Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, November 22, 1876, Page 4

1A :@Im Tribme, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1876, 877 bubarley. One hundred dollars in gold would buy $109.75 in greenbacks at tho closo. i TERMS OF BUBSCRIPTION. SAYABLE IN ADVANCE—POSTAGE PREFAID AT TILS OPPICE. 1y Fdltlon, postpatd, 1 yea B 0% & year. permonth, g.ang sidrom Itlon: Lite: Sheet ,. t1-Weelkiy, potipaid, 1year. VR ot & yekr. vor thonth 'WBERLY EDIT Bpecimen copfe To prevent delsy and mistakes, be sure and give Post: i Office address In full, including Btate and County. Remittances may be made either by draft, express, Toat-Oftice order, or In reglotered letters, at our risk, 7ERMS TO CITY SURSCRIDERS. Dally, delivercd, Bunday excepted, 25 centa por weok, Dally, deitvered, Sunday Included, 30 cenla per week dress THE TRINUNECOMPANY, Cornkr Madiron snd Dearhorn Cuicago, 1k AMUSEMEN' McViekern Thentres < Madison _atevet. botween Dearborn snd, State. En;}remenr.or:l:fi Kellogg OperasTronpe. —+*Blar of ‘the North," Adelphl Thentre. carner, Dearburn, ** Around the ays." Afternoon snd cvening. Monroe_ stree World in Elghty Haverly'a iThentre, andolph strect, hotween Clark und Tasslle. Fne & me;‘;‘:fl Stuatt ltobson. ** Twoblen of sandy Dar, " TFEroon and evcalog. New Chlcago Thentre. Clark ssreet, between Randolph and Lake, Hooley's . Mipstrels. Afternoon and evenlog. . Wooil’s Nusernm. Monroe atreet, Letween State and Dearborn. . Caas for Divorce.” Afternoo: evenlng. SOCIETY waA TINGS. CHICAGO CHAPTER, No. 127, R. A. M.—Spectal Convocation thia {Wednésday) evenlng wt T ucloc dn tho hall, 13§ Twenty-second Worlk on tlie Snd M. k. B Degreer, Viatiing Compaulous cordially nvited, "BY order of T, Bee, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1876, 3 Greenbacks at tho Now York Gold Ex- Q change yesterday closed at 01}, { Alarge portion of our space this morn- ; ing is dovoted to the chronicling of the in- | toresting religious exorcises in connec- ! tion with tho session in this city of the 1 Ohristian Convention of tho Rorthwest,~—an ;uggrcgnuou of pious peoplo who havo nt + heart the advancemont of tho cause of * Ghrist, and who have como together to take : counscl concerning the,furthor prosecation ; of tho great work inaugurated by Mr. Moopy % in Chicago. Tho proceedings yostorday were . chiefly preliminary to tho regular buainess of } the Convention, but will be found of inter. + eat nevertheless. 5 . Bome progress has been made in Florida i looking to the final counting of the vote cast : at tho recent election. ‘Fho Circuit Court at + Tallapoosa has enjoined Gov. Stzanns from ! conyassing the returns of the Elcctorel vote, i and the Board of Onuvassors Lave been or- + dered by b writ of mandamus from the same ! suthority to begin their work. Meanwhile, { tho votes of tho * alligator” countles are % presufued to bo making their way toward the § capital. It may well bo supposed, from tho ; tardiness which has charactarized the count- .| ing in these swampy districts, that the mode : | of conveyanco is by slligator express, ‘i A correspondent in this morning's paper 1} brings to notice n subject which shonld re- i} ceive the prompt nttention of the municipal 1} suthorities, viz.: thoe necessity of immediate aud thorough mensuros to check the alarming ravages of kearlet fever in this city, aud save .7 the lives of bundreds of children who have 7 thus far escaped the drend infection. The ‘! regulations and procautions, vaccination ex- copted; that have been so successfully em- + ployed in sensons of small.pox visitations, ; should not Lo omitted now that searlet fover, adiseaso equally dangerous, to say tho lenst, *" rogea with great virulenco and fatality, Itis .+ 8 matter calling for immediate action by the +} Commien Council aud Health Department. }; Itis doily becoming moro and moro ovi- j dent thnt the aim of the South Carolina De- -moeracy was throughout tho eampaign to ‘eloct Gen. Wape Haxrron Governor, the - » success of the TrpeN Electoral tickot being . ; but o secondary object. Even Haarrox on :t).xo stump avoided all mention of national , issues oxcept where, on ono oceasion, ho "\ voluntoered the remark that personally ho « + Tihd no objection to the election of Hayes and . 'Wazeres, Another important fact, nnd one ' which will inspires littlo courngo in the | . hionrts of Gen. Barvorrn KeeNan's mon in ;‘ buckram, is the generally couceded disin. .y clination of the South Carolina voters to i ‘buclkle on their armor in defonse of the k '; Great Railrond Wreoker and hislond-mouthed ¥ Vbackers, 'The nction of the State Suprome .+ Court virtunlly mottlea tho question as to ‘) Governor and Elcators, giving tho former to \ Haneroy sud tho Intter to Haves, ’ An interosting history of the Twenty-sac- i ond Joint Rule, about which so much has i boen heard as the main relianco of the Dom. 1 ocrats to placo in the power of the Houss to | dofent tho canvass of the Electoral vote in . tho event of Haves' alection, is furnished , this morning by o Washington correspondent " who haa given tho subject a thorough over- * houling, It appears that to LvatanInuMnorr, { who is now ongngod as volunteer apologist 'and defondor of tho Louisiana bulldoscrs, belongs the doubtful honer of having for- mulated the Twontysecond Joint Rule, which he first udvocated, them misunder- i 1 stood, mext ropudiated, and now upholds - sgoin, Tortunately for the country, this % U precarious specimen of Judgoe Tnompurr's s i gonius as u legislator died a natural death at 3t i tha close of tho Forty-third Congress, and, ¥ not huving been rasurrected Ly tho Forty- fifth, it is uo more in force than a5 though i it Liad nover existed. e———me— i The Chicago produce markoets woro dis- . posed to quiotness yesterdsy, and tended ii downwards. oss pork closed 120 per brl % lower, at $15.82)@15,85 for the yeor and { © $15.00 for January. Lard closed 17jo per ,, 100 1bs lower, nt §.80@9.82) for the year or sellor January. Mepts weore a shade ensier, at 6o for new slioulders, boxed, 8jo for Qo short-ribs, and 8}o for do short-clears, -, Highwines woro stoady, at §1.08} por gallon, ! Flour was in better demand aud firmn, 3Vhent * closed jo lower, at $1.10} for the month and « $1,11 for Dgeémmber, Corn closed j@jo * lower, at 4540 for Novembor and 44jo for Deceber. Oats closed {@c lower, at 82} . for November and 83e for December, Rye i was 2§@30 bigher, st 65}@600. Barloy olosed ! 