Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, March 25, 1878, Page 4

THE CHICAGO - Tye Teibmne, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. BY MATL—TN ADVANCE—POSTAGE PM:T:ID . 2+ 6 WERKLY EDITION, POSTPAID, ® copy. O ol Totreers Spedimen coples sent free, Give Post-Office address In fall inelnding Btateand County, Remittances maybe made either by draft, exprem, Post-Utfice order, or In realstered ietters, st our sk TERMS TO CITY SUBSCRIDERS, Dafly, delivered, Bunday excented, 23 cents per week. Latly, delivered, Funday included, 30 cents por week. Address THE TRIDUNE COMPANY, Corner Madlsan and Dearborn-sts., Chicago. 1l Orders for the delivery of Tne TRINCNE at Evanston, Faglewood, and Iyde Park leftIn the countlag:-room « Wlilrecelre orompt attention. TRIBUNE LRANCH OFFICES. TIE C1110AG0 TRINCRE lias catablished branch offices forthe receiptof subscrintions and advertisements as tollows: KRW YORK—Room 39 Tridune Dullding. ¥. T. Mo Fanvrx, Manager, PAINIS, France—No. 16 Rue de Is Grauge-Tatelfere. MeVicker's Theatre. Madleon strect, between Dearborn and State, ** A Celebrated Uase,” hy the Unlon Square Compsay. Iaoley’s Thentre. Tandolph strent, between Clark and LaSafle. Fogegement of Sothern, **Our American Cousin.” Now Chlcage Theatre. Clark street, opposite Sherman IHouse. Engage- ‘wment of Ilaverly's Minatrels. Hnverly’s Theatre. ‘Monroe street, torper of Desrhorn, Engagement of Frank Mayo, *'Dary Crockett.” Coliseum Novelty Theatre. Clark atreet, opposite Court-llouse. Variety oer: formance. MeCormnick Hall. North Clark strect,” corner of Kinzfo, The Colosssl Concert Combination. MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1878, In Now York on Saturday greenbacks wero quoted at 98 . Sovoral interesting sermons are given m our columns this morning,—samong them n discourso by Prof. Swixe on the Universality of Gob, as opposed to the old iden of local- izing the Crentor; a review by President Braxcianp of the proceedings of the ex-parts Council which recently passed upon the church and collego troubles at Wheaton ; and a sweoping dennncistion by the Rev. Dr. Cuesey, of the Fourth Daptist Charch, of tho theatrs from ts earliest inception down to the present time. — The statement that the President 18 abont to reorganiza his Cnbinet to conform to the wishes of tho majonty of his party in the Benate ought to bo untrue, if it isn't. The mnajority of his party in the Scante las no more right to dictate who shall be membera of tho Cabinet than it hes to declare who stnll be President ; nnd, under ordinary air- cumstances, its right to do this is nothing at all. Somo of the Scnators naed to have a rominder that the Congressional caucus which made aud managed Presidents in the early days lias buen broken up, The Re- publican members*have no more right to reorganize tho Cabinot thau tha President bl to reorganizo tho Senate Committeos, ety During o recent visit {o the bLuildings of tho Paris Exhibition the Prince of Wales manifested a lively interest in tho Cuuadiau contuibutions, and axpressed a desire to sco the Dominion largely represented in tho Iive-stock display, evidontly expecting to sce sowothing of superior excellence in tho way of fino cattle, It now sppoars settled that Canada will mako no exhibit of this kind, the Government probubly being convinced of tho truth of the festimony of Ald. Mc- 8aaxg, of Montreal, before tho Parliamont- ory Committoo investigating the subject, tliat Dominion cattlo are not so valuable for exportation to England as those bred in tho Western Btates, Tho United Btates steamer ‘Wyoning, which was fittod up ot an expenso of $10,000 to transport to Paris articlea for display at tho Exposition, proves to have been nn unscaworthy hulk which should nover havo Loen seleoted for an ocoan voy- oge. Whon ®about 500 miles out the Wyoming sprung a leak at such & rate that it wns impossible to risk furthoer progress, nnd the ship's hend was turned for Now York, whero sho arrivod yestorday, leaks, honorary Commisaioners, superfluous naval officors, articles of display, and all, It will probably now be found necussary to ship tho goods by n vessel which is sailed under o Buropoan flag, with the additional mortlication of arriving too late for tho oponing of the Exhibition, . . m of Col. Oarxiyng havingslippod through the Wisconsin Legisla. turo, another old claim agaiuat the Btate be- g3 to wrigglo and show signs of life, liko a torpid snoke reviving under the bonignant raya of an April san. This claim belougs to 3r. 8. D. OanreNTEs, familiarly kuownin Wis. consin os ** Pump " CanveNTin, and who is or was—liko Cel, UsLxiNs—s somewhal noted Democratic editer, politiclun, and State Printer, ‘Ibe sum which Mr. Canrextzn would like a check for is $10,000 in round nuwbers, but for the saka of tha ready cnsh, in vigw of the haxd times, he woald no Avubt comprowise it, and give a receipt in. -full for 835,999,99, Liko the Carxing cluim, it I 6o old that it is entitled to respect on ac. counts of its ap: T e—— If Mr. James G, Brase ever had any prospect of becomiuy the