Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, November 18, 1876, Page 7

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1876—TWELVE, PAGES COOI{ COU TY Tonrd cfuld not throw ont the vote for any {r- | of the order, except the preaumption which al- elder mwoetly d that the cars might atop | Institutlons, whaen they have been enlnb‘l!ht/lh the peopls desire, and whatever wihl, in m— . important Meeting of the Board of Canvassers. Arguments as to t"e Acceptance or Re- jecticn of Certain Precincts, The Authoritles Are that the Board Must Count All the Returns. The County Olerk Intimates o 8trong De- sire to Oast the Defactive Ones Out, Thanges Which WIll Be Made if They Are Nob Counted, MORNING SESSION. THE DOUBTFUL PRECINCTS. The Board of County Canvasscra met yesters day moruing for tho purpose of continuing the canvass,and also of listening to arguments re- garding certain precincts which had sent fo de- fective returns. Several judges came in and fixed up thelr re- turns, while others wanted to, but were informed it was Impossible, and one of them got an in- timatfon from Gen, Lieb that tha Grand Jury would attend to his case. After this had been disposed of the arguments began, MR, BMITIE s #ald there was no disposition to take up the thne of the Board unnecessarily, Io under- #tood that year by year the votes had been countel when properly certifled,—that the want ol a tally-sheet had been regarded os no reason for refecting the vote of 8 precincts Mr. Caul- fleld had been seated fn Congress, and riuhtlg: by connting votes properly certified In the al sence of a tally-sheet: and the mune thing wos dune fu the case of Mr. llack, the County ‘Freasurer. The practice, so far s ha knew, had Leen uniform. He presumed the truth was that fu no year_had an election Leen held in which the skt delect had not occurred in numerous fustunces,—perhaps, huwever, not ne nunerous 8 this year. Under such circumstances, It had been stizested that it was uot” proper Lo pre- eent uny areument unless the Board indicated that thes desired to liear some nuthorities ou the subfec Mr. sact—Mr. Smith and Gentlemen: In the name of the Board of Canvassers, [ lave to onswer your remurks thus: That It we have for the = past two years been ruther lax in enforuing the letter of the Inw strictly, it Is no reason why we should adlere to the error, IF It wis an error, espeefally as it {s the case to-dny that the public mind ts” so exclted, or rather I nay say exasperated, ypon this very subject of Return- fng Boards. I would asik Mr.8mith whether the following 1s zood law, or whether it 18 a good principle to live by: *“Itis in our judg- ment vital to the prescrvation of coustitutionul Tiberty that the babit of obedience to the forms of Taw should be sedulonsly nculeated and eul- tivated, und that a resort to extra-constitutional modes of redress for oven actual grievances should be avoidel and condemned us revolu- tlonary, d!xnrg:muln'.;. and tending to dlsorder and nnarchy,’” _Ts that a good principle? Me. s(mfi.-—n strikes me 8o, if I under- stand . - Mt, Lieh—Well, sir, T have that from the answer of the gentlemen who were sent by the Tresident of toe United States to New Urleans to oversue the counting of tho ballots thers, to the Democratle gentlumen who went thers for o Joint conferenge, Mr. Smith—That may be. Tam neither the President of the United States nor his agent. Mr, Licb—I 1neau whether it 1s good principle or not, Ar. Smith—T understand there [s such a place as New Orleans, 1 never was thers, My, Licb—I belteve this {s onc country, As there I8 one law governing all the countria in re- gard to tls question— Mr. Smith—Yes, + Lieb—I think itis our duty to look {nto matier--whether the furms of law bave Tullowed ju retirns, £ Smith=That Is all right. What I wanted 1> whetlier you desired to hear any ar- cemination, unti! Jurther light s thrown ]\n:uu the subject, that we we understand the i be JIUKT CONTAIN ALL THE NEQUISITRS [ down In the Taw, ‘That i, n 115t of voters, ch f3 the poll-bouk, a certiticd retiurn {n the of it. nud o tally-sheet with talfy-marks ns preseriled by law. ‘These three papers, or theae three requirerents, must by followed in toto, and be iclored togéther Inone envelope to be 1 eomplete return, So we understaml the law, We have received parthal returni,—~incomplete feturns,—and unti) tie Jeaned pentleman can Bhow us that we ure sheorreet In vur views, we shall stand by our deciston. Untld then we gha! not canvuss uny further or receive tivse retirns ne vabid returis, We are remly to hear uny arnoests v thie subject you wishito make. A doubie consultation then touk place,~Llcb with i3 colleazucs and Smlith with his asso- ciates. STustin Hininea' mauner fndicated thay hie was displeased un azeonat of Lieh having ai- nouneed thut the Board had wade up their miod, and ** would require evidencs to changy their opialan'? This lndieated * bias ™ for thi Dewocratic purty, u MR. UKD then opened the argument on behal? of the Re- b ates. e said the proposition i W down was that the Board waa not u Judicial hely, and bad wo power to declis questlous cumpetent for a court to declde that it was only nunistenal o Tunctionn, and must give expression ta the votes ot the people, it there ouh befure the Board to enable it to do su; that it nd vo right to declde Judicial- Iy apon the regularity of an election, or the per- forniance of the duties of the oflicers conduct- Ing the election In uny event. After mentloning e dutics sequired of judres, ho suld if any direetion whicli the statute pgave themn could be tiude the ground of throwing out the vole, then allor any vne of them could be made the ground. “As Le understood the statute, the Latty-tet was no partof the rotuen ol the judges, I necumpunied the return, but was notn part ul the Board would ace thls by an attent- ive reading ol the law, e did not dunbt that iowas the uty of the judies o make a tally- list ol Ineluse it with theie return, and seid it to the County Clerle. s then referred to the uge o) the People ex rel. Fuller vs. Hillyard (29 BiL), w which it appeared, 8o far as the return showeil, thut the judires ad not taken the vath ot uflice, ‘The Court sald: Thew: oMee Wit o dise «lluard of Canvarsers) are clol uuary power. ‘They are 1o o aud woke soatracts of ths vole ppear vt sald returne, and the Clerk {4 to d Tiver the certuleate of election 1o eacl person have bz the hightot number of votes as manifostod by said retuha, They uce not silowed to roject any returue, or to decide npon their valldity, 1F oo the fico they are made to comply with the'luw and the furm preecribed by tho statute, If the return #how the wholy nutber of voles glven, 1ho namcs of the porsons vuted fory unid the naber of voles #iven to euch, thiey contalu everything that is wa- tenial, and uJuuunrly nuthaaticuted whould be ree ceived ae valld returns. ‘The Buard was bound to go by tho certificates of the judges, und to detlare the result as shown by them. In the prescut case, there Wus u certiileate of the result us to svery une, fnthe forn prescribed by low, showingg the uuwmber of votvs ecach peison recelved, aud the ulllee, and the languege of Lhe stutute was fully complled witl, li¢ quention was, \Who did the qualified voters ¢ urins shonld be made subscevient 1o this nquiry, uud sbould nut rule In_ubjection to sub- stance. . . . o all tasgs the intentlon of the Yotury, clearly uscertained, uhould govern, e then quoted from MeCrary on tue 9 Ameri- cun Luw of Elections,” where the same doctring was had duwn, and emphasls placed on the ux- presslun that ciuvassers werd required to look ut the subetance, In determining as to the form of returns, they urt cuisler the substance, und not be Loo teck» nical, If there i3 o suostautiul compliauce with the law, 1t 1v envugh. Further on It wus stated that the object In cauvasalng was to ascertaln the will of the people, uid If thyt could be dons frum the re- [unu It was suflicient, A cuve In the 10th fowa, paga 212, was next relerred to, Tho objection wus that the ye- turns were 0ot fu furni—that [t did not oppear that