hall. Cars to Rosehill. By order of we W. C, W. O'DONNELL, Sec, Me ROCHAMBEAU LODGE, No, 534, L 0. 0. F.—OM- cers and bretbeen are requested to meet at their hall, comer Mad:scn and Habsted-«ts., at 1) o'clock Sunday morning, March 5, to atiend tho faneral cf our late ru, Pewr Orbour, Bimer lodges are invited to st- tend. Ly order of A. HESIMTERICH, N. G. W. DUBUIS, B. 8. ATTENTION, SIR KNIGHTS !—Stated Conclave of Chicsy» Commanders, No. 18, K. T., Monday evening, Marci 6, for busmesa’ and work on’ the. K. T, Order. Viniung’Sir Knights courteously invited. By order of the E.G, CHAS. J. TROWBLIDGE, Recorder. “BUSINESS NOTICES. TNE CHICAGO FIELD —THE GESTLEM Sportsman's paper of the West, lisndsomely all trated, coutains all the recent turf, field, aquatic, arhietic, bssc-ball, and sporting events. For sale by all uewedealera, Subecription, $a year, $2for six moxths, Whe Chicago Tirbune. Sunday Mormng, March 5, 1876. At the New York Exchange on Saturday greenbacks opened at S7{ and closed at 874. By common consent, the President's formu- Ja hes been extended, and now reads: ** Let ‘0 guilty man or woman escape.” The Rey. R. S. Srozns declines to say whether the resignation of important posi- tions in the Congregational Church recently made by bim was caused by his rebeliion against the action of the Advisory Council. ‘Mis refusal in this instance will be interpreted 8s an affirmative answer to the question. He is certainly not in sympathy with the od- bevents of Mr. BeecHEn. Pool. Ifo will find in this country a disposi- tion to eccord him fall and exact justice. - He must succeed, however, in removing from his name even the suspicion of evil before he nn make the people bélieve that he is a fit Berson to represent the United States at the Court of St. James. If he is unfortunate enough to be innocent, yet not able to prove Ais innocence, let him stay at home. Wedo not went men so unfortunate to represent us abroad. Herr vox Wickepe, the military corre- Spondent of the -Ailgemeine Zeitung, writes to thet paper a long criticism of the Turkish ermy, in which he says that the regular army cf the Sultan is three-fourths a mob of the most patient, breve, unmurmuring, un- ‘rained, ununiformed, unfed, and unofficered troops in the world. Ho classes the officers under two heads: first, asct of rudo, un- trained officers like the men themselves; and, second, ‘‘the scions of favoritism, the dandies of New Turkey, the most conceited, the most effeminate and worthless of their mace.” The only exception made-is in the tase of the Imperial Guard, which is the sorps d’elite of the Empire. Lhe net results to the Treasury from the yxposure of the whisky frauds are es- mated by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue at $3,365,295 in certain prospect, ind an indefinite amount in possibility. The amount already covered into the Treasury is €195,503. The number of persons under in- dictment is 253, of whom. sixty-nine have i 3 ct ig. | Usplay? It is evident enough that Cee eens se prac or they must before the other 900,000 ar PE: P will cease to ape them and struggle and believed by those conversant with the facts that the developments in the BrnzxaP case will not for a moment divert the ‘Treasury officials from their prosecution of the whisky thieves. Public opinion bas certainly been stimulated to pursue corrup- tion in all directions, eee The call signed by the Presidents of the six Republican ward clubs on the South Side for a Convention to nominate candidates for the South Town offices is a hopeful sign. For many years the Republican party has allowed the town elections to go by default, but the severe scorching in the tax-assess- ment which was received last year from the thieves, and bummers, and ballot-box stuffers, cwho took possession of the town, has evi- dently produced a healthy effect. If this Convention shall do its plain duty, and nom- inate honest and efficient men, and then see to it that they are elected, it will be some compensation for the miseries which they have been compelled to endure in the shape of extortionate tax levies and shameful tax robberies. to keep in “‘fashionable and stylish society,” with all that term implies, Just 80 long as these 100,000 high-flyers keep on in their course of wasteful display, the 900,000 will approximate as near to it as they can get. There are a few men in theso families who may retain a little independence and refuse to follow, but the “Indies” are bondwomen. ‘They are the slaves, bound hand and foot to the upper hundred thousand, and they will fol- low them and imitate them, and they will have the money to do it, if notin one way then in another. If they do not spend money and keep up appearances; if they do not sport their diamonds, and velvets, and equipeges, and give receptions, dinners, and breakfasts, they will be snubbed, and tabooed, and cut off the rolls of the upper circles; and this to the average fashionable woman would be rather worse than death itself. There is no city in the world where the lives of theso two social circles intersect more closely than in Washington, and it was the attempt of ‘Mrs. BexEnay,.as one of the 900,000, to keep up 8 corresponding style with the big fishes of the upper hundred thousand that. has ruined her husband and brought disgrace on the nation. There is another question raised by this problem. Shall «the public offi- cials be chosen from theso hundred thousand rich families, who can. af- ford to flam, so that we mey have men in office who are not dependent upon their salaries for luxurious living, but who have private incomes sufficiently large to enable them to maintain establishments in Washington and support their magnificent style without having to resort to corrupt practices to keep up in the fashionable raco ? ‘There are half a dozen such officials in Wash- ington in the Cabinet, Senate, and Supreme Court, and the families of all the others are The Chicago produce markets were less changeable on Saturday. 