Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, March 9, 1878, Page 4

i i i i ; i 1 ; i THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SATURDAY, MARCII 9, 1878—TWELVE PAGES. Thye Tribune, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. T MATL—IN ADVANCE—POSTAGE PRRPAID. Jelix Eiton, one rmar, 812, 'sTts of & FEAR. Def munt] tunday Editlan: Lit ronbile Mheer, il riny kdltlon, EWHIVE RARCA: 330 ckly, one year.. 6.0 avear. per mii 0 WERKLY EDITION, POSTPAID, Cme copr, per yea Club of four. firecimen copies sent tree. Give Post-Utlice address fn foll fneluding Stateand County. Remlttances maybe mada elther by deaft, express, TFost-Office order, or fn registered ietters, at our riak. TERMS TO CITY SURSCRINERS, Tally, drlivered, Enniay excepted, 25 centa per week, a1y, defivered, tundsy incinded, 10 cr Address NE TRIDU Corner Madiron and Dearborn: Qrders for the deliveryof Tna T Englewond, aud jiyde Park leftIn the couuting-reom Wlitreceive promot attention. [t — Trx Citteano TRINTX has catablished branch ofices for the receiptof aubscrintionasnd sdverilsements as follows: NEW YORK~Room 20 Tribune Bullding. F, T. Mo- Fannxx, Manager. PARIS, France—No, 16 Rue de In Grange-Nateliere, T Mansen, Agent. LONDON, Eng.—American Exchange, 449 Strand, Ax35T F. OILLIg, Agent. pAN FRANCISCO. AMUSEME MeVicker’s Theatre. Madiron street, between Desrborn and State. **The TwaOrphans.” Afternoon and evenlog. Hooley’s Thentre. Tandolph rtreet, botween Clark and * LaSalle. Engagementof the Oates Knglish Opers Douffe Troupe, Afternoon, **La Perichole,” Evening, ** The Irincess of Trebixonde. " New Chlcago Thentre. Clark street, opposlie Sherms ftouse, Engnge- ment ot W, Irving Biahop, the Anti-Epiritist and Mind Reader Haveriy's Theatre, Monroe mreet, corner of Dearhorn. Engagement of TosaRand. *'Cllo.” Afternoon and evealng. Colisoum Novelty Theatre. Clark street, opposite Court-House. Varlety pere formance. McCormick Hall, North Clark steeet. comer Kinzle. Memnerium and Faychology by Irof. Carpenter, Afternoon and eventug. SOCIETY MEETIN O D WARNEN LODGK, No, 2wy P, & A, M.—iepuiar Comimanieation this (satu ) 3 Stendance of el i ‘of impurtanca will be brausht e fore the Coiie, Member (0 nrrears fur dies are pars Teuéated 10 Ly bresent i1 onler uf Yo 3. 1t DUNLUP, Secretary, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1878, Greenbncka at the Now York Stock Ex- change yesterday closed at Dui A report comes from Constautinople that BrLEntax Pasha, who, at the time of the signing of the nrmistice, wns tho Com- mander-in-Chief of the Turkish armics, has been drowned 08 a punishment for his part in n conspiracy to dethrone the Snltan. Following the map of reconstructed Bul. gorin, printed in yestordsy's Tnipune, we give on our sccond page this morning a clear nod well-oxocuted map showing what remnins of the Ottoman Empire nfter the new boundarics aud territorial adfustmonts involved in tho treaty of poaco sliall have boen carried into effect. It will Lo Aeen thot Turkey iu Europo is virtually a romin. iscenoc; it no longer cxista, T e mm——— Tho Logislature of Minnesota ndjournod yesterdny aine die, ‘The Legislaturo of Wis- consin will probably adjourn finally to-day. The Minnesota Sonnte will have a session in Mny, and the Committee of the Wisconsin Legislnturo appointed to reviso the statutes willnot bo through its Inbors for kome ton weeks, authority having Leen granted for tho exerciso of ita functions boyond tho du. ration of the regular law-making powaer, ——e Not satisfled with gotting off with an un- injured windpipe, Fnaxg Ranoe, the man- slayer of 8t, Elmo, Gilson, nnd 8t, Lonis, refuses to fulfill that part of his life.sentence condemning him to hard labor, Ho will not submit to the pricon rules and porform mon. unl lnbor; his soul rovolts at the drudgery, Lhe ruflinn has had severnl narrow cscapos already, and perhaps it remains for thy offi- cers of the Iilinols Penitentinry to give him the finishing stroke. Cars should be taken that in any encounter between the convict and'tho officials the lat. terare well-ormed and skillfal in taking aim; while, if the extreme of prison discipline sholl bo necessary in RANDE's cose, there need bo no fear that public sentiment would Dbo greatly shocked if the result shonld prove fatal. At all ovents, thers should be no fool- ing in the matter. MMen whose careers wero philanthropic compared with that of Ranne have beforo now beon punished to death for obatinacy and imalevolent contumnoy in re. sisting prison requirements; o litle extra severity would come {n very handy just now, —— England and Frauce have agroed to sond represontatives to tho Borlin Congross, but the former is disposed to insist upon condi. tions which aro likely to delny the nssombly of the body for wome time, The British Government stands out for a general review of tho treaty terms agreed upon by Russin and Turkey, while tho Czar has given notice emphatically that he will submit to the Cougress only such portions of the terms s may affoct Europe at large, and thot no iuterference will be tolerated in matters which concern only tho bLelliger. enty themselves. It is bolioved that Russia's Tight to imposo conditions satisfactory to herself upon Turkey without thoir re. view by a Congress of the Yowers will be accorded by every Government cxeept that of England, and that - it Lord Denny undertakes to dictate tho ba. sis upon which the Cougress shall be held aud the line of discussion to be pursued, the Congress will asscmble at Berlin and pro- ceed without England's presonce or partici. yation. — "Tho business of rushiug through Southern claims under cover of reconcillation and good-will received & sovero sotback in the House yesterdny. The bill to appropriate #375,000 to pay Southern wmail-contract. ors for gervices rendered the United Btates Government prior to Msy 81, 1861, wes under consideration, and there was a fair prospect that it would pasy Dy the solid vote of the Democracy nided by n few contimental Republicans, when the production of facts gleuned from the Con- federnto archives threw everything into cou- fusion. Mr. Rraca¥, of Texas, the Postmaster-General of the Confederacy, was astounded upon being - furnished proof fron his own reports (hat nany of these wail-contractors had been paid by the Confederate Government out of woucy which Foderal Postmasters in the Bouth re- tained by order of the