the returns wers thuss of the towtiships mentioned, or that the tuwnsbips wers lu the county; und also that thy jud{gul and clerks wera bot sword, ‘The Court sal The people are not tu be dlsfranchiscd—to be deprived of thetr volce—by the umislon of some duty ot un ohicer, if an election hys in fuct e Lield at the proper tiw nd such o penalty ought 1t Lo be viwited upon them for the neglect or wills tuluena of une charged with simllar dutics, Whilo 1t fs the law thal the canvussers cannot adjudicate upun thu sutlicleucy of returna, as we have Leld fu a fornier cuge, Wherd 4 caue of this kiud coues into a vourd ol justice, vuch court or thu jury trll'mlu it notonly sy, butif {s tholr duty 1o, look belind the re aud even behind the ballot-box o suiBy ca N ‘Tl questlon fn thls caso was whether the election should Lo fuvalidated. and, wiile the power of the Court was tnwed!ately under dis- cuaslun, the power of the cuuvaisers was fucl- doutally luvolved; aud the Court bield that thy regularity, nor woull the Court regurd anlr- regalnrity of sny consequence In determinin the clection, but It had power to go lichind o forme, and fuqulre who was clected. It scouted, as every one of judement should scout, theidea that the people” could be disfranchiscd by the misfeasance, or non-feasance, or curelessnese, or lack of kuowledge of the judges. He was hot saying anything in favor of the julges. The question was whether they could disfranchise un[r ung h{ omission. u the 241 fowa, page M3, tvas nnother case. A louse plece of )mper, which would appear to have been o tally-sheet, was put In a return with the poll-bosk. It was not signed by the Judges, nor identified In any way s being a tally-sticet, but it showed the number of votes cast on the county-séat question, Tt was re- Jc1l10fl by the Canvassing Board, The Court Bald; Such counting Is but the giving a fnll, falr, and legithnate expreasion und execution of the will of the people as [egully manifested. The leading objection to the making of the order of the Conrt helow (the order to count the returns) was based upun the ground that the Board uf SBupervisors could nol know from the face of the n)le::ml return in A looss paper that it was an oflicial return, because (L was un- signed and not annexed to the poll-book; aud yet the Conrt held that they should have connt cd the vote and certitled to It, They did sv simply beeause forin should not override sub- stance, From the First Michigan, page 862, the fol- lowing waa quoted: 1n u republican government, where the exercisg of ofliclal power is but a derivative from the peos ple thruugh the medium of the ballot-los, it would e n monstrous ductrine thul would subject the public will and public voice thus expressed to be defented by clthor the ignoranco or the cnrrurunn of ux{ Board of Canvaseues, 'The duties of theeo Boara are merely minlsterlal. Their whole duty conmista in ascertaining who aze elected, and in au- \henucuunq and nrescrving tho evidence of wich election, It surcly cannot’ be malutaimod that Uiclr omlasione or tidtakes arc to have a contrul- ling (ntluence upon the election Iuoll.| ia Apply this langunge to the judges of clee- tlun?pgupnusn they desired to defeat an elees tion, or Bume candidate, und they purposely omitted to keep the tally, That, as it I {ntimated by osie of the memnbers of the Board, would defeat u cundidate. Mr. Smith—He could get a remedy before tho Graud Jury, Mr, Hurd continued: If {t could he done, this uthority was no good. It was s mockery. But be was thankful tu know thut it was the law that, by no omnlsslon of the judizes, or by any Irand, could an election of & candidate lie de- feated, it it wers possible to nscertain the will uf tha voters, Another cuse would be found Iz the 10th Mis- souirly page 631, the Electlon law In that State being nimost idantieal with that prevalling in HMinuls, The Court sald that the language ot tne statute conilned the County Clerk nnd the Justices to the icturns made by the Judges of clection,—~thut they could not” go behind them,—holding that they had nothing to do with unything but certifylng to the result. And o this case the Board had no right to say, *The tally-list shows this, and the certifleatethat, and therefore we will toke the tully-list, and reject tho certiticate because it dues not conforn to the taily-list,” They had nuthln;i.l.u do with the taily-list. The cer tilleate of the judges was all they had to do with, ‘They could’not declde any question con- troverted within or without the returns, cxeept 80 fur ns what the returns shuwod was the re- sult of the election. In the 33th Missourl, page540,wasstill another case. ‘The facts admitted wer that the law re- quired the voters Lo be rezistered. There was no legal rezistration of the voters in twvo town- ships rejected by the Bonrd of Supurvisors, for the reason that u registration liad oot beew made In conformity to law. The poll-books shiowed that the Rewlatration law bad been dis~ regarded by the judizes, und that tbe votes vast were dilegal. The Court said: It has bren consldered herotafore ne scttled that the (County) Clork, in companng und casting up the votes certified to him, ucty tn moerely o minis terial capacity, and that the lezality or fllegality of the votes s uot submitied 1o hils Judzment. Tho determination of that question praperly beiongs to anotler tribunal, ‘The case of Taylor vs. Taylar (n the 10th Minnesota, paze 107, was ulso dted. In that ease the judges and Clerkc diu not talco the pre- scribed oatl,- or any vath, and nolist of quali- fled voters was kept as required by law: yot the Court beld that, notwithstandinr such’ errors and irregularities on the part ol the otlicers of the clection, [t was the duty ot the Canvassing Board to canvass the recurns and certify the re- sult, and that their certiticate was prima facle evldence of the result of the election, Suppasoe, in the present case, uo Yst of votors had been kept by the Judices, and simply a cor- tificate of the votes cast returned; thut would bo a purallel ¢anod nud, having o certifieate feom wiitch could be nscertained the will of the peo- ple, the Board wos bound by that. It there was auythinge illegal oF wrong, that was o Cmatter for the courts to luk Mto and determine. There was o modo of contesting elections, What would n court say I it was seriously urged as an objection to the election of a candidute tiat some formality had Leen omitted! It was not the intention of the law to defeat, but to conserve and ascertain, the will of the peoplo, The formalities were snuply required for that purpoae, To use them to defeat an election would "bs to pervert the law uud do injustice. A recess was then taken, — AFTERNOON SESSION., JAMES P, ROOT. Upon reassemblivg, James P, Ruot resumed the urgument. 1o said the spirlt of the law did not contemplate that ony man should be dis- franchiset or lose his politival rights beeause of any negligence of an oflleer appointed without hls eonsent. This would be trua even i the Juduzes and clerks were elected by the people. When o mun went to the polis and deposited his ballut, it was not expecteil that hoshould rematn there all day to see whether the judzes or clerks crossed all the “vs" and dotted all the %1 1€ the” clector was to be held responsible for every nformality thay might oceur, we might ns well say we would. have no elections at all, Thy gist of the whole mutter was to uscertain, 10 possible, and fu the must approved modes, the will of tue majority of the legal voters fua given preznet, That was all there'was jn the Election luws, ‘The courts Lad mado u great distinctlon fn the statutes on the supject. ‘Uhere wors those statutes whi-h went to the essence of the clectlon—the right to hold au election, and its validity. When those (iestions were unee settiod and [t was con eded on all bamls thut an elect,on could be held for certaln otlleers upon ceetan day, it wus hnma- terlal us to whit made the election was conduct- by proviled (t was not tainted by fraad, Tle then quoted from a declsion in an Jlinols ease =Cleitun va. Parker, un uppeal from Rock [slund—to show that the spivis wud not the let- ter ol the law was Lo be observed: % We thiuk that those who hovestly expressed thelr will ut the ballot-box should by protected, and it the ollicers o election bave violate the law, It (he penalty attached bo taposed -~ upon them This deciston lald duwa the principle that the vital questiun to'bs 1 dered wits the right of the vuter, and Lhat he showtd not be disifanehlsed, Attention was direeted to the quo warranto case growing out of the aduption of the city charter of 1572, One of tho pofnts e was tiat the Counetl had no riht to canvass the returns, tor the reason that the fudges of cleetion bad not returned any poll-bouks,—had not kept avy poll-books or tally-sheetss and the Supreme Court sald it was uut casential,—thiat the queation was, How did the vute staud betweon the legal voters In the varlous precinets i The duties of Canvasslng Boards were next adverted to, and McCrary cited from: “They may properly judge whethier tho returns are in due form, but ufter that they can_only compute the votes cast fur the several candidates and de- clare the result. But, tn determnluing as to the form of the returns, they must consider thy substance, and vot bo too techutcal. 1f thepe s u substuntial compliunce with the law, (¢ is 1o took the position that there had nbstantlal compliaucs with the stat- Thero wis before the Board what wunid utes, ansble it to detarmine that there bl becn a falr clection, becanuss the returns ued by tho Jm!hu were fulr ou thelr fage, and thers was nothing toimpeach them. The statutes weee then commented upon, and the differcnce pofnts ed vut betwoen those which were maudutory ere diroctory, and McCrary was cited agals Irregularitics which do not tend ta affect the result arg not to defeat the wlhil of the mafority. The will of Lho niajority Is to be resvected, even when {rregularly ex- pressed,” That was the Jaw appliuble 10 this cuse. Four or five thousand peopls could not by disfrauchised because a clerk had fafled to du Lis daty. It was revolutionary to say it coutd e dona’by a lush of the band, or becausq thery were uof oW trucks " cuough on a plece of anv ‘Ihe Electlun luw wus read by Mr, Rool i clalming that vo tally-sheets were roquire by It, The judges wers not required to sgn them. They were slmply the memoranda of an ::"r:f u:‘m“ person (the clerk), who certitied to nthing, Mr, Lieb called Mr. Rool's sttentlon to the ecctlon providing that o fast as tho bulluts were read they sball be takeu down by thy Clerk, aud struug ou a plece of twiue in the order [n whici tbhey are read, Alr. Koot rejoined that thers was notling In tho tally-sheet which sbowed the order b which the bulluts were read. There was oo evideocs ways attached that the ofiicer did his ilule'. The law never intended that the resnit should be de- termtned h'y the tally-sheets, They were entirely unessential, ML SMITIC spoke next, Tho question pending was In one respect an important one. “Allusion hiad been made to the exm\rvraluu state of public sentl- ment exlsting throughout the country, and Justly, too, ft was oeensloned by whatd Ty n growng distrust in the cominnnilty as to whether voters were being fafrly dealt with by Cunvassiug Boards,—whethier tie paities whaii the people had chosen were to be counted out or counted in, There wus no oral or reasonable doubt as to who had veen clected In Couk County, Ile agreed that the law was to Dbo adminlstered,— that the people must recelve justice through and under the Constitution and the law, and not outside of them, It was material that they should be administered 8o fairly that the Board should not be subjected even to the suspicion of untairness. Ile “nssumed thal that spirit actuated every member of the Board. Ifany of the returns were so utterly defective In remptor‘y and jurisdictional matters that the Board liad no power or right to vount them, they night throw them out; but if they were substantially sutlicient, and defective merely in some dircctory matters, they should be counied. Ho then alscussod the law with refcrence to the construction of statutes, contending that the re- turus were substantially sutlicient, and utlirme Ing that, wherever a h\la-elwct was returned, thy certifieate _controlled—that it wus the thing, and the Board had no right to correct the certifivato by tho tally-sheot, or to by gukled by tho tally-sheet at all, ™ 1L that be true, it demon- strated” that the provision for keeplng lnllr shicets and returning one of them was merely directory, fntroduced ns a inntter of cau- tion, 1t" not belng an cssential and jurls- dictioval Ingredient of the return, He cited o caso i the 10th Mlssourl to show that the return wus to control,saying that no author(- 'f' could be produced to support the propusi- tion thut the tally-shicet waus to be the gulde. The caie of Bedrdstown v, Vlrginln fu tho Toth Iilinols was also quuted. No Lale lots oraflllavits had been returned, yet the Bupreme Court held thal it was clearly the duty of Lho canvassers Lo count on the certifivate— that no precinet or lownnmr could be disfran- chised by any such techuleality, In the case be- fora the Board there was o formal result of the clection’in ull the precinets in Cook County, drawn [n accordance with the statute, statity distinetly the number of votes cast, for whom, and the office. Woulil they nct upon the recond in the absence of a fugitive pieeo of paper, kept In duplicate, contermug which the Clerk was llubla to make mistakest The monstrous prop- osltion was presented whetner they sliould not dustranchilse a large portlon of the freeten of the county Lecausa the judges of election had failed to return this pieco of vaper which could be altered plibitumn. lu the light of the author- {tles submitted and the law, the dutivs of the Board were nelither eguivocalnordoubtful jand he assumed that they were actuated by a desire to dlschargo thelr duty in the spirit “of falrncss, and would not hesitata to count In the men that the people Lad clected at the polls MR, A, C. BTOREY. A replied *on behnlf of two or three objectors who would be affected.” e said the argument had proceeded as though the Board was & court authurized to disfranchlss somcbody. It was merely a Board of Canvassers, and tne holder of the certifieate tssued by the éounty Clerk was only prima facle entitled to the “ofifce. The canvassers simply deelared a certain result from certaln data before them. Not a single case liad been eited which had sny bearing upon tho partieular question before them, and ot n siu- #l8 one conld be found where a Returning Board was compelled or even perinltted to oxorcisetlio right which the courts cxercised fn re- gard to whether or not certaiu returns should be counted for o particular candl- date. Tho Buard had to de:ide thing, and the preliminary inquiry was, “Were thy returns hered” - Evory text-writer admiteed that their duties wers minlsteriol, and that they hud the right to declde whether the Teturna were fn form. Mr, Root had pecullar Ideas about the statute, All of the vounsel seomncd to think If one saw fit to follow the statute all right, 1f not all right. The statute said that a tally-sheet should be kept, It was Intended 08 a check upon fraud, * Such cer- tilicate, together with one of the tally-lists,’ was to be inclosed fn an envelope, When these were recerved, the Board had the rizhit to can- vass the yote, and not ustil then, No wvne would be disiranchised by throwing out the de- fective previnets. The agerievod partles could compel by judicial authority the canvassing of the vote. The Hoard could not affora them thut remedy. They wero to be gulded by the statute, and were to_declded whether thio re- turns were in form, If the tally-lists had not been received, they had no mere right to can- vass the vote than had uny other tures men. It was the next best evidenee, in case the bal- fut-hox nnd ballota were lost. It was for a Court to say whuther 1t should be dis- pensed with,” The tally-list, poll-llst, und poll-bools, with a eertitlvate, were what consti- tuted o Hretnen To show that the clerk’s