4fess pork was act- ive and 10c per bri lower, closing at $22.35@ 22.374 cash and $22.473@22.50 for April. Lard was less active and steady, closing at $13.25 cash and $13.42} seller April. Meats were less active and a shade firmer, closing at Sic for boxed shoulders, 124¢ for do short ribs, and 12§¢ for do short clears. Highwines were quiet and unchanged, at $1.05 per gallon... Flour was quiet and easy. Wheat was quiet and $@jo lower, closing at 97ic for March and 98$c for April. Corn was in good demand and 4@!}c higher, clos- ing at 434c for March and 43{¢ for April. Osts were quiet and firmer, closing at 32}c¢ tex March and 82ic for April. Rye was imitating them to the best of their ability. Tf all the important officials were men of this class, it would end at once this insane, ruin- ous, and wicked corruption, and would put an end to blackmailing and stealing, because these men could have no possible motive for doing it. The third suggestion which grows out of this problem is whether it is not feasible and even essential to pay our great publicfunction- aries salaries sufficiently hugh to enable them to keep up with the higher classes without having to steal or blackmail in order to do it. Gen. Suensan, in the interview which we printed yesterday, bears witness to the utter impossibility of officials living upon their salaries who have not large private fortunes. The General says: Ju my opinion, Secretary BELENaP’s downfall is due more to the vicious organization of Washington society than anything elsc. Irefer to the ridiculous extravagance of thoso who move in the first social cir cles at the Capital. Very few Cabinet officers are able to live within their salaries, While I was there, tho only member of the Cabinet who could etand it way Fisa. With his income of $200,000 a year, he could atord to pay most any price for social privileges, Nevertheless it cost him $70,000 a year, Mr. CuaNnD- LER, who bas gone into the Cabinet sinco I came to St. Louts, is another one whose private fortuno is so ample that his salary is no object to him. Outside of these two, none of the public officinls at Washington can live within their salaries, I left Washington chiefly because my salary would not support mo, and because I did not consider the society there the proper plsce in which to rear a fawmily, I reocived $13,500 regularly, besides $3,000 for rent and horses, making $16,500 in all, outlived this amount every year by several thousand dollara, I had to keep open house allthe time. My family rarely had any rest from en- tertaining people, most of them utter strangers, in whom we could feel no interest. It is evident enough that our public of- ficials in Washington cannot keep up a social equality upon their meagre salaries with those into whose society they are forced by virtue of their exalted official positions. These high officils are responsible for the receipt and disbursement of hundreds of millions and tho appointment of tens of thousands of subordi- nates holding offices of. trust and involving great amounts of money. Secretary Berknar himself was responsible for the disbursement. of $40,000,000 per annum among at least 60,000 persons, and yet was paid the pitiful sum of $8,000 a year in money at a discount of 1G per cent, which many clerks, tellers, and bookkeepers get who have not 2 thou. sandth part of his responsibility. Of course this is no excuse for his malfeasance and vio- lation of both honor and trust ; but is it poli- tic to pny men holding these great public trusts such meagre pittances, especially when it is known that they must incur expenses by virtue of the incxorable demands of socicty and fashion far beyond their salaries? Wo pay our public officers less then any civilized nation on eerth,—less even than the poor little Republic of Switzerland. Our Repub- Jican Court, at the head of one of the largest, and most powerful, and wealthiest, na- tions in the world, is paid less than the smallest and weakest nation in Europe allows its chief servants. We do not pay them any more, substantially, than was paid in the days of Wasninoron and Jerrrn- sox, when tho conniry was very poor and weak, and social distinctions were by no means so marked and exacting as now; when Plainness of manners and simplicity of dress and style of living prevailed, and people had something else to do beside aping their rich neighbors. ‘This, therefore, is the greet problem that demands the attention of the American people. The 100,000 very rich families who compose the so-called “cream” of our frshionable society can never, it is to te feared, be indueed to come down to a plain, simple, and unostentations