uomines of the Republican party for President in 1880, ho will most effectunlly destroy ull such proba. bilitiey it ho persiata in his presvnt courso in waking ouemiva awouy the promnent men of his own purty. [ receut nssault upon Masgachusolts was iu oxceeding bad taste, hut not wore so than his sncer at Secretary Bcuunz becauso of his foreigu birth, Mr, Braxe vot ouly publicly insulted a Cabinet oflicer who is certaiuly the poer of the Seus. tor from Maino {n sll the characteristics of a well-bred gentleman, but Mr, Souvnz is the representative of a powerful and intelligent * body of -adqpted citizens who have always been a mighty factor in the Republican party of the West. When Mr, Braiue Is in want of votes in the next Nominating Convention, s he was sorely in nood of them at Cincin- « Datl, he will not be likely to taunt any of tho Jelogates with having been born fn Prussia. » Opposition to tho scheme to impode the cicculation of news by compelling the trang. portation of all newspspers through the wails comes from @ quarter which will com- pel attention and consideration. It is based cn dollars axnd couts, it beiog shown by the Buperintendent of the Railway Postal Service that the cost to the Government in providing proper facilities for handling the mammoth newspaper maila contemplated in the Houso Committee's bill would bo enor- monsly in oxcess of the receipts; that to equip the Postal Bervieo with tho exira facilities and to employ the additional clerks and miessengors necessary to transact the business would involve on immediate outlay which Congress will not think of anthorizing. This, howover, is only one among many proofs of the inexpediency of any measure which interfores with the transmission of newspapers from tho press {o the reader in the shortest possible time. Becrotary Sonunz regards tho action of the Benato, in reducing to £5,000 the amount sppropriated for the detention and prosecu. tion of timbor-thisves, as practically prohib- itory of any forther measures on bhis part looking to the enforcament of the laws sup- posed to bo dosigned for the protection of Government property. The appropriation is 80 emall aa to be in effect a notification to the depredatora that thoir organized systom of plundering the timber-lands can be car- ried on without danger of prosecntion, It will bo insufficient evon to push to success. ful conclusion the cases now actually pend- ing in the courts, in which the nccessary tostimony cannot be procured withont o larger outlay-than that authorized by the ap- propriation. It scoms the Becretary of tho Interior was following up the thioves too vigorously, and so the Benato coolly pro- cceced to tio his handa and feet. . S————————— It may be presumed that no extremely vigorous resiatance was offered by the guards on duty at the jail at Littleton, W. Va., to the party of masked mon who on a quiot Babbath morning mado their appearance and demanded tho person of Jorx WarLrace, the perpotrator of the triple murder of last week near that town., Tho visitors were doubtless confronted by a show of opposition, but their coming was expected, and the na- turo of their errand porfectly under- stood, oand it would be smfe to wagor that no one was seriously injured in the * desporato strugglo” that cnsued. A mile from town thoy found a conveonient tree, and, aftor receiving from Wartice o confession which cleared his Lrother but implicated one Grorax Virrazns, who is now in custody and whoso turn wil} como noxt, the masked men finished thoir work and saved the county the expense of formnl exocution, None of them wero recog- nized, and tho dispatgh adds, quite as a mat- ter of coursa, that * no effort ia being made to identify thom.” Distrust of tha efficioncy of the law to deal promptly and suroly with the perpotrators of atrocious crime seems to beon the incronso everywhere; and for a vory good reason, since the law has recently demonstrated its inadequacy in numorous oxasporating instances. CORRUPTION AT WASHIRGTON, It is ovidently & nip.and.tuck wmco at Washington betwesn tho New Idria Quick- silver Mining Company and McGanranay ns to which shall bo proved to bo guilty of the grenter frand and gonoral rascality, The Company and McGannauax wers claimants to the samo proporly. McGanmauay had a patent from the United Blates to which it s chiarged, and doubtless traly, was forged the siguatnre of Presidont LincorN, The Now Idris Company 1s in pousession of the prop. erty, but McGannanay, with the unflagging onorgy of a bloodhound, has pursued bhis claim incossontly. Lo hns bad nothing to offer but prospactivo and contingont rewards in caso of wsuccoss, while the Company has had actual monoy. McGannauan has boen ablo to enliat an activo support at all times, but has scen his trnsted friends go over to tho enomy timo and again, Nevertheloss, though cast ont of court and ont of Con. gress repentodly, he has appoared as. rosolute aud dotermined o8 ovor. At the proscnt session of Cougress he prosented Limself a4 usual, when ho waa confronted by a printed volumo made up of his own con- fidential