Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 16, 1877, Page 4

I'His CHICAGO TRIBUNE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1877. @Iw @mlmmz. . TERMS OF BUBSCRIPTION, TAGR PREPAID AT E W n-nr. tpal Ti6 Of 8 year, per WEERLY s Ops copy, pet yeat Postage prepsid, Bpkeimen copl To prevent delay and mintakes, be yure and cive Poste Ofce nddress in full, including State and Connte. Fenltiances m raft, express, _ Fost-OMice order, or tnrezirtered festers, at our risk. " ENMS TO CITY SUDSCRIBENS. Fetis dettaered, Kanday ex 3100, 23 conts per weok, eilvered, Sunday A, T eent g por week g T OMPANY, Corter Madieun and pleaso, Til 1 COMPANY, - REOWN. 5. ROBDINS, 8 WIIOHT & . o CHARTER OAR 102 FAIRCHILD & W, HENRY E. & (Tom mrs'l.). A ODRGAN, 1. . Witk 1AL | l'uul.lslli\u VUMPANY. 25, ABSOCIATE . L. C. EAR 20! ROSS. 1. A, MCCLUUWNEY L\‘LLL’\I BUREAT, LAL EDITOL, . TIUATCHEIL 55, SIOIT EDITOR, B, CITY EDITOL. Otlices fu the Bullding to rent by W. C. "Room &, LDV TAMUSEM New Chicago Thentre. Clark street, botween Lake and Rendolph. S{mmons & Blocums Miuatrels. Haverly’s Tueatre. Tandolph street, between Clark and LaSalle, Daly's Fifth Aveoue Comps qu Adelphi Thentre. Monroe street, corper Drarhorn. Ttollin Jioward's Tturiesque Troupe, **Yeast Lyone.” Varlety perform- ance. Me"lckrr’n ’l‘ll!nlrl‘- dlson street, botwoes Ma De: and State, Engsgement of John ll:Lullnth ™he Uthatators® Academiy of Musle. Halsted street, between Madison and Monroe. nt, Va- ety entertaln NGS. ANIGITS TEN: 73 and 74 Mon. uy) evel iners and work CFues T. Degee.. iy riera TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, Greonbacks at the New York Gold Ex- change yesterday closed at 93}, 1877, ‘That wos not a bad idea that Mr, Cock- RrLy, of Missourd, suggested yesterday ns an amendment to the Stuate rules. His plan of baving ench Stato appoint Asuistant Sena- tors who should occupy the scats and draw tho poy of their prineipals when the latter . § arcoff duty would havd the offect to dis- ' cournage nbsenteeism, but it is quite unlikely i, thot the Benntors can Lo brought to a senso + ofthe propriety of drawing no psy when they do no work. A decivion was yentcnlny nnmmucod in the United States Supreme Court, four of the Justices dissenting, to the effect that land.grant railronds are not bound hy the fact that they are auch to furnish the Govermment with transportation free of cost, but that, on the contravy, the Government must pay for what it gets, tho same as nuy ! cltizen or corporation. ‘The decision of the Court of Olaims, upon which an appeal was taken to the Supreme Court, is therefore re- - versed, * The House Demmocracy yesterdny attemnpt- ed a petty revenge upou the Weatern Union ‘Telograph Company for its efforts to guard * from publicity the private and confldentinl nffnirs of its customers, A resolution con. templating the revocation of all concessions or privileges held by the Company under ncts of Congress failed of passage for lack of the requisite two-thirds, cight Democrats, and "+ smoung them Mr, Le Movxxe, of Chicago, hav- ;. iug the manllness to vote with the Repub- Jicans against tho undigunified and paltry il * proposition, ;;’l There is somo talk of kxllmq nnd hanging ;( \* + by the ultra-bulldozing portion of the Now I Orloans press, but Gen. Avaun's presence 1{ and well-advertised intention to interfero in Ey case any violemce or armed hostilities f- are begun, have so far had & whole. i some effect in rostraining the firc.caters. 2 Up to a late Liour last evening Gov, PPackaep 4 Lind not been hianged from tho topmost win. T dow of his botel, ss suggested by an iu- cendiary Democratic puper, nor lad the general massacre of tho Ropublican leaders been inaugurated up to date. The final rcpqrt of um Julut Bpecial Com- ' mittee of the Henato and Housy ou the silver question was, by the terms of tho original resolution, to Lave been submitted yester- day, but upon motion of Mr, Jovs, of Nevads, tho Senate ndopted a concurront rexolution extending to Feb. 15 the thno for the Commuittes to preseut its report. The reason for tho delay was explained in the * statement of Senstor Jonks that the Com- , mlttee had propounded juterrogatories to : eminent financlors and business mon in Eu- * yope, ond that it was desirable that replies should be received befora the report is pro. .\ pared, e DTGP Sdar - g i The Senate yesterday paid a high compli- ment to the integrity of Mr, Wisvoy, of Minuesota, in voting unanimously aguinst ; tle adoption of = resolution, offered by M, ‘Wivpoy, calling for the investigation, by a comuittee composed of three Democrats, of . certain charges of bribery preferred sgainst him by one Cuarsay, a disappointed sppli- % cant for the ofice of Hurveyor-General of " Washington Territory, now worthily Leld by s friend of the Miuncsola Seuator. By this action, as well as by the remarks of the vari- ' ons Benstors, {rrespective of pnrly, the Sen. ate plainly recorded its faith in Ar. Winvox and its contempt for the author of the cliarges, which wero made public on the cve of Mr. Wixpox's re-clection and for the evi. ¢ dent pnrpou of blackmail. * The Clueazo vaducu mnkeu were mod. erately active yesterday, and prices wero higher on the leading cereals, lower ou pro- visions. Mess pork closed 5c per brl lower thaa' on Baturdsy, $17.80@17.85 casl and $17.50@17.55 seller Febrnary, Tard closed Geper 100 1bs lower, at $10,95@11.00 cash and 21110 geller February. Ments wero nearly do per Ib lower, closing nt Gla for shoulders, boxed, 3Ja for short-ribs, Yo for short-clears, 1lighwines wero quict, at £1.07 per gallon, Flour was qniel and firm, Wheat \\'M netive, and closed at 13@1}o ad. vance, ot 81.80G@LI0Y cash and §1.32 bid for ["cbmlry. Corn closed firm nt “ e cash and 44je seller February., Oats closed e higher, at 8330 cash and 35jc seller Feb- ruary. Rye was firm at 72¢. Barley clored 1@1ic lower, closing at G0e for cash, 60je for February, and 610 for March. The hog market was fairly active and 5@10a higher, with sales nt $6.10@7.00 for common to extrn. Catile were in good domand, and wera firm, Sheep were unchanged, One ‘hundred