style of life any moro than a woman who has money enough to wear a twenty-dollar dress will consent to wear a five-dollar one. Gannret’s trampet will shiver these absurd distinctions ; but until that time they will continue to exist. Meanwhile, the people of this country havo the problem before them. They must either elect men to office whose wealth re- moves them from the necessity of corrupt practices, or they must so increase the sala- ries of the great officers as to enable them to live within their official income under the present ridiculous and shameful etiquette of society, and, refusing to do one thing or the other, they must be prepared to suffer the inevitable consequences that follow tempta- tion, under the terrible pressure of fashiona- ble requirements. THE IDENT REFORMERS. ‘The rascalities and corruptions of the pres- ent municipal administration have created such intense and wide-spread indignation in this community that the honest men of ali parties are combining in -every possible way to resist and overthrow it. We have already given in these columns the organization, plans, and purposes of the Republican Cen- tral Club, with its auriliary branches, and shown how it proposes to operate against the tax-eaters. Now there comes to the surface still another organization, composed of prom- inent and influential citizens in both parties, who, under the name of the Independent Re- form Club, propose to move upon the enemy's works in the spring campaign. ‘The primo object of this Club is to compass the nomina- tion of honest and capable men in both par- ties. The Republican members will use their personal influence to secure the nomination of proper men on the Republican ticket, and the Democratic members will use the same influence to purify the Democratic ticket. After the tickets sre nominated, and when election day comes, then the Club becomes an organization of independent scratchers, using their influence to defeat the bad men on both tickets. If the Republic ans shall nominate an improper person for a certain office and the Democrats a proper person for that office, the Republican mem- bers will scratch the former and vote for tho latter, and vice versa, In other words, the Re- publicans will cut Republican rascals from their ticket, and the Democrats Democratic rascals from theirs. In case the Republican ticket is composed of good men, the Repub- lican members will vote the straight ticket, and the Democratic members will do the same provided their ticket presents that un- usual appearance. As the gentlemen belong- ing to this Club have great personal influence and have a large following among their friends and employes, there is no doubt that they can influence a few thousand votes, or sufficient to turn the scales ‘in any ward in the city in which their organization has s membership. Such a club as this, judiciously using its power, will prove a formidable weapon in the municipal campaign, and one which can be used with tremendous effect. With this Club using its influence for an honest administration of the city’s affairs, in addition to the Central Club and the Citizens’ Association, the tide of cor- ruption and rascality ought to be stayed. The meeting of the Club at the Pacific Hotel on Friday evening, and the spirit which animated it, show that these gentlemen are in earnest. It was attended by a large gather- ing of the solid, honest, and respectable citizens of Chicago, and in their speeches and upon by the Committee of the Whole of the Council, is $4,266,962. By adding to this the $1,262,623 of unexpended appropriations, we have, as the total appropriated for the support of the Government for the year ending Dec. 31, 1876, the sum of $5,529,585. This sum may, therefore, be assumed as the minimum cost of the administration of the Government for one’ year. Had the Council made their appropriations for twelve months instead of nine months, they would have aggregated $5,689,283, which is, we believe, higher than the highest appropriations ever made in any previous year. It iso question where these appropriations can be cutdown. There can, of course, be large reductions made by arbitrary cutting down of the service. The number of schools may be cut down, the number of policemen reduced, and several engine-houses shut ap. Street-cleaning may be abandoned, water- extensions discontinued, and the number of bridges reduced, the Board of Health abol- ished, and the gaslights extinguished. But would the public submit to any of these suggestions ? It may be said that the item of gas might bo largely reduced, but the Council have not’ appropriated two-thirds enough money to pay for the gas that is being consumed. A gas debt is being created at the rate of $1,000 a day. Tho Council has economized in the appropriation, but not in the consumption of gas. Ono misfortune is, that the cost of living and the cost of production are so greatly en- hanced by the taxation of the tariff and the depreciation of the currency that the service costs 40 per cent more than it otherwise would, . THE GRAND JURIES OF THIS COUNTY. ‘The transactions of the recent Grand Jury of this county are, we hope, beyond parallel in the proceedings of any similar body in any part of the United States. It has become common to laugh over the verdicts of juries composed