corrospondenco with his olerk and partuor, 'This corrnspondence, covarlng twolve years of strugglo nnd writteh n the most unresorved mahner, had fallen by somo meaus into the posscusion of the Company, und was published by them in order to blast tho claimant with his own ovidenco of his own corruption and fraud. McGaunamax, howover, was ad equal to the occasion as auy wan could be. ¥fo met Lis acousers bravely, aud, not confining himself to a mere dofenso of his own case, chargod tho othor side with wholesalo fraud, forgery, bribery, and the purchaso of false testimouy, 'The two con- testants havo been ongagod In this struggle to prove each other's conuption and dis. honesty, and, to the satisfaction of the gon. cral public, both have succeoded. Involved in tho scandal are o host of men formerly conspiouous in politics aud in official posi. ton, Out of this joint and several exposare tho public may galn some idea of how claims ogainst the Government, whether ponding Loforo the Departments, the Courts, or Con- gress, aro manufactured and supported, and the extout to whick officiala in and out of Congress aro engaged solling thelr powar, tholr iufluence, and their support for thesake of gain, The Crodit-Mobilivr business was but one case in possibly 500, The Onos- PEXNING ease was another fillod with tho moast scandalous dotails, Tho Fort Hnelling salo was another; and mow this McGamuzaman claimaddsits disgusting dotails of dishonesty, and shows how little the country gonerally knows of the deep corruption attondant upon the prosecution of all clnims npon the Treas. ury, aud of all claims for gratuities, sab. sidies, and spoclal leglalation Ly Congress. Oane of the most significant fucts in thiy wnat- ter fs the vory large number of persons who have held Oabinot offices, who have hoen Bonators aud Representatives, aud who havo held closo and oonfidontial positions in the Departments, who, upon being put out of offive, becomo agonts and lobbyists for claims, It moy be safoly sssumed that every claim for money, land, or spocial bounty is doubled or quadrupled in order to afford a liboral margin to compensate the ex. Cabinet oflicers, ex-Senators, and ex-Repro. sontntives who may mauoge the cage. All these pervons have special privileges on the floor of both Houses of Congress ; they are familiar with the papers and filesof the Court of Claims, of Congress, aud of tho Depart- ments, They have a sort of officlal intimacy ‘with all the officers of all the branches of the Government ; and, if successful, their com- pensation s ezcessively largs,—the excess, if theclaim have auny merit, up{mnting the sum obtained by fraud, forgery, perjury, or other dishonesty In the case. The lobby recruited sanually from the Oabinet, the Senate and the House, and from the Depart- ments i3 more dangerons to the Treasury, and more dangerous to the integrity and morality of the courts and of tho National Legislature, and to the adminlstration of the Government, than would bs an invading army. The latter might be repelled, but the lobby, with its corraptions, is abiding; it grows with its own dishonesty, nnd is en. gaged in a struggle in fact for the supreme control of legislative, judicial procecding, and executive authority, If those exposures inthe McGannamax claim can arouse the country to a proper sense of what isin. volved in the subsidy and special logislative business, then the peopls will hava reason to be thankful that McGarmamax has even in that way rondored a great publio servico. ' THE ALDERMANIC ELECITON. A wook from to.day thers are to bo clected eighteen Aldermen, and upon the charactor of the men to booleoted will depend the charactor of the Government during the coming year, and possibly for years to fol- low. Citizens of Chicago shonld know by this time that they ennnot afford to lot municipal eloctions go Ly defauit. Itisof nouse to eay that the Demooratic nomina. tions for Aldermen aroso bad that botter men aro surs to ba elected. This Is not trne. The craze to get into the Council fa not confined to Democrats, saloon-keepors, or disreputable and unfit porsons of sny one party., Beveral of tho persons who are candidates ond ealling themsclves Re- publicans ought mnot to be clected. It fs so difioult to get competent business- men to accept nominations that, when one does serve tho city, it is a publis loss to have lim defeated. One of the ablest, most in- talligent, and faithful membera of the City Councll during the last two years haa been Ald, Rosewpero, of the Second Ward. He had consented to serve another term, and yot votors of that ward absented themsclves from the polls in sufficient number to have him defeated at tho cancus. Such n wrong ought to be redressed at the general olection by s union of the respoctable voters of all partien. 