10 lower, ot 095@100 for cash aud 70@70}c December. The hog mnarket opened tiveat Su advance, but later the advance as lost, prices closing steady at £5,76@0.00 b for packing grades. Cattle wero dull and ir- 4 £ yegularly lower, with sales ot $2.25@5.25, Q fhoep were in demand at £3,00@4.50, Last » Baturday evening there was in store in this - folty 2,882,083 bu wheat, 422,403 bu corn, 1 436,254 bu oats, 167,091 bu 3ye, aud 1,068, By PPN - SR known to have beon clected wod begun by tho Democrats in their sceming desporate necossity for counting ITaves out and TrLoey in whon it became known that the votes of the three disputed States being in tho bal. ance, and it is amusing o seo their chickons coming homo to roost. The discovery is mado that two of the TiLpEN Elcctors in Connecticat are ineligiblo by reason of hold. ing offices of trust and profit undor the Fod- eral Government. It is neithor to bo ex- poctod mnor desired that these two Electors, who wero falrly and honestly clected to voto for Mr. Troew, should be displaced by Republican Electors ‘who wero olected by a majority of the votors of Connecticut, The intont of the votors shonld govern, and if for any reason these Electors are disqualified, their places are to be filled with Electors who will vote as they would havo voted and na the people intonded thoy should vote. That is the only safe and just principle, whether applied to ineligible TrLorN Eloctors in Connooticut or ineligiblo Hares Electors in Wisconsin, Vermont, Oregon, or Louisiana. The cable furnishes mews this morning which, if published in England two wecks ago, would have saved some of the London papers n vast amount of windy and suporflu- ona disgruntlement on aceonnt of tho sup- posed danger to British interests through the Russian oconpation of Constauntinople. Tho details are now made public by the Foroign Office of an important interview between the Ozar and Lord Lorrus, the Eoglish Ambasan. dor ot St. Petersburg, in which the former declared in the most earnest and positive manner his policy in the Turkish complication, pledging Lis sacred word of Lionor that Russia had no intention of eequiring Turkish territory or of occupying Constantinople. A full report of this inter- view was nt tho Czar's request forwarded by Lord Lorrus to tho Homa Governmont, togother with the specinl desire of the Ozar that it should bo published in order to allay the canscless disquictude prevalent in En- gland in connection with the Eastern ques- tion. Nothing could bo more explicit and unmistakable than this plain declaration of Rusaia’s purposes and intentions respeocting Purkey, and it ought to make of England an ally instead of an onemy. THE COMING SESSION OF CONGRESS. On tho 4th of Decomber, or less than two weeks, Congress will meet by law in tho last mession of the present Congress. 'T'wo weeks Inter, tho Electoral Colleges will meot in their several States and vote for President and Vice-Prosident. At least two States bave not yet definitely aacertained tho state of the popular vote, and the official declara- tion of tho Electors appointed may be pro- tracted until the ove of the Electoral meot- ings. DMuch depends on the character of the proceedings leading up to the decision in Iouisiana and Florida whother Congress shall renssemblo prepared to engage in prac- tical mensures of legislation, or whether it shall meet in an angry, excited tomper, ani- mated by n flerco partisan spirit, and in the expectation of strife and national bad feeling. While wo do not believe there will bo the least occasion for any controversy over the declaration of tho result of the Presidential oloction, thero iy the possibility that demac gogues may so inflame a portion of the people that, for tho first time in our national history, the elcction of a President may be accompaniod with disorder. It Congress, thorefore, shiall renssemnblo on the 4th of Decomber with the Presidentinl election overshndowed with any suspicion or taint of froud, illegality, injustice, or unfair- ness, it is likely that the wholo session will ba dovoted to an angry aud heated discussion of that subject, o matter by no means cal- culnted to restoro coufidence and credit at homae or abrond. Wo will not, howaver, assume such a con- dition of affairs g0 long as there is n possi. bility of avoidingit; we have faith in the in- telligenco and patriotism of the people; and wo do not beliove thera ia any considerable portjon of tho people, outside of mere ofiice- seokers nud gamblers who have money at. stake, who havo the ronotest idea of any dis- turbanco or violenco to overthrow or defeat tho resnlt ns may bo determined by those charged with the responsible duty of declar- ing who has been elected. Civil war is not desired by any one, and no man wants to have n President choson by the arbitrament of arms. In caso Mr. Tizpey bo elected, what will the Democratio party do within the threo months of the coming sossion ? At tho last peusion it begun several things aud accom- plishied nothing. It boguu a great number of iuvestigations and concluded nono of them. 1t fuiled to establish much that it sttemptod | to do. It succeeded in besmirching sevoral veputations and oxposing some irvegue larities and imwproper practices, despito tho denials of those implicated. As a whole, howover, it failed in its investigations, ex- copt in the cxposure of BzuxNar. Will that party resume theso iuvestigations where it loft off last July, or will the election of TipeN bo accepted s o satisfactory ac- complishment of all that was intended or expected to result from such inquirics ? ‘Phat party alko promised the country a ro- form in tho rovonuo Inws, and especially in tho tariff. It, howover, made no serious at- tompt to do this at the Inst session; in