of illiterate and simple-minded ex- negro slaves in the Southern States; but wo question whether there was ever an African jury which exhibited more stolid ignorance than the ruling majority of the late Grand Jury of this county. We say stolid ignoranco, because that is the only hypothesis upon which their action, in many instances, can escape the suspicion of rank corruption. There were some intelligent and some re- spectable and conscientious men on the Grand Jury, but, as a body, the jury was perhaps the most unfit or dishonest that ever was im- paneled in Chicago. The juries of this county, grand and petit, aro selected by the County Commissioners. Each Commissioner has the selection of a certain number. There is a large number of dead-beats, loafers, and jobbers, who seek places as jurors, and who aro familiar with the bummer Commissioners, The selection of jurors is therefore part of the patronage of the Commissioners, and this patronage is freely distributed among the disreputable classes we have named. It is not surprising, therefore, that juries thus selected should prove stupid, ignorant, or corrupt. The ma. jority are: men who seek the place for the per diem, and for what clse can be made of it. ‘We understand that the Grand Jury select- ed for the present month, and which will convene to-morrow, is, with some creditable exceptions, but little above the standard of the rascally one just discharged, and this fact is most discreditable to the Board of Commis- sioners, That Board shonld not abuse the confidence placed in it by the law, by forcing gPon the courts dishonest, disreputable, and sucompetent men to serve as jurors in the administration of the law. Let the Commis- sioners read the record of the late Grand Jury: 1. Tho man fovey, charged with the mur- der of two men, who admitted the Killing, and against whom a largo mass of testimony more or less direct was presented to the Grand Jury, was not only not indicted, but was or- dered to be discharged by the Grand Jury! Royrx was conscious of the circumstances of the case, and at once left for parts un- known, unwilling to have another Grand Jury pass upon his guilt. The Grand Jury did not wait until they closed their Inbors be- fore ordering his discharge; in such case Roxex might be recommitted for the next jury; but they, at an carly day in their ses- sions, ordered his discharge from prison. 2. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, colleges for the education and protection of thieves in this city is that cless of pawnshops where goods are professedly taken on pawn, but really purchased. There are some forty or more of them in Chicago. They are not pawnshops, but receptacles of stolen goods, each shop having its own corps of thieves. in plain English, these shops are kept by the hoss thieves, who pay those who actually do the stealing 10 or 15 per cent of the value of the property bronght in by them. Servants are employed by them to rob their employ- ers; clerks and salesmen are hired by them to rob the stores in which they are engaged; boys are encouraged to rob their parents; and the wages of these thieves are paid by the Keepers of these dens,—the liconsed pawn- shops. For years the District-Attorney has fought an unavailing fight to convict this class of thieves, but in every instance the accused, having plenty of money, has suc. cessfully escaped justice. At last, however, there was a caso where the evidence was over- whelming. The accused—a man and wife— were 60 involved in a network of direct and circumstantial testimony that thera was no possibility of escape. The evidence was laid before the Grand Jury, and an indictment was found against both of the accused. After some days one of the Grand Jurors reported to his colleagues that he had had a talk about the. case with an Alderman, who had told him that the persons were not guilty; he therefore moved that the indictment be re. considered, and that their discharge be or- dered ; and the majority canceled the in. dictment, and the prisoners were discharged, Is comment necessary? Is it required that such a proceeding as this should be stig- matized as corrupt or ignorant? ‘We are not arguing now that the jury was corrupt; wo are showing that the majority of the jury were unfit for the duty committed to them, resolutions they showed that they were going into the local elections this year with the determination of purifying both tickets and electing the best men. It was o gathering which, as Judge Caron remarked, will send acold chill running down the back of every tax-cater and bummer in the city. The shot fired into the Common Council by Mr. KeLwoce was a hot one. It provides : ‘That the Executive Committee be requested to pre- Sent at the next regular meeting a list of our Alder- men and their occupstions,—thoso who have any; that they also go still further and investigate the acts of all those Aldermen whom they suppose are candidates for re-clection; that they ascertain, if possible, if those Aldermen have borrowed money from leading Politicians and not yet returned that bozrowed money; tuat they go still further, and ascertain if those Alder- meu have borrowed money from any af our leading corporations, and whether tne borrowed moncy has been returned; and how such toxes these Aldermen pay. ‘These aro pertinent