Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 26, 1878, Page 4

Tlye Tribvwe, TERMS OF RUBSCRIPTION. BT MATL—IN ADVANCE—POSTAGE PRRPAID, GlvePost-Uflice address In foll {ncluding Stateand County. Itemittances may ho muade either by draft, express, Post-Office order, or In registered letters, at our riak. TERMS TO CITY SUDSCRINERS. Daity, delivered, Bunday excepted, 23 cents per week. Tiafly, delivered, Sunday Included, 30 cents per week. Address THE TRIBUNE COMPANT, Corner 3adison and Deathorn-ste., Chicago. Nt Ordersfor the dellveryof Tite TRIAUXR &t Evenston. Enrieweod, and Flyds Park leftIn the counting-room wilireceive prompt attention. ——re TRIBUN! RANCH OFFICES. ‘Trz CAICANO TRIRUNK has established branch offices - ole recelpt of subscriotions and advertisements as ollaws: NEW YORK~Room 29 Trtbune Bulldiog. F. T. Mce Fanprs, Manager. TARIS, France—No. 16 ftue de Ia Grange-Datellare, . Manter, Agent. LONDON, Eng,—~American Exchangs, 449 Strand. Hesay F, GiLLg, Ages AMUSEMENTS, Hooley’a Thentre, Randolph Engagement of Robson and Crane Combinstion. **Qur Dschelors.” Afternoon andevening. McVicker's Theatre. Madfson street, between Etate and Dearborn. 4*All the Rage." Afternoon and eventng. Haverly’s Theatre, Monroe streer, corner of Dearhorn. Engagement of Fraok 8, Chenfrau. **Kit." Afternoon and evening. Coliseum Novelty Thentre, Clark strect. between Washington and Randolph. ‘Varlety performance. The Tahernacle. Monroe atreet, hetween Frankiin snd Market. Cone cartby Glimore's Uand. Afterncon and evenling. e —— SOCIETY MEETINGS. WM. B, WARREN LODGE No, 200, A. F. & A. M. —lteguisr Communication this (Raturday) evening gehaitpuat 7 o'clock prompt, for buslness and wark. B, rd the W. Lotasealihe J. . DUNLOT, Secretary. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1878, CHICAGO MARKET SUMMARY, ‘The Chicago prodace markets wera active yeater- fay; generally strong early, then quitn weak, and firmer [n the afternoon, Meas park closed 10¢ per Lrl lower, ut $14.50@14.82 for Febraary and $11.001211,024% for March. Lard closed 744¢c per 100 1ba lower, at $7.32%4@7.35 for Febroary and $7.40@7.47% for March, Meats wera steadlor, at alic per 1b for hoxed shouldors and $3.65 per cwt for doshort ribs, Whisky was steady, st $1.03 per fallon, Flour was dull. Wheat closed %c lower, ut $1.04% for January and $1.03% for March. Corn closcd easier, at 40%5c¢ apot and 40Xc for February. Oats closed steady, st 24c spot and 24%jcfor seller Februnry, Rye wae dull, at 604@ Ble. Barley closed de higher, at 51%c for Feb- ruary and 52¢5¢ for March. 1logs closed dall and weak, nt $.85@4.10, Cattic wero firm and un- changed; anlea wero at $1.76@4.75. Bheep were dull, ot $2.75@4. 26, In sight on the Atlanticalopa laet Saturday: 10,100,000 bu wheat, 0,510,000 bu corn, 3,278,000 ba onts, 601,000 bu rye, and 4,511,000 bu barley. Inspocted into store in this city yeoterday morning: 158 cars whoat, 131 cars corn, 20 cara oats, 10 cars rye, 48 cars barley, Total, 382 cars, or 148,000 bu. One handred dol- 1ara ln gold would buy $101.50 in greenbacks atthe tlose. Dritish consols wero quated at 05 3-16 and steriing exchange st $4.80. e Greonbacks at the New York Stock Ex- change yesterdny closed at 983, ——e The tronbled’ fecully of tho Michigan University, having been unfeelingly gored in tho past, hava taken a vory ugly youog bull Ly tho horns, and cut down tho privileges of the graduating students of their inatitution in n mauner that will spur the young Par- ricx Hexnrs o the moat exalted hoights of passionate philipple. It remeins to be no- ticed low much madder the boys got next Juno than they now are. Tho recent combination of conl operators glves the bright promiso to consumers of nothing but fallure snd additional loss to ita snthont. The gentlo mildness of November, Docember, and January has loft n stock of fuol on bhond which forestalls any fear of scarcity, and the mining oporntions, oven undor the grinding brakea which the monop- oliats have put upon the whoels of industry during tho paat three woeks, have oxceeded the praduct of the samo soason in 1877 by 100,000 tons. T ——— As maoy bo acon in the communication of Mr. 8. T, K. Pane, published this morning, tho farmers of prairie soil who Lave suffered nnder the phenomenal mud blockade of the past 6ix woeks believe that the horrors of possible and the great inconvenience of impossible highway travel could have beon, oud may in the futuro be, averted by the slukiug of tile dralus under the soggy and water.sonked surfaco of the roads, Inutelli- gent gentlemen, whose views aro likewise published, and who have givon serious nt. tentlgn to this great cmbargo, the avil conse. quences of which Lave extended to the most remote quarters of the publio eionomy, de- claro thnt both theory aud practice show tile-drainagoe to bo the only immediate and applicable ramody, e — The way things are going in the distribu. tlon of Federal patronsge in Maine i in'the highest dogreo uusatisfactory to Senators Brayy avd Hamuy, who appear to have signally failed to impross upon the President tho idea thot they nlono aro competent to drcide who are the proper mon for the places to be filled. The mon they wanted wers not the men selected, and it hss chanced that in one or two “important sppolntments the very mon they didu't want were chosen by the President, Hources of information equally reliable were aviilablo in determiniug the question of fit. ncss, and the President has made selections whicl the Benate will find it diffioult to dis- hpprove, excopt on the traditional machine theory of the divine right of Benators to control appointments in their reapective Btates, ——— The cforts 0 judicted members of the Louixiana Returning Board to escape from the jurisdiction of the Btate Court and be tried in the United States Qircuit Court seem likely to result in a rather serious judicial complication. 