fct, the Democratio Houso failed to consider the question, and, beyond a specct by Mr, Mon- uwox and one by Mr. Buncianp, nothing was gald or done on tho subject. In like maunner, Congress met Inst December intent upon the reformntion of the currcney. After nine monthy of deliberation the llouso was unable to reach an approval of euy one of the thirty or forty propositions on that sub. ject. All that was done was to pass the bilt to repeal the date fixed for tho resumption of specio paymonts, which bill it was intend- ed should remain unacted on by the Scnatg. Will tho 1louse ('l'iLoex being elected) tako up and act on cither of thesequestions 7§ The next Cougress will not, ordinarily, meet until Decomber, 1877, and the Democratio party con hardly be consistent if it leave the coun- try an ontiro year under tho finnncial and revenue vegulations and policy of the Re- publican party, withont making some effort to reform them, asd to make good its promises of a restoration of bLotter times. Wil tho Domocratio party (TiLozy being clectod) allow tho next scssion of Con- gress to poss away like the last, without an attempt to legislato on either of tho several points on which it Lss so many outstanding unfilled promises: 1. The correction of tho currency, 2, The reform of tho rvevenue laws and tho reduction of taxes, 8, ‘The reduction of tho expenses of the Goverument, especially by the xeduction of the nrmy ; tho closing of thé navy-yards and tying up of the navy; the reduction of tho civil servico by the dismissal of many thou- sands of ofticials, and tho reduction of the salaricsof others; by tho reform and reduction of the compensation of the diplomatic and consular sorvice, and the genoral cutting off of all offices not indispensnble to tho public sorvics. This iatho policy to which it is pledged. Will it, at the coming session, so framo the appropriation bills ns to énnble Mr. TiLoxn to bogin his reforms under the reformed legislation of hisparty in Cougress, or will it postpone reform and distribute the patronago among thoss who have * helped the party "? THE BLACK VOTE. The most frequent utterance upon the lips of Domocratie partisans is tho mnlicious and venomous exprassion that the Democratio party will nover submit that Haxes shall be elected President by the negro voto, and yet they aro willing that Truoex shall bo elected by the negro voto, and are not only willing but are actually stealing that vote in order that Lo may bo President. An oxamination of the Electoral vote of tho South will show that, if Mr. Tizven is clected nt all, 2e must be elected by negroes, 1o cnnnot havo a ma. Jority of the Electoraljvotes in any other man- ner, Ono or tho other of tho candidates must be elected by the negroes ; simply be- enuso TiLoey and Haves havo exhausted the white Electoral vota and noither of thom has a maojority on that basis. Mr, Iaves 1ins 166 votes npon tho whito basis, obtained in Northorn States where there is no negro reprosentation, and where, in fact, the negrocs are & mors handful, while Mr. Tipey, upon the white basis, North and Bouth, has but 169 Electoral votes, leaving 3¢ Eloctoral votes nupon the black basis to be apportioned, of which ToeN has alrondy gobbled 15, making a total of 184, There romain 19 of the 34 votes in Louisiona, Florida, and South Caro- lina, but Hayes has secured 7 in the lattor Stato, leaving 12 yet to Lo divided from Louisiana and Florids. IHaving already stolen 15, hie is now making his arrange. ments, through his Northern fuglemen and tho Southern Confederates, to approprinte theso remaining 12, which ara colored Electoral votes, not white, If Trvex gets one more Electoral voto ho will be elected by virtne of haviug stolen the requisite number of black votes out of the Electoral College. Mr. Haves will be elected if he gota 19 votes, —tho 12 of Florida and Louisiaua, in addi- tion to tho 7 of South Carolina, which he al- rerdy bos, If tho sontiment of the blacks and the majority of the population are to be taken into acconnt, Mr. Havss is clearly en- titled to tho whole 34 black votes in tho Electoral College. Thero is not tho slight- est ddubt that the 8 votes of Misaissippi, tho 4 of Florida, the T of SBouth Carolina, and the 8 of Louisiang, belong to him. Ala- bama is a closo State os between the whito vote and black vote, but in case of a fair election, like thoss held in Northern States, we have little question that he would secure its Eloctoral vote. Omifting Alabamn, there still honestly belong to him 27 black Electoral votes, which, added to his 166 whito votes, gives tho total of 193 votes, which he wounld have had had there been a fair election and fair connt. Mr. Reorienp, the intelligent and impar- tinl correspondont of the Cincinnati Commer- ciad, writing from New Orleans, comments upon the palpable attempt to steal the black vote in the following manner: Herc las Stato given o larger represcntation in tho Electaral&’ollega on account of negro snitrage. Louislana has double the volee in tho cholcaof a President than shie would have but for black suf- frage. Now, I8 It right to allow the whites to stamp out frecdom of ballot, and cast this entarged Electoral yoto agulnst the wishea and intcrests of the very ones who conferred this right, and the winhics and intereats of thuse on whom 1t was con- ferred. But for negro snffrago the Southern States would haye only about ninely Electoral votes in- stead of one Aundred and thirty-eight, Uere Is grent additlonal power glven to this section on ac- count of the incorporation of the black population into politick,. Now, I put it to any eandid man, Is 1t falr to give tho biacks repreacntation, and then not let them bo represented? Toallow the whitos to subduc the blacks in thle matter virtually gives every white man here two votes, and double réepre- aentation, Itis not 8o much, however, the injustico of this outrage that wo would press at the present thne. That is n matter so spparent that we do not need to emphasize it. The lesson of theso figures is n crashing answer to the snoering Democratic partisans who are informing us that