Confederate author. ties, with the condition that if they were oventually paid by the United BStates they sbould reimburse the Confederacy. It wns an extro ary exposnra, ard threw the Southern claimn-manipulators into diro dismay. The attempt to sccare donble pay for contrnctors who had surrendered United States property in their possession and ns- sistell in the plot to brenk up the Union wns frnstrated in o manner which, in spite of the effusiva gush of Mr, Cox, of Ohio. reflecta serfonsly npou tho integrity snd honor of tha managors of the mensure, It begins to bo very generally accepled as probable that the award of 3,000,000 by the Halifax Fishery Commission, or rather by Mr, Devrossr, tho Belginn Minister, who Lad the casting vote, will never be paid by tho United States Government, nnd it is evon questioned whother, under all the cir- cumstances, tho clalm for its payment will Lo strongly urged by Great Britain, The only way the award conld be collected, in the event of a continued refusal by our Gov. ernment to pay it, wonld be by a war in which England wns successful, and it is not to be supposed that the matter will ever be pushed to that extreme, Caundn will charge bod faith upon the United States; but the Intter hns n complote defonse to snch n charge—first, that tho nppointment of Drr. rosse, the ropresentative of n Government under British {nfluence, was unfairly brought about by Grent Britain; second, that the award of the Commission must have been unanimous in order to be binding, but, hav- ing been made by a majority only, is not a valid award under tho terms of the Washing- ton Trenty. e — The railrond men who affect to regard Col. Scorr’s recommendation for funding the indebtedness of the Ponnsylvanin Com. pany’s railronds at n lower rate of interest ns n **squeal "—that is to sy, an acknowladg- ment of impending insolvency—should rather look upon it as nn experiment, in the success of which most of tho rallroads of the country have a vital intercst. Tho proposi- tion is to set apart aunually 81,200,000 out of the net enrnings of the Company's rail- ronds for the purchass of guaranteo stocks and bonda drawing 7 and 8 per cent interest to bo held nan trust.fund, and represented by the issne to sharcholders of § per cent serip. For n time such gnarnnteed stock and bonds could be purchased below par, so that the Company wonld save mot ouly the differenco in the intersst, bnt tho differenca botween tho par value and theprice nctunily paid. It is an ingenious plan for funding the indobtedness at a lower rate of interest, and it looks as though it would be successful, if houestly mannged. It i certain that tho rnilrosds carrying large debts must devise some menng for reduciug their interest nccount in keop. ing with tlie markot value of mency, which is from three to four cenls lower than it was when their dobts were contracted, Somoe of the roads have nccomplished this by going through bankruptey and wiping ont tho dobta altogether; others have compromised by * gealing down” tho debts and interest; but the schemo proposed in the last Penn. sylvanin report alms on its faco to accom- plish tho purpose out of tho Company’s own resources, ond without injury to anybody. It such a scheme can bo successfully carried ont, it will give the Pennsylvanin Company, or any othor company which doca it, a great advautage over other railronds enrvying largo debts at o high roto of intorest. THE SUUTHERN RAID ON THE TREASURY, Itisn goodaly sight to ree brothors and kindred sgroo. The dovo Is a plensant species of poultry. Ieconcilintion is an ngreenblo sentimont, and its choapncss is usually ono of the strongest inducemonts in its favor. Theso gentimenta nre recognized by tho peoplo of the North s« unquestion. able trutha in the abstract and in their appli- cation to tha South, and, if the process ot ro- conciliation involved merely the extension of Lands over the bloody chasm and o fraternal shake, there would bo no hesitation in any quartor to shake and forget the past. Thera i a disposition on the part of tho Northern people to let tho Roebellion be n Lygone, but the Southern Brigadiers seem detormined to provent it by continnally reminding them o it. They aro willing to bo reconciled if tho North will pay thum sufilclently out of the Public Troasury for so doing, and, as things nre now going, it looks ns it tho bill for the process might bo a nunously expensive one, ‘I'hoy will be loyal for n consideration, aud even take their pay in the new silvep. Thoy will rally round the flag if thoy are reim. barsed for thelr trouble and expense in rallying ngoinat it, Thoy are not only will. ing to bo reconeiled upon the financinl basls, but they are doterminod to compol & recon- cilintion, and to this end have organized n concerted rald upon the Treasury to revover tho cost of the Rebellion and to collect Indi. vidual elalins for property usod or destroyod under the nocessities of war, If thers Lo uot a couspiracy on tho part of the Brign. diers, then circumstantinl ovidence s’ strangely at fault, The Now York ZT'imes,in a recent imsus, tabulntos some of the bills that Lave boen introduced boaring upou this point, Con. sidering them in thelr order they present n romarkably strong and conslatent array of testimony to provo the existeuco of n pre- concerted plot ou tho part of the Iirigadiers to get their hauds into the Trensury and take out enough to reimburse the Sonth as o Confedoracy, and Southerners as individuals, for their efforts to overthrow the Federsl Governmont, and they are pressing these claims with o stoady persistence that shows they are determined to collect them when the Democratio party comes into complete posscsslon of the Govornmont, The firut of these bills is that introdnced by Mivs, of ‘Texns, which datos the close of the Rtebellion back to Juno 80, 1863, instead of Aug. 20, 1800, the date fixed in the Jouson procla- mation aud accepted as official by the Courts ond Government. This would. bo tanta. mount to a declaration that there were no Robels aftor the former date, and would thus opon a door s0 wide that thousands of hun. gry clalmants could como flocking through with their demands for damages fncurred during the fourteen nonths when thero was uo Rebellion, and whon, of course, the Gov. crnment was acting in on illegal mauner in exposing the Southern people to loss in crushing out a Rebellion which did