dollars in gold would bny $106.62} in greenbacks at the clos: To BARSEY CAanmn, o! ChScngu, be- longs the distinction of having snbmitted in perfect sincerity one of the most ridicu. lous propositions that have been recorded among the extraordinary proceedings of tho Forty-fourth Congress, Apparently in utter ignorance of the fact that the Constitution of the United Btates makes tho President the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the solo director of its movements, Mr. Cav1- FIELD yeaterday introduced a bill in effect declaring that tho presence in Washingion of more than n certain specified number of troops was calenlated to overnwe Congress, nud that therefore it should be unlawful to locate in thatcity o number greater than that specified, or {o station the troops within, less than lnlf & mile of the Capitol. The Dell was ko manifestly absurd that a large number of Democrata joined in squelching it, and with it the eminent lawyer whose brain evolved the brilliant proposition. It really Dbegins to look as though the Constantinople Conference would wind np and ndjonrn in a few days. According to tha cable dispatehics, the Plenipotentiaries yesterdny mado their lnst concessions, which the Yorte must now definitely accept or refuse, and that very soom, The concessions conuist in a moadifieation of the demand relative to the appointment of Governors, and in the nbandonment of the proposition for the territorial nggran- dizenent of Servin and Jlontouegro. 'The naw method proposed with regard to the provineinl Govornorships provides for n mixed Commission of LEutopeans aud “Turks, by whom the sppointments shall be approved, and limits tho arrangement to fiva yenrs, It does not, however, remove tho seruples of the Porto as to the independence and diguity of 'Turiey, and on this ncconnt is not Jikely to be accepted. In the cvent of the rcjection of tho concessions agreed yesterday, it wns definitely announced by all the Plenipotentiarica that they should withdraw from Constantinople forthwith, PALMER V8. LOCGAN. Ex.Gov. Jonx M. Parsen, the Domocratic cpucns nominco to misrepresent the Repub- lican Stato of Illinois in the United States Senate, appeared before Lis legislative re- tainers, after ho bad been nominated, and made them n speech, in the course of which he is reported as saying: A reat in the United Statea Senate Is worthy any ambitlon; yet a seat in that body ls worth nothing unless the man who holda it hus the confidence of those who elect him, To obtaln such o place by frvoking patronage, by the ordlnary political trading, would make it valueless to me. You have placed we fu nomination for the place. Yo have not promised to elect me, but you have placed in me your confldence, and I usk you to join with mo in making a fair ight for it, The gentleman noml+ nated by the Republicans (Loaax)—without auy disrespect to him T say it—fs tho falrest represent. ativo of tho Republican party to-day, 1o ls here supported by patronage, Men pald with your money and my money for publlc acrvice aro hero he lobby to urge tho clectlon of the man who hem thels pla We liave no patronage to offer. 1t youshall me to the Scuate it will wmean that your taxea slull be reduced to the lowest polut conslatent with the uccessitics of Govern- ment, Ao far 38 my efortscan effect ruch reduction. As to secking the oflico of United Htates Senator, wo beliove wo do not err in saying that Mr, Parace hos been on tho ground conatantly watching his own intcrests and working ns persistently as Mr, Loaax; and the promptuess with which ho appeared with a ready-mado speech when it becamo known that he had influenced the Domocratio mem- bers moro than Troxprey and other Demo. cratic competitors scems to show that ke had counted very closely on his appeals to his fricnds, Any reference, thereforo, to the pursistency of Scuator Loaay in urgivg his own re-clection was not mierely in bad tasto, but certain to renct on Mr. Paryen, who has been pursuing the sama course himaclf, Asi to the ogency and efficiency of patron. nge, wo Lavo good reason for stating that Mr, Parues, notwithstanding the disavowal of his speeclh, bases his lopes of success upon it us tnuch as any other man who evor sought o similar position,. Wo nre credibly informed (hat Biey SeniNaes, the Sprivgtield Congreasman, called the ¢ Jumping-Jack,” propared in Washington and forwarded to Springfield o completo list of all the Federal appointments shown by the records to have been made at the instanco or by the recom- mendation of Henutor Loaax. Wherever Senutor Locan hiad indorsed an application for place, and the applicant had succecded in goetting it, ho was credited with it s o part of “his patronsge.” This st includes Postmusters, Consuls in foreign ports, vallwny officinls, aud Custom-Ilouse officery in Tllinois, Territorisl appointments, and all classes of patronage outside of clerks in Washington, aud the number, wo aretold, iy several hundred persons, ‘This list was frecly circulatod and cauvassod, it is said, by certain Democratic and Independent mom. bers of the Legislature during the several doys whon the caucus nomination was under unxlous cousideration. The purpose of ita preparation and consideration was to inform the Duinverats in the Leglslature how much patronage the successor to Seuator Looan would Lo entitled to if TiLoex got into the White House, and it was on the basis of tho distribution of this patronage that the Demw. ocratio nomiuation wus made, ‘Lho fact that Mr, Paruen carvied off the honors seems to indicato that his views were moro satisfac. tory than those of his compaetitors. ‘The cirewmstauce wo Lave mentioned in. dicates thut tho fine pretenses of Mr. Par~ MEn'S cateus speech wera rather glittering than golden, 'Fhe Democratio fight for Parses iy, ag & matter of fact, much more stimulated by spoils than the Republican fight for Loaay. LocsN's friends have their places, and Lave had them for some time; FPavares's friends are Lungrily and ravenous. 