'Fhe implacable Bourbons who Lavo instituted the prosecutions scarcely think it worth the trouble to deny, whatis a vory evident fact, that they intend to con. vict these men before a prejudiced court and Ly the verdict of n packed jury, the latter baving been impaneled from auong the white element exclusively, Judge WinTaxze, of the State Court, yesterday duuied tho spplication of the defendants for ® tranufer of the case to the Federal Court, aud also rofused their request for the privi- lego of taking the testimony of numerous witnesses residing outside the State, and whosa presence in court cannot be secured. The Returning Board mombers have detors mined to favoke the protction of the Feda sreet, between Clark and LaSalte. | THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: eral Court as their only hopo of scenring n fair and Impartinl trial, and if they shonld sncoeed in obtaining n writ of eertiorary, it is probable that the Btate Conrt wonldrefuse to recogniza it, and a conflict of jurisdiction is likely to ensue. In all such cnses the Federal Courts proceed with greateantionand deliberation, but when they do act they are in the hnbit of compelling respoct for their authority, as the malicions Bonrbons will discover to their sorrow if they attempt to disregard thoir mandates. —— By n vote of 43 yeas to 22 nays the Bonate yesterday passed the resolution offered by BSraxrey Marraews aflirming tho legal and moral nght of the Government to pay its bonds in silver coin of slandard valae, excepting, of course, such a3 are expressly made payable in gold. The mnjority, though a Iarge and de- cisiva one, did not comprise the two-thirds vote necoasary to pass the Braxp bill in the event of a voto by the President, but it does not follow that a two.thirds ma. jority conld mnot bLe mecured for the bill, ss it is known that in some instances Benators voted ngainst the Alar- THEWS rosolution upon the ground that snch an oxpression of the scuso of the two Houses of Congrass is premature, and should be de. forred until silver has been remonctized and is in existonce as a fall legal-tender coin, The Becrstary of War places no confidence in the dispatch, said to have como from Gen, Mrres, making the startling announcement that the redoubtable Srrriva BuLy, with 3,000 of the elits of his scalping fiends, had debouched from his Canadian fasts, snd was advancing upon either Fort Keogh or Fort Peck. No such Intelligence has offlcial. ly omnnated from Gen. Mitzs, and the weil.undorstood habits and physical nocessitics of the Sioux render a military operation in midwinter entirely out of the question. Only the most urgent leanness would force an Indian to even chango his camp in winter, and {f Brrrve Buwt has been seen in motion, his people wero seck- ing better quarters. The unquestionable offensive strength of the great red man who has so successfully deflod this Government lends the best-informed to apprehend an Indian war of unpleasant mognitnde next spring. Camantey Reep has boen gotting mnd again. His clients certainly cannot com- plain that he does not fdentify himsalf thor- oughly with their interests, He fights ns ravagely for the whisky men as he would fight for himself. o seems inclined to quarrel with oll mankind because the Presi- dent would not pardon his * batch ” s0 aa to reliovo them from the paymont of the tax out of which they have swindled the Govern- mont, as well a8 from personal penalties wh'ch they avoided by turning State's avi- denco. He writes n letter in which ho insin. untes nunecessarily and gratnitously that Judgo Lawnexor was favored in tho cases which he represonted because Judge Law- RENCE Wos & member of the Lonisiana Corn. mission. Ho flings opithots at the Attorney- General becnuse tho latter declines to inter- foro with the United States Judges hero or to impedo the propor and regular prosecu- tion of the cases. Ho annonnces that Jony Buenyax is tho Administration, and then de- nounces said Jonn SmeaMAN ns & man with- out nsonl becauso bo would not advise tho Prosident to remit the tazes that Mr, Rezn's clients may still owe the Government, In fact, Cnanvey REED stands ready to join the Tmplacables and make war upon the Admin- tatration to the bitter end, and all boenuse the Administration did not shower down Exaoutive beneficonco npon some gentlemen who wero engaged in very reprohonaible, not to say disreputablo, practices, Nobody but a lawyer copld ever got up so much temper over auch an ocourrénco, Ono of the Washington movements ¢ with money in 1t" is the agitation for a reduction in the whisky tax. It is a recurront awindle, It comes up in ono shape or another overy year or so. .Bometimes it Is o movement to increnso and somotimes & movemont ‘to re. duce the tax, The purposo fs tho samo in oll cases, howaver, and this fa to provide an opportunity for the speculators. Tho whisky tax just now is probably about the right fig- ure,—not too large to dofeat the collection and offor & temptation to risk the pennltics to evade it, aud not so small as to give the mannfacturers, venders, and consumors of whisky encoursgement and advantages to which they are not entitled, Whenover the movoment {a in tho direction of a reduction of the tax, the speculators proparo to sell *‘ghort," and harvest o handsome profit from their carly information asto tho leglslative action to be taken. Then a reduction now would prepara the way for an in. creass of the tax {n & year fronf now. In the meautimo the manufacturors would acoumulato o large stock on hand, pay the reduced tax thereon, and dispose of the whisky on the bnsis of the increased tax afterwards, Thus tho Government is swin. dled on both sides, and nobody gets any benefit from the manipulation of the tax except the spaculators and thoss who assist them in securing the changes, Even if this wero not true, it would be preposterous to suggest a reduction of the whisky-tax on its own merita at this time, when it is all the Govornment can do to raise sufliclent rove- nue to pay its current exponses, and when the revenne from the oustoms dutien is steadlly declining. 