not exist ot that time, It would have covered the ground more completely to have antedated the close of the Rebellion some time in 1861 or 1802, but the fourteon months’ shortage is sufficient for all praolical purposes. The second step in the couspiracy is the bill offered by BreLLEY, of Alabaws, to abolish the Bouthern Claims Commission, and thus tranater the pending business into the Court of Clajms, where no question of loyalty would bo raised ut all. ‘The frst bill would tako caro of every oue after Juno 20, 1865, aud tho second of every one prior to that time, aud the two together would work admirsbly, The Bouthern Brigadicrs Lave also commenced to wanivulate the cot. ton tax. Inatead of refunding to the States, it is now proposed to refund to owners, and, to help this on, comes Canzry, of Vir- Rinin, setting back the date, June 10, 1865, winco which time clnims may ba collected, on proof of scizure, to April 10, 1863, and add- ing tho sciznres of tobacco to those of cot- ton, Rraoay, of Texas, and Gavse, of Ar- kansns, have also bronght in some little bills calcnlated to make tho road to the Treasury ensier for the nygrieved Southern claimant. Adiling in tho cotton tax, the bill of claims pending nlready foots up over 80,000,000, nnd, it tho Southern Brigadior legislation is succeasful, as it promises to bo when the Democratio party gots into possession of the Government, thora is no end to the amount that mny bo grabbed. The limit of the Trensury rald ean only be fixed by tho cor- responding Limit of personal greed cnd andacity, This ia tho cost of reconcilintion that the Notth is nsked to pay. Financially, it is oxpeeted to deplote the Trensnry for the bonefit of thoso who organized Rebellion. Morally, it is proposed to wipe ont the record of the Rebeilion, and place the man who fought for the Government and the man who fought againat it on tho same plane, with the distinction that the former, being the ng- gressor, under the mistaken idea that he was serving his Government in secking to pre. servo it, must pay the expenses of tho latter incurred in resisting the aggression. This done, the Intter Is willing to bo reconciled, and will ever afterwands continue loyal upon o fair cash voluation, It is hardly too much to claim that the timo is not far distant when the only racord of the Rebellion will bo found on the Treasury books by reforonce to the nmounts paid to claimants, In viow, how- ever, of the sizo of tho amonnt and the ottendont mortification that tlic North must experience at its mistake in coercing tho Southern Brigadiers, is tho reconcilintion worth the monoy? THE CITY APPROPRIATIONS. The nppropriations made by the Common Council for the present year have been va- rionsly commented upon, "No ona can claim infallibility for’the Common Council, espe- cinlly whon it undertakea to run a Govern. ment for twelve months ** paying cash as you go,” the cnsh to be obtained exclusively from the procecdsof n tax not collectabls for ten montha after the expiration of the year in which the cash ia to be expended. The Conneil might, we think, have reduced tho approprintions to a much greater ex- tent; but in tho cnso of a large political body, representing such a varlety of inter- ests, wo supposc tha public should ba thank. ful for what was done, The chnrcter of some of the approprin. tions has been criticised, as well as tho ab- sonco of an appropriation for a Iarge snr- plus to accumulate until the pay-ns-yottego- in-cash policy ean be established. Wo hiave received tho following statement of the porploxities ns well as tho nevessities of the situntion, nud as tho facts are stated from tho actual koowledge of tho writer, we fuvito tho attention of all interested and concerned to a coreful and candld considera~ tion of tho whole facts and circumstances : ™ 1A Cimieann, March Thuraday on ** The City Appropriations, evidently weltten with good intont, may less mislead the minds of somo wlho are not famullar with the manner in which our clty affaira are managed. ~ Fully appreciating tho neceseity for econumy In our expencitures, and bolleving that it has heen generally practiced during the past two years, lot us consider orlelly our present situation, and then examine tio Appropriation oflf for the current year in some of Its detaiis, Firstly—1t should bo nlways remembered that the oxpenscs of un ealire yeur—from Jan. 1 to Dee. til—aceruo defore wo can poraibly, under our present lawe, commenco to reallze any receipts from tne taxes levied for theao expensee, —nbsos lutely nofAiny coming into the Treasury during that entire period which is applicable to our cur- rent oxpenaes, oxcept the incoma from licenscs, tnvs, ctc,, which vears but o small proportion to our outgw, Seconddly—That, cven after the year hae fully ex- Dired, there 18 no nower In tho Tax-Collector to enlorce thocolicctlon thereof, oxcopt for porsonal tax, which is lces thun ono-fourth of the tatal tax (nnd much of thut is always absolutely uncoltectas bley, untll the following summer and fall, being ly from twenty to twenty-threo months after our cxpenees begin, before we practically re- slize, whatt Not fo cxceed from 80 (o K5 per cent of the tutal lecy. 'Tna taxelovy being extenaed on the uroperty valuations for an anieunt merely suftcient {v’ cocer the appropriations, with a few exceptiuns, ana the general practice of the city having veen, and the attention of tho Cannctl here- tofore evidently haviug been, to expend tho entiro wmount s apurowrlated, it necossarily follows that there §s an annnal loss or doflest croated for which 1o proviion hae been mada, 4itrdly—Our cxponditures are expected to be, and as a rule bave been, on a cash daais, paymonts being generslly inede monthly, and this I beliers to by the safest, cheapest, and most cconomlcal method yet devised. 