1y looking for places, nad have been waiting for thew theso many years. It is notorious that well-fed men are not 8o eager in striv. iug to retain pap as the hungry fellows are to cluteh jt. Herein Paruen has a decided advantago, und the satisfaclory distribution of patrousge beforehand (which generally includes tnany prowives never fultilled) i slmoat always more effective thau the recollection patronage already of distributed with the disappointments that Linve been remlized. Bai the pre- tecse that Mr. Paraen and his varty in Springfield are not trading in patronage is altogether at varinnce with the probabilities ns woll aa our own information; snd we would suggest to the Springiield bulldozers on the Republiean sido tunt thoy enn help their party more by exposing thia seheme of Dem- ocratic trading than by seeking to intinidate Republican newapapers in other parts of the State. SECULARIZING ENGLISH SCHOOLS, In Buuday’s TRInUSE was printed a letter from our London correspondent giving an acconnt of the important and overwhelming victory of the English Lilierals in the recont London School-Board eleetion. Onr corre- sponden’’s acconnt was very full, but thera are some details which we may supply to make that account complete. 'Cha School Bonrd of London, which numbers fifty mem- bers, was established only six years ago, and this was but the third election that haa taken place. At the ontset the Board was under control of the Clericnls, and the system of instruction wns inspired and influcnced hy the Eatablished Church, Yenr by year, how- ever, the people of Loudon hiave struggled to relenso their schools from tho tine spent on catechisma and dogmns, aud to give their children the bhenefit of a secular edu. cation. In the short period of six yenrs they have nccomplished the re- sult, and the Liberals, who ara opponents of clerical education, who are willing that the Bible shall be read in tho sehnols, if unnccempanied with note or comment, but who are unwilling that the eatechism of auy kect shall be a text-boolt, Lava carried off one of the most substantinl victories they liave ever achieved, and one which, ay our correspondent said, wns **far nore imn- portant to Englishmen than nll thoe vietories of Mansoonovan or WrLraNaton.” Theelee- tion wns held on the minority.representation plan, and the city was divided into ten districts, five members being elected from each district. The total vote was 500,000, of which the Liberals had a mmjority of 100,000, OF the fifty members, the Lilerals elected thirly, the Episcopalinus or Eatab- lished Church sixtecn, and the Itomau Catliolies four. The victory is all the more remarkablo when it is considered how hotly the Church contested the ground. ‘When the Liberals proposed that the Bible might be read in the sehools, but showld not Lo commonted upon by scetarions, the ery of * godless education,” so often Lesrd in this country during the past few years, was burled ot them, The Ttoman Catholic Chureh joined hands with the stablished Episcopal Church in the fight, and the Dig- senters allied themsclves with tho Liberals, and the clergy, from their pulpits on the Eunday before the contest, urged their flocks 1o make n vigerous fight ; butit was all in valn, The Liberal victory lins secularized tho schools, and secures to the 320,000 school childron of London tho benefits of n free, unbinsed, and sciontific education, clenr of &l taint of dogma of any sort, BRIDGES AND BRIDGE-BUILDING. Thoe Ashtabula bridge dissster has ealled out o multitude of suggestions on the sub. ject of Lridge-building gonerally, and many learned disquisitious from mathematicinns and oxperts in refercuce to tha tonsilo strength of iron, and the cffect of leat and cold thereou. "The couclusion appears to be that, while an iron truss bridgoe may Lo msde perfoctly safs, the conditions of safety are Loth numerons and recoudite, depending upon the excellence and uniform character of ho iron, the length of the wpan, tho weight of tho bridge itslf, the model of its construction, the amount of straln it is habit. nally subjected to, the oxtromes of tompern. ture, and the *‘act of CGob,"—tho latter being n blasphomous cover for all the miu- takes committed by anybody in designing, constructing, watching, and operating the bridge. Another conclusion—a sort of corol. lary to the foregoing—is thnt the stona arch bridge over gullios like Ashtabula Croek is the only safe conatruetion, and, in order to make this really wafe, regard iofit be had to the voluma of water possible to Lo nccumulated in the raviue, nud the amount and weight of ico that mey be brought ngainst tho plers in spring freshets, Stone arch bridges over deep ravines are very costly affairs, and, although the Lake Shore Railroad hos & number of them of the very best charncter Lotween Cleveland and Buffalo, it appears to have been thought too expensive to pat a work of this kind over Ashtabula Creel, whero the required elovation of the.track is some soventy fect above the water, ‘When wo come to consider the question of bridges over navignble streams, wo have to denl with a atill more complicated prob- lem. Buch hridges most commonly consist of o series of iron trusses resting upon stons plers, with a draw or turn-table over the deepest part of tho strenws, Ilere wo have all the elements of the trus, and in addition thercto the unknown force of the current working at the foundations of tho plers and tho unknown quantity of ice which may be gorged nbove tho bridge. The draws of such bridges ure always luble to be struck Ly passing steamers, causing damage to both, A few weeks ago two spans of o fmt.clasa railway bridge across the Minsissippl River at Loulslaus, Mo, fell without any warning, involving a lossof some £200,000, its foundations having been stealthily undermined by the curront. A few years ago o superb bridge over Rock River, belonging to the Illinols Central Railway, was swept out by an fce-gorge,—the plers crumbling like sand under the tromendous preasura, Tho collisions of wteamers with the draw of the Rock Island bridgo have fur- nished fees for lawyers some twonty years continuously, It is evident that we have not yet reachod any high degreo of success in bridge-building, notwithstanding the im- mense smount of