'The whisky tax is the loast odious and burdensomo of all tho taxes lovied, and should be the last to be curtailed in bard times, Tho languishing manufac- turing and commercial {ntorests of the coun. try may justly clamor for o modification of the tariff, but this only furnishes another reason why there should be no reduotion in tho taxos on either whisky or tobacco, T ———— If the terms of poaco between Nussia and Turkey which ars reported by tho London Telegraph have been finally arrunged s thoy ore stated, thoy can scarcely fail to exclte issntisfaction and dissent among the alliea of Russla. ‘Furkey pays a war indemnity of #$100,000,000, all of which, it seems, is to go to Russis, who holds three of the principal fortrosses until the indemnity ahall be poid. ‘The allies will reccive no indemnity what ever for the lossos they bave incurred, Ber- vis, which really began the war, aud, by desperate fighting, enabled Russia to strike Turkey in & weakoned coudition, becomes independent without concessions, which wad practically her condition before the cutbreak of tho war, Montouegro, which has fought with the tenacity of a little bull-dog, is to receive a mere slice of territory, and a couple of fortresses that mnay aid her in repelling ‘Turkish attack at some future time, but will not prolect bier from such a possibility. Bul- garia, which has been torn and distressod and Llias borne the bordest trials incidont to war, is to bave guasi autonomy, with & Cbristian Governor pominated by Turkoy; the past bas shown how wuch mpy be ezpocted frqn SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1878—TWELY such an arrangement with n Tarkish Govern. ment to constrno and apply the conditions. Ronmania is not even mentioned in the statement of terms, though the decided vic- tories for Russia only began after Roumania throw her army into the fleld. It will also tronble Tnrkey to horrow the 2100,000,000 indemuity from England nnder the condition that tho Dardanelles shall be opened to Russian mon-of.-war, which England may re- gard as a standing mennce to Constantinople. Russia seems to have Leen gonerous enough to Turkey in omitting n demand for torritory nnd foregoing the temporary occupation of Constantinople, but by no means generons to ber allies who helped her conquer peace; but perhaps the Russian Governmont Lnas been influenced by the thonght that those nllies are not in a condition to make so much trouble over tho settlement as ia England or nny of the Grent Powers that might object to more exacting torms, THE CHICAGO BANKS AND SILVER. A number of the Chicago banks, through thelr ofiicers, have forwnrded to Washington, 1o bo laid bofore Congress, a protest againat the remonotization of silver, which protest was printed in Trx Tripuse yesterdsy, The suthor of the protest wrote as if to order. That isto say, Le wrolo to protest against the Silver bill, but evidently under serious embarrassmont as to the grounds on which he should protest and a9 to the ressons why lie should anticipate evils from such leglala- tion. Finally, theso rensons were thus stated : 1. Woaro opposed to any leglslation that wonld degrade ovr present stanaard of value to which the varlous ‘Intereate of the country. have ad- Justed themeeives, and ws belleve that the pro- sed legislation, while it would not In name, yet I‘:u. resuits woald be equivalent to debasing onr coln: an cxperiment that other nationn have fried A2 4 temporary relief, bot, o far as we know, al- ways with disastrous consequences. It will bo nows to the public generally that the various interests of the country have ad- justed themselves to tho prasent standard of values, Do any of thess bank officers belleve the statemont? Can they bo ignomnt of the fact that, even since 1875, there has been n constant, regular decline of tho valuos of all kinds of property, and that this, of neces- sity, has been accompanied by an equal ad- vance in the valne of money? Theso bank officers know that there can be no general decline fn the value of labor and proporty withont a proportionate inereaso in the valno of money. Do thess gentlemen wish to bo undorstood that thero has been no decline in tho values of property, and that no such declino is now going on? In 1874, ono year after the panic, it wns de- clared that tho various interests of tho country had then adjusted themselves to the **standard of value,” had renched tho *“bard pan,” and thero would be o brightor fature. But property still went down, and in 1875 hard pan was again supposed to have becn reached, but proporty further shrunk invalue. In 1876 the varions interests wera declarod agnin to bave adjusted themselves ta o standard of value, but the declnration was follacious, ns it was found to be fallncious in 1877; and now our bankers begin 1878 with the old, stale, and noto- riously untruo asscrtion. Bocurities good in 1874 woro insufiiclent in 1875; tho loans made in 1876 would not be repecated on tho samo seccurity in 1876; while what was considered amplo in tho Qon. teuninl year had so shrunk in 1877 that the holder was forced into bankruptey with his hands full of what had boon firat- closs property the year Lofors. If wu have now reaoliod a standard of value to which all other values havo ndapted thomsolves, why have some of theso banks converted their means into bonds to be placed in their vaults, in prefersnce to continuing losns and discounts on comumercial and other pn- per ordinarily flrst class 7 1f wo have roach. od bottom, why do these bnuks practically abandon business rather thnn nsk n con- tinuanco of the fall in valucs of all property, which fall is so marked as to be visible even in casen of sixty and ninoty doy loans? In viow of this declaration by theso banks, what explanation do thego gentlemen give for the deluge of bankruptey which has overtakon go many thousands of judividnals ond corporations, and especially banks? Why is it that all over the country the papers are filled with notices of foreclosures where the londer is reluctantly forced to take property no longer worth the money due on it? Do theso bankers think that, in tho light of the universal ruin of so many and the notorious wonknosa of others, anybody will be decoived by the assertion th at the decline in the valuo of property has stopped, and that the valuo of money has ceased to in. crease? Is not every man who owns any description of property prepared by porsanal knowledgo to give a flat contradiotion to the atatement ? The sawe gentlemen declare that to re- monetize ailver would be to * debnss our cofn,” What coln s it in which tho people have beon niaking debls? What coin is it in whicli these bankers have been doing buaj. nesa since they were organized? In what coln hnve they made loans, and in which their capital ks boep pald up? *Debasing ourcoin" is the phrass they use, aud what