'Ihis of courso can only bo done by anticivating In sume form our revenua for thu year, How shall this be done? During the past two yeara our clty expensos have been nict with cash adeanced 10 the city for this very purpose,~largely Ly our own citizens, —the clty having fusued there- for revenae warrants bused upon and payavle from the taxes levicd for the then current yesr, but which taxes, as above aliown, cannot be reallzod within frows tieelve Lo tuenty-three montha frora the commencoment of tho yesr, and thea oxly In part, ‘Ihie demonstrates tho ucceasity for keeping (he expenditures of cach department so far Lelow the amount appropriated av to make every wareant {ssucd thercon abustutely ascure and sure of pay- went, even though there sbould be a loss in the coltection of the tax arlslng Jrom whatever cause, Now thero are cerialn ttema In tho annuslape propriatlony which must necessarily ba pad n full, —notably the Interest on the bonded debt, the amount of which (exclusivo of the interest on the water-bondw, which is provided for by tho water. rente) |a some 618,000, and this must be pard, too, before tho wsxes levied therefor can bu reallzed. Eatimating the luse on thie ltem (at the end of firo yeurs, benr in wind) at, sy, 16 per cont, which iy 302,700, und ovue yeur's Julerest st least which st be patd for wmoney borrowed (o pay these ine Lerest coupons, $618,000, soy 8L T per contm! %00, being a total vf $115, 000, . “Will you plesse show me, Mr. Bditor, where thls amount Is to be reslized, untess thero is somo **contingent fuud" or other provision made to cover it Then take the wages of employos, such s laborers on our strcots and thoss employed in cleaning and ropairing sewcrs, —no inconsiderable liem tu this large clty; our bridge-tendery,—night aud day, remewber, two acte of men; vur school teachers, with salarles (not high) muying malnly from §350 to $700; vur police, dremen, saniiary police, House of Correction, Public Library, and ivcellancous salarice, smountiug fu round nom- bers Lo say 81,500,000, Estlmatiag the lows ou this, the same s , 000 {9 to be paiy ing way. “Are thiess peoplo to walt tho slow collectiun of tho tax? (learly they cannot. 18 followa, then. that sume one wust furnlsh the weaus with whicn 10 liquidate thewo clanw, Aversging ths limo of waticipation st elx months— whicl [ think to be fair—and wouvy at 7 per conty we Here, then, s total of... . $277,500 —unprovided for on wages alons, Lear in mind coatantly that thls shrinkage of a certalg portion of tho levy s actual aud inevitadie, and that no warrsuts should by drawn fue the full amount thereof, —no wmatter whetber tho appropriation be great or small.—and how ls 4 10 be provided for? 1 bave lustanced sbove two principsl diews only, amounting Lo sbout §2, 100, 000, the loss snd inter- cst on which 1s whiown Lo bo $413,460. Thery aro other items of appropriations which mnst be cop- sidered as current oxpenses, such os fuel for schools, Fire Department, bridges, etc., feed for fre-engine borsos, noccasary repalis to bridges, viaducts, street-crossinge sad Intereections, school snd engine bouses, cte., elc. (excluding sy ad- vaacea for nsw sewers, viaducts, bridges, Citye g Hall, ete.. ete.), thy and Interest on which s entimated at not leen than $182,805, showing & deficit of 304, 203, to be n.et—how ¢ We findin the bill an item for **Coningent Fund™ of $205,000, of which $130,000 I8 to ho taken from mizcellancona receipts. But there are aleo two other dednetions in the bitl for incomo from miecellnneons recelpts(deducted from the Fl and Police Departments), mnklug a total of § 000, which is at least £50,000 too high, unters the nomber or Amonnt of licennes Ia Increased, Call inz, then, this item for contingencies (which will prove to be more nearly correct) $2456,000, and deducting 1t from tho dcficit liem, and wo have §131,205 as sn actual net losr on this biltas it #tands (even throwing ont the City-llali, new rewers, viaducts, now Imptovements of strects, new achaol-houees, ete., until the tax-lovy Is collected for those ftems partly dusing the nest year, 1870;. Clearly, then, there secms mo other altemative for the Administratlon to purauo than to reduce the expenditares of ersry department to an extent sufMcient to cavor this deficit or - more. Even then thicro in to be no enrplus as a fonndation for & capl. tal with which to commence tho nextyear. It scemu to take Abont three years before anything can be reallzed in cast from an nnexpended bal- ance of an appropriation acluatly eared, unl the expenditorea have been less than, eay, 75 per cont during the frel year, ‘This incomo recelived from thie subsequent pay- menta of taxes previously **forfeited to the Btate," Thns it appears there was in 1877 fore feited tothe State on city taxcs of 1870 somo $:441,000, A portion of which may be realized In cash Jate in 1878, and sny surplas thereof will then be In the Tressury and avlable by appropriation toward the expenees of 1879, and another portion might be relled npon in the fall of 187D, which latter portion would ba Itkewise avnilable by ane prapriation in 1880, and so on. 'The surplns sav- ings for the year 1877, It any, will thcrefors bo partially available for the year 1850, and probabiy other portlons for 1851, and so on. \ " ‘This etatoment ia 6o clear and so compre- hensive that wo submit it to those who de- siro to know the truth of how the City Government has undertaken to provide for the difficult operation of running the City Govornment during the year. BOOKS FOR BOYS. Prof. W. G. Sumxen has done a good service to the public in his article—** What Our Boys Aro Rending"—which we roprint from Scribner's Magazine this morning, It may bo taken for grauted, although Prof. Sumnen does not occupy this advanced ground, that all our boys are rending some- thing. 1f their parents do not know whnt thoy aro reading, they ars more than likely to bo reading something bad. 'The literaturo they aro apt to get hold of, if thoir tastes aro not directed nnd controlled, is precisely the class of fiction which Prof. Buxxen describos, This literntaro tenches them, by precopt and oxample, to despiso their porents,and to admire overything thnt is viclous, The or- dinary amusement of the boys who figure a8 heroes in these novels enrrlea thom into dram-shops, concert.saloons, aud training- scliools for thioves; requires familiar nsgo- ciation with criminals, nnd makes the laws contemptibloe by defying aud satirizing them. If tito intontion wero to make the practico of enmo a respactable profession, no moro suitable text-books than theso conld bo dovised. Mz, Buanen insists upon the iden that theso cheap novela are bad companions be- cause thoy corrupt the mornla of the boys who read them. There is another branch to tho argument. They injure the minds of thoso who read them, Although this ovil is loss than the other, it is important and seri- ous, Tho boy who atarts in life with a de- praved aud enforbled imagination is mot likely.to know a good book when he soes it, or to enfoy it whon it is pointed out. 