monsPexpended npon such structurns, It {s estimated that railway bridges built in the United Ktates since the closa of the War ropresent an investinent of not loss than one hundred and fifty millious of dollars, une-tenth of which swmn is repre- sented in the 8t, Louis bridge alone, A Western inventor, Mr. W. B. Rice, mus. iug upon the foregoing facts, hay attempted to obviate two of the great diflculties of bridgo construction, viz.: the great cost of fouudations and tho insecurity of spans, aud wu judgo that Lo has sccomplished both these euds. Discarding costly plers and pil- ing entirely, he makes the surface of the water tho foundation of the work. ‘Thisis, of course, nothing but the pontoon’ bridge, the cheapest and the oldest kuown method of crossing navigablo streams. The now in. veution consists of a framework which will allow the pontoons or floats to rise and fall with the riso and fall of the water, without altering the level of the track or roadway, and without changing the supportingstrength of the Lridge, Iu this way, tbe weight of o passing train is alwaya thrown upon flm perpendicnlar supports resting npon the pontoon, instead of lateral supports resting upon widely separated plers and depending upon the tensile strength of fron. Iitherto tho objection to pontoon Lridges for railwnys @3 been (hat every chango in the stage of water has correspondingly elevated or lowered the road-bed, and in most of our rivera Lhis hns been an insuporable olijection, Mr. Rice's invention obvintes thiy difienity entirely, nnd not only dispenses with the Leavy and eostly foundations now in vogie, Lut nlso with tho heavy and costly and in- seenre trnss, Another advantago possessed by Mr. Ricr's invention is that the druws in the Lridge can be of any dasived length or any desired num- ber. In this respect it would seer fo he pe- culiarly fitted for crossing the Detroit River, whero the necossity of s bridgo is very great, It where the necessitios of navigation re- qnire more than one draw, and also require draws of unnsunl apan, It hins been proven by fonr year' experi- enco ot Prairio du Chien, Wis., that a pon- toon Lridge is not liablo Lo Lo injured or car- ried awny by ico ¥ neans are taken to pre- vent the ive from forming ngainst the pontoons. [Uloating ice will pnss under them wilhout doing injury. It hni olso been proven at the samo place that a8 pontoon bridge will maintain it plac: against the current without anchora and with no ather Iracing than the ordinary framework of n Lridge securely fastened to the shora ot cither end. 'The milway pon. toon bridye at Prairie dn Chien hoas Leen decided success, notwithstanding it is unpro- vided with the automatic nrrangements for compensating the rise and fall of the water, which constitutes tho chicf morit of Jr, Rice's invention, The cost of a bridge of this chnracter need not exceed one-tenth of the cost of the prosent siyle of railway Lridges over deep rivers. 'The depth of the water makes no diffierence, sinco the surface of the stream s atself the support of the whole stmeture. Nor need the engincer concern himself with the conrse of shifting chauncls or the force of unseon currents aud cddies in the bottom of the river, Wo underatand that Mr, Rice Las sub- mitted his invention to Gen, Huaruneys, Chief of the Engincer Corps of the army, and to some of the mast experienced milway engineers in this city, who have given their cordial npproval to the principles of its con- struction. Of course the invention is equally applieable to ordinary wagon bridges over navigable streams. AN OLD THIEF, THINLY DISGUISED, Ever since tho panic of 1873, which knocked construction companies and the sys- tom of building railroads without monoy higher than a ) Col, "Toxt Scorr has beon Inboring st Washington to have the money and the credit of tho United States placed at his commaud, to enable him, ns n railroad com. pnny, to contract with himself, as a construc. tion company, to build certain rallroads. ‘I'his schemeo of his was that the Unlted Htates shonld gnarnutee the payment of gold interest on the bonds of tho Company, at tho rate of 5 per cent; that theso bonds should run forty years, aud be jssusd at the rato of £15,000 per mile of the 1,800 miles of contemplated and nctunlly.conatructed mailroad. At tho last session of Congress, Mr. HunTiNgTON, ropresonting the Southern Cnlifornis Railroad, which lias been con- structing 8 railway from Ssn Francisco to the southern line of that Htate, opposed Scorr's scheme, nnd offered, on behalf of his Company, to construct all Scorr's proposed railways without any other subsidy than tho laud-grants possessed by those roads, In the Iutorval since tho last sesslon Hoorr and ToxmiNatoN have come to an agreement. Seorr's old rohomoe has been romodeled, re- painted, varuished, aud nowly labeled, but substantially its chinracter is unchanged. The new bill, which, it is said, has received the support of a large mnjority of the Com- mittee ou Pacific Railronds nud will soon be roported and put on its passago in the House, provides ns follows : Thatthe Scorraud HunTiNaToN Companies, reprosenting 1,800 miles east of San Diego in California, shall operate as one road from the Eastern tormiul in Missourl and Texns, and shall issno their own bonds to the full value of their ronds, and deposit them in the "'rensury ot Washington. These Londs are to run forty yonrs aud bear 5 per cont inter. est. ‘Tho United Btates are to appoint Com- missioners, who are to oxamine the road con. slructed or hereafter constructed, nud on thelr report tha Secrotary of the ‘I'reasury {3 tojssue to the Company its own bonds, beariug the legend, ** The United Btates of Americn guarantees the payment of the in. terest on this Lond.” ‘Lhus indorsed, tho bond s to be put on the market and sold. "The bond ara to bo isdted to the Companies to an amount equal to the cost por mila of construction. As the ronds ave to be built for Scorr, by Hcorr's Construction Com. pauy, Beorr will have no dilieulty in know- ing tho exnct amount of bonds per mile the Becretary of the Treasury shall isauo to him, As n sucurity for the indebtoduess