points, and they show that the Independent Reformers are “up and at” the enemy. CONGREGATIONAL SINGING IN CHURCH. Tho independent church movement of Prof. Swine, which attracts thousands of persons to McVicker’s Theatre every Sunday, fair weather and bad weather, and turns hundreds away simply because there is not room enough to accommodate them, has demonstrated some very pleasant truths, which aro worth recalling. First, it hasshown that there is a strong religious sentiment among the most intelligent people of a large conununity, thrown out from the fellowship of the organized churches on account of a failure to agree on some technical question of dogma or form. Second, it shows that there is not the necessity that has usually been felt of sustaining a costly church edifice for the exclusive use of one day in the week. ‘Third, it may now be conceded that con- straint in pow-holding, church-building, the fairs, bazaars, lotteries, contribution- box, ete, is no longer an indispen- sable requisite to church organization, but that the latter may be acquired and sustained from Sunday to Sunday by the interest of the worshipers. Fourth, tho advantage of a cen- tral church, situated in a manner like other places of public gathering, 80 as to bo equally accessible from all parts of the city, has been abundantly demonstrated, But not the least among these and many other edvantages that are already apparent from Prof. Swinc’s new movement must be reckoned the return to the good old practice of congregational sing- ing, which had unhappily been displaced al- most altogether by the modern quartette choir. Of course, the chief attraction at MeVicker'’s Theatre every Sunday is the cer- tainty of hearing one of Prof. Swrxa’s beauti- ful addresses, sure to be 2 poctic transcrip- tion of some forgotten page of morals, and there is probably no other man in the city who could assure similar prosperity to a similar enterprise. At the sams time, there is reason to believe that the personal gratifi- cation of every devotional desire to sing forth praises to the Lord, and the inspiring effect of a vast audience joining in a common and single swell of worship and gratitude, have been important elements in the great popu- lar success of Prof. Swrve’s new church. It is becoming too common ‘o perform all re- ligions devotions by proxy. We send our wives to church instead of going ourselves ; we pay the minister for preaching, and ex- pect him to throw in the praying; we hire a choir, and so s)point at fixed pay our mod- ern ‘seraphims and cherribims to chant tho praises of Jchovah., Bnt this tendency of the time has found much opposition, and is accountable for a large part of the quiet dropping-away from attendance atthe church service. There hes come to be something too conventional and automatic about the average Sunday exercises.. Tho minister and his assistant, the organist and the quar- tette choir, the sexton and the passers of the contribution-box, have come to absorb all there is to church organization, and the church-members as a class havo grown to be mere lookers-on, who would forget that they had any interest in the pro- ceedings if it were not suggested by the calls on their purse. The congregational singing at Prof. Swrxe’s church has given every man, woman, and child a personal interest and an important part in the sorvice. It bas also brought them nearer the worship for which they are presumably assembled. To hear a congregation of 3,000 voices unite in ‘Old Hundred,” or “ Nearer, my God, to Thee,” or the Doxology, or any of the familiar and stirring hymn-tunes, will excite more re- ligion devotion than the artistic execution and vocal grace of all the guartette choirs in the country. Prof. Swrve and his friends and advisers are to be congratulated upon the adoption of congregational singing, which, as long as it remains exceptional, will bes great boon to all the religionsly inclined who seek his church. It is to be hoped and pre- sumed that the success in this instance will lead to a restitution of the custom in other churches. In this way some of the churches may dispense with choirs which they no longer feel able to support; or, in case they are not cursed with poverty, they can make their choirs the nucleus for congregational singing, or give choir solos and congrega- tional choruses. One thing is certain : every- body who goes to church ought to be encour- aged to sing praises for himself, and the re- sult will be grander even for him who merely listens, THE COST OF CITY GOVERNMENT, On the 1st of January, 1876, or at the close of the first nine months of the fiscal year of the city, there were balances of previous ap- Propriations remaining unerpended to the amount of $1,651,S44. The amounts of the overdrawn accounts at the same date were $389,221, The net balance of unexpended appropriations on Now Year’s Day was, therefore, $1,262,623. These appropriations were for 1875, extending to April 1, 1876. The Common Council have just completed the appropriations in Committee of the Whole for nine months, and this gives us, as the authorized expenditure for the calendar as well as fiscal year 1876, the sum of $5,529,585, which in detail is as follows: rtment Compiro'r's| Council's estimates, | estimates, lappropri’as. t Board of Educa- I ion... -{8 800,601.94)5 689,000,00/8 569,751.94 «+ $2,087.50. 