'Tho craving for excitomont grows upon him, Ho demands stimulants constantly, and the moro ho has tho more he desires. When the samo quantity will no longer produce the snmo effoct, he must have a larger funntity, Tho tendoucy is nlways to stronger and coarsor faro, and tha sppetite for booksis sat. isfied and destroyed at tho samo time, How largely this has boen the cxporicuce in Amer- icn it woulil be difficult to say, but it is no doubt truo in many instances of persons in ensy circumstances who have sbsolutely no toste for books or rending. Tho process of building up such o taste in a man or boy who has loat it is ns difficult ns tho rostorn. tion of o druokard’s nerves and tissucs to their normal condition. It 18 conse- quontly a matter of grave importanco, Jjudging only from tha litorary point of view, that the reading of the yonng should be rigid- 1y supervised. One way to promote & puro aud sound ltoraturo {s to discouraga that which is impuro and unsound; and every one who has, or hopes to have, thoughts worth communicating to others has o suf. clent motive to join in the warfare Prof. Boanen has istituted, f Theso books, which cultivato n taste for crimo and debauch tho imngiuations of tho young, are ns objectionnble as any others, but they are not, like obacene literature, sub~ ject to tho laws. From the nature of the caso, reading of this description cannot bo controtled by law. The romedy agalnstit is placed in the hands of parents, and must be exareised a4 individual cauos seem to require, Tho obfect of T'rof. Buxner's articls 18 to enforco this responsibility uwpon parents, Bupposing Lie object to have beon nccom. plished, and parents who have herotofore boon remixs in this respect to have become conscious of their negloct, what nre they to do in the future? It would be a great mis- take for them to suppose that their duty ends when they take bad books out of the honds of their childron. They rest under an oqual obligation 1o place good books wherse tho bad ones were, ‘They will be unable to fulflll this duty prop- erly it they have not some lterary tastes themeelves; but they may ask advice from perions who nre competent to give it, Buch an one wiil take into consideration the clr- cumstances of the child, his capacities so far s they have been developed, his probable fulure condition in life, eto. A person qual. ified to direct the roading of a boy will lay down certain principles at the start,—ns, for instauce, that the practico of wagar.coating useful knowledge s bad, and that the ability of a boy to assimilate idons and facts cannot be judged until it is soveraly tried, It is ny- tonishing how quick a boy of average intel- ligonce is to learn, and how rapidly his pow. ers are doveloped. A boy of 0 years has faithfully followed the march of the Russian armies in Bulgaris, Roumnelin, and Armenia, and has been able to institute a comparison of the present campaign with that doseribed in KiNovaxx's *'Crimea.” His mind has not been debauched by roading flashy fiction or seriea of *‘goody " books founded on facts in natural history or mechanical science, 1ia instinctive wonder at the large facts of this world is turned to better use in the study of contomporaneous history, which mstructs aud amusos him at the sane time, This may be an exceptional iustance. Dut we beliovo it Lo be true, with some modifica- tions, that most boys ‘are capable of better thingy than those roquired of them. It was & favorito principle with Joux Brvasr Miuy that childron might, if properly taught, be 1nads to lisp fn Greek jambica. The proposis tion is doubtful, and Greok iambics, at the best, are clvilizing acents of auestionably i But if it can be underatood that the edneation of Loys should bogin earlier than it docs, and be mors ateadily “pursuci, the examplo and inflnenco of Mer. Miry will not have been in vain, and ono purposo of Prof. Bumnen'a articlo will be secured. THE BACK-TAXES SCARE, Thero is a great deal of unnecessary alarm ond indignation in tho community concern- ing momo recent notices from the Tax.Col- lector concerning the payment of back taxes. An explanation is ufficient to re. movo the excitamont which a few malicions and designing men nro trying to create. The city taxes for 1874 and 1874 wero levied under a valuation of renl and personal prop- ety mado by the city officers, Of this tax abont 63 per cent waa paid by the property- owners. 'Those owing tho other 35 per cont of the city tax either paid no tax or they appenled the easo to the Buprome Court on the gronnd that the tax shonld have boen levied on the county and not on the city valuntion, Tho Supreme Court afirmed this objection, and declarad that the wholo levy of city taxes for those years was void. This Toft two-thirds of the public with tholr taxes paid and the othier third free of nll tax. Tho Legislature n yonr ago onacted that the tax for thoso yenrs, never having been legally lovied, should be levied upon the county valuntions forthoso years, The in- tontion of tho Logislaturo was not to compel any person to pay taxes twice, but to pro- vido for n legal lovy to cover all cnses whero no taxes had heen paid at nll. Novertholess, the forms of law roquired tho levy to be genernl, Under this Iaw, known ns tho Back.Taxes law, this new lovy is now due, and the Col. luctor of the Sonth Town has fssucd notices toall persons to pay these back taxes, In tho menntime, within the last yoar, numer. ous persons who had not paid the tax of 1873 and 1874 havo voluntarily paid those taxes, g0 that porhaps at this time not over 40 por cont of the taxes for those yeara iy really unpaid. The taxes nre exclusively for city purposes. There {s no purposoon the part tho city to oxact payment of any man who hosg alrondy pnid his taxes for thoso yenrs, Tho fact of payment is n mntter of record, and this record is supplemented by tho tax- recoipts in the honds of the taxpayers, The City Council in duo time will take such stops ns mny bo necessary to discharge all persons from liability on theso lovics for 1873 and 1874 who have in fact paid thoir taxes for thoso yonrs. Thero will bo no per- sons hold to any Hability under thoso lavies save thoso who Aave not paid thoir tnxes for thoso years. When tho timo comea for ask- ing judgment on these new lovies for these back taxes, no judgmont will