thus ns. mmed by the United States, the Comnpanies aro to cxecute u first mortgage on all their property ; aro to pay into tho ‘Ureavury their carnings for Government trausportation, aud the prooceds of th eales of their land. The aggregate of lands grunted to these Compnnios {4 about 25,000,000 acres, one- half of which aro not worth 5 cents an acre, and on which the Companios have already borrowed moro than tholr value, 1t is denfed that this is a subsidy, Let us see. Estimating tho whole line of road and ot the soveral branches at 1,800 miles, and the averago cost per milo at $35,000, we have as the aggrogate bonds to be fssued nml the interest guaranteed ns follows: ABRURL InSreat at § per een Aggregute luterest, furty yes: This Lill, therefore, iy to compel the United States to asswno o legal obligation to poy to the holders of these bouds, during the next forty years, the modest sumn of $196,000,000 in gold. 'The mortgage is, of coumie, to oover the principal and int erest of tho bonds, and to foraclose the mort gage to recover tho aterest will require the assump- tion of the priucipal aud interest of the bonds. In plain terms, the mortgago is & sham and a fraud; even if it were good se« curity for the debt, the Government is not a money-lender nor a pawnbroker, and heaven forbid that it should ever bo the owner of a railroad, whether by purchase, inheritance, or reversion ! Stripped of all its varnish and frauds, its pretonses and equivocations, tha schie me iy that the United Htates shall by taxation raiie $3,000,000 gold annuelly, for forty yoars, aud oxpend it to pay Tox Scorr's Constraction Company for building 1,800 1ailes of railroad in a saudy desert, If thisis not & subsidy, then what is it? The fact that the guarantes of the bonds s required is evidence that, without the Government re- sponsibility, the bonds will be valueloss. 'The firat mortgage, the earningn of transpor- tation, and all the lanis thrown in, are not suflicient security to juslify the investment of adollar of the abundant idle eapital of the world in the rcheme. It is a dishonest sehieme, beeause it Is formelto plunder the Government, Why should the United States indorse or guarantce Tox Scort's bonds to the sum of ®126,000,0007 Why should it lend jts oredit to any individunl or corpora. tion? And, above all, why should it begin the loan busiuess by ndyancing 126,000,000 {o 2 schemo which canuot borrow a dollar in this or any other country on the faco of the globo? Nosuch bill should pass Congress. 1t {8 too infamous to be approved by the hon- est judgment of A majority of either House of Cougress, and outraged publio opinton will trent thosa who vote for it ns it treated those who tool tho salary-grab, and for the same reason: the robbery of the Tresury for self- ish and corrupt ends, EXPORTS AND IMPORTS, In the Now York JHerald we find a compi- Iation of the tables of imporis and exports at that port during the year ending Dec. 381, 1876, Imports nre of two classes : those pay- ing no duty snd those paying duty., Tho volues and quantities of many of the varie- ties of goods fnported show the interrap- tions of trade caused by the general depres- sion in this and other countries, First, we find the following comparisons between the imports of free goods in 1875 and 18 The miaug off in raw silk s cxplained na dua to the large use of silk produced in Cali- fornin, which silk is snid to be s fine aud much chenper than that imported. Never- theless, the tax on silks remnins at G0 per cent, In 1872, when there wus o lnrgo su- plus revenue, in order to avoid the reduction of taxation ns well a revenue, the high-tar- iff party repealed tho duty on ten and coffce, Thoe Democrats in Congresa voted with the Protectionists for this schemo to reduce rev- enuo withont & reduction of toxes. The quuntity of coffce imported into New York in 1876 was 165,132,605 pounds, which, at § conts per pound, would have ylelded $4,053,~ 978 revenua to the Treasmy; and theamount of ften imported was 48,960,439 pounds, which, at 10 cents per pouud, would have yielded $1,896,04, or an aggregmo of 0,850, of revenue to tho Trensury, In- stend of having that sum aunually plnced in the Treasury, our tarifl-jobbors at Waslung- ton repealed the daty, and the tea nnd coffes growers have beon collecting thut much ad- ditional for their ten aud coffca cver since. Tho American’ people have been paying the tax all tho same, but it hos been lost to the Treasury. The whole value of free goods fmported in 1876 way §104,005,030, agniust $102,609,661 in 1876, Agelust this slight increaso in the value of freo goods imported thero is o large full. ing off in tho valuo of gdutinble goods. Somo of the principal articles in which the decline hiag taken placo aro as follows: e Vs, ey 475 I W W ot ot ‘Woolen gooda...... a2, 310,005 22,881, Not one pound of bar mflrund-s!eclwml fmported in 1876, Thero was n large ducline in carpets, wines, spirits, block-tin, window- glnss, sheet.iron, cutlery, and other articles, Tho whole value of imports in 1876 was 412,627,497, ogainst 440,004,104 in 1875, —a falling off of nearly 15,000,000, all in datiablo goods. ‘The exportas during the snme time fromn the same port nggregated $2(4,902,5343, ot including about $8,000,000 in colu and ballion, The merchandise oxported from Now York wag, in ronnd sums : Brendstulfs, #55,000,000; raw cotton, $26,900,000 ; cot- ton cloths, $5,300,000; fron and stecl goods, £5,000,000; potroloum, $6,000,000; tobac- co, $16,000,000; bacon, pork, lard, tallow, cto., $51,000,000; butter and cheese, 314,- 000,000. These exports are only thoso from the port of Now York, CONSTITUTIONAL DISPUTE IN FRANCE. While the two ouses of the American Congress avo at varianco on the question of the Presidential count, the two Houses of tho French Assembly aru likewise at war ovor the construction of one of the constitutional provisions, Fortunately for the young Re- public of France, the immediate issue of the present constitutional dispute Is not besot with the same danger as ours; if it were, the history of Republicanism in that country would not warrant the hope of u