is tho coin that 1s to be debased? Gold has boen as absent from goueral use since 1861 as bas been sitver, and until within two years tho silver Lias been excluded because too val. uable to cirenlate alongeide tha cheaper gold. ‘The demand for gold has beon greatly in. creased. In 1875 Geruany became o bidder for %400,000,000. In the same year the United Btates gave notice that it would want $300,000,000 before the end of 1876, Thess demands woro by Goveruments npt previous- ly using gold except in limited quantities, ‘The sunual product of gold is decrensing. Under this extraordinary condition of affaira silver was demonetized, and the value of gold a8 a purchasing power has gono on in. crensing since that date, and the purchasing value of labor and of property has been go. ing down. Tho demand for gold rings tbrough the Treasury Department and is echoed by tho banks, though this demand is impoverishing the producers snd the bolders of proporty, Wo do not un. derstand what interest the banks can hove in the fluancial destruction of their customors, Every man who lolds a stock of goods knows that the value of those goods wil! be leas at the ond of every month tlan i¢ was thirty days before. Ile buys on a falling market, but, before he can sell, the goods depreciato on his hands. The money with which ko is to pay Lis debts so appro- clates during the four months that bis sales show a large deflcit. Al proporty, including bank stocks, abaros this fall iu value. The tise in the value of money is consuming the substance of every man in business, and of courso the substance of tho depositors, and that the banks kuow this is vyidencod by the polioy of putting their money into bonds, ‘and withdrawing it from loaus to their customers, Unless this riso in money—the result of tho desporate if not insans attempt to make 20ld the exclusive weuey of the wesld—be arreatad, tho delugo of insolvency, of bank- | morchandivo under tha I T. Bond act, in. ruptoy, of foreclosurss, of Sheriffs’ rales, of confiscation, of bank failures, of the wreck of trust companies and savings institntions will go on, nntil 1878 will witness such a general and widesprend finnaneial desolation a8 has naver been witnessed in this country, Is it for the interest of these banks which aro doing business npon the money of other people to thus force a goneral bankruptey to destroy their own austomers? IHavo not the ownors of the £21,000,000 of deposits in the Chicago banks soms intorest to be protected and eaved? The banks of Chicago havs re- duced their cirentation to the minimum, and the interest they hava in bonds ia petty com. pared with that of the people whose money they hold, and whose intorests are all ine volved in the arrest of the riso in money and of the fall in the value of property. BSo long as the value of everything a mnn owns—his land, -lots, buildings, stocks of goods, machinery, securities, nud other property— is sbrinking and fading away, it can only be & question of time when he muat succumb, Tho ond is inevitable, and, ro long ns the effort is poraisted in of roducing all things to a gold value and the demand for goldis far in oxcess of any possible supply, this de oline in the value of property must go on. Tho objoction to the coinage of silver dol. lars becamdo of the present value of silver maetal, howaver oxonsable in ignorant writers and speakers, {s nnworlly of persqns pro- fossing to bo intelligent business mon. They know that the decline of silver bullion has boen due to the temporary surplus of silver on the market and tho close of the American mints to its coinage. They know that that surplus of silver bullion is so nearly exhaust. od that the remonatization of silver dollars in this country would have the effect of ro. storing silver to its ordinary value, and that the intrinsic value of the dollar as well as its monetary value wonld be at par, and that tho re-ostablishment of silvor as monoy wonld at onco arrest the rise in gold by the consc. quent increasp in the sum of the world's metalllo money. We thiuk the protest of theso bankers wonld have been moro to the credit of the signors, and more promotive of the goneral good, if it had nover been writ ten and had nover been published, A BHAM INVESTIGATION OF THE NEW YORK OUSTOM-HOUSE, In the course of the New York Custom- Houso Investigation of last fall a spocial committes of the ‘* Chamber of Commerca of tho Btato of Now York” was constituted to “' conch " the Board of Investigation. This 4Committes put its viows in tho form of “ points,” Tho twonty-third point, as stated by the Board inits fifth roport, was in re- gard to ** the equnlization of appraisoments ot differont ports.” In stating the point tho Committeo suggests that *‘correct duties are most prodably asscssed ab the port twhere the importations are largest,” and adds: * What the merchnnts unanimonsly demand, and what thoy recommend, is a plan to correct the eovils nnd to oqualize nppraisc- ments at the different ports,—a plan that shall be at onco simplo, thorough, and rapid, speed in reotifying evils of this kind boing espocially important.” It hnas beon charged that the Trensury De- partment is & moro appendage to the Now York Custom-House ; that the latter is mas- tor instend of servant of tho former. How. evor this may be as regards tho past and the present, wa aro no longer loft in doubt that it is tho purpose equally of the Chambor of Commerco Committeo and of the Board of In. vestigation to elevate the New York Custom. House to the suprome position of trnst and command in tho collection of daties on fm- ports. On tho hint of the Committee that * corroct dytios ara most probably, pssessed T porh s L aorame eat,” the Board impudently proposes to make tho Collector of New York the final arbiter between the Government aud every import. or at avery port in tho United Statos ! It in o monstrous proposition, tending to pro. mote, not equalization of appraiscments, but unjust discrimination in favor of New York and ngoinst every othor city in the country, But here 1s tho propasition of the Doard in all its naked deformity : In theso viewa we entlroly concur, and wo think a system can realdly arranced by which the clasalfication and vales eotadlrshed Gt the New York Custom-Z2louse ahall be known