be taken in cases where the tax lina already been paid, nnd judgmont only will ba insisted on in casen where no tax has ever been paid. ‘Thoso persons who have their tnx receipts for tho city taxes of 1873 and 1874 should take the precaution to see that such pay- meonts aro on record on the Collector's books, and they may, wo think, rost safely undor the conviction that they will not bo required to pay those taxes again. ‘Those, however, who pnid no city tax for 1873 or 187f, and for whose benefit this Dack-Taxes Inw waa specinlly devised, will bo colled upon to boar the burdon of public taxes which they have shirked and avoided, About §1,500,000 of taxcs due by them, and tho froo uso of which they havo had for sov- cral years, represents o largoe proportion in the deficloncics of ity rovonue. This law gives thesa persons an opportunity to pay what they owe. Tho torrible clamor and noise made over the supposed double taxa- tion for 1873.'74 ia raised, not by thoso who, having onco paid their taxes, will not bo ro- quired to poy thom ngaln, but it is made by thoso who have never paid amy taxes for thoso yoara, With them it is not a question of oucaping double taxes, but of escaping paying the tax ouce, —_— A LAME DEFENSE, Collector Antuur defends the New York Custom-House. Ho has heretofore been ro- garded ns a milk-nud-water gontleman, pecul- iarly adapted to the arduous duty of drawing his salary with neatnosa and dispatch, and adapted to nothing olse. It will now be admitted that hie possessos a certain spice of audacity. ‘The quality of courngo that prompls to the dofonse of an institution so famous for corrupt practicos ns the New York Custom.Honso verges on impudence, ‘Tho soveral roports of the Jax Commission cover Mr. Antiun's office all ovor with dis- grnce and shame, not to soy infamy, Wo assumo that ir, Antiun has read those re- ports, but we are without any evidence that lio has made tho loast effort to purge his administration of the cormupt practices therein chargod ogainat his office, Ho has road the chorges proforred agaiust his admin. iatration by the Coljector of Ohicagoinn Iato interviow published hore, but he will. fully misconstrues them in part and in part treats them with well.simulatod disdain, - Mr, Antiun says that Mr, Collector Saurtn anid that ** moro favor fs shown hera (Now York) to New York importers in pass- ing their goods ,than to Western merchauts,” Mr. Burva sald nothing of the kind, What Mr, Surri did say fs, in substance, that the corraption and loose practices prevailing at the New York Cus- tom-House permit the importation of mer- chandiso there at lower rates than it can be imported through any otler port in tho United States. There is nothing obacure about this. It moans that the laws are not onforcod at the port of Now York; that importevs there evade payment of a share of duties legally due upon their importations, Mr. Burrit proceeded to shiow how payment is evaded, namely : by undervaluations and oxorbitant damage allowances; and he cited instances of both forms of fraud. e made Lis meaning still plainer by the following: ‘The fact is that the Government ofiicers thera are unly represanting 1 pidih of o husinoss men of Naw York, who have been,and ara, bitterly opposed to direct lmportation, They do hot wane any uther port to be known to the commercial world, and will unitedly resist—bath Govermnent ofticers and businces men—all efforts ta 40 roform he service In New York as 1o render 1t vracticable Inr‘uurwr werchants to import throuyh any other port. In the cutbreak of this controversy Tum Tanunx nssumed tho same position as that held by Mr. Collector Barrm. We then saids % ‘The conclusion is irresistibla that the merchants, the press, and the people of New York City do not choose to have the corrupt importera’ ring crushed.” The press wokes no response to this charge. It neither denies nor avoids; it confesses its guilt by maintaining a sullen silence. Mr, AsnTuug, less adroit, or more sudacious, at last comes to the front with a denial. He usys: * Theso uro the same old stories that have been long sinco explained, and there is really mothing in them.” * This Collsctor Burra,” contemptuously remarks Mr, AsTous, “listens to gossip about the Custom-House here, but, when asked to name specifio instances, can jonly men- tion one, that of the “undervaluation of umbrellas, n cnso which investigated.” Mr. Antnon refers to tho umbrella cnso a3 it he had proseented it, and yot o Ignorant is he of ita character that he alludes to it as a cose of ' undorvaluation,” when in fact it is a * dnmmy-packnga " caso of tho most atrce clously vile typa,—sevoral degrees worso than rmnggling. Either Mr. Antnun read Mr, Sstitu’s interviow very carclessly, or he is guilty of gross inacenracy in restating it. In- stend of *only one™ specifie case, o8 Mr, Antnun stntes, My, Burrn gave the particu- Iara of fivn cases then immediately under his observation, in ench of which was dir- closed o distinot and differont class of frand- ulent practices, as existing in the cnstoms sorvico of Now York, It is quite probable that only ono of thess cnsos—that of Muxr. ren—will over reach the conrts. Dut thoy nro nona the lens flagrant outrages against the rights of importers at interior ports, und they are nono the less worthy the nttentfon of Collestor Anrtnun, Indeod, they more imperatively demand such atten. tion, since they are such cunning evasions of tho lnw that similor oulrages can only be provented in the future by good faith and extromo vigilance on the part of customs officers. . In conclusion, Mr. Antnon esys: **The trath of the mattor is, there ia considerabla jonlousy at the bottom of tha whole affair.” Lay not that flattering unction to your sonl, Mr. Collector. Young men are not jeslous of old men ; nor are young cities jealous of old cities. Chicago nsks for falr play, She demanda that every Custom.Housa in tha country shall be governed by tho same rules, nud that the importing merchants of Now York shnll receivo no favora at the Custom- Honso thers that ars not granted to hor merchants here. in now Doing THE PACIFIC RAILRO. EBTEDKESS. ‘I'he United Btates Governmont has never been so scandolously swindled s in the gratuities voted to the Union and Central Pacific Roilronds. DBy tho original sct of 1862, -incorporating theso Companios, the issue of bonds was secured by a first mort. gnge on