8o in other wards: dead-beats ond bummers whose past rocord in the Council is redolent with disgrace. ful jobbory and intrigue bLave pushod themsolvos on both parties as candidates, and aro claiming party support. We inalst that no Democrat or Republican is under any possible party obligation to voto fora party candidate for tho City Counail if that caudidate is not persooally n man with a clenn record, and is not personally reputable and competent, and for no man who is seck- ing the offica for plunder and gain. The City Council is a businesa corporation; it bas to administer the finances of the city; ithas to handlo nnd expend the money of othor peoplo; it has to tax other peoples proporty; and its members should have the qualifications that wonld fit thom to adwninis. tor on large estates honestly, scrupulously, and faithfully, How many of the men in the st of candidates would a voter soleot tobo the sdministrator of his cstats or tho mausager of tho property of his children? And . yot these Aldermon contral and govern threo hundred millions of dollars’ worth of property, and expend over five millions of taxes onnually, Every man in Chicagois personally nnd pecuniarily intorested in tho character of tho moun to bo elocted to the Couacil, and should distinctly assort his in- depondencs of all party claim that he must voto for an Incompotont and improper per- gon for the offico. 'The best way to curo bad uonminations ia to defeat them at the polls, and never was thore a botter opportunity for that purposo than is now afforded, Novor was thero a bettor opportunity to olect a good Council than s afforded now by the candidaoy of first-class citizens, with or with. out nominations, ' THE HALIPAX AWARD, Tho Halifax award is uot to bo paid, if it is pnid at all, without dne inquiry into the justicoof it. Our Government is allowed ono year for this expross purpose, and it can improve the opportunity of discussion thus afforded without laying itself opun lo an nc. cusation of Lad faith, Whataver the ulti- mato daecision 1nay be, it Is well in cases of this kind to proceed intelligently and delib- crately ; and we aro glad o seo a disposition to act {n this manner on the part of the Gov. cramont, Tho discussion thus far carried on in the nowspapers and tho Sonato has dis- closed somo important facts. Firstin im. portance of theso is tho fact that the English Government pressod the appolatmont of the Telgian Ministor at Washington ss umpire with indocent warmth, It did this, more. over, after Mr. ‘I'uonnToN had admitted that such an appointment would be indecorous, and after Lord RicoN—the representative of England in the Joint High Commission—had daclared that neither Bolgium nor Denmark should be asked to supply the third arbitra. tor, 'The appolntment of Derross, in spite of these declarations, {s evidence that Ea. gland sought to gain an advantago over the Unitod Blates, It did uot scek or desire a fair arbitration on tho merits of the case, but a made-up verdiot by a tribunal organized to convict, Undertho circumstances, the son. timontal articles of the London 7¥mes on #the prinoiple of arbitration” come with pecalior {ll-graco from that Quarter,: ““Tho principle of arbitration” does not ‘contem. plate the packing of the Court of Arbitra. tion by atrick. Whichever party s guilty of securing & verdict by such meana itself strkes tho firat blow at the principle, Anothor iudication that tho English Goy. #rnment sought to gain a verdict by unduo influenco was 18 first proposition that tho Coumission should sitsin Holland. ‘This was putting tho Court within rench of the English Government, and, for the purposos of casy communicstion, out of reach of the Amerioan Government. The, second propo. sition, that the Court should sit at ITalifax, which Mr, Fisu was unwiss enough to ac- copt, was hardly more ponerous. Not satis- tled with having a two-thirds majority ou the Board, it must needs have tho local pressure on its sids, Halifax is the very centve of exoitemont on the flsheries quostin. ‘The sentiment as woll as tho interost of the pop- ulation there is all on one side. It was no falror to send the Fisheries Commission there than it wonld have beon to put the Gencva Commission at Boston, or n Commission to scttle the Northwest Boundaries dispute in San Francisco, It may be said that neither tho location at Halifax nor the appointment of tho umpire cag affect in any manner the obligation of the United Htates to pay the ‘wward, now that it has been mads. But, grauting the truth of this, it is Lighly do- sirable that the spirit which animated the British Goverament throughout the proceed- Ings should Le exposed and characterized in fitting terms. Whatever the conduot of the United Btates Goverument may be, it cannot iujure **the principle of arbltration™ more than it baa boen injured by the cuuning diplomatists of Great Britain, ‘There is one romaining point, however, ‘which docs concern the obligation of the United Btates to pay the award. This is the silence bt tho - treaty-provisions with refer. ence to a unanimous decision. Dr, Woor- &5y, an acknowledged suthority in inter. TRIBUNE: MONDAY, a3, MARCH 1878, national law, contends that the practice in thia respect follows the Roman law, and that the precedonts of that law require s majority decision to have binding effect, But the Eoglish practice, it