and recognized at every port in the country, and by which the question as to what Is the rate in any particular case may ba datermined with tho leant poesibla do- lay, assuming the appralsora to bo oxports, In the light of this extraordinary recom. mendation it becomes plain that thore is at lonst one man in the Treasury Department roady to do the bidding of his real masters of the New York Qustom-Ilouss, rather than that of his nominal superior, the Scorotary of the Trensury, since the Chairman of the Board, although an employe of the Becre- tary, coolly proposes that that officlal shall abdicato hia chiof functions in favor of the Collector of Now York. Of courso this ab. surd recommendation has not been ndopted by tha Becrotary of tho Troasury, but it iaa little surprising that it did not crush tho en. tire report undor o lond of contompt. Its practical operation, if put In force, would be the abolitfon of every port of entry fn tho country excopt New York. And that this s tho desiro and purposs of the Committee and the Board is apparent from another fenture of the sixth report. The subject of iuland transportation bonds being under discussion, Mr. EaTox, of the Cham. ber of Commorce Committee, made the ssplent remark that *“it [the subject of inland transportation] had called forth the expression of n very goneral and a very sin- cero conviction in the minds of our [New York] local importers that interior ports of entry should be abandoned.” Whereupon the Board agoin recommended the practical sabolition of faterlor ports by coming toan agreement “‘in thinking that the safety of the revenus requires,” eto,, that whenever the ekill of an expert becomes nocessary, all goods deatlned for interlor ports should be classitied and appraised i transitu at tho port of New York, and the appraise- ment forwarded to the interior ports for the payment of tho duties. Wo are confident that the country has never vead, much less considered, thoss ex. troordinary documents, called ** Reporta of the Commission on the New York Custom. House,” They are conspicuons for three things: (1) Asevidence of the dawdling of the Board over small poculations, (2) As evidenca of its resoluta purpose to avoid all "inquiry teuding to unearth the mammoth frands by undervaluation and damage allow- snce. (8) As evidence of the hostility of the Board to iuterior ports, and of its dotermination to show its influ- ence in favor. of their abolition, And now, on the heel of these disintersstod “points” of the Chamber of Commerce Committoe, spproved by the Board of Iu. vestigation, to the effect that all other entry poris of the country ought to be degraded to the rauk of mero satrapies of the customs ,ompire of New York City, comes one AMlanaz, & Treasury Agent, and gravely slleges that * great irrogularitiea” exist in sbipments of volving losses to the Governmont of mill ions of dollarx of revenne annunlly. There iz not a pacticla of evidence going to show that the Government has evor lost a dollar by reason of such alleged irregularities. Ya. quiry develops the fact that Mr. Mapare's sllegation was bnsed upon a complaint en- terod bytho special Treasury Agent stationed at Ohifengo against the customs officlals of New York, to the effect that they persistont- 1y neglect to conform to the lotter of the regulations requiring merchandise forwarded under the 1. T. Bond act to bo accompanied by manifesta. Thus it appenrs that, as onco all ronds led to Rome, now all investigations of customs frauds load to the conviction of Now York City. BEECHER ORN HELL Mr. Berones bas dolivered himsolf of his views on futura punishment in an interview with a representative of the Boston Herald much more at length than he expressed him- melf in his recent sermon which has at- tracted so much attention, From the very nature of the interview it is appnarent (hat the questions were carefully prepared, and that the answers were written in a cool and thoughtful manner, with the intention on Mr. Beeonzn's part that it shonld be socopt- od 18 an authoritative statement of the posi. tion with regard to those issues which he intonds to occupy and defend against all as. sault. Altiough the interviow was a very long one, Mr. Becnen's declaration of be- et rany bo very briefly stated. Ho holds in the first place that ratribution certainly exista; that right will be rewarded and wrong punished; that probation continues after death, and that the end snd aim of retribution aro reformation, Becond, the continuauce of suffering when it has no reformatory purposs is simplo cruelty, and no man of a deeply moral nature can bolieve that **Gop will bring into life, as He has, myriads which ntterly ontrun all conputa. tion, under circumstances in which they not only have no help whatever to cffect moral growth, but whore all thelr sur. ronndings are adverse and perverse, and allow them to continue, nnder such known conditions, to roproduce gonetations innumerabls, and then to placo them in a great heronfter where the principal feature is suffering, and where suffering haa coasod to have any moral benefit, and so continue them there forever and forever.” Third, ho dooes not think that **hell,” * damnation,” *¢ over- Iasting,” and similar terms bear out thoir litersl meaning when subjected to the ern- cial test of modern scholarship. He does not belleve that theso torms were used of old in their litoral sense, but in a vague, genoral- izing way, na we say a *‘ hundred ” when we mean many, or *‘forever ” moaning a long .period of time. With rogard to the signifi- canco of those and aimilar torms, as well as of forms of orthodox bellef, there has boen an immense ohange during the past fifty yoors, owing to the progress of knowledge and the development of higher moral sus. ceptibilities, Fourth, he boliovea that Ifeaven and Hell are spiritual, not material condl. tions, but at the same timo s free to admit that a plain, unlettered man, reading the Scripturos, would dorive from them an iden of future etornal misery, and that it is the universal tendency of this class to material. iza the Beriptures and créate a material Hoavon and Holl. Fifth, in closing his interview, ho clasaifies his views on the subject of future destiny a8 follows: First, those of the Annihila- tionists, who beliovo