thoroads; by tho subsequent act of 1864, this Government lien was released and the Companies onnbled to borrow money from privato capitalistson n first mortgage. Thon tho stealing began in enrnest, The Credit-Mobilier Company was organized to build the Union Pacifie, and sanother con- struction company of the samo character and purposos to build the Central Pacific. The ronds woro built out of tho snle of Govern- ment lands, tho Government bonds, and tho borrowed moncy. Thero is no trustworthy information that mora than two conts was over paid on the stock, which was dis. tributed among the spectilators nnd corrupt Congressmon and politicinns, For some yeors past the Unfon Pacific has been pay- ing from @ to B por cent on $37,000,000 of stook which practically represents no invost- ment whatever, and it is bolieved that the owners of tho Central Tacific have beon oarning atill more monoy, though their affairs ara bottor condueted. In tho menn- time, these Compauics have rofused to pay oven tho interest on their Govornment bonds, have rofused to accedo to tho terms of tho original act which provided for the paymont of 5 per cont of their net earnings, aud_ have refusod to permit tho Government to withhold more than one-half of the com. pensation due them for Governmont gorv. icos. Thoy have Leen sustained in theso positions by the Courts on nccount of the changes in the original charter which Con. gross consented to, and tho result is that, besides the original debt of 261,000,000 bonds, theso Compauies now owe noarly $20,000,000 of back interest which the Gov. ornment has paid on those bonds. Congress has the resorved right to pass any legislation that mny be necessary to compel tho Pacific Railroads to recognize their indobtodness to the Government and provide for its liquidntion, sud two propo- sitions will shortly come beforo the Senate for discussion. Ono of theso (Mr., Tnus- aan's bill, rocommended by the Judiolary Committeo) ia an honest and intelligent mensure to protect tho rights of the Govern. mont without impalring the rights of others; the othor (the Arkansas Donsey’s bill, which will probably bo reported by the Railroad Committoo) hns heen prepared in the in- torcats of tho railronds, and is dosigned to make the Goyernment permanently assume the payment of both principal and jnterest of tho bonds issucd for tho benefit of the Pacifio Railroads. The Paclflo Companies lave sold, or allowed parasite ‘ corporations to gobble up, all the valuable lands included in the Govornment grant, They now scek to sell back to the Government the worthlosa lands which aro loft, beiug also lands originally given by the Governmont, with the provision that the Govern. ment sholl pay $15,000,000 therefor and place that amount to tha crodit of » sinking fund, which shall draw compound interest, and thus finally liquidate the indeltodness of the two Companies to the Government. This is literally the proposition included in Dorser's bill. It required colossal impu. denco to minke such n proposition, but what shall bo said of a Cowmittee of Senators who go 8o far as to recommend it for adop. tion? 3 Bonator Taussan's bill is a careful, well. conaldored, and entirely fair measure, which will enablo the Companies to pay off their indobtodness to the Govornment withont in- Jury to other creditors and without doing themsolves or their property any injustice, Mr, TuurMaN iutroduced hia bill 1n the Inst Congress, but so powerfal are the Pacifio lobbies that it was not till the present time that he has been able to command & proper considoration for it. We have already de. seribed its features in full, but they may be briefly restated. Not earnings aro to be es- timated by deduoting actual expenses and interest on Arat-mortgage bonds from the gross recoipts, Xach Company is to pay the Goverament 25 per cont of s net earnings, ‘with certain restristions, which shall be set npart as & sinking fund. This ainking fund 18 to consist of United Btates bouds, which, togéther with the intereat thercon, added as it nccrues, shall be Leld for the redemption of the Government railroad bonds as they mature, and for the discharge of any indebt- edness to the Government on sccount of interest. Tho Government is also author- ized to retain the whole amoant of compen. sation due the railroads on account of serv- ices rendered for the Government ; one.half thereof ia to be spplied on the payment of the intereat alzeady past dus and paid by the Government, and the other half to go to the sinking fund, as described; but the sum thus withheld is ia. oluded within the limitation of 25 per cont of tho not income. The rights of other creditors are fully protested. Thoss holding first-mortgage bonds receive their interest before the'net earnings are roached, and if the 75 per cent of the net oarnings left to the Couwpanics prove to be insuticient for tho pnymont of othor obligations of a prior hen to that of the Govornment, then the Government ia to remit so much of its 25 per cent na mny bo required to dischargo these obligations. Itis provided, however, that no dividond shall .he voted or paid to any stockholdo: until after the paymonts to the Governmant provided for in the bill ; an in. fraction of this provision by any officer or stockholdor is made & penal offanse, and s resistance on the part of the Companies to o complianco with the provisiona of the act for six months is made to operato as a for. foituro of all the rights, privilegos, grants, and franchisos derived or obtained from the United Btates Government, Thero is no feature of this bill which can bo honostly and ressonably resisted by any ropresentative of {he people in the United Biates Congress, Originally the Government lind a claim prior to all othera; while this first lien was relonsed, partly by frand ang partly by over.credulonce, the Governmont licn is only second to that of the first-mort. gnge bonds, No owner of watered stock, which represents no Investment, should re. caive one dollar of dividend thereon tiil the posat.due intorest on the Governmont honds shall have been paid, nor until proper pro. vision aliall have been made for the protec. tion of the Government loans, The Jar Gourps and HuNTixaToxs have enfoyed divi. dendslongenoughattheGovernment exponse, The proposition to sell to the Government the worthless rosidue of lands given to the Company by the Government, and in this way to