the Democratio party will nover subiit to the cleotion of Havrs by negroes, If Tipexis to Lo elected at oll, ho must ba olected by nogroes. The bLlacks hold the balance of power, More than this, if hoe is olected, it will be not only by negro votes, but by stolon negro votes. Upon this showing, it does not lie in the mouth of any Democrat to snecr at the negro vote. y If thero is any man in this couniry who shows wmoro dexterity than any other in get- ting on all sides of avy given question nt or about the samo time, that man is Joux M. Paryes, of Ilinols, formerly Governor, and now Demochtic mspirant for Scnator or a placo in Tiupex's apoeryphal Cabinet, A good mnuy poople have buen surprised that Mr, Pauner, n declared advocate of the doctrino of State Boversignty, should have geized hiv enrpot-bag and started for New Orleans to * bulldoze " the Returning Board of that State. The surprise was naturally incrensod when this knight of State Rights issucd a pronmnofamicnto in which he sought to induco certain Ropublican gontlemen to Join bim ond some of Lis Democratio asso- ciotes n an invasion of the Inws of what o is nceustomod to oall o Bovoreign tnte. Iiut people began to get o little acoustomed to his vagaries whon ho, almost immedistely aftorwnrd, acquicsced in the rebuke which his proposition called forth, ond contented himself with tho position of a * looker-on m Vienna " whera ho had proposed to boss tho job, * Thoso people who havo known of Mr, Paraen’s caroor fu the past have not been 80 much astouished at his vacillation, The Ohiengo fire Lrought out Lia capacity in that respect to o degres which hie will searcely be oble to exceed even at Now Orleans, 1t will be remembered at that time that Mayor Ma- goN aud wany promiucnt clitizons called upon Gen, Snertoan, o residont of the city then and now, to take commaud of such troops a3 he had and for tho protection of ‘lifo and prop- erly, (en. Burmipay acqniesced, ond {t Las always beon bellsvod that Lis netion saved the city from a pillage which would Liove been searcely less disastrous than the conflogration itself, Indced, Mr, Pinuen, then Governor, secined to abaro this opinion at tho time, for the second day after tho fire ho sent Gon. Sueman the following dis- patch: BrmixomieL, Oct. 11, 1871, —~Lisut. - Gen, P, If, &Sheridan, Chicago, Ni.: Please inform me of the number of troops ordered by you fato Chlcago oa * exercisc such transcendent powers; for Lieut, -Gen, conld securo® account of tho fire, and that are now on daty in the olly. Thanks for your prompinest, Jomy M. Parwzn, But beforo the month was over PaLMen wroto to Mr. Reep, the State's Attorney, asking for tho indictment of Gen, Surnivax for his ‘‘usurpation”; and Nov. 15, n little more than a month after, he delivered a measngo to tho specinl session of the Legis- Inture he had called, in which Lo spoke ns follows : 1t acema lo ma to bo clear that tho condnet com- plained of 1s 30 contrary to the Constitution and the laws, that it is impossible by any reasoning to mnke it#o, The Mayor, thomere exceative oflicer of a city created by the laws of this State, withont control aver the police, aud with only the goneral powers of a conservator uf the peace, abdicated some of the most important functions and datles of his office, and, in conncctlon with this refusal to dircharge hila own dutics, attempled to place tho laws of the State nnder the feet of a citizen who, forgetfnl of his own duty to reapect, obey, and en- forco the laws, {n tho capacity of an officer of tho United States army, availing himsolf of the color of authority conferred on him hy the Mayor, sub- Jected his fellow-citizens to military rule, No of- ficer of tho United States, er of the State of 1ill- nols, has the constitutionnl er logal authonty to hausor,” Cnenunixt's * Water-Carrier,” Ma. zart’s * Don Giovannl,” Bretitoves's ¢ Fi- dolio," Wenen's ** Der Frolschuolz,” NiconAt's **Jocondo,” Merernxen’s “8tar of the North,” Srona's ** Jessondn,” and other operas, and produced them in n manner and with n success which have eclipsed the Ital- fan troupes even in London. In thiy coun- try nlso, Miss Kerroua is ench year nfi]m—glng and broadening her reportoire, To such au oxtont ia this tho cnso that evon the ,old stagors in the Italian troupes aro recognizing tho inevitalle, and socking for places in tho Enghsh troupes. Even Bntaxont is will- ing to desert his liguid consonants and inac. aroni, and aunonnces himself to sing Zhad- deus in the ** Bohamian Girl " in English at Now York,—uniquo as his Englisl must bo. ‘Tho great secrot of this change lies in the fnct that both tho English and Americans nro o ballnd.loving poople. 'Tho larger class prefers tho ballad operss of the ‘! Bohomian Girl ” and “ Maritana " stamp, and thosa who want to henr the Ital. inn, Fronch, and German operns can hoear thom performed better by tho; English than Dy the Italian troufies, For instanco, there has not been for years as good a ropresentation of *‘Faust” in this city ns that given by tho Kenrooo troupe on Monday evening, yot there is mnot n prominent artist in tho troupo excopt Miss Krrroaa., Mrs, S8eaviN, and Measrs. Maas, Oantzron, and PEaREs are not great artists by any monns, but they are good singers and actors, Even Miss Kerroaa, although she s o most consummate voealisf, Is not in all of her roles n groat dramntlo artist, admira- ble o9 she is in ** Faust.” Tho scerot of this muccess lios in the ensomble, Wo have not in this troupe ono star and half a dozen sticks with a chorus beneath contempt, but an nggregation of talent which is so even in its excollence that tho representation is har- monious and complote, instend of lame and disjolnted, For theso and for many other ronsons it is well worth while to consider whether it is not better to let the Italian opern die in this country and supplant it with the English, which is more intelligible, satisfactory, and enjoyable, which can in- clude the Italian and oven tho Gorman'in its ropertoire, and can be furnished to the peo- plo much mora chenply. Buzninan employed the troops of the Unlted States in a