that all men by nature aro immottal, but all men perish, except those to whom Omnisr gives etornal life; second, those of tho Rostorationists, who aliéve fnl'nd' Indefiidta dogroe of diseiplinary suffering during the future life, which will end with the restoration of all souls to purity; third, tho Universallsts, who hold that at death the spiritual conditions which onviron tho outgolng soul are such as to transform it and bring it into n new sphere of life and pence; fourth, the Orthodox of tho old school, who believe in an etornity of suffering a8 the punishment of the imponi- tent; end fifth, that portion of the Ortho- dox who do not belleve that probation ceasea at death, and who teach that men will suffer s long as thoy sin, but that they will nét ain foraver. To this class Mr, Bxxouzn belongs, and we may accspt hls position as one of uncompromising hostility to orthodox Cal. vinism, and to an eternity of punishment as well na to a material Holl, An illustration may serve our purposs in stating Mr, Bzzouzn's position, and it is one drawn from life, We will suppose the case, of a man who has led an exemplary life, Ho has always beon a peaceable, law-abiding, induatrious citizon, He lins beon charitably disposed and has dono great good to his fel. low.man, Ho bas won the respect and ad- miration of the community in which ho re. sides. He is not, however, a religlous man, He hes not been couverted. His heart has not beon chnnged, and he is looked upon by church people as unregenerate. Soms night, whilo on his way homeward, he is set upon, a8 poor McCoxviLun was the other day, nod murdered without provocation or canse by a drunken, bloodthirsty desperado, who has loug beon tho terror of the community, The degraded, Yrutal wrotch is arrested and s put upon his trial. By some miracle the tochnicalities of the laws and the deoisions of lenient and maudlin Judgos do not asalst him to escape, Hois found guilty and s sen. tenced to be hanged. In the interim be. tween his trisl and his exeoution he meots with a change of heart and experi. ences religion, He goes to the gallows sing- ing pealms, shouting glory, praying, express- iog to tho crowd his new-found peace of heart, and enthusiastically antioipating his immediato entrance into the New Jerusalem, Now, it we are to accept the Calvinistio doctrines literally es the Calvinists would have us accept the Beriptures, the victim of this murderer is plaugod into the abyss of Holl by the murderer's knife, there to suffer for endlezs ages the torments of the damnued, becauseho was an unregenerate 1oan,while the desperado himself, baving heen regenerated, goes to Hearen, and, with harp in handor vig. orously waving his palm-branch, looks down with complacency upou his unregenerate victim writhing in the torments to which he sont him. Now, Mr, Bzroues does not be. lieve in this disposition of the two men. Ho does not belleve the murdered man wont to Holl because he was unregenerate, nor that the murderer went fo Heaven ‘because he was regenerate. 'We would like to put this same case before our Calvinistio clergymen and to ask thun what they reglly Boltove is the futuro destiny of the murdsrer and his victim, - It is o fair test case, and we siould like to know their viows without quibble or evasion. If thoy really believe those two men go rospectively as we havo indicated, then in Mr. Brrouza's own words— When T look st it in the light of paigitating bu. man Iife, if 1 belleved 1n tbis doctrind every loat would waft 8 slgh, the groand woald tremble with the Imagined thunders of perdition: I would be clotbed fo sackcloth, wy head would become witl the ucoohet's ‘'s fountaln of tesss b wol nall the procesees of human soclety: it wonld ta everr man trho entored nion the marrisge siate, **Thou art a batharian (o hring Into fe children nnder anch fearful peral and riskt" 7o not believa that the reason, nor the indnstries of 1ife, nor the sanctities of thing that in fnel A & real belief In th the household, nor any- nd good, conld long survive Ideaus doctrines, e e—— A nnmber of peopls of the Bouth Divislon are groatly astonished at the large increase over Inst yoar on the personal property tax, whioh they discovered since the Collector has commenced sending ont mnotices calling on peaplo *“to step up to the Captain's office and mottlo,” We hava been trying to find otit tho canse of thia unexpected inereass which 2o astonishes the people of the Bouth Division. It seema that qfter the Assessor's valnation of personal property in Ohicago had been transmitted last August to the Auditor at Bpringfleld, the Cook Caunty Board took it upon themselves to add 20 por cent to the Assessor’s valuation in the Bonth Town. This ‘*‘extra™ nasmessment, we are informed, was rejected or not used by the Btate Equalization Board, asit came before them too late and inan irregular manner. The Board procoeded, however, to add 57 per cent to the Assessor's valustion of personal property in each Divis- ion of Chicago. But it appears, as nearly as wo can find out, that tho late County Olork has extendod the personal taxes in the Sonth Division on the basis of the Connty Boara valuption,—which added 20 per cent to tho Assessor's valuation,—plus tho Btate Equalization Board's 57 per cent on: top of that. For {llusteation : A taxpayer has shown ua the manner in which ho is as- sessed, He returnod $24,700 of personalty, —the samo as the yoar provious,—and by the State Equalization Board's action he would be called to pay taxes on £88,779 of prop. erty ; but in faot he is ordored to pay on $46,635. He naturally protests, until tho point is settled. Wo suspect not many more personal properly taxes will be paid in the South Divislon nsitis. Tho Clerk al. logos that he added 20 por cent to the valua. tion establishod by tho Btate Board on the strangth of the certificats of the Aunditor of State, which rocites that at a meeting of the State Board held Aug. 14, 1877, the follow- ing ndditlons were mada to the nssessment of Cook County: Porsonal, 57 por cent; lands, G3; town and city lots, 35 ; railrond proper- ty, sameo. Thon comes this clause: ** Yon will therefore, in pursuance of law, proceed to oxtond tho ‘equalized/ valuation of the several classes of property as listed by increasing or reducing