certiffente was merely prima facle, ho quoted Trom * Hrightlev'e Leading Cuses on Elections,” Mr. Hued sai hie tuok that position. Mr, Storey remarked that, 1€ that was con- ceded, the absurdity of the argument ubout dls- franchislng unvbody was nflnurem. The cnses ated were before courts which had a right to dedde such matters, ‘The Board uu;ilxfluml- here to the law, or they could certify to any- thing. If they omitted a part, ¥ mleht everything exeupt tho certificate itsell, Would they civass tho vole simply on thatl Asto e decdsion of the Supreme” Court in the quo wurranto case, the Court sald, after aliuding to the fa:tthat it was objected thut there wos no poll-lists or tully-sheets kept: * We do not von- siler this, because In the replieations they do not uver thut the matters alleged affect the actual result.” Therefurs they did not declile It. How could that, he ~ sald, to be res adjudkatal It was an o author- ity directly opposite. ‘Fho Board had no authority exeept quasi-judiclul, und should vot undertakee to et astde” the fmportant re- quirements of the law, They should lunk and deo whether the returns, which Include the three papers, were dn foring they had nothing to do with tho questlon as to whether the stut- ute was maudatory or direetory. Mr. Hurd urzed toat the retiirn was tho cor- tifleate which the Judges made; and the tally- list was no more a part of the ofleal retun than the batlot-box and the ballots that were sealed up. The returnof n Constablo was not the property he took, bat the ofticial certilcaty which hie made upon the writ how he had exo- cuted the dutles of s oflce, Gen, Lich announced that there wero some corrections yet to be tnade [n the returus, and that the decision would be wade as suon us poa- slble,—perhups Monday, ‘The Bourd then udjuourned until 10 o’clock this morning, TIE PHECINCTS which aro apt to be thruwn oat, It any are re- Jeeted, ore thoss whers no tally-shicets were kent in, They ure the Second of the First Ward, Fourth of the Thlnl, Third of the Fourth, Fivst and Second of the Fifth, Second and Third of the Sixth, Eizhth of the Seventh, Third of the Elghth, First of the Nlum"l‘hlm and Fourth of tho Teneh, Second of the Eleventh, First of the ‘bwellth, all of thy Thirteenth, the Secoud of the Seventeenth, the First of Hyde Park, and the town of Worth, Thelr rujection would not muke us many changes s might be ex- pected, None” of the Congressmen would o _offected. On the County ticket (iross und Brockway would be defeated. On the legialative ticket, Roche, Itn‘mhllrnn, in the Fifth District, would be r«lnufi itered, and Sen- ntor Riddle, fu the Fpurtt: Diatrict, would b hard pustied, In the First District the Demo- eratle leghilative cundidates would lose wore than the Republicans. No one, of course, knawa what the declsion of the Canvassing Bourd will be, but one tling 18 certain: that whatever it inay be those most directly afTected will be prepared for It Thn Republicans who have been lnununl{ clected do not pmlmuu to be counted uut without a con- teat. Last evening sume af thase most Hkely to be affected by turowing out any part of the vote held o meeting, and rosolved, it the event of the Beard throwing out uny votes, to enjoln the County Clerk from lssulg any commissions, and at th suma tine to commence a contest for thels rights in the proper courts. —— Women's Rights ns Drovers. A recent Coundiun case was for $1,000 dam- ages fur u Mrs, Melutush for belugr “tirned out o & Great Wostern Italtway cur, T Foronts Globe reporta it “Tho action was un Impartant oney und s fully explalned fn Mrs, Mclutosh's evidence, * Bl eposed tiat at tho ine her piss wus refused she wis enguzzed {n th stock busl- ness, having got u loan ol §2,000 fram & number of gentlemen 1o carry it ong that sho bad fre- spuently ot drover's pusees from the station- aster nt Aylmer; that showas going to Toronty. with cuttlo, und by beig put ol thu truln tho contempluted salo'was lort, ller puss wos fe- fused by thoconducior,who declured, * No woin- an_can’ride on & arover's paes. iy Lordship [Judge Burtun] gave judgiuent for plaintifl, re- serving for cousldorution the umount of dayie ugen, — The Dust of Willlam Pean, PhliadelpAta Corresponidence Clecelund Plaindeater. ‘There 18 Mitle oceasion for begglug fn Philas delphiy, this city of homus and benevolent lustle tutlous; wud wmentioning Institutious reminds we thut the William Peun Hospital furnished s funny scene dn the stroct-cur last weck, Two clegantly-dressed youne ladles took thefr seats, aud when the conductos came for tickets the 1 at “Willlany l’n?nn'n grave, or a8 near it ns pos- sttt The man of the hell-punch seratehed his Dead for nn {dea. Finding none, he replied, “ You've pot the beat of me, ma‘am,” aud then turnlng tolyuun% waw, whose amile testifled his amusement, he asked for informuation. “William Penn died fn Enciand, and was buried there, I bebleve,' sald the wentleman, “Oh! I'msure you must be nustaken,” eald the damsel with the trizzes and flonnves, ¥ My sister saw his monument when shewashere, but I've forotten its cxact locality,’ Everybody was listening noi; the young man diin't care” to volunteer any more, atd Lo young women still sought for knowledge. "There was a_minute's patise, aluost as awlul as that 1 a dull prayer-mectings then a screne Qunkeress cama to the reseue, saying: *Thee will find the monument to Willlam Fenn's wmenjory In front of the Widlam Penn Hosplital ‘but his'dust is in England I e THE LIBRARIANS® CONFERENCE. Mr. W. F. Poolo on Popular Objections to Tublle Libraries. During the past monthajzeneral Conferenceof tho leading Hbrarlans of the country was held at Philadelphia, and much earnest nud efliclent work was done. As the Conference was held Quring the busicst periud of ihe lato political canvass, loss attention was given to {t by the Western press than it deserved. About seventy- five libraries, lncluding all thelargerinstitutions of Boston, Provjlence, N+ w Haven, New York, Philadelplia, baltimore, Cluclonatl, Indianapo- lis, und Chlcago, were represented. Delegates were also present trom mnearly all the North- western States, where, outside of New England, there Is more Interest in Nbrary matters than any other part of the country, It s a fact per- haps not gencrally known that there (s scarcely o town of any considerable sizo or enterprise in Illinots, Wisconsin, Towa, Minnesotn, Nebraskn, and Michigan, where o lbrary of somw sort has not already been started, orwhere such a project 18 not under conslderation. ‘The Conference was fn scasfon threo days, with threv sesstons o day of sovercl hours cach. Twelve papers wera reud hi’ experfenced lbra- rians ou tupies reluting to the profession; each aper belng followed by a general discusalon of l’ne subject, which brought out much [nterest- {ng informatiun concerning l|hrnr{ munugement amnd cconomy. A full report of the papers and dlscusafons will uppear in a double number of thy Awmerican Library Journal, which Mr, Ley- ]mlut, of thel'ubiishers’ Weekly, Now York, bas iud the entorprise to start, and of which the tirst number hus already appeared. The estub- lishment of a monthly jourual devoted oxclu- sively to library allalrs shows tho rapldly in- creasing Intereat in lbraries now belug devel- oped inour country, Awmong the subjects consldered was o scheme for turnishing printed catalogue-stins of nll new books from a central burcau, and a plan of co~ operntton by which the great sxpense of making and printing catalogues of llbraries might he reduced. The books In ono porulnrlllmlry are Erl.