35,000.00/..........6. | and that the responsibility for such a jury Bouts. eae 96,805.47 som 7716.35 | rests upon the Commissioners who selected tion.........-] 29,300.00; 24,200.00 11,525.00 | them, Pee eT avn ate tal 3. In the trial of a case before one of the Fire mt! 676,167.95, civil courts, the corrapt perjury of an indi- Depai Boards of Works| 1,920, ASECSSOF. eee.) 1, Collector......:[ 15, Aligcellaneous ..| 1,605,003.19} 1,605,603.1 vidual was so clearly developed that the Judge directed the attorney -for the city to present the matter to the Grand Jury. The evidence was in the sworn written affidavits of the person charged. The Grand Jury heard this case also, and an indictment was duly found ; but before the Grand Jury adjourned finally, baying obtained new light on the subject, & reconsideration was had, the indictment cancelled, and the accused ordered to be dis. charged. Fortunately this wonderful Grand Jury bas 983, Total...... 0159.09 ,99 cl a5 soa ‘The estimates of the Comptroller were for twelve months; the appropriations by the Council are for nino months; so that in point of fact the Committee of the Whole of the Council have exceeded the Comptroller's estimates at the rate of £637,310. The sum to be raised by taxation for nine months, to cover the appropriations agreed been discharged. But to-morrow there is to months, with almost a two-thirds Dem, be another. Will it be any better? or will it majority pledged to tho work of reform, ad be any worse? It has been selected by the | there has not been a movement to if el same Commissioners. Can the stream rise | these disgraced members, or so to a higher than its source? Are the public to | them as to make the vice of bribe-takin, have a repetition of the proceedings of the | hideous and dangerous as it ought tebe last few weeks? Are cases to be tried, and Why this forbearance? Evidently decansa new trials granted, in the Grand Jury-room? | a member of each of the two political partie Are persons accused of crime to have counsel . is involved, and also evidently because there attend the Grand Jury and argue motions to | was a mine of corrnption in this Pacific Mail set aside indictments already found? Are | business which neither party in Congress wy; Grand Jurors to go outside the Grand Jury- | willing to explode. = room and hear the other side ? § It was right and proper to report the im. The primary remedy is with the County | mediate and unanimous impeachment of Commissioners in the selection of jurors. Bexenar, with a view to his future disqualis. But are there no means of reaching the County cation for all time from holding any place of Commissioners? It has been suggested that public trust. Itis right that he should be the Court has the right to protect the admin- prosecuted under the law, and made to suffer istration of justice by discharging Grand Jn- | the full penalty of his crime. But, in the ries, and requiring others, until the County 7 meantime, let Congress turn some of its Commissioners shall be shamed into designat- { virtuous indignation upon its own short. ing a jury of competent men. We do not comings. The vials of wrath should not be know if Courts have such power; but if they | all emptied upon the head of Brxxnap, leay. have, and will exercise it on a few occasions, | ing none for others equally guilty. Tet . the community will be spared the repetition | Scoowaxen and Kix be expelled from Con. of thé disgraceful procecdings of the late gress, that bribe-taking may be as infamous Grand Jury. ina Congressman as in a Cabinet officer ne a eens And let society and the business commnnit he nee VIE OF BRIBERY. 5. | revise their codo of ethics uta mu rendered, which is a statutory offense in pub- eae ae cue Tepe enanle aie bbe: lic office, is a very common vice among the outside of public office as they ae non-officeholding community, and hence, Th'this-way alone cin a cisions vélional bute perhaps, the general infection of the public ha zeforied: it service. To makea sale, to bring about a —— trade, or to facilitate a business transaction A Washington atch states that the wond of any nature whatever, it is not considered | disgusted man in the whole businesa is Boss improper to lay all the ropes and pull all the | Swzrurnp. When the Poss heard that Brixyip wires that may lead to the consummation de- | had weakened and made a full confaseion, bo sired. ‘‘ Commissions ” and “ divisions ” of aaa poled tree a all kinds and every conceivable mathematical y rincipal stiffener eis ase rackets to carry out the project | of © backbone of the Washington munisigal in view. The closest ties of friendship are strained by the consideration of gain. The ring in emergencies. His connsel hag alwsye been to bluff every thing out to the bittter end, and whenever his advicehas been taken there domestic relations are invaded with presents | has been at least a reepectable defense, no mat- and offerings to exert a secret influence. | ter how ugly the chargo tho piosecation might Money is given and taken for the exercise of mere personal or social influence, without re- gard to the real merit of the investment have. In this case it seems he waa not consui. ed. The lightning bad strack and tie victin which is promoted or the probable re- sults of