the valuation as oqualized or correctod by the Uounty Bohrd at tho rates per contum nbova given,” Tho Courts mny be enlled on to decide how for this clause will bear tho interprotation putonit by the County Clerk. Tho nssossment of personal proporty ns sent ta- Springfield ‘was §10,000,000. It waa raised by tho Stato Board to $30,000,000, on which n State tax ot 36 cents on the $100 was to be collectod. By the notion of the County Clork the valua- tion has been raised to $33,000,000, which increnses tho amount of State tax collected from the taxpayers of the Town of Bouth Chioago by $100,000 boyond tho sum ro- quired for the Btate. What will be done with this surplus? Smec—— The statoment is now made that Lord Durrenix's visit to Washington was design- od to further the interostd of the reciprocity project betweon the United States and Can. ada. Tho usefulness of his efforts in this mattor will dopend in large part upon the kind of reciprocity which hs advocates. Bome Eastern Board of Trade men visited Canada about the opening of the new year to urgo the advantages of froe trado batween the United States and Oanada in a fow arti. oles which the United Btates import mainly from Cannda, The effect,of any partial roci. prooity of this kind would merely bo to doprive the United Btates Government of soveral millions of dollars of rovenno from dutlos without openingup componsating ad- vantages to the people of this countryin selling to Canada. Any ngreement of this kind would amount to a sacrifice of the gen- eral intereats of the country for the advan. tage of certain classes, The only acheme of reciprocity which is worthy of oconsidera- tion is o general ogreement of free trade botween tho Unitod States and Canada s to tho produots of both countries, This will never ba practicable, howaver, till there shall bo an agreoment on tho foreign ‘ariff, Our understanding of the Woop Tariff bill is thot it will make a material reduction in the American duties lovied on foreign im- porta; in this caso, Cannda will have an op- portunity to meot the United States half way and adjust her tarlff to ours, if the Canadian people are in earnest abont reci- prooity. Any other armugement than this- would be defeated by fraud, since forelgn producta could be introdneed into that conn. try undor Canadian duties and sent into the United Btates fres ns Canadlan produots, The principle of the Zollverein, which worked so admirably in the reciprocity of the Gorman Btates previous to the solidifi. catlon fnto one Empire, is the only falr and permanent solntion of the reciprocity prob- lom, * It is hard to ploase the gold people. The Now York Bulletin objects to the uilver dol. lar because it is too large and contains too much silver, Itsays: The true course for the Unlted Ftates In ap- proaching remonatization would be tu institute negotiations with:the Latin Unlon witl to accopting their ratlo of 184 to 1 caringa common sgroenient swong ments to coin all the sllver prea: minu; and (3) 10 continue the Unfon for & long poriod after ita termination in 1880. This being accomplished, ramonetization could be underiaken Ia this country witn sminent sdvantags to its forelan commurcial relations, and without com- platnt of detriment or injustico to any clgsa. ‘The same paper warns the country that it the silver dollar of 412} grains be recoined, that the Btates of the Latin Union, which only give 15} of s lver to 1 of gold, will send over here their gold and buy up all our big dollars and tako them and recoin them. Here is what it sayu : 13 was the fact that in these countriea 15% ouncas of sllvercould bo exchanged for 1 of gold that caused ouz 4124 xralns dollar to ba exported aa fast as i4 was colned, as that coln waw based wpon 106 to 1, and was therefore worth 3 per cent more in Kumr thio at home; and if sliver stould re- cover iis loat value aud be remonetized on the bams provided in the Braxw bill, it would for the same Teason be impossiblo Lo keep it in $he coun- "’!f the Htates of Europe shall buy up all our mlver dollars with gold dollary, then our bankers who object to & debased coin will Lave an opportunity to get gold cleap. S ——— Her Roval Highness the Duchess of Edin- burg has become a wandercr on tho face of tho earth. Her father, the Czar, has never been uoted for patoinal fondness, haviog bad quare rels with suveral of the Grand Dukes at differ- eat times; and, when ho marrled her to the Quoen’s son, he doubticss felt that ho had ful- flled bis duty, and was well rid of the girl, But ber Iifo in London was by no mcans bappy, 88 it was well kuown tbat the Engllsh have uot cutertatucd au altogether friendly feellng to- wardy her natlouality, aud she was glad Lo cs- capo a year 3go from the cold restralut of the Euglish Court snd pay = visit to the o1d folks at home. Meanwhile her busbang, the sallor Duke, started ou a tour about the Continent. He 1s & ploasant kind of fcllow, and trice — to enjoy himacl! wherever e Fox and, although he flkes the Do and thinks she fs well . enougs Y her way, he 1s not averss to filrtations iy others of the falr aex whom he chances to e, During his triphe managed to get into Py thanone serfous difficulty, On a mmn: caslon ho made a hasty exit from Nice, o tothe sppearance of a rabld fathier armeq ." arevolver, After a whils ha was heard frop, n Constantinople, whero he was foasted by Bultan., Btrange colncldence It was, too, ¢ e dined with the Sultan at the very time Whe his father-la-law was marching across Bulgy, and if, st that time, Gounxo had beon Sticeey, ful, and the Rusalan army had not been heyy back by the repulas at Plevns, the Caar muyy; have marched upon Constantivopte ang m a prisoncr of the husband of his own danghiy But it foll out differently. Tho youthfal Doy, stayed & while with the British fleey M Bestka Bav, and then returned to My, whero ho was jolned by his wife. And i Gen. GraNT happened to drop anchor at Maly the other day, who should pop fn upon him P formally but his Royal Highnoss the Dy o Edioborg. Subsequently Gen, Grant L™ the princely pair at thair palsce ot 8an Anto, and lunched in an orange grove. But the D, has been recalled to the fleet at Beatka Bay, o alter his departure, what will the Duchesy & then, poor thing? e —t The laadlady’s daughter, it Is