was amply shown by Mr. Bratxg, is differont; and, ns the New York Z'imes well romarks, *‘ England assur- edly owes some respeot to its own lawyers.” The treaty does affirm the majority rule in providing for the Geneva Commission, and <loca appoint a singlo Commissioner in the caso of the Boundaries dispute, both of which facts go to show that the silence of tho article in rogard to tho Fisheries award on this head wns intentional, The Zimes as- serts that, before the Commission met and while its labors wera in progross, prominent Canadians avowed that under tho treaty the award would not be binding upon them ngainst their will. "So it appears thoy vespected “tho principle of arbitration” only whon it made it for their interest. Tho question arises in this conneotion whather it is any moro unfair for the United States to refuse to pny on technical grounds than it would have been for Canada to disapprove the findings of tho Commission on eimilar grounds, or whatlier it fs worse faith to nul- lify an unjust verdiot by finesse than to pro- cure it by such meansdn tho first place. It is surprising what difforent standards of hon- or can bo used by men and nations in the discussion of simplo questions like this, There, for instance, in Cmanues Fraxois Apaxs, who proclaims tho verdict of the Electoral Commission—a Board of Arbitra. tion, bo it observed—*a fraud,” whilo he claims that the Halifax award is binding by overy consideration of honor, In a similar manner, when the English Government, with not even technicnl ground to stand on, con. sidorod tho Geneva award doliberately and promoted discussion of it through tho press, 10 ona found fault, while the proper delay of our Governmont and the reflectiona of our press are pronounced dishonorablo and disgracefal, — THE EOHN OASE DECIDED AT LAST, During tho Inst two months, in discussing tho subject of frauds in the Now York Ous- tom.Honso, Toe Tnmuns has had occasion to say some hard things of the Troasury Do- portment ; but of tho honest purpose of its chief to purgo that branch of the public sorvico of all discoverable abuses we have nofther folt nor cxpressod & donbt. Tho late docision of the now colobrated Konx case, Ly Becretary BSnemuax himself, justifies equally Tog Tpisuse's {llopinion of the Treasury Dopartment and its good opinion of ita chief, The Koux case is, in nll its nspects, vory remarkable. Noto this faot : The Becrotary, in his declsion under date of March 28, inst., refers to the importation of Kons & Bro. as of Sept. 28, 1877,—almost six months ago! Iu a word, it has required nearly six months' time to obtain an nuthori- tative decision in corroction of a simpla crror of the Appraiser ot this port in the classification of 8 lot of burlaps. What a comment on the present Gov- ernmontal systom in uso for socur- ing uniformity of appraisoment! The Becretary says, in substanco, the Chicago classification was vrong as to samples num. bered 1 and 2, but right as to sample No, 3. In support of this conclusion he says: *The samplos submitted with the appeal have since” (subsequently to the Jayms * condi. tional roversal " of Jan. 31) * boen examined by a considerablo number of the most expe- rienced officers of this Department, and tho opinion given by them is unanimous that samples Nos. 1 aud 2 nre, under the declslon of Bopt. 7, 1877, submitted to ontry at the rato of 80 per cont ad calorem, while samplo No. 3 is dutiablo at tho rato of 35 per cont ad salorem,” And hb sdda: *Tho oplnion is also expreased by tho exporta to whom the samples wore submitted that snmples Nos, 1 and 2 aro not starchod so 8s Lo exclude them {from the decision of Sept. 7, 1877." Hero is n very plain decislon, and it turns upon o simple question of fact,—the question whother samples Nos. 1 and 2 woro or were not ‘‘starched.” Dot the samples were bofore Mr, H, B, Jaums, the dociding officer of tho Departmont, on the 81st of January last. e refused to con. sider the cvidonco submitted for the vory purpose of the ascertainment of the sole fact upon which a decision was requested by tha appellants from tho roturn of the Chicago officer, and mnde o declsion without any re- gord to that fact, and which was no deeision atall. On tho word of tho Hegretary, thero thero are unwerous experts in the Depart. munt capable of assisting the declding officor. Why did not Mr. Jaxrs apply to them? As soon as the case was brought to the attontion of Mr, Buenyan,—forced upon his attention by the publicity given ¢ Ly the disgusted appellants,—he appealed at onco to theso oxperts, and thoy resched a decision with. out difficulty. On all the facts now in pos- sesion of the public, tho conclusion is frre. sistible that DMr. Jawes, in ignoring the ovidence placed beforo him, had gdme purposo, but that that pur. pose was uot to enlighten the ous- toms omficors at Oblesgo. What that purposo was wo will not now undertake to &ay; but wo do say that the Secretary of the Treasury shonld, in our opinion, domand an explanation from Mr, Jawes, and give that explanation, whatever it is, to tha country, Until such