-ny much the same as In awother M- rury of similar slze and character. Instcad of cach lbrary belng at the whole expense of making aud printing its own catalogue, it was suggested that by cu-operation a general cululufun tnight -be pre- pared which would answer for a Tundred or more different Hurarles. The exvense of pre- pariog and printing catalogues has become o fm“' that the larger liuraries, ltke the Boston Publie Library, confeas to an fnability to print them, and give no promise of ever fssulng a goneral catalogue of thoir books, It has more und wore become the fashion to expand the pluns of catalottues, and, besides the author and lub{eut refereuce, to give the contents and analyses of yolumes, numerous crass-refarenees, biblivgraphieal notes, and information as to the compurative merits of works. Some cataloggues huve even one so far a3 to Include subjects treated in thy perlodicals which have appeared sinco Poole's Tndex was published, These cata- logues are uselul, but they are enormonsly ex- enslve. The catalogue of the Quincy (Mass,) Public Library, which 18 a model of Its king and was gottén up under tho supervision of Charles ~ Francls * Adums, Jr, s sald to have cost $3,000, and yet the M- brury contalns only 7.000 volumvs, Librarics cunnot ufford to pay for such cxpensive vata- lugues, which {n growing collectlons sovn are out uf date, and thelr librarians Luve not the bibllographical tratning pequired in making them, ‘The (nding-lista of thy Chicago Publie Library, which contaln la a classilied” arrange- ment the titles of Its entire collection of 50,H19 volumes, nud {3 sold at the cost price of 10 cants a copy, wad u new Idea to the lbrartans present, and wus Inspected as a curlosity of compactness and ceonomy. There [s also a vast amount of vuluuble matter fu volumes of easays aud mis- cellunles, collected works of authors, grencral blugrapliles, ete,, which s now prm{mlu- lost Liy veaders from The want of o reneral fudox to them, ‘The continuntlou of [Poole’s * Index to Periodleal Literaturc ! was the subject which lurgely coutributed to the cull of the Conference, and wiss on the minds of all present 8s a work thut must bo uccomplished, The periodical Jit- erature of the past twenty-five P'curn, i which all the lmpurtant questions which have arisen during thut period lave been discussed, I8 innee cessiblo and alnost useless from the wantof a new edition of that Index, with thie references brought dows to the present tlme, The author wus present, and was called upon to propuse sume plan by which the work could be vontin- ued. On all Sldes be was promised co-operation nud asslstance, Ie stated that ho bad spent four years of Lis 1ite in making the cditions of 1843 itud 1853, aud had never recelved o dollur of compensation for the labor. Ic had been waitings these many years for some other person to carry on the undertaking with the same mo- tive and upon (e same Lerms, und was ready Lo wirn over to bim the materlals by had coliected for a new edition. The person did not appear. The work of Indexing the perlodieal lterature of the pust twenty-live years was too large n burden to lny Illfmu one individeal. The Royal Soclety of London deetned the tndexing of sei- antitle serinls alone an undertaking worthy of ita lnrge resources, and the result was siX quarto volumes, He proposed o plan of co-operative lubor by which the work could Lo continued, und the references brought down to recont date, withinarcasonable tie. The plan was that each of the rrlnvipul lbrarles should index, under rulea which e would furnish, their proportion of the seriuls which it was proposed to fnclude, and to send the references nnerranged to a con- tral burcan, whera they woulld be exanined, re- vised, urranged, and incorporated with the mat- tor of the edition of 1853, which will be entlrely reprinted. Tuo work wil be clectrotyped, il every five years, or oftencr, o supplementary vohima In tinifori stylewil Lo fssucd, He was willing to sct ns editur aud superintend the work of the central burcau, and could lave, ns hiy ussoclate, Mr. Willilam L Fletcher, of the Watkinson lemry {n Hurtford, Coni., who was formerly hls asslstant in the Buston Athenmum, The proposition was received with the greatest enthusiusm and unavlmity, and all the lbra- rians presont: promised thelr co-uperation, A cammitee, conslating of Mr, Poole, Mr, Winsor, and Mr. Cutter, of Boston, wus appoluted to carry out Lhis arrsugement, The rule of the American Booksellera' Assncl- ation which prohibits the trads from supplying Hbrarics ut o greater discount than 20 per cent was discussed, utd declared to be *unjust, fm- polllth;.' und onu that ue Horardun s bound to re- Bhcel. Mr, Bpoffurd, of the Congresslonal T.Ibmr{. read a puper ou *Copyright In its Relation fo Librurles und Literatures” Mr, Winsor, of los- ton Public Library, on ™ Hulps to Reading; " Mr. Poole, of Chicivo Publie Library, on “Some Popular dh]cctloll! to Publle Libraries;* M. Evaus, of Iudlanapolls Publie Library, on % The Hize of Printed lookss ™ Mr, Barnwell, of Phila- delphla Mercantile Library, on A Unlversal atalugues * Mr, Cutter, of Buston Athen; i Preservation of l'umphleui" Mr, Gre Worcester Publie Library, on ¢ Personal Inter- vourse und Relations between Librarfans and Reuders_in Popular Libraries Mr. Guild, of Brown University Librury, on * Biblography us a Selency Mr, Rogers, of Warren Colnty Library, Whinois, on %\ Co-u perative Index for Fubiie Librurlea;™ Mr, Smith, of Vhiludelphis rar) Com ““{ ol “(inulllk‘lflunl of o Librarfans™ Me. Tomes, of New Vork Stato Livrary, on *Co-operative Catalogulug; " and Mr, Yutes, of Leeds (Engg Free Library, on The English Free-Library System, A permunent organization wus formed under the uame of “The Awerlean Librury Associne tion," of which the oflicers are: {'u‘nldem.. dustin Winsor, of Buston; Vi sldenty, A R, Spotfurd of Wasbington,' W, ¥, Poole of Uhivue o, Bl A, Homos of Alany 3 Secretury, Melvil awey of Wiston. ‘The American Library Journal Was anude the ofllclul orguu of the Assuclation. The Lullowing {Nl pur wus read before the Coulere ence by Mr.” Willlum ¥. Poule, of the Chicago Publle Library: BOME FOULAK OBJECTIONS TO PURLIC LIBRARIES, 1u thls papor § ehall wee tho term **public hbra- rlea™ au meuniing free, munleipul Ubrarics orgune lzed under btate luws aud supporied by genorat taxation. 'Thls deinition will ‘vxeluda from our notice o largs oumbue of librarivs established on wther foudations, sume of thew richly endowed und plrlhnll{ accessivlu ta tha publie. ‘Tho rapld Increase [u the nuniber and tmpartance of public librarics, both in this couutry und In Eni glaud, 1% perhapu the wost marked featuroof edue catlousl uvulnkmentdurhr the past twenty-Ove yearsi for within that belof pes the fret of thew was opened 1o the public, My wubject, us sunvunced du the progismme, re- quires mo to wpeak of pupulur uhfi»cx ol WAL Canfans that nanular sunrachstion o yet L thess wald have turnisacd n more attenctive theme, thelr fonndation {nvolves taxation, (hat protitie ranree of potitical cantroveesy, 5t I8 somewliat ra- narkable that in tag eleven States of onr Unlon where pablic-library statutea bave been enacted, #o little public discusston has acenrred, and w0 fow objectionn have been offered. 1 have heard of no Instance where such 8 U van proposed In o - Stale Ledis- Intnre and was defeated, That all the Northern Stateus, whero general efuent.on and the common- rchuol sy«tem nre catablished, have not by leginia. tion provided aleo for the publie 1heary—the nat- neal ity and eappement of that “ayrtem—in doubtleas owing to the fact thut the peupls have not adked for such Jegislation. Tho una- mmity of the vole by which towns have accepied taxation for the support of public Mbra- vles (s nipmilcant, ‘Tho Commissioncrof Edncat on atWashington recently made inqulricson this point, und received replies from thirty-seven towne an oties. In thirty-two of theao the vote woa unani. mons; in five there was o divided sontiment, but tha yoto was 1, 740 In taver to 316 ngainst taxation, ‘Tha vote of the rate-payors in xowe Engiish towns and citlen whete froe librarics have been estab- lishied was na followss Ayrs. Noes, 092 40 Notta i ulian, Cainbr k2] Oxfard, k1 Shetiiold, 211 h ldderintn 11 inekhura, 2 Dundee, a0 iy the In<t statistics of the Durcau nf Eduentlon, it anpenrs that there are 188 public Mbealries In cloven of the Lnited States. Of thees five_are Eustern Statesa—Maine, New 1lampshire, Ver- mont, Ma<machusctls, and Connecticnt; five are Westorn Stalos—Ohio, Indiana, Illinofs, Wiscon- and lowns and one in u Southern State~Tex. Llght of thewo States have pas<eil public- wrary etututes within the past ten years. 