manner not authorized by Federal laws, Io ralsed troopa without the consent of Congress and imposed upon them an unlawful onth. Ifodisrc- garded tho provisionof the Constitutionof the State which provides that ** the milltary shall be In strict subordination to the clvil powers," and by poating his guarda and sentinels upon the streols of a popnlaus eity, with Tustenctlons to arrest per- sona passing upon them, and to fire upon thom in caro of refusal to obey thelr anthdrity, tho lifeof o citizen, who was under the protection of the laws, was destroyed, Just what induced Mr. Paraen to change 8o suddoenly from a grateful acknowledgment of Gen. Bnerman's * promptness” to an effort to have him indicted for criminal usur- pation and to a denunociation of his conduct in nn official message, was never positively known. A good mony people naturally at tributed it to a potty jenlousy altogether un. worthy of a man in Parsten's position ; and others thought it was owing to his woll- known State-Soverciguty haresy, which he had momentarily forgotten in the excito- ment of the fire. The probability is, how- ever, that it wns Panuen's characteristio propensity for getting on both sides of tho same question within nn incredibly short timo. Itis proper that the people of this country should understand that the man who has taken chiof direction of tho Demo- cratic cause in New Orleans is just tho sort of arratio and hot-hoaded creature ho hag so ofton shown himsclf to bo. MUNICIPAL INDEBTEDNESS, A writer in tho current number of the A¢ lantic Monthly treata of tho subjeot of mu- nicipal indebtedness with aview of showing that there is not o much causo for alnrm at tho admittedly Iarge incroase of this class of dobta as recent gatherers of statistics would have us beliove. His argumonts aro ingen- fous, and entitled to some considerntion, though there is cortainly no reason to hold out oncouragement for nn increase or & con. tinuance of the debt-contracting policy that has boen ndopted by most of the American cities, counties, nnd towns sinco the War, Itis pretty cortain that attontion has not been prematnroly directed to the dangers and burdens of thesystem; and if, on the whole, Amoerican cities are still on the safe side, it is high time to contemplato preparations for tho payment of municipal obligatious in the future, An explanation of tho readiness of mu- nicipal corporations to run into debt is cor- tainly to be found in tho extrnordinary do- mands made upon tho people of this country to moet the necessities of tho Fadoral Gov- ernment that grew out of the Civil War. Thus within ton years nearly soven hundred millions of the Government debt has been paid (the Atlantio writer orroneously states it ot five millions), and more than twico that amount has been paid in interest on the na- tionnl debt, If, in round numbers, two ‘thousand millions have beon required from the people of the United States during ton years that wero not befora exacted, it is rea- sonable to suppose that this now burden had somo influenco in determining communitios to go into dobt for their local cxponses that would otherwise havo observed the ruls to “pay as yon go." This tendency hns been inerensed, of course, by tho rapid growth of many cities, by the common oxtravagance that resulted from tho inflation subsequently to the War, by the more exncting needs of progressing communities, aud by the greed and corruption of local politicians and con- tractors, DBut the progress made in the ox- tinguishment of tho national debt induces the hope that, without any similar extrnor- dinary expenditures in the future for tho prosorvation of the Union by war, the -growth of the population, wealth, and re- gources of the country will mako the burden lighter and lighter every yoar, and leave tho people sufficiently unembarrassed {o take eare of the cost of their local governmenta, "Tho limitation which hns genorally been ndopted for municipat indebiedness, whore any hos beon fixed by law, is 5 por cont ‘on tho valuation of taxable property. Dut, tak. ing the highest figuro at which the aggregate municipal indobtodness has been cstimated, —$823,000,000,—tho total sum of local in. dobtedness bears & much smaller ratio to the total valuation of the property upon which tho debt is a lien than thatgenerally fixed by law. 'The writer in tho Atlantic, allowing for the averoge undorvaluation of property on the tax-lists, states the caso as follows : Asaessed valuation, +$20, 000, 000, 000 Correctod valuation . 40,000,000, 000 Aunual taxation.. 270,000,000 Muuicipal indebted: 823,000, 000 1t this estimato bo corroct (and such atatis. tios as have beon gathered warrant the con. clusion that it in approximately 80), then the entire municipal indebtodnosa of thy country is only abont 4 per cent of the amscesed val- uation, and 2 per cent of tho nctual walue, of the property holden for it.. 'Of courso, cer- tain cities aro carrying o much larger propor. tion, and othors a much smaller, according to good or bad hands into which the manage. mont of aflairs has fallen, It is not easy to ollot the proportion; but in Massachusetts, whoro all tho citios and towns make accurate annual returns, 250 out of 340 have debts less than & por cont of tho nssessed valuation, and only 90 have debts as’ high as or exoeed. ing & per cent. It is also fair to remembor that every statement of municipal indebtedness includos the money borrowed for water-works, which alwaye ought to be, ond generally are, solf- sustaining, Thus in Boston the revenue from the Water-Works was equal to the in. torvst on their cost within five years from the time of their erection; it has been in. creasing ever since, until now tho receipts arc more than s million dollars aunually, whilo the interest on the water.debt is only a little more than half that sum, Tho Waler- Works of the former Oity of Obarlestown, now o part of Boston, carned in 1875 about $285,000, whilo thé puymeuts for intereat ‘were lcss than $102,000, In Chicago, with & most oxtensivo and costly system, the revenuo from the Water-Works suffices to pay the intereat on