discharge the money debt due the Government, s on insult to the intelligonce of tho people and a refleotion on the honesty of the men who mnke the laws, Tho stock. holders in these Pacific Ronds, now as always o Ring, have swindled gnd defied the Gov. ernment till further forbarnnce is an out. rago upon tho people. Thore is littls doubt that Messrs. Gouwp and HuxrivaToN will re. sort lo the pame means they have hitherto omployed, in order to defeat Senator Trur. aran's bill and to promote tho passage of their own measuro; but their very presonce in tho fighty and tho scknowledged influonce of thelr lobbies, will make it all the harder for auv Benator or Reprosentative to explain a vote iu their favor and againat the intorest of tho people. Tho Washington Zost, svesklog of the trado and incomo of thatcity, sayi Not transacting auy busincas with the West oz Banth, sho is never disappointed at the non-ar- rivalof remittances, The Governmont disburses hero annually to residents abont $14,000.000, or the Intorent at8 per cent of $235,000,000. 'Tne income of the cmnnaxm caplta must bo far above the average of other American cities, The wages of mechanice have always ruled higher hers than at the North_and will continue to rale hlener so long us the Govefnment s in the market, And :hu aro b'il‘llf" houeed and fod than any mechanics n tho worl This cxoenditurs of $14,000,000 a year of Federal taxes in tho District does not Include the milliuns o ycar spent thera by lobbyists, office-hunters, clalm-scekers, and pleasure- seckers. Twonty mitllons in all would not ba too high an estimato; but, great as {s this sum, it s mnall compared with the amonnt of moncy expended thero durlug cach of the threo last years of tho War with the Rebels. ——— To the Edilor. of The Tribuns, Minntenony, Ind., March 7,—(1) Please state whettier the bonded, _interest-bearing debt has been lucreased or decroased, and how much? (%) 1ias tho non-interest-bearing debt been decreaged? () Why does tho Sccretary continually keep burn- Ing up greenbacks? (4) You stated lately that the u‘fll’t’: debt hail boen decreased 82,000, 000 or moro he lust month; now was that of the interest or nun-intercat bearing dobt? Wil yon pleaso answer the abovo guestions and oblige & long patrun of your paper? Yours truly, D. Il Winre, (1) The bonded debt of the United States has heen reduced sincs March, 1869, fn the sum of $481,850,450. - (@ and 8) The non-intercat-bearing deht (greenbacks) was left tn 1857 at $356,000,000, It was subsequently Increased temporarily, and (s now reduced to $343,018,024. (4) The figures ziven apply to the debt genere ally. It {sn mistaka to belleve that strikos never accomplish anythiog. The Longdale miners of Kngland biavo been out for four mounths, the stonc-masons of London for nearly six; cach striko has cost £30,000, and the workmen are golng back triumphaatly to work st the mastors' terms. How loug will it take to restore the $300,000 dircetly spent in theso demonstgationst Not only this, but & London papor indicates another loss, as follows: One thing which the present diapute will have done ia to introduca wachinory to & groater extent than hitherto to the building trade, and the longer tho ririky losta the more commun will these means of manufsaciure become, 1t has even been exten. ed to tho stono-quarries, where many of the own. erd have set up machinery, and are prepared lo acnd eady-drossed material fo London, thus avolding the cost of carriage of & good deal of un- neceasary material. ——————— Our gentlo bosom {s tortured with fears lest the Democratic National Convention of 1650 should be neither a homogeneous nor a harmo- nlous body. Joun KaLLy'sorgan, the Star,ls assiduously writing articles with such bead-lines ns **Rapid Transit-Sobbery—How tho Now York Klevated Rallroad Ring Cleared 820,000,000~ ThoBtory of the Capturo of the Road by TiLpEx, Dows & Co. from the Uriginal Owners—Issuing Btock Ad Lib,—Wkhat New York 1as Suffered.” And yet wo have an {mpression, which it would require evidence to remove, that Joux KxuLy is only fattening up crow against the day of crow, How impolitic it is to advertfse to the Democracy all over the Union that that bar'l of money s as Incxhaustible as wad the widow!s barrel of meal! e The Washington Post defends the Woop- Rurr oxpedition and Mr, Woobrury from the attack of the New York Tribune, Thu article in the Tribune, which has been made the basls of many untavorable alluslons o the expedition in the publicpress, fs declared by tho Post to have been compiled upon false informnation furnisted by & dlscharged employe, Tho secret of the sudden outbreak of anioiosity agalust the expedition Is asscrted to be the faifureof Joux Roacn to scll Mr. Wooonure a vesscl for the expeditlon, and to feara that If the Iatter succeeds In obtaloing from Congress per- mission to buy nmul abroad s precedent may be established sgathst the laws prohibitiug the ntroduction of farelgn vessels to American registry. g ———— Rather funny. A New York Judge eent & woman to jail for deserting her cnlld, where- upon & philanthrople reader of the Zvibnns wrote to that paper s follows: Cannot some legsl means en to revision of Juage ilaoxxr7's harsh senlencs oo o poor giel. Many SuLLivaxy If suoy persons wonld lke to aubscribe for this purposs, 1, fur my part, beg lo inclose $3 as & bewinolog, Mr. GouLp's young editor roplied that he did *got, at present, see what judiclous use could be made of the funds.”” Wa can understand & New Yorker imagining that the courts of that city could be influenced by the use of moneys but we canniot understand Mr. GouLy's ssyloR that ho didn't see bow It could bo done. Too disphanous, Jar; eotirely too diapbanous. —————— ‘That ludicrous littls *‘cuss,’ Bamivar CoX has been yelping about *fraud.”* And yeb surely BAMIVEL cannot waot to see President Haxzs ousted aod Mr. TiLDEN put in the Presi- dential chatr. It scems only yestonday that wo saw Bamivar Cox at 8t. Louls working tooth and pall sgsinet Mr. Tipex, whom he de- nounced as evergthing that was bad. BAMIVEL, our boy, bevare of the record. rocare & In & recent speoch befors the German Parlis- ment Princo B1sMABRCK mado an laterestiog statement concerniug the persoual relations ex- isting botween himself and Count ANDRABST. 4 Theso relstions,” ho said, *do not exist mere- 1y between tho Govoroments, but betweed Count’ Axpmassy aod mysclf, They aresusd