'In the uumber of ifbraries the Btates rank as followa: Massachueetts, 1275 Iliinols, 14; Now llampshire, 13, Oh'o, 0; Maine, #; Vermont, Conneciicut, and Winconsin, 4 cach; Indiana, 3; Towa an ‘I'exns, 1 each. In the number of voluniesthey runk as follows (in round nuinbera): Massachie sotts, 120,000: Ohlo, 144,000; lllinals, 77,0003 New Hamops«hire, 62,000: Mainc, 34,0005 Indinna, 20,0003 Vermont, 16,0005 Conneetieat, 1a, 000" Texas, 10,0003 Wisconsin, 06,000; Towa, 1,000, Thu agregate number of volumes in these libra- rios In 1,100,000, and their annual aggrogata clrcn- fation ls 4, 745,000 volumes, It s noticeablo that nn ona of thase libraries inin New York, Pennsyle vanln, or any of the Mlddle btates, The represen. tatlves from those States in this Conference mny be able ta account for this histus In the statlstics of the Burenu of Education, 1n this bricf aketch of Lhe statistics of onr Amer- Ican public librariea we have not found tuch eri- dence n!ynunlnruufijeulnn to thelr inception and orgnntzation, In Logland, however, whero the quiestiona of national schools, seculne schools, and purochlal schools arestill mootod, the fdea of e\{’ |nf; a geneeal tax for the support of u library frea to all, and furniahied with buoks adupted to the capn- cities of all clanscs, was nut In hafmuny with the traditions and public policy of thut people. In 1814, the wamo yeur that the Lowlslaturo of Mussachuactts, at tho suguestion of Joslah Quincy, Mayor of Doston passed an act suthorizing the'Cily af Boston to maintain a ‘mlxllc librury, Mr. Willlam Ewart, member of Parllament, moved i the House of Comuons for o Committee of In- quiry respecting librariea, Such a committeo was rujseéd, and Mr, Ewart waa appointed Chulrman, Much evidenco was taken; & revort was made; und In Febrnary, 1850, a bill was introduced inte the Inuse of Cominons enabling Town Councils to cs- fablish public llbrarice and muscums. **Qur brothren, the people of tho Unitad 5 Knya tho report, ** hiave nlroady antlel- puted s in the formation of IMrarlex entifely opon tathe pnblic.” The bl praposed limited the rato of taxation to ona halfpenny In the anld: ro- ‘rud tho stlirmative vole of two-thirds of the rate-paye tostelcted ity operation to towns which hind at Joast 10,000 nhubitanist and pro. vided thut tho money w0 ralca khuald be expended only in bullding o contingent axpenses. Tl bill, meagre indeed compared with the Iater ensctments of Parlument, met per- alstent opposition from the Conscrvative lenches, An ex-Chancellor of tho Excne- quer ublected becau<e it did not gmive sullicient owera to furm a llbrnr{; and he shounld object to t moro etrongly if it dld, Who wan Lo seloct tho books? Was every publication that Issued from the Eum 10 he procured? ar was thera to be o con. sorahip introducod? Another member claimed that the bill would enable a fow (lrlan! to tux the generul body of rute-payers for their own benofls, and the Hbrry would depencrate club, Col, Sihthorp thoueht t! howaver uxcel- lent food for the mind might foad for tho bady wus more needed by the people, ** 7 do not llke reading at all,” he sald, *‘and hated it when [ was at Oxfurd." ‘Lond John Munners sald he could not support the bill, because It wonld fmposo on - additional tax upen the asriculfural Interest. Mr. Sponner feared thess institutions mught be converted into normal achools of auita- tlon. Sz Roundull Palmer—since the Lord Chun- cellor of Englund —was most up&:mhenll‘w that the moment the :umpulmr{.prm:m & was Introduced, B positive check wold be imposed upon the volune tarey, -olmupxmllng deslro which existed among the people, divielon_ being taken on the biil, thera were 118 nyes and 101 noos. Tho bll passed the House of Commons in July, and the Jlouse of Lorda, without opposition, In August, 1850, ‘Tho Manchester, Liverpool, nnd Bolton free 1. brarien wwere inunediately organized nnder this act, the cost of the bouks heing defruyed by public sub- ecriptiont In 1853 eimilar feglalution” wos extend. ed ta Scotland und Trelond, In July, 1855, —the new librarles have gono into openition with the moat encouraging results, —a now and moro liberal library nct was passed, by a vole of three to une, which raised the rate of taxation from u halfpunny to n penny n the pound, and allowed the tncome to ho expended for books. Tts provisions were made to include towns, Loroughs, parlhcs, and districts hnvlr:fu populution of 5,000 (nhabitanty, aud permitted two ndjnlnln&usurhhos. having an sggregnto population of 5,000, to unlte in the shment of o library, In 1860 the 1thrary act’ was Ifl’fl Improved by removing the limit of population required, und reducing the the tvo-thirds vate on the acceptance of the librury-tax to a bare mniurll vote, I'ra. vislun was nlro mado for canes In which the over- scem of parishes refured or neglected to call a meeting of the rate-payers to voto on the question. Any ten rato-payers could socure th calling of Auch a meeling, nnd the voto there taken was made bind.ong and legal. The "English free-lbrary system 13 now so frmly astablishud that 1t wlll not e changed cxcept to expand und enlarge it. Its chief -u{ypnnm are the middie clnsses, the artisans and Inborers, who, with their fumnilies, aro 1ta wost numcroun patrons, Therecent extension of suffruge lu Enzland has wtrengthoned the system. No candidate for oficin] vosition who (:rrmned could hope tor succesn. It han been found that free brries have not dege cruted Into political clubs and schools of ugltatiu No trouble has arisen Inthe selection of bocke and no_censorship of the press was required. waa ut firnt nnrnuwd that ull books relating to re ligion und politici—the subjocts on which people quarrel most—must be excluded, Tho exporiment of fucluding tha books was triod In the Manchestor and Liverpool libruelos, whoro the books wero pue- chaded by privaty subscriptlon, and no controversy arlsing therefrom, oll appeehenslon of evil from thiscauno wad ollayed. Parllument doubled the rato of taxation, and permitted the purchase of books from the public funds, Tho adaption of the compulsury system has not imposed check on the voluntary oud _self-support. In, desire of [mll!ulnf boal which cxlvted among the pcople. It has strength. enud that desiro; and amplo proof of this atate. ment could be furnished if the prescelbed hmits of this paper would permit, It 1w singular that vbjections to public lbrarles havecome mainly from en—as we have seen from the debate 1a the British Farllament—who uro educated, and in general matters of public wellary are fntelhgent above thoir fallows, " Theso objece ticns, huwever, were uttered beforo fhie porsuns waking them hnd glven tho subject uny attentivn, and hf"lcu they wero disqualified from ontertalning an opluton. Neurly all the ohjections to publicilbrarios which inve been uxpressed fu this countey,—and thess appoar mory frequently in private’ conversation thuu dn the public priits—muy be classed under three heads: 1. The wniveranl dread of taxation, cost money. loud there rote of fnta n politienl Librarics In evory city und town of the 1o 8 fecling that the present taxution I8 all that the _property and Iness of tha placo will hear. “Lhile feel existed beforo the taxes were one-half thelr present rates. There s gonerally rivalry amony our cithes und tawne {u the walntenance of good wehools; und lucalltivs which furnlsh the ust fuchlitlea for cdiication are regurded ns the most desteublo places for rosidence, —Viewed shin- ply us o uatter of lmhllc economy, no clty can af- ord to dispenee with ite - educational system, or 1o permit it to degonernte. ‘I'he publlc library uivo should Lo malutained av tho lu]!K)ulmsul of the public schiool, careying forward the cducation of lIm pw‘llnla from tho point where the public achool cavee It, 2 ‘Uliere are cerfatn thooretica) objections uito) edto the eytablirhment und maintenatcs of pu lic Wbrartos, Ono t4 that the llbrary tax un- vqually upon the peoplo, Somu persons o not carg to read boukw, and othiors prefee o puy for thelrown