the debt, the runuing expenses, & large part of the extenslons, and leave a surplus. Runping in debt for improvergents of this kind may be turned iuto a reliof instead .of a burden un- ENGLISK V8. ITALIAN OPERA. Mr, Mavrics STRAKROSCH, A1 ex-impressario of Italinn opers, is at presont busily exor- cislng himself in the nttempt to induce the capitalista of San Francisco, 8t, Louis, Chi- eago, Toronto, New York City, and other musical centres, for aught wo know, to fur- nish bim the money for building sumptuous opera-houses, and the New York papers are now full of interviews with Lim, in which he sols forth the dotails of his plaus in a very glowing and rosy fashion, The pith of Mr, Srraxoscn's idons seoms to bo that some ef- fort must bo made to rescue Italian opers, which is confessedly in its decndence in En- gland nnd the United States, and does not pay expenses in Continental Europe, not- withstanding the ndvantago it has of Govern. meontal subsidies. But why is it necessary to resouo Italian oporn at all ? Why not solve the question byletting it dio n natural death ? Is it worth building up in the United States ? Do the peoplo really want it ? There aro good nnd substantinl reasons why it would b foolish for capitalists to in- vest their money in Italian opora. In the first place, thero has not been a good Italian opora troups in this country for ten years. Tho troupe which dedicated the Crosby Opera-Ilouse in this city in 1865 was tho 1ast tronpe which could lsy any claim to superior oxcellence, and the troupes which preceded it years befors wera even better than that. The day has passed when a good troupo can be organized, for the simple rea- son that the people caunot and will not pay the excessive prices necessitated by the cost- lincss of Italian opera and the absurd salaries paid to leading artists. In the recond place, the very namo Italian opera troupe is a mis. nomer. Thoro was a time when Italian opera was produced by Italian singers. That dny has long gone by. Yook over the list of tho world's great prime-donne,—Parrr, Nivs- soN, Lucca, TiemeNs, ALbani, Kernvoao, Mizanon, 8torz, Havox, Dt Monska, Leur- Ner,—there is not an Italisn among them, and the snmo is true of altos, teuora, and bnssos, Ttalion opera has fallen into the hands of foreigners, Third, thero is no uso in trying to concenl the fact that thorehns boen n great change of popular taste effected by tho modern school a8 representod by German musio in the Lands of such moen as WacNesn, Liszr, Baanus, and Rary, and by the daring but succossful innovations mado by the English opern managers, Even Vennr bim- solf, the Neston and slmost the solo ropro- sentative of Italian opera, has recognized this. change in tho Banzonl Requiem, his lnst opera, ** Aldn,” and his new step in the di- rection of symphonioc and chamber music, It is almest within tho momory of modern opera-goers when tho ropertoires were flooded with Italian operns, Of all theso operas, ‘Il Trovatoro,” *Sonnam. bula,” “Lucis,”" *“The Hugnenots," *Tho Darber of Boville,” . * ‘Iraviata,” have kopt their places, but what hes becomo of those old favorites, * Norma,* ¢ Star of the North,” Lo Gazza Ladra,” **Don Pasquale,” “ Elixir of Love,” * Masked Ball," **Ernani,” 4 Bemiramide,” and hosta of others, oven including such pgrent works as ‘*WWill. inm Tell,” , “Robert lo Diable,” aud the *“Prophet,” which were nccustomed to draw crowded houses years ago? If they were wantad, managers would certainly pro- duce them. In tho above selection of opera we make no account of the works of Aunex, Protow, and Gounop, beeause thoy are not of tho Italinn school. Is there nnything to take the placa of-tho high-priced Italian opera troupes? Most cortainly, Any one who Laa closoly watched the drift of opera in’ England and the United Statos cannob Lave failed to perocive that English opera is rapidly occupying tho placo of tho Italian, and with good reason. ‘Lhe lamonted Mmo, Pangra-Rosa wag the first to percoive tho possibilities of English opera and to place it upon o substantial basis, and her husband, Oann Nosa, sinco her death, Las continued her work in England with the most astonishing results, coming boldly into competition with Italisu opera at Covent Gardon and Her Majesty’s and carrying off the palm, In this country, Miss Krrroaa, glving Italian opera the go-by, has fol. ‘lnwed in Panera’s footstops, and tnken & position from which she canunot be dislodged. Both Caun Itosa and Miss Kevtoao have carrded tho war inta Africa. Not content with appropriating such works as ““Trovatore,” *Faust,” ¢ Martha,” 4 L. cla,” * Traviata,” ** Miguon,"” * Huguenots,” and other standard operas, Mr, Rosa has de- liberatoly taken possession of such works as Waauxz's Flylug Dutchman ” and * Tonn. der propor management; the time ought not = 1o Lo ro far distant whon the Chicago Water- ‘Works shall support tho Firo Departmont, in addition to the gradual extingnishment of tha indebterdness ineurred for thelr ereotion, Lhough {ixds rovouno comes out of the inhab. itants, it is rather a business transaction of vaying for a cortain comniodity used than in the natare of a tax. Tho rapld growth of American cities nnd increnso of wealth also justifies the policy of oronting a dobt within bounds. Tho City of Boston has nnnunl statoments of tho valua. thon of its property since 1832, and they show, without inclading the annexation of subur. ‘ban aities, which begun in 1867, an average deconninl fucronse of 60 por cent. That is to say, tho value of Boston property has doubled evary twenty yoars, and the burden of any oxponditure for the public good has Deon lessened by onc-helf when the money was borrowed for that term, It is also true ihat tho incronsed valud of property fs fro- quently duo in large part to the publie im. provemonts that would not have been made without borrowing the money to pay for them, All this, however, meroly justifies the pedicy of borrowing within proper limits for m unicipal improvemonts; the proper limit may not yot have beon exceodod in the ng- gregato, though it has been in many specific in stances, but