penccable settlemont. The contention between thu French Benate and Chamber of Deputies concerns the prerogative of tho latter to fix the appropriations, The Coustitutlon pro. videa that the flzancial laws must ‘o the first place be presented to the Chamber of Deputics nud voted by it.” The Scnate now asgerts the claim of amending tho budget after it has been voted in the Chamber, and of restoring items proposed by the Ministry but rejected by the Lower House, This right is denled by the Lower House; aud one of the most in. teresting struggles of the now Ropublio has tioen based on this difference, with tlio Primo Minister leading the Senate party and Gau. BETTA &t the head of the Liberal party, ‘Ihe French legiulative system, like tho American, was modeled upon the English Counstitution, but both differ from it. The Houso of Lords in England can only accept or reject as n wholo the Government budget after it has been adopted in the Mouse of Commons, which thus literally holds the power of the purse. In the American Con. gress, however, the constitutional provision s simply that all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the Honse of LRepresenta. tives, while the additional provision that 4 the Benate may propose or concur with smendments &s on other bills" seems to make the originating of the fluancial moas. urcs rather formal than vital. The Liberul party in France now claim that the French Constitution intended that the Euglish sys- tem should be adopted, while the Conscrva. tive party maintain that the American sys- tem was intonded. In favor of tho former it may be stated that thore was a proposition in the French Conutitutional Comiission to give the Benate concurrent power in juitiating and completing the financial schemes, but it ‘was rojected. The organization of the French Assembly differs alike from that of the British Parlin. ment and that of the American Congress. The Hoube of Lords is in no senso a repre- sentative body. The American Senate is representative on the Federal plan, giving each State an equal voice, Tho French Sou- ate i3 only partly reprosentative, being made up in part by Benators elected from dis. tricts and in part by appointment by the Chamber and Executive, The theory of making up the appropriations for a Constitu. tional Govornment is that the power should Do vested in the direct ropresontatives of the people, thus giving the nation n permanent check npon the pussible extravaganco of the Government. If the French Senate requires the right of amemniling tho hudget ns it comen from the House, and restoring appropriationa that have been voled down, it will gaina prerogative that will 1n tho end lend to strong centralism. For, though the Chamber will still have the right to refuse its concurrence in the Senato amendments, the Freneh Con- stitution gives tho Senato and Exeentive the right to dissolvo the Chinnber, andthis power may be held over it to coercean acquiescence in the demands of the Ministry that wonld not otherwise be granted. The present condition of the quarrel be- tween the Senatennd Chamber showa that this power of the Seunte Lina heen successful. The Chamber has acceded to the restoration of the item for tho maintennnce of military chaplaing, which was asked by tho Ministry, rejected Ly the Chamber, and restored by the Senate. ut we donbt whether this single vrecedent will ho permitted to acquire the force of law, If the Liberals have given way this thne, it was probably n wise con- cession to avoid the danger of n church and military alliance, Loth interests being con- cerned, which might knve involved the conn- try In n strifo of great danger to the Repub- lic. Dut it is not reasonable to rupposa that the Liberals have permanently abandoned a claim for the popular Iouso npon which, owing to tho peculiar relations of the two 1louses, depends the power of the people to hold the Government expenditures under their own control, ‘Il President on Sundny, alarmed Ly the threatened violenco almost unavoidable in Louieinna with two State Governments at- tempting to govern at the same time, dia- patched to Gen. Avaun that, it the necessity of recognizing cither Government should arise, he would have to recognizo Pacrann, Ihe President states that under the law of Louisiana the Returning Bosvd was nuthor- ized to declnre who was elected to the Legis- Inture; that the Legialature thus declared elected hod formnally recognized tho Packanp Government, and the President could not, if a recognition of cither was forcod upon hini, do otherwise than recog- niza that s the true Government which had been so deelared by tho tribunal crented by the law of {he State. Hin dircction to Gen. Avuvun, therefore, was that, in cnse of vio- lenco, or brench of the pence, or collision between the two Governments, PACKAND wos to be considered Goveruor of the Htate. The President, under the circumstances, could do no less than this, It is mado his duty to interposo to protect tha Btate from domestic violence, nnd n recognition of the Btate Government was an nbsolute necessity to such intervention. Hislotter to Gen. Avaun was in the interest of peace, becanse it was notice to both sides of what would follow if collision should talke place. In the meantime, it is to bo hoped that both parties will con- tain themselves within peaceful limits until the reports of the Congressional Committees shall hnve been made, and the whole facts ngcertnined. It is more than probable that the decision of the Eloctoral question will carry with it n decision of the legality of the declared clection of Stato officers, The stalement is now made that, ot the SBunday conferenco of Tiroex, Hewrrr, and frionds, Mr. WarTeRsox's plan for gathering 100,000 bulldozers nt Washington on the day for counting the vote wns disapproved. Novertheless, it is roported that Kentucky s preparing to send its quota of 10,000 just the same, Now, it Mr, TiLoex is wise, he will insist upou au abandonment of this proj- ect in torms that canuot be resiated. What i this anny of 100,000 Democrats, with ro- volvers in their belts nnd bowie-knives in their boots, expectod to do? Are