reaaii’ Tho sume uhjection {w qulte o valid ugainst suy wystems of public edu- cation, To” uy the” burden of education uni- formly upon property, aud o tax the owner who tun 1o chiluren, or, hiving children, prefees to ed- cate thiem 6t private schouls, s anothor glaring uco of inequality, ~No txution fur the main- tenince of publle heajih, the Introduction of Water and gan, the coustractlon of rouds, bridges, and wewors, bears equully upon every momber of thy comumninity, 1f poricet equality In the distribution of these burdens were o ucru-ur un orgunized municipality would Le un imposwibliity, l‘urhu}u the most pupular ubjection to public If- hraries fu the one urged by the fuw disclples of Merbert pencer, —that government haw no legitie wate function exeept the protection of person and propurty, o the ezl compact of wociety 1y situply for b purposs of = protectlon, - All vy 1% paternul, pertulns to” the comimune, and tends ta perpetusl antagonism. The Gove grument way. wupport b pollce, ‘coutte of us- teo, privond, poultentiurivs, und similar fnsgltus tlons, and cun do nothing elee. How ura the people under this thuory to be edu-~ cated? ‘Fho reply lo explicitt Unlesa they will vd- ucaty themeelved, thoy oro not to bo cducated, llow I8 the public Lealth Lo be wajotalned? It is not tn ba maintained by auy ioterference of Gov- Iurnm:nt. a; Who {8 to bulld brldges und sewers and Tuiwgine, It it be h a Utopian theory Buch a govermwent fortunately [ not, snd never did, exist on the fuce of tho globe, The ‘‘yencral welfure "—which Includes rotection—ts exproasly stated fu the preamble of hu Nutioos! Canatitution to be the purpose of our Uovernuient, aud the same exprosy nearly sl the State Conutltutions fonnd in Watovor thelr )nl?flmv‘m. canduce (o the cvoncral wels fare, {8 & legitimnte k\lll{flll for governmental ace tion. *CThe only orthodox ohjeet of the Iwtitg - tlon of government," says Mr, Jeil recnre the grentest degree of happl pussible tg the general mass of those asanciated ander §t,' Herhert Spencer wroto hin **Raclal Statica ” bafore the Brit.sh Parlinment passed annct for the sup- Imri of public libraries. 3Mr. Fiwart's bill was then heforo Parlinments and Mr. Spencer, fn that worlk, tonk oceanion to (ling & aneer st it. In the preface of his Amerlean edition, written in 1861 he rintas, without remaodeling the text, that **the \\rm: does not accurately represent his present oninons, ' 3, The third and last class of objections to pub- Ile Mbrar.ea to which Taliall dircet your attentlon relutes to tho kind and quality of tha huoks efren- tated. Theae objectlons, which are nsually mudo by cducated and scnolarly persons, are bosed on an cotite misconception of (he facta In the case, Tho objectors do not divest (hem- relves of the old tden that Nbrarler aro extablished for the excinelve Lenefit of scholars; wherens the urposc of theee In to furnish reading for all clansen n the community, On no other principle wonld a @eneral tax for ihelr snpport bo jusiifable, T'ho marscs of a community have very little of Ilterary and acholarly culture, They needl more of this cultare, aud'the purpose of “tho Ilbrary ts to de- yelop and increane It. This Is done by placing in thelr hands siich booke an they ean read with pleas. eure and appreciate, and by stimulating them to acquire tha /abit of reading, We must first in. terest the reader hefore we can cducate hilm: and, ™ this end, must commence at his own standard of intelligence. The scholut, In his pride of intellect, forgeta tho progresivo steps ha tunk In hils own mental development—the storiea read to him in the nurscry, the boy's Look of adventure in which ho reveled with delight, and the sentl. mental novel over which hiebed Lears In his rnmln Onr objector supposes that the masses will read books ¢ f iratanderd If they were not sup with the hooka to which he objects; but ho 1s ls- tuken. Bhnt up to this cholce, they will read no Louks, Whon the Lnbit of reading ls ouco nc- atired, the reader's tante, and heace the quallty of his rEudlnL’.J’m}lerlvcly Jmproves, The standard historles,” tuchnlcal works of actence, nnd even Shakapeare’s piays and 3lilton's *'Faradiac Lost, " are acaled bovka to a Iarger por- tlon of every community tian sre willing to ne- kno\\luwl.' ihe fact, ‘*When a Imt'."nuld John (imn:y damis, U1 attempted ten times to resd Mliton's * Puradise Lost.' 1 was mortified, cven to tho shedding of toars, that 1 could not conceive whint It was that my father and mather so much ad- mired {n that hook. T smoked tobacco and read Miiton at the same time, and fur the same motlve —t0 tind out what was tho recondite charm in them thot gave my father so much pleasure, After making mysclf s.ck four or five times with emoking, 1 mastered that sccomplishments but 1 4id not master Milton, 1 was nearly 30 years of ago when | fiest read * Parndlse Lost* with Gellght and nstoulshment, 1t our objectors mourn over the standard of booka which are read by the public, they may he cansoled by the fact that, ns a cale, peoplo read bouks better than themscives, and henco aie benes fited by reading, A book of o lower Infellectual or woral standurd than the reader's Is thrown asldo in disgust, to be pleked up and read by a persvn stlli lower in tho scale of muntal and moral duvels opment., 1do not Jament, or Join {n tha clamor sometimes raised, over the statistics of prove fictlon circu. lated nt public llbearies. \Why this lamentation overone mpeclfic furin of flction? The wrters of euch proxe tictlon rs la found in_our llbraries were as eminent and worthy men and women o8 the wrlters of poctleal’ fctlon, dramntic fle- tlon, ar, 1 might add, the fetlon which [efos in the world ns history and blography. flstory professes to relato uctunl o 5 ography to deseribe nctual lives, snd scienco to unfold” and cxlflnin natueal laws and physical plienomena. Fiction trents these and other wuh- cctt, mental, moral, sentimental, and divine, Trom an ldent or nrtistic atundpointy and the greut s of readers prefer to tike their knowledgs n thid form. More Is known to«duy of thu history and traditions or Scotlund, and of the kocial cuse toms of London, from the novels of Sir Waller Scott and Chiarles Dickons than from all the his- tories of thosa lucalities, Fiction 1stho art ele- ment In literature, and the wost enduring monn- ments of genlua In the Hterature of ooy people are works of the imaginstion, It in suid that thero dw much poor fictlon, and the statement Is true. 5o there are many poor pictures and_poor statuce, eretched chromus and more wrotched uluster casts. “That these productions find surcliasers Ia evidence that there are persuns whoea deal stundard of excellenee 8 even below these feeblo efforls, and they are educated thereby, But there arc novels, wo are told, which are Im- ‘moral and poullh‘ul{ debremy, So there nre im- morul paintings and Indecent P astic objects. Tho art of ‘photography, I am told, s debuned to thy lowest purposes, Nobody would think of ubject- ing to art becuuso It can be and I8 desraded. ~The librarinn who should sllow an immoral novel In his library tor clrculistion wouald bo as culpuble as the manager of a picture-gallery who should hang an indecent plcturo on hls ‘walld, people, agaln, we are told, read too many novels, 50 they eat too much, pluy too much, go too often Lo the luke to bathe, remalu too lengin the water, und do oo much of I:\‘urylhlnli: m which they take kl‘mclnl detight. The iomudy s not to deprive chlldren of thers plensicen, but that pareuts and guardlans should regulate them, 1 ave never met 8 person of much lterary culture who would uot confeas that at sume perlod fn his fe, usually in his youth, ho hud resd novels ex- ceaslvely, “Hid special Intorest In them suddenly cenrcdl, © Ho found himsolf with o confirmed habit of readine, an awakenud hnagination, a full vacaoulury, snd a taste fur other und higher clusses of Jiteraturo, A novel was read oceasdlonally in later | Ife us recreation in the midst of profcs- slonul or technical studlos, My observation nd- dresscd to this point, and extonalny overa hibrary experlence