wo aro so near it that n gon. oral limitation by law, such as thero s in this Stato, will be n wise procaution to adopt, ‘There nare two other precautions wiaich evory munieipal corporation should adopt for its own eredit and comfort, One is to prohibit the practico of axtonding de- ficdoncies in the assessinont or collection of tnxos into tha regular indebtedness of the corporation, this pernicious practico does not provail; it ks been the chief cnusn of tho complica- tions and embarrassments of Chicago's financial condition, whero tho proportion of permancnt debt to the value of the property is ronlly much smaller than in many other lorge cities. Tho other precaution is a pro- vislon by taxation for a pormanent sinking fund on account of the bonded indebtedness for specific purposes. If cities pnid all of their current oxpenses, and made an allow- ance for sinking-fund purposes, tho contract. ing of dobts for improvements would rarcly oxcood the proper wants of tho community or its ability to pay, —e THE NEXT CONGRESS, After the 4th of March the new Adminis- tration will bogin business with a new Con- gress, in which the Republicans will have a mnjority in the Sonato and the Demperats o mojority of not excoeding five in the House, and with perhaps a dozen or moro contested noats, In the Semate tho old party lendors will experionco no chango, MonzoN, Epuunps, CoxrrrNg, OameroN, Morpiry (Vermont), AnthoNY, SueruaN, aud Arusow, with Brame transforred from tho Houso, will re- main tolead the Republicans, whilo Taun- MAN, Batanp, Kerxan, with Lastan, Gornox, and others from the South, will represent tho Domocratio party, Among those whoso return to the Sonato is yet sn open question are Loosx (Illinois), Frnny (Michigan), and FrewanonuyseN (Now Jorsoy). Mr, Beog, of Kentycky, an experionced member of the Houso, will take his place in the Senate after tho 4th of BMarch on the Democratio side. In the Houso the changes will bo numer- ous. Among the cxperionced Democratic members will be Ranvawn, Mozmson, Cox, ‘Woop, Porrer (New York), Cryuen, Epen (Illinois), Sermiaen, Huwirr (New York), Savren (tho present Sperker), Lurrnenn. (Onlifornin), Bex Hiur, Prooror Kyorr, and most of tho Southorn men who have beon conspicuous during the Inst year, Tho Domocerats will oxporience the. loss of the veteran Horaax (Indinns), and Paxne (Ohio), Scorr Lonp (New York), and Haxcocx (Texas), " Among the Republicans of the now Houso will be Bex Burter, Ganrenp, Keuuey, Banks, DBuromarp (Ilinois), OmTrExpEN (Now York), Harx, (Mnine), Gen. Cox (Ohio), and others well known to the country. Ench sido will have a fair complement of its old lenders, and both parties have elected anumber of new mon of considerablo ropu- tation for ability, The lines will be closely drawn and ably contested. Thero will be close voting, and consequently close attend- ance, and no moasures will e likely to pass without the scrutiny of a minority strong enough to provent and defent any dishonest or questionable scheme or job, The domestio consumption of cotton in the Unitod States increases yonr by year, Bofore tho Rebellion tho home consumption was about G00,000 bnles. Last year this country took of its own cotton 1,850,598 Lales, in spite of dull trade, or nearly 150,000 bales moro than in 1874-5, and 50,000 moro than in 1878-74, The consumption of Groat Dritain Las also inoreased, however, by 46,000,000 pounds, over 100,000 Dbales; bt that is, proportionato ta their total consump. tion, & very small advanco to that of the United States, although it is nearly propor- tionate on & bosis of populations, Tho total domestic consumption of Great Britain and Ireland is about one millions of bales. Great Britaln manufactures more cotton goods than all tho rest of the world put together. The number of “gpindles” in that country is $9,000,000; all tho reat of Europe hes only 19,600,000, nnd the United Btates 9,600,000, Bpeaking of the supply snd demand, the London Z%mes saya: Dasing tholr calculationa on past cxperiences, and on figures which wo ueed not detail, Measra, Evtison estimates that, in spltc of those stocks nnd the surplus of unspun cotton on the Conti- nent, Kuropo will next year require 2, 241,000,000 pounda of cotton, of which 904,000,000 pounds will goto the Continent, or say, n all, 6,402,500 bales, Now, the American cotton prospects aro sald not to bo wo good aa lust veason, and the new Egyptlan crop Is not expected to bo equal to tho last. The Eust Indlau may not be much better than last, while Brazilian cotton 1s coming in less snd lees quantities to Europe, Altogether, there- fore, it s cstimated that the supply next season may bo Igss than the demand by 145, 000 bales, and that the tendency of prices may be to hurden, rme————— The result of atl the experiments hitherto has beento demonstrate the superfority of earthe works over all other defense to heavy artiilery, Evon the great bhundred-tou gun, the shot from which plerced twenty-two inches of stecl plate tng when tho test was mado, led to the samo conclusion. The ton-shot fired futo sand-bag carthworks twenty-scven fcet high by fifty- two feet thick lodged barmlcss in the centro of the mass, which apparently might have becn fired into with ton-shots by the day without any scrlous result, The percuasion sheil would ex- plodo barmless also, for it would have been flved at the lustant of striking, The ordinary fuso shell, the chiances are, would explode before strikiog, or, tho fusc befog extinguished jn the sand, would fafl to explode. But tho results of the recent experiments at Woolwich with the **thme-fuso? ) threaten to revolutlonze the theorles upon which the carthworks were coming to. bo accepted s the bost defeuse ugainst heavy artlllery fire. The poculiarity of the time-fuse ls, Lhat, lnsfead of explodiug the shell fustantancously upou strike "Thera ore few citios in which |. that a large number of tho i ing, though the fuso ta fgnited 1 does not explode tho sh:?l unll‘l”ut:‘:nlem ter. In that perlod the shell has pmmc the tull extent of ita projectilo faopey, g fect was mado manifest when Sich g :l‘m}li:!