they to shoot down Congressmen who rofuse to vote 08 thoy dictate, or does Mr, War- TersoN think that Congress will be iotimldated- by their prescuce s the plantation hands of tho Southern States woro intimidated Dby the mounted bands of White-Liners nud Regulators who scoured the country? This iy ovidently an error, if it is entortained, for Congresa will have more than 100,000, moro than a million of 1nen back of it, to keo that every member shall ex. creise his full freedom of conscloucs in the votes he may cast. Wo mny also any that the party which attermpts to inangurate the Presidont on Mr, Warrenson's plan, or any other bulldozing process, will be a doad parly for all timo to come. We should judge Tioex to bo shrawd enough to foresee this, aud are therefore inclined to credit the re- port that ha has disapproved of the proposed 14th of Pebruary gatherin; s it not abollt time for the annual meetln" of the Clearing-Touse Assueistion? And, If vo, fw it not wbout tino for the etablishment of more ateln gont, rales and revulations fur the workinus of the Aesos clation? Underthe preseut rules aud system of clenrances, o, ‘!uulmnl(ulum the part of the meme Ders I8 require u rotfenest bunk lmaginable, It at present & jember, nay continieus vne, A certiled check on that rotten iustitution must be accepted by the other mewmbers of the Aseaclation In payment of notes, bllls, or any other dues. are bound by the guod faith whick T tho Loneiitotton and by-Jows. Of The House tu nceept the cheek. Should the coucern fall to wuku nb tLe next morning, and a debtor to the Clearmiz-House, —as woulil aptly IN the cuee, —the recelver of the wrmlulchu:k i the awer ls worthless, can whistlo for Its payient, same of the Clearlng . lluuse members have alveady been losers by bank fallures, A syotem of examie yathon wud reports 14 what [4 deniaded by a pub- 16 Who are dully depoatiora of wmoncy b oar benke, Can not the Clearing-House, at e approaching wiecting, o yomething in this direction, and thox ot Ily Instil] additlonal contidence n' our banks ¢, but reflect greater coutldence in them r—(ilote-Democrut, While the Clearing-House Assoclation are changing thelr rules In regand to *‘rotten ne stitutions,” 1t1s to be hoped they will also re- form thelr present deceptive and dishonest rule for reckoning the dally clearings of the Assocla tlon. The weekly statements of the clearings of the St, Louls banks are tade to [uclude both the debit and eredit dearh In this way the ap- parent weekly transactions of the Clearing- Housce bauks of that clty are doubled. Therule {0 all other Amerlean cltics bas always been to repurt the eredit clearings only, This fs the practice fn Lowlon, Parls, Fraukfort, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, aud other Furopeanclifes, as well as In New York, Boston, Phlladelphls, Baltimore, Pitlsburg, Clucinnatl, New Orleans,, Chicugo, Ban Frauclscu, and other Americay citics, Why does the St. Louls Clearing-House count doublel Will the GlobeDemucrat pleaso oxplalu the reason or motive! The effvet of thiy misrepresentation §s seen every week in the New York papers, which give St. Louls credit for do- ing twice the actual amount ot busluess trans. acted. s uot reform The summary of th crs’ return for Treland, which was moved for lu Parliament by Mr. Briout, bas been furnished, and is printed entire in arecent lasuc of the London Times. We bave already given in Tue TRIBUNE the summaries of the * Domesday-Books * of ¥u- gland and Scotland, whicl the summary for Ire- land will now complete. Notwithstanding the surprisiog facts that were developed concernlog the owuership of loud ju England and 8cotland, they arc vot o remarkable as those [n the caso of Ireland, sa will be seen by the followlog sta- Ustics: The population of Ireland is about 5,500,000, and the totsl sercsge 20,157,507 acres, which are fa the possession of 03,718 owners, 80 that thers are 4,431,234 people who do not swn a foot of ground io Ireland. 'The table of gross acresge hield by each clhaa Is interesting. Throe rersonsowu 100,000 acres and npwands; fonirteen own 0,000 and under 100,000; ninety own 20,000 and under [0,000; 185 own 10,000 and under 20,0005 452 own 5,000 and under -10,000: 1,198 own 2,000 and wnder 5,0005 1,508 own 1,000 aud under 2,003 2,716 own 500 and under 1,000; 4,080 asens 100 and under 300; 3,470 own ity and under 1); 7,740 own ten and under filty; 6,892 own one and under tenj and 85,141 own less than one acre. From these figures it will be ob- servdl that the class of owners' holding from 2,000 to 5,000 acres holds the largest proportion of Jand in Ireland, being more than one-sixth of the whole, and that 32,000 really ownand con. trol the whole ncreage, The valuatlon of the lands s placed at £ 1,790), the average rental per acre of each vlags belng £13 (365) The will of Mr. George Moore, 0’ Whitehall, Camberland, Eng., boqueathes £119,700 for char. ftable purpoics. The London Turer eugzeats Col. Gardon, the African explorer, asa it pereon to be made Gov- crnor of Bulgaria, if the Jealousy ol the Powers would permit. Itts the Intention of Bignor Ssivini 1o reappear fn London auring the appronching scason. His first performance will take place at Drury Lane, In the character of Macbeth. 