of thirty years, has confirmed o in tho Lellef that there tain the wnental devclopment of ey poreon who luter attalns (o fieraey cuituro & limiied period when bo cruvos novel-readng, and porhaps reads novels to exceus; but from which, t the desire lm};rlllfled. he fluunen safely out [nto won, *t g o broader tlelds o nmdr. and this craving nover re- turns to bim in its original form. Agaln, and finally, wo are told that the resding of fictlon should be discouraged because ft 14 not frue, What dopartment of Iiterature s true¥ Is it history? Whose history of tho United Staten, for [ustunce, Is the trie history? s it Duncroft's? Mr. Buncroft for furty ycars has Dbeen chunging tho plates of his work 10 “nn extunt that In pages we can scarcely recognize the orlginal text, and latcly he has revisid the whole in the new Centennlal aditlon. The accurute stutent of epe- claltied in American history will talk to you by the hour of misetatements and errors found fn this new Isnme, Whore history of the reigus of Henry VIIL and. of Queen Elizabeth ls tho true onoi In it llume's, Turner's, Lingard's, or Froude's? ** Do not road to me lilatory," sald n sick monarch, *+that I know i a le, ~ Rtead to me something thit {struo.” Ia blozraphy true? Which of the scors of lives of Mary Queen of Scots Is the true blograuhy? 1o thoology trme? Whoss fa the truo body of divinity? Ts scionce truer Why wos It neceswary to rewrlte oll the wcience In the vighth edition of the "En:yulugedm Britannicn™ for the nlnth cditlont Homer's ** liad, " Danic's divino comedy, Suakapeare’s **llumict." wnil *' Othello, ** do not reguira to_ he rewritten evers ten or twenty years, **The Vicar of Wakefleld, " **Tvanhao, " and **Robinson Crusve,” hiave held and will hald ther own from gencration to genors- tion without ruvision. becauso they are ldeally true plictures of human life and human noture, Shull we say that in lterature nwil sclence {here hs nothing true but fiction and thie pure mnthowatics? 1n the public lbraries which ate growing up in our land, tully four-iifths of the muney appra- priated for bovks [a speat In works adapted to the wanty of acholars, 1y the larger Iihrurion thy bro- portlon is even grealer. 1t (v hardly beconiing fur ucholure, who enjuy the llon's share, to object to the small prouort onal uzponditure’ for - books auopted to the wauts of the masscs Who bear thy burdan of tazat Mr, Edward Edwards, of the Manchester Libra: speaking, in 1850, of novels and romances, which by circulated mnore lru{ than & dono Inany American Hbrary, remarked ns followa: **1t may be trathfully safd that at ue previous perjod in the history u lish literature hin prove te. tlon been minde, i sogrint & degreo us of late cars, Lo vehiclé of the beat thonghv of sume of he beet thinkers, Nor, taking it as u whole, was it ever before characterized Ly so much general purlty of tone of loftincss of purpose,'* OCEAN NTEAMSHIES, STATE LINE. NEW YO‘I‘IK & ST, AND 1. HTATE OF SVLVA! BTATEOF VIRGINIA., Aud every alternaty Thilrad Buyand k1w, acconiiog t u 1 ficketa, il to 8133 currency. ecood Gibin, g45, RTINS T R O Belrorat o, PP 0 AL ., Gene J. WALIRATK, Ma 64 Clurk-at.. Chicayn, North German Lloy ‘The steminers of this Company will sall every Satur- lay from lremen Pler, foot of Third-st., Hoboken, Nutes of pussago—From New York to Buuthanipion, Loud avre, and lremen, Anst ¢ , $1(0} sccon] bl oo, nu||fl|‘llc¢nm‘. cyrrah For frolaty T pisige abply 10 L B SENARRRRY 3 Nowltnu ireon, New Fork. ANCHOR LINE MAIL STEANERS BOLIVIA, Notv i e ASETIA, Dec.2. 08 L1VIA, Nov. au e, 8 m EATR, Nov: i 1ol | AXEROIY D nar ew York (o Ulasguw, Liverpool, or Lundouderry. Cablog, $03 10§31 Internicdtuty, '§33; stcerage, 2k ow Yark and Lotons ANGLIA, Nov, 1% 7 sinj UTOPLA, uu’gA 37am Cabins $3%, to ¥70; Bleersie, $25, Dratts lated for wiiy amountat current ratéa. - MENDERSON WRUTHERS, ) Wushingion-at. 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N ) wyva Lonads, Frangeul, Batiiripg, & fusie, Polizolz, "Haturday, Trudelle, Rumrm{. ee, 14, fonenee i KO0 (ncliding ‘win %120 "aceunling 'to xocomin \Ed cabinn, 840, " Heturn 1) With muperor aec, wine, heiiling. t ceo b and utena steamers my AR, Or W, F, WHITE, 07 Clarios ~ AMERICAN Ling PHILADELPHIA AND LIVERPOQ; Cabln, Intermodinte, and atecrage passgzs oo AT LOWEST RATES, o Qeneral offce, }.';sl }.:& nlle. o M 't comer yfay Western saoaom — L ) s SSIONAL BISUOP NELLMUTI (o1 fggs,” + LONDON, ONTARLO, CANADY, Afford the higlest Intellectual and ¢ catlon (o the mana and daughtop o 10 edn. very maderato churos, ULIERs of gentiinen yy e Colleges ara ona mile npart, a supplled with an ablo M and are pop ilopean teachere, "1 ©F expsrienced reuiieyy IELLMUTII COLLEGH a B 230 per annum, including a1l ¢ : OYS) Sk barzes, LELLMUTH LADIES' QOLL $350 per annum, RO Teduetlon to clergymen, Y very mivantageous torme, o017 Scholarships o pYijnclpal und Chaplaln~Rev. 1L . Datygyy, wr ERESORTS, o THE ROYAL VICTORIS g Nomoven 1 Fon P, SLANDS, < CO,, 708 Brondwvay, Now A £leam. Vo fali D& ARRIVAL AKD DEPARTURE OF TRATYS Ezplanatinn 0, Refrrence Markt.—1 sy cepted. ¢ Sunday exc, A oy ooty ez, FIVaBiinday a8 2. w7g iy, Moadareccen L’y 310 OHIOAGO & KORTHWESTERN RAILWAY. afacific Fast abuvuque Day kX, alhiigaug kve Expross . bMilwaukee Bassongo ol Pussenger s 4, ACrussc EExpress, U¥arquetta Express. atceneva Lake, ord, blicneva Lakn EXpress ..., a=Depot corner of Welisand Rinzle D—UUII’W‘COI’IWI of Cannl and lil;:§|§ MICHIGAN CEXTRAL RA doliliy A ot Taier House -t COHGFOr iy Matl i"l Main and AlrLino), Doy Express, Knlamazoo Accommodntion.,, Atloutle Express (aliy), Right Express, Grund Ruptds and i Norulug kxpross. Night Lxjiress, 1 Baturdav Ex. » Sundav Ex. § Monday OHIOAGO, ALTON & ST LOUTS and OMIOADD KANBAS CITY & DENVER SHORT LINES, Unfon Depot, West Sidv, uear sdbwicst. oridgs, Tlekes Oufocs: At Dejot, aud 122 Handolph-s, wa 1* 400, . 150, m, § Klnlufilzy&.ncnrerl’u Bl Lunis & Springiold L. Louls, Bpringield & Toxis, 18 KU . . . 1, O, 1, A Peorin, Kéokuk & Chicagos Paducuh B I, Btreatvr, Lacon, Waxii'tun doHet & Uwigue’ Adccomndat i) Hatl vin Mafn Line, speclul X, Y. Expre Atiant(o Expr Coletunr Avcomiiudation’ Nlght Expiress.. CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE, & 8T, PAUGL RAILRIAD Unlun Depot, corner Madison a0 Canataiy, Tizaet Uttice, i 50uth Clark-t., opposlte Bhiermag Hadss, ahd ut Depot. 230, m. ¢ 7509, m +10:000. m. * 4:00p. . gt T s 503p. m. 111008 m icousil & Minuesota Thiro'| Niaht Exnreste. ool [T s 008, . AV iraina run_vin Milwaakee. “Tjeieis for 8, Pl an Minneapolls art qood alther iy Madison and Urairia B0 CUIEN, oF via Wateriowh, Lo Crosé, and Wiiana ILLINOIB CENTRAL RAILROAD. Depoty fout of Lakieest. wind fout of Twuityscondae ket Oice. 134 aUUIph-at., Near Clari. el o Expr £t. Louls Express B U L) T, n Calio & New Orleand EX Cafro Nighe' Ex. Bprgne i & ie Bpringniciu' Bight. Exprosy, Feuria and Keokuk Kxpy Dubuquo & Sloug y I Dubijue & Sious Gllan Passctiger fRI0Ac0. rL.I'PmID bk w“Y.mflE‘.fl’i? cula, fubtuf Lukeat., Iviluia-av, und Cannl aud Kixiceuth-sta. licket Otices 3/ iirk-st., and a¢ depote, FPSESTPT R |{FE3EgSEEER Mall and Express. .. Uuawi aud btreator i City, . Alchivgh &'5t. “osept 14 firura Vanswiiier ndota, Ulliws & Streator Paxe N Ti0 funx Il e . (0r Ounaia | 110:00 . 1 3 U e ity Liavenwarii, Atchizon & '8t Dosenh Downer's Qrove Acconnio. ' oy Ace Downei Teans o i arsat AND R Clurk: lun sulldin. ERIE Ticket Ofiicea. Luctie, pud Al dopol, sajo Toave, | Arne. T T ig-itdon stevptng Cars, (o) New York W‘U{’UUI eliaug #:508. m.| 8:108 O Atlantie ' Kxpress — Pathai dulaceDrawlig-ltovm Sl g Curm i e £:08 p. M. _fl:ll’lt n. ~Gly Viae FuRing the fotel vara to New York, OHI0AGO & Depot corner Chic Hieket uillvy U0 Ll 181GBuay exCepiE BALTIMORE Ay n iton cl-ofticen: &3 Clark-ai. i ad Dapot (Expositio fuliding).__. Acepted. BOCE Z paqLeiu BATLEOATY 0AG0, EOCK TELAND & Pagitly RATUROAY bl QT o YIS, Slbrinan, b ok RE tiwaukee, etc., dally (suudde o MRS ave butit For Ludiugiot, . Thursdus. MEDICAL, PRESORIPTION FREE, . g S e A hood, and kil dik st ou b s exceda., Auy DI U4 G0 Claulanath O«