explanation is giveu, Mr. Jaxrs must rest uudor wuspicion,—the snspicion of having oconnived at the main. teunnco of au unjust discrimination in the collection of dutics at one port as against nnother port. Thia Is the prima fucie case sgalnst Mr, Jars, and it is o very grave matter. My, Jaus, personally, msy be n nobody, or ho may be a very fwportaut pere souage, Whethor he is the ouo or the other is of no consequence, But as daciding officer of the Trepsury Department Lis posi- tion s one of large influcnce for gnod or evil, Tho presumption is that ho enjoys the coufidence of tho Sccretury ; otherwise ho would be removed. Of this wo have not tho sbodow of. & doubt. DBut he has certainly lost the contidence of a consid. erable shiaro of the public. Under theso clr- cumstauces we subwit that it is the clear duty of the Bacretary cither to remove Mr, Jauss or couvinco the publio that ita suspi. clon of him is not well founded. Thers is another point in the customs serv- {oe controversy on which the developments of the Koun csse throw a flood of light: "The question whother the methods of the Treasury Department now in use for scour- ing uniforwity of appraisement are at all adequate to the purposs. We inaintain that they are not, and we need do no more than simply cito the delays of the Kouw case to dewonstrate the. impreguability of oar posi- tion, We maintain alvo that there is no practieal dificulty in the @y of remedyiug the evil of which the KouX case is a gtriking {llustration. Let the Bample Dureau, so often recommended, be establishod at Wash. ington, and placed iu charge of the experts who were, it seoms, at all times ready and cowpotent t0 docide the Kouw caso, and who did decide it the moment it got out of the hands of subordinates and into the hands of the Becretary, and was by him, naa mat. ter of course, promptly submitted to their arbitrament, Lot sample roports and claasi- fieation reporta be made daily, by nll Ap- pralsers, (o the Sample Bureau ; and Iot the experis of the Dnrenu be required to pass upon thess roports daily, notifying Apprais- ors of all errors, and, assuming a faithful performance of the duty by all concerned, uniformity of appraisement on all mer. chandise susceptible of being sampled will be at oncd secared. The proposition s so sim. ple that tho mers statement of it has all the force of mathematical domonstration. RATURE OF THE LOBBY, The Cause and Cura of the Lobby ” isn subjoct that gets carefnl consideration in the onrrent uumber of the Atlantic Aonthly. The autlior of the article in question, Mr. Artaur T. Ssoawick, maintains that the lobby is produced by private claims on the Government. Without claims there Would still bo matters in which private interests would canse active pressure upon legislation. The protective tarifl and the system of grant. ing subsidios which formerly prevailed cul- tivated a lobby already in cxistence; but it is questionable whother thoy would alone sustain the powerful body of special advo- catos who now constituto the lobby as we understand it. On the other hand, it is cor. tain that, if civic protection and subsidios were at an end, thero would still be a lobby, for there would still be * claims™ upon the Government, representing thousands of millions of dollars, and preased by claimants and the agents and attornoys of claimants. "Tho lobby owes its existence to the cumber- sorae methods of our Government in adjudi- cating claims, The ruling principle being that the GCovernment cannot bo sued, oxcept in cases in which a contract is involved, all claims disputed by the officers of the Government have to be gmated or allowed by Congross, This body s consaquently called upon to discharge both logislative and judicial func- tions; and, being imporfectly organized in the latter eapacity, it doas ita work Ladly. It nelther presenta a definite tribunal nor definite rules of proceduro to the.clalinant, He may try his cnse beforo a committeo of oither Houso of Congressor of both. If befora the Senate, he can only prosent a Dbriof ; if boforo the House, he may have the priviloge of an oral argumont. Morcovoer, tho rules that govern the Commiltoo ot one resaion may be abrogated at tho next. ‘Lhey have no binding force, except as procedents to be followed or departed from at con- vonfonce. Tho confused and complicatod practico involves a high dogree of irregu- larity among the practitionors, Somo aro ominent lawyers, others aro hangers-on of inferior nttainmenta; some have unblom- ished reputations for integrity, and others ore persons of no character. In general it may ba said that the standard of morality in lobby practice, even among respectable law- yers, is lower than in practice bofors the law courta, The claimant who attompts to advoeate his own causo boforo s committeo often finds himsolf powerless for want of ncquaintance with the uses and customs of the court, and ignorango of the personal projudices of the mombern, Ho cannot get tha ear of the powerful man on the Committee ho desives to influgnce, or ho cannot avold interforonce with other claimg