the transaction thus forwarded. was laid ont before the Boss hexrd what was go- Men and women of all conditions ing ov. Thea he denounced Berenar’s course as cowardly, and spoke of him as having gone are subjected to the temptation of using some personal influence, at no cost to on hia Enees, blubpering like 2 big calf, when by a display of nerve and an exhibition of back. bono he might have saved himself, themselves, in return for a compensationfof some kind or other; and one encounters almost daily evidence of the accomplishments — aaa It is suggested that, if Brother Moony, instesd of favoritism, of schemings, of influence, of pressure,—all of which more nearly or re- of wasting bis time, energies, and exhortstions on the sinners of Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and New York, had gone straight to ‘Washington, | motely hang upon the vice of bribery. It is not strange, in view of the commoa preva- Jence of this pernicious practice in private thero is little doubt that the Beuznars, among others, would have been brought to aen the error of their ways before it was too late. PERSONAL. and business life, that it should have infected ‘We reqnest the personal man of the New York official circles so largely as has been demon- | seraia to rost on his ears. strated in the various frauds that have been Belknap was married three times, ad it is unearthed during the Inst year or two. It | gsia his tirst wife was a Democrat. night be supposed that the law affixing 2} Beecher, Belknap, Babcock, and only tho se Severe penalty would act as a restraint upon | ond letter of the alphabet reached yet! It is those holding official positions, But there } sickening. are two weak points here. First, a statutory | a learned irrench Jadge once said that atleast definition of an offense does not make a very | one party to every divorce suit waa unfit tobe serious impression when the offense is found | married agein. to be practiced with impunity outside of Tho whisky men aro anxious to know whether official circles, and even sanctioned by cns- | the Belkuap lightning will stay where itis, or tom; and, second, the law has followed the | ®Pread around and be uncomfortable. general tendency of the community to con- Sonator Sharon ia a widower; bat be hasa demn tho person accepting the bribe, but | b#ldspot onthe top of his nead anda prouy not him who offers it, The result of this | ‘usher. Eligible widows may spzly. situation is that the temptation is con- Breese Lita ae fre sue i z go M. \. ity to Stantly present, since the tempter feels } eis ions radely at their tims of life, himself out of danger; andthe tempted per- ° son eases his conscience by the common Pace Brooklyn Eagle hopes nothing was ssid the Tyndall weddi akfagt ring practices of the business world around him, af te Tyepall wedding, bre Sout F and quists his apprehensions by the seeming difficulty of proof where the transaction has been for mutual benefit and the exposure would be for mutual discomfiture. In other ples of selection and the origin of species. An improbable rnmor in Nesz Yor’ is that the words, it is a difficult matter to enforce a code of morals in official circles of a higher and Harpers are to purchasa the New York Tribung and install Mr. Louis J. Jenvings as editor. more exacting character than thet accepted by society at large. Mr. Horace White has been chosen a member of the Advisory Committee of the Boston Frag ‘Trade Club, in place of the iste Roverdy Jone ‘The downfall of ex-Secretary Burxyap was a national disgrace, estimated by the esalted position he held. At the samo time, 80. Len Hill says it requires a highcr eourege to forgo: than to indulge in animositins. That is the surprise and indignation exhibited by Congress were somewhat beyond an honest protest bya setof honest men at the unex- what the younger brother has been trying to teach the elder from the tims of Cain and Abol pected revelation of corruption in high places. The universal horror which ‘Tho appearance of Mr. Charles O’Conor in the Tweed caso in New York Thursday was a sure was manifested et the disclosure was scarcely in keeping with somo of the prise to hia friends. It was suppoued that he bad absolately relinquished all professional secret history of Congress itself. When virtuous Democrats denounced Betanar’s work. malfeasance as characteristic of Republican ‘The Donay version of Joshua and Noth is rule, they ignored the fact that every notable Josue and Nos; and the Independent haa heard ofaman named Joshua P. Bowditch who went case of bribery and corruption so fer has hunted ont men on both sides of ‘politics: over to the Raman Catholics, and now signs him self Josue P. Ie the pretended JW. 8. wants any nocice When Mr. Hirsten Curuen 50 feclingly re- ferred to the late Secretary of Waras ‘ but the proper outgrowth, the true exponent, of taken of his ingolence and falso assertions, be must first give his real name and address. The the corruption, extravagance, and misgovern- ment that have cursed the land for years Directory shows that he iss ekatk, flinging mad past,” he evidently forgot that the present from bebind a wall. Landis, the Innatic of Vineland, was removed from his position as soon as the President learned that ho had been acquitted of the charge of shooting an editor. His lunacy