\to an earthen parapot, d oelt deep befors exploding, p v plpu(o'n ocenrred, {n the n!fine‘c’st!‘t’l‘fcu&wm Times' roport, it % formeq aurater Iy tyq o pet,—that {s, blew n great breach init, Uke reason tho destructive Power a!”h’ time-fuso shell woulil ho correspomlingt; - rifie whatover the target n which o ————— ipret, §| ¢ ond af. ated to bara- it lodged, THE ELEQTORAL Unless tho final returns lr‘s&mi’lnrldm Loutalana_shnll depriva the Republiegy "> them, the Electoral voto breacuts the fo)fg; (“‘ appearance when exhiblted by scctiona: ke TILR YOTR OF T11k Mo, For Ii ; Callfornla .’ 5 Colorado }Ilmolu . Total . ™"E v llayn.nn OF‘THI souTH, 4 10 7 3 1t 7 s Misso PH B 4 g 3 T 8 rginin. Iwm Virginia, ‘é Totleseeerssses 10| Mo Ty Tor fiagen... 185 " Har's e The above tablo of States, whero the; are, and how they voted, s worth st tively, PRl ———— STOP THAT, BOYS| The 8t. Louls ffepudlican and GIabe-IJemmn, 1 thelr playful moods, sometimes exchange ity for tats, - Sometimes the fun fs o little overe dlone, and they tap cach other's noses so severs. 1y as to bring the elarct. They shonld always #top while thoy spar easy, nnd are in hllarious humor. For Inatance, they have just had this Httle sportive * bout,” and should now stop the game while they are In good humor, or the frst thing they kuow they will b doing or saylng something that may lave a tendency to hurt each other's feellngs: 4 Fon a1z Cniear,.—A stock of fire . sisting af the Intest (nventions in the ;;:’é:éefifx'c art, and sufliclent to entortnin n Iarga ¢rowd for a leant two hours. ‘T'hey were purchased in antlel- cipation of a Joyful event which s e ana il He. earatyiich, 1o noTonger prob fi‘oml customer, Addrews Gronae Kxare & Co. epublicun ofice, St. Louls, Mo.—Globe- Demacra?, Fox 8ALz .CurAveER.—A lot of fixtures of n first- claga cell nt the Four Courts Prison, consist! ":I an fron-bedstead, o rubber-plilow, some old atriw, & Lar of rosin-scap, a tin wash-bueln, ond two coarse towals, Apply at the Gloe-Democrat of- ficll.‘.——lélpuhlgan‘ & X Pon 8ALE CliEAT.—Six pokor-decks (fivc aces ond six jacks in cach), ten ppneh of marked caras (for steamboat uee), one dozen little jokers, ten thimbloa for ‘‘now you sec I, and now you don't;" nlso, 8 fine lot of hog-boxes of all com- binatfony, snnkod boxes, decks of humps, end rounds and three-ace atrippers, poker. breast- rlntcg top and bottom dice, cross-road and suuff- boxes and dead locks, keno-pastors and stuffed boaks for pigeon-aroppers. To bo suld on sccount of o decree of the Crtuinal Court foridiio (hele it0 by tho presen roprietora. —, reas 22 . Tican oflice,—~ Giobe Domberat. R ‘There, that is far enough for fun, ——— Among the deaths of prominent men which have recently oceurred are those of Mons, GusTAVE DELAVIGNE, ot Parls, the Inventor of cxplosive balls and the shipwreck rocket; of AugusT DIELOWSKI, the Pollsh historlan, and cditor of the * Monumenta Polonlx* 5 of Suu- BAEL G. RoorRs, for many years Presfdent of the Boston Fircwien’s Insurance Company; of the Baron Otro vor Reinsnzna and his wile Ipa vox DuniNasreLD, well known s the Ger- man author-couple; of the Rev. J. M. Has- WELL, o Baptist missionary among the Bur- mang, who wroto the flrst book that was ever stereotyped in Burmah,and was also the flrst whito man who over mastered tho Talalng Ian- guage; of James DaryoN (nacs, at ons time leading actor of Forbes' Theatre, Provi- dence, R. 1, and for a long time comceted with Barnum'’s Muscum in New York; of Joux HinuyAnp CAMERON, o lcading lawyer of Ou- tario, and at ono time Sellcitor-General fn the Canadian Cabinet; of Joun 8. WinLiays, the senlor partner of the well-known Atlantic ship- ping firm of WiLLIAMS & GuroN; of the Hon, SaMuEL T. Mappox, 8 prumiuncnt Republican of the Eastern District of DBrooklyn; of Dr. Jonx Dove, of Richmond, Vi, the oldest Masonic Grand Becretary in the world; of Orro von Hors, who formetly managed the Stadt Theatre in New- York, first produced *Martha In this country, and brought out BoousiL DAwIsoN; and of CuAnLES Isiponz Hesaxs, a son of Mrs. FELicia HEnANg, the poet, who died fn Italy, Oct. 26. He had written books upon “Cathollc Italy,” “A Mistory of Ancent Chrstianfty and Saered Art in Italy,” “ A His- tory of Medimyal Christianity and Sacred Art u: Italy,” snd “IHistoricand Monumental Rome." ‘Tho Londou Athenaeum saysof him: **Although Mr, Hasang' literary works havo failed fo o great measuro to reach the goneral publie, the shelyes of every scholar and student would be. incompleto without them, Doubtless future bookmakers will trude on Mr. HeMans' capital and meke much of i, His works must bo takeu on their own werlts and for the valuablo material contatned in them, for ha borruwed littlo from graces of style or the meretricious ornaments of diction, Thelr highest value, uls course, Is on the spot where they were written. ——————— Tho largest vote ever cast in Pennsylvanls previous to the lato election was for Governon in October, 1872, viz: tepublican, . .. I8h 08 Democnatlc, 1,250 ‘Temperance. o) Total... ‘The ofticial voto of 18 declared to be: b1 ) aen B, Cooper bamm . Bu)lrll (Probibitlonist) Walker (Anti-Masonic) Total,,.... Hayernjority This result showsau nggregate vutfk gr‘:'!l:: ) Ly 25,000 than at the State election fn = when it was supposcd that every vote scratched out on cach slde. Tho Presidentlal vote of 1673 was, for .. Grosloy ..ees. Temperance Total.., Increade in four years Tho full yoto of Obio was not cast e ————— Some of our Democratic exchanges argue l’:)hr:" 08 tho census of Loulsiana only guve & co majority of population of 2,500, it 8 m::r; ‘f" suppose that the Confederates n}n e agalust tho Republicaus on a perfectly ks tion, But thoyoverlook tho fact gt the bluc! 3 Lave Increasod much faster tusn theh::‘:';‘: sinco 1870, The Btate consus of 1873 : O wiite colored population of 450411 agslust 85 population of 404,916, and from \huw‘ S e must be deducted thoso who are “. e Acconding to tho census of 1870 '-”“": ‘Wlensy Loufslana 15,188 malo nd,:xll"; iy and nearly all of thein w] - ives of v £nd other countrics, whilo residlug ju Ne!