which aro in favor with the Committso or somo mombor of it. Ha finds his case unaccountably dolayed. The Committee will not grant him a hearing, or will not listen to him respectfully when he ia heard. Perhaps while ho is engaged in one Houso, & rival claimant presses o bill before a committes of tho other House. Perhaps when ho hes secured the promise of a favor- able report, ho is defoated in the -Whalo Houso or Sanate through tho want of proper manngemont by the Committeo, which is 'too often dne to & want of per. sonal interest in the cause, At lnst, discouraged and disheartened, ho resolves to go homo and leavo hia claim {n the keop- ing of some professional advocato,—in other words, a mnember of the lobby,—who makes a business of this sort of prastice, and can afford to “put the thing through" fora very small percentago, because ho has a large nmmnber of other jobs of & similar description to attend to. Thus the lobbyist begina where private thrift and energy leavo off; and if, in his subsequent operations, ho adopis oxpodients which nre of doubtful morality it is becauso ho knows uo other ‘way of sccuring success. Mr, Bepowick sugyests two remedies for the lobby, oue of which 14 intended.to im- prove its charadtor and the other to nbolish it altogathor. This double remedy socms almost aun Hibernfclam., It 18 scarcely necessary to lmprove a thing in order to cbolish it. Mr, Bxvawick hes, however, & Detter reasoning than this. He hopes to sco the lobby Iproved until the Government can sea its way cloar to adopt tho radical menaaures that would bo necossary to dis. pense with its wervices altogether, The mensure of fmprovement is simply the establishment of a Bar ocomposed of porsons who Labitoally proctics be. foro thoe Committecs. Huch a Bar should bave regular qualifications for od. isslon and peremptory terins of dismissal. Only those persons should be admitted to it who appeared to ba of sufficient jutelligence and charscter., Wo must confess to placing very littlo faith in this oxpodient. It de- pouds too much on the good faith of Cou. gross and Comuitteemen, the want of which is precisely tha causo of tho difficulty, Where there iy dirty work to be dono, it iy safe to prosume thore will be men gathered togethor todoit. No Barcan kecp them awny from it, a3 we have had too much reason to know from experience in all brancles of the logal profeasion, The other remedy which Mr, Beoawicx proposes s likely to ba woro ef- fectual bacawss it is more radical, It govs literally to the voot of tho difficulty, Itis a proposition that the whole business of ad. judicating claims shall bo taken away from Congress and confided to the courts. It mekes no difforonce, for the purposes of tho prosent discussion, what or how many these courts axa, The principle Is tho fmportant thing. To give it effect, it would be necessary (o abaudon the long. chorished doctrine that the Government ought not to be lubla to suit like a private person. It Las boen somehow held deroga- tory of the diguity of the Government that it should be liablo to prosecution in the sourts, and our practicu has prohibited the bringivg of any suits excopt thoss in which » contract was exprossed or fmplied. But it is & question whether it would be less digni- fied for the Government to appear as defund- ant in & court of justice than for it to ain. tain an unequal contest with the lobby, ay it now does through its Committees in Con. gress. The practico of other Governmepts, which was formerly uniform with our gwn in this reapeot, Los of late boen froguently changed. In Russia, for suits of this nature, the Trensury or fieeus is rogarded as n privats corporation. 1In England, undor what i3 known as BoviL's act, suits may bo brought ngainst the Bovercign with almost an oqual fraedom from legislation. Even in Frauce, during the Empire, the remedy for citizens or alians was much more full than in the United States. Spain is the only country in which rome. dies agalnst the Government are loss than those sccorded In the United States, 1t is perfeotly clear that, in throwing all this claes of legialation out of Congrosa aud upon the Conrts, there would be ample roliet from the most flngrant avils now com- plained of, and there i3 both cxamplo snd justification for the ohauge in the experienco’ of other countries. A bill to this end lias nlready been Introduced in Congress, and there is snid to be some prospect of its pas. sage. If it receives the attention it desorves it will at lenst give Congress food for re- flaction., The last Logislature of Wisconsin spent o good deal of time in trying to frame a stat. uto that would break the forca of recent decision of the Supreme Court of that State in referonce to the assessment and collection of taxes. The opinion of the Court was that the tax was void in all cases whero the Assessors did not assess all property *at its cash value,” as thoy were required to do by the statute, and as their nffidavits aflixed to the nssessmont rolls declaro that they had so valuod the properly. This mandate of the statate has buen genernlly