seamed to have no palliating circumstances. Congress, so pretentiously favorable to in- vestigation and reform, has itself condoned the offense of bribery on the part of two of its members, one a Republican and one a Democrat, egainst both of whom the evidence was as direct as against Brignap, and both of Cincinnati hotels will be somewhat incot venient for married people about Convention whom are equally amenable to the law, which reads as follows: time. It is equally out of the question to sleep inzroom which contains eight cots or to pa? eight prices for a room with one cot. Pierre Monroe Irving, whose faneral recantly took place in New York, was a nephew of Wash- Sec. 1,761, Every member of Congross, or suy offi- cer or agent of the Government, who, directly or indi- Teetly, takes, receives, or agrees to receive any money, Property, or other valuable consideration whatever from any person for securing or aiding to procare any ington Irving. In early life he establiched the Toledo Blade and gevoit its feliatous name. He contract, oF office, or piace of the Government, or any department thereof, from any officer of the United wrote a volume of memoirs of hia uncle. Queen Victoria honored a groom of the Prinot Consort by being present when his funeral pro- States, for any person whatever, or for giving any such contract, office, or place whatsoever, and every parson who, directly or indiroctly, offers or cession left the Royal Mows. The groom wat named Kraeusslach, and he had served His Royal agrees to give, or gives, or bestows any money, prop- erty, other valuables, or consideration what- Highness and the Queen most faitnfolly fos thirty-six years. The London Saturday Review commends the moral courage of Charles Kingsley in giving Up his Professorship of History at Cambridge Uni- versity when he discovered thst he was unfit to ever for procuring, or aiding to procure, any | discharge ita duties. ‘The Review says pos such contract, office, or place, and every member of | tively that this was his reason for resigning the Congress who, directly or indirectly, takes, receives or agreea to receive, any money, property, or other val uable consideration whatever, after bis election 2s such member, for his attention, services, action, vate, or decisfon on any question, cause, or proceeding which may bo pending, or may by law, or under the Professorship. Constitution, be brought before Him in his official ca- Victor Hugo preserves a blot on his carpet caused by the upsetting of his inkstand just aa pacity or in his place as such member of Congress, shall be made guilty of = misdemeanor, and shall be he had finished one of the moet celebrated chap- imprisoned not more than two years aud fined not ters in Lea Miserables.” So a man might sl more tan $10,000, and any such contract or agreement ways cherish a patch in bis pantsloons inserted after he had been kicked all the way down stair& sy, at the option of the President, be declared abao- lutely null and void, and any member of Congreas or There ts nothing under the sun like sentiment oflicer convicted of » violation of this section shall Prof. B. Silliman writes to Congressman Howitt that the Emms Mino matter bss now moreover be disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit, or trust under the Government of the gone 60 far that it must go to the extent of @ thorough and exhaustive examination. The United States. We refer, of course, to the Democratic fnends ot Prof. Silliman will be glad to bare him satisfy tnem in regard to the charges of bribery, which went far enough, years 2g0 t0 demand 4 complete refutation from him. New York Congressman Scnusaker and the | Miss Mary E. Smiti, a young and prepossess- Republican Minnesota Congressman Kae, | ing woman residing in Bedford avenue, New who were recipients of large sums of money | York, bas sued a florist for 95,000 damages from Inwmy at the time the latter was dis- oleae te pepe ee ee os hak Abutis * G a er while in the act of pinning cerns abe Pesifie Mail bribery and cor: | eS ie Sein” seth ial ako fe reprovsated ruption fund. Both men were in public ser- to he, a daily kiss trom ber at these rates would Vice af the time they received this money. be no oxtravagance,—while a fellow’s money Scuomaxer was then a member of Congress ; | Ineted. Krxe was Postmaster of the House of Repre-| fr. WV. 0. Cole, a well-known resident of this sentatives. The evidence of their having | city, made his debat upon the lecture stage Ist taken the money is as full and direct as that Wednesday evening at Aurora before = Very against Bexxwap; the subsidy involved was | large audience. The subject of his lectare sae amore serious loss to the Government than | ‘Popular Drifts,” showing the tendencies me the aggregate amount of all the stealings at the time in gcience, theology, journalism, all the post-sutlerships since the War; the violation of the law was as flagrant, and the disgrace to the Government, if not so striking, yet not less lasting and infectious. Yet Congress has been in session for three politica. The audience, which was a very 5P- Preciative one, received the lecture with every manifestation of pleasure and with very sincere congratulations. It is rare thst a lecturer 29> pearing upon the platform for tho first time makes euch an unequivocal success,