generally py. derstood, i far from belag averse to the attey. tlons of the good-looking boarder, and, 1o fat, bas been kuown to 80 openly tndlcato her myy. enly regard as to bestow upon him the largey plece of plu and the choicest cat of hash [n gy, menu, to the disgust of the less-favored panig. pants In tho luxurious faro of the establishimeq, But In the case of a certaln Hoboken glel they scoms to have been adeparture from the ony, nary rule. When Kats HAUN was requese by her mother tolisten to tho nmorous plajyy of JonN Reiser, the favorite boarder, gy stoutly refused, and cven ran away from hogy to escape his Importunitles. Then did hy mother, not having authority to compel 1y, young woman to retury, onter a charge azany her of theft and cause her to be lodged in thy police-station, Bul even that extreme measy was of no avall, and Kata was finally allongy ta o and marry the young man of her chok, who was not o boarder. * e — Jomx SnurMAN, before he fell Into the hany of the Wall-streot gold-bugs, belloved fn gy silvor dollar. ~ Listen to tho languaze used by him in a speech dolivered in tho Bonate Jan, % 18691 4 Binca the earlicst records of humanity gold as sllver have been employed as the equivalent fo eflacting exchanves. ~ From Boiox to oue daslg. nuumerable attamnts have been made to auvstitaly something olso as monay, but in apito of ali gug and silvor bave maintained their exclusive donis. R T Ay that DouRNE tha Balel At Slacphatenr the sk silver tho price of ‘lw blood of our Saslor, wiilby cuarrant coin when tHo comploted history of natisg sor siine lnto graatacts wlll Lo i3idef’s Part Third, Fortieth Gongreas, Page 020, % ———— Owlog to the fact that certaln reverend g tlemen have cast a doubt upon the oxistenceof the dovil, it may boa little fmproper to quot thoold eaying ahout Satan finding mischief for idlo hands. Nevertheless, the principlo remalas thesame, A number of boys In the distrid school at Logtown, N, Y., finding that time vy bangiog heavlly on thelr bands, amused theg. sclves by tossing baso-balls about tha scliook room when the teacher's back was turned. Bot after awhilo the pedagoguo detected tho game, and doposited tho balla in the atove, whercapn one of the urchins in anger came ta school th next day bringing a ball stuffed with powder. Fortunately tho fngredients were discorered, and the teacher, the boys, and the distrg school-house were saved from hilatiou, ——————— ‘The Lres and the BraxnLara aro the princit ®ypsy familics In .thls country and Engla) and ono of the latter, Mrs. MATILDA STAntsr, has been rocognized as the Queon of the Gypsla fo America. She died recently at Vicksbury, and was taken to her home near Dayton, 0. for burial, This Mrs, STANLRY was possesed of considerable property, yet she alwaya accon panied her tribe In thelr migrations to the Souty in winter. Hor son has sssumed the title of King, and has summoned tho gypalesof th country to meet at his rendezvous next June, —_—— The colebrated Mr. Cnusonm dwelt for masy years upon n descrt island. EHlis prototype is an American named Jrxx1xas, who lives onus island threo miles long and ono milowide in thy Pacific Ocean, about 200 milea northoast of the Bamoan group. Unlike ALEXANDAR SRLEIRS, he s not monarch of all he surveys, for therefs ) & wife his right to dispute, to say nothingof & large and interesting family. ——— .The aged inhabltant has turned up agaln to Inform o Boston paper that the winter of 1842-43 waa even milder than this. The fame era wero plowing every month, and there wu no steighing for one half day, yot tho spriog was not ocarller than usual, Tho apple-trees were ln fall bloom on the 20th of May, bu white frosts appoared untfl tho 29d. ————— foldod amy Twenty years ago s young man named JEWELL disappeared from the Town of Candls, N. B and It was thought that he bad been murdersy, although no proof was found to Implicate sof one fu tho deed. Last Friday Joun II. Rosi» sox, while on his death-hed, confassed to laving kilted JRWaLL by chopping him to pleces wih an ax. —_——— To appreciate tho exalted diguity of a State Benate one must read how that body in Maus chusetts sat upon a resolutlon condomning: Jist Brawwm for his attack on tha voncrable Commonwealth. ‘To pass such a resolutios, they sald, would ba to lower themselves to the level of Braixs. The remarks of Mrs. SwissmuLs In yester day's TRIBUNE upon the late Woman's Sullraze Conventivn were cloquent fn thelr earnestness ‘The words of Mrs. Bwisanzry, when she b comes thoroughly aroused, arcas polnted 8¢ the pen with which she writes, e — That's thakind of & Kiog to have—one 1% the Kiog of the Hawailan Islands, who wotkod at the brakes,pf the hand-cngines duriog s at Honolulu, o ——— PERSONAL. In accordance with his patriotio requesh & Virginla negrois to be hanged on Washingtoa't birthday. Gon, Banks is said by the Worcester Pred to be so profound that he dossn't look silly wes he wants (o snceze and can't. A grandson of an English Baronet, wbo was s dustingulshed leader of iha Tory party 1815 Britlsh Parllament, drives s back In Buftalo. Tho Earl of Beaconsficld aud the Arch: blahop of Canterbury wers bora on the same day of the year, the 21st 'of December, The formet¥ 73 and the latter |5 80 yosre old. Bhack Naaty Jim, the onoe famous Modo: Bas raleed 1,200 bushels of corn, and wants @ learn the process of preparing It so that 1t may b eaton out of 8 faak. —~ Worcsaler Press. Mr, Goorge Iancroft is a resolute resds of the newspapers. lie subscrivca for all 188 prominent journals of the coantry, and clips 8354 His scrap-books Are many and large. The farm of Frank Leslle, the publishefs at Baratogs, known as ‘‘Interlachon," sud cof talnipg sbout 8fty-two scres of ground, was M last Monday on & forsclosare of & mortgago. Zach Ohandler hired a sciontific torist o take charge of his farm, and be lo# $10,000 by the operstion. Boing asked bis onlnl: of Civil-service mvlr‘:u. Zach slmply remarkl ;rRalstealiont 44Wheu sho wos young sho was the pret t girt n tbis part of tha countey dnd lived ofef a4 Plabkall, sithe ‘coraers’ somewhers, I t0lak 1 know bor well, and have sacortod hor bome frod singiag:echool lots of times.” Tbls romsrk wht made by an old Newburgher, ang the **protussh giel" sliuded o was Bo less & person then Mt Hicks-Lord,