1t s related that te Pope lately agreed to pay the feen of a Protestant in the Academy at Rome, rtating, when the relizion of the student was ob- Jected to, that the ** Academy in for arthute." Thurloty Weed says that he won Commodore Vandertnit's regard by discovering the talent of bis son William, As if the old Commodure had nut the abllity to discaver the capucity of bis own son? Mr. Jacob Bright, the brother of John, has oh. talneda place In Parllament again, and is again stiz- ring the woman-auffrage question. Dut the Influ. ence of John neainst the LIl avails more than would thatof twenty Jacobs In ite favor, A correspondeont of the Doston Adrertiser nseerta that Green's ** Short 1listory of the English Peo- ple*’ was pafled Into fame through the eforta of Mr, Freeman anit Prof, Stubbe, who, with the an. thor of the **Ehort Iistory," form a clique that controls the columns of the Safnrday Retlew, The New York Tribune credits the friends of Lucille Western with the incredible bad taste of ht tern." The otjer newspapers otnlt the **Miss," nnd the presuinp. tron 11 that It had an exfatence only i the Imazina- tlon of the reporter. Mr. Joseph Wheelock, an actor lonz and favora. bly known In this elty, has severed his connection with the Varletics Theatrs at New Orleans, “which o wan enyaged to play at during the scavon, and passed through Chicago yeaterday on his way to Philadelphin, 1le ls to join the compnny of Mrs, Drew's Arch-Street Theatro In the latter clty, Some wag lnanlarmed the New York Sui with the story that G, W. Childw, of Phlladelphis, and Dr, Ayer, of Masuachusctts, nre to become the propeletors of the New York Z'ritune, of which Whltelaw Tteld §s to bethe editor. “With thess thirce persons in ono ** tall tower " It woula - prove impregnablo even to the assaults of Mr. Dana. Victor Hugo's Jast letter, to a great unknown at Marseilles, runs thus: ~ « L3 AR AND VALINT PurT: You fourd s Journal, heart, ym;f(n' ont, o' eE il oF Sonter i, it b TerT s Tetryl Yo prove it 'L muckre sons as Vieron Huug, The experienced Arctfe crulver, Mr, Lamont, i a recent letter to the London Z%acs, expresses the declded conviction, founded on hia own extensive experience and that of many other practical Arctic me, that oll round the North ax round the South Pole, there Mew an cternal mars of lce o thousanid mliles In diameter, and perbaps miles thick in the centre. Il does not bellove that elther **ship, sledge. man, beast, bird, or balloon, will ever get across it." Tho general Investments of Iarvard Collogo atand on the books of the Trossnrer at $2,147,- 74£.03, bLut tholr estimated cash valne exoccds thls by about 10 per contum, from ‘which the aver. agerato of Income has been 7.21 per centum, ‘The speelal investments amount to §3,406, 059,411, and the total Incomo from them 14 234,814, The expendlturca in tho departments depens npon the collogs properAlaring the Jast yoar wors $218,011,531, and the income avallablo for theve expenditures, $217,302,50, When Mr. John Buyle O'Relily, in connection with Archbishop Wililams, hecama prapriators of the Boston Zilot, they voluntarlly assumed the ohlizatfons of Mr. Patrlck Doensbioe to the amount ©f$100,000, Thlx money wan owing principally to amall depositors, who had Intrusted thelr savings 10 Mr. Donahoe as to o banker, The new proprie- tora were In no way bound to pay theso debts, but they chose to undertoko It, and have now deelared adividend of 10 per cent. 11 Is & pleasure to tecord #0 nobdle an action as this, Tho King of Portngal In his late work of trans- lating **Hamlet” hushud an exverlenco almont worthy to rank with that of Q11 Dlua and the Arch- bishup as fllostrating the obrerse alde of the old morsl. In the modern instance, the Royal suthor auffered from the want of criticiem. Although he read tno tranklation to many persons, no one, until very lately, ventured to tell hiin that he had omit- ted to transinte & line in & very important passage. 1lo was generous enough to reward the critic who at last had the courage to point nut the omlsslon, The vlearand church-wardens of a parish near Shefleld, Eng., arc at present, it acems, greatly oxercieed fn mind about an nsceiption which has Just been placed over the tomb of o deceased crick- eter. Thie gentleman cnjoyed a consulerable local renown, and his bereaved widow, by way of plac ing on enduring record bls Leat title to celebrity, had earved upon tho tombatone representations of wickets, & foot long, o bat, andaball. The in- cumbent and hls oliclals object to thls desiyn, and want tho fombatone removed, sayng 1t has heen Intraducéd eptitionsly, The parlsbioners, proud of thelr local huro, stand up for the inecrlp. tlon, pure and simple. Itls understood that Mr, W, 11, Vanderbiit wild make & new dlstribution of hle father's property in order to watlafy some of the members of the family snd prevent lltigation. Tho daughters, it1s noe tlced, are provided with only 1ifo-Interests lo cor- tain sume of woney, the Commodore baving s prejudice against glving money to bis sons. aw, Cornellus J. Vanderblly bas only s life-interest In° s comparatively small sum because ho has been ex- travagant and dlwipated. The evident purpose wae to keep the control of the rallroads In the hands of Willlam i, Vanderbilt, who alune, (Lo Commodore thought, hae tho wit to deal with such veat concerus, e hasalso recoived private alrec- tlons as to & number of enterprises Lhat the Come, modore had at heart, Chlef of thess will be an asylum for raliroad men broken down or divabled in the service, JWIIL it be & source of regret of of refoleing to the public that the carrlors’ uddresses aze gradually be- coming leas fugubrious In thelr tone? The address of the Philadelphila Hulietin thls year s evidently tho work of the funny man of that journs), and it relutes the sad romsnco of Arbutus Juaes, a carrler who fell in love wlth Maod de Brown, cloped witn her, and was shot full of hotes Ly ker partriclsu tother, Maud committod suiclde Ly cramming & porasol down her throat. A fne plece of deacelpe tivo wrlting, which Wordswortl scareely cqualed, 1a the stauza telling of tho grovith of Maud's pas- »lon for Lier carrlez-Juver: er U cot foe ¢ Rt it And the allest editortal would send s Jos-thit steal h the ‘Theouyh th bosn of the sagelwlu pow longed to be MNOTEL ARRIVALS, Tremont Housé=J. Turuog, Hodlingtons . I, Heywoud. Buaton; Jubn Felling, Milwaukee} James Middieton, 'New Haveus the flou. U, P. Lee, Foud du L the Hon. G M Sperls, Peorls: Frank L. Uvodwin, Ne o Mon W 11, Vallewt, Decorail; Furker, Whiconing 8, 1. Besckuc 0. U. Hicks, oRimer .+ Htobi mor} Soludjon M cAAc—B. A, Fisk, U, Milwaukee: J. C, Nicodemu | Fort \\-yms. U Wales, ter, J." H.__ Ban towe, Fitte- burg: F. . ’l'un. l‘lllllnltl;lhll Edwin Scott, Topeka; J, H. Llnwr\' i Hl I b‘ lummm o Paliner U parrow, Bostou i, County; K. \\uhrnll. lnnnvul-. M. Alesauder, Ssu Vran : Bidieee: Philadelphla; A, A. Mason, St Lo Gen, J- 1. "Fearce Wasliogion; B. Roysll, FIftu Uaited Sts Bastieit, Hoaton. I !