disregarded in Wisconsin, each Assessor aiming to koop the valuation of his town ns low ns possible, in order to escape taxation, and the rosult is that tho decision of tha Buprome Court has invalidated one-lalf the taxes that bave been lovied durivg the last ten years. The Coart hold that the Assessor must be bound by the law and his onth, and that in all cases where ha snbsti. tuted o standard of his own tho nssessment wag vold, and o tax lovied thercon waa illogal and need mot bo paid. Of course such a swoeping decision has opened tho door for endlesa litigation, especially be- twoen persons who ara interestod in any way in tho sale of lands for delinquent taxes,— and that class 1a a very large one in ths ‘West,—and to help the peopls out of their prosent dilornma has cost tho Wisconsin law. makers much Inbor and discnssfon. The ro- sult ia that on sct has Loen passed which aime to provide for all snpposable con- tingancies, but whether 1t will stand the test of constitutionality which tho SBupreme “Court will apply to it, remains to bo scen. Our Pemocratic {ricnds ars worrying not a Httlo about'the next Houso of Representatives. The Now York World solemnly warned tho party not long sinco that there was golog to be no walk-over this year st tho Coogressional elections; the Washington Post has been point- {ng out that the control of the next House de- pends on certain douhtful districts where there 1s only a net chango of 7,000 votes to be made; and now, down in North Carollua, the Demo- crats aro getting uncasy lest there should bea | hiten about the election of Congressmen. The State Jaw says they shall be choson in August tho Federal law says they ahall bo chosen in November; and, as the Democrats In this Houso bave taken advantage of just such a conflict of statutes to throw out the Republican memver from Colorado aud seat the Democratic contest- ant, tho Ralolgh Observer is scarcd lest in the Forty-sixth Congress **an utterly unserupulous Radical majority®? should seat soven or elght Republicans, The identity and ownershlp of the ox that Is gored, It will thus bo scen, makes all the Aifferonce in the world. 1t would be de- lightful to see, In 1831, a Ropublican House of Rapresentatives geat a Republican Presdent amid tlic useleaa protests of 8 Democratic Sen- ate, and yot we don't s¢o why it shqulda’t bo done. It secus to us that the Democratic Iouse contended about & year ago that it counted the vote, and that tho Scnate eut still and looked onj alsv, that it had power to review the action of Returoing Boards. It would fu- deed bo funny It the Democrats havo been cut- ting with fnfinite toll rods for thelr own bauks. e e ‘The Vienna Tagblatt ingeniously answers tho question why Cardinal Pacct was etected Pope as follows: Hecauss Cardinal Mixaco La Vatirrra fs a bad sloeper, Cardinsl Axtazt s paralyrzed. Cardinal o1 Fivrno is too_mach {n dobt. Cardinal Bxuri composed the Syltabus, Candinal Monicix: is dying. Cardinal Asciuint s too scrupulons, Car- dluf Cauara s & Neapolitan, Cardinal Pan- EUIANCO 19 8 monk, ignorant of the world, Car. dinal pa Luca is too Hueral, and too small of stature. Cardinal BanToLini ta too funatic, Car- dinal Paroceus ts too yogng. Cardinal vr Cax- osna 18 100 closely connected with Austrls, Care dinal Frunisni is the sou of a domestic, Cardinal Dxuanot had relstions with thu ex-Minister Nicotrna, — Cardinal Cutut is 8 Jesult, and nar- row-minded. Cardinal ¥raxci is too friondly to the ex-Queen I of Spaln, Cardloal Axrict Matriiss Cypl Cardiual MABTINKLLE le a vulgar monk, and mullJ brought nll). r- dins) GrankLitis too reactionary. Cardinal 8. akuNg Is nos sufciently tndepondent. Cardinal CaTentxa 18 the alter «go of Father Bgnx, Uenerul of tho Jesuits, Candinsl MExrae s a creature of the late AXTOXELLY, Whose mewory is dutvsted in Cardinal SOLING i Lou Toxrost, sister of the Catu of the San Roceo, Cat- dinal {taxns ;mada himaelf odious as Director of the Folice, Cardinal Pacca is fewble-minded, and he in tuo much comproinised by his gallantrive. Car- diual Nixa was implicated (u the “terriblo uffair of the young girl of Olio, who dled from poison. Cai lnnl%unnn- was likewise comproniised b a gallant adveature which finv- ise Lo 8 great deu of scandal, As the Cardinale were determined to yote ouly for au Itallan, there was no other cholice than Cardlual Pruc: + e ——— Hore are the Now llampahire returos lo full, as cowpared with those of 1877, the vote for Governor belug takeu: Republican.. Democratic, . Prohivitions Greenback Beattunn; ‘ota! Repuulican over ne: Repubtican over all eve U4 4, “T'aking the 170 votes by which the vote of tho smaller parties was Increased as all comiog from tho Hepublican runks, we find that 1,100 Repub- Means stayed away from the polls who voted last year, The Dewocrats gulned 1,143 votes As they had a popular youug candidate, and as there was not so miuch moucy speat on thoe Re- publican side this year as last, wo feet Justificd in balanciug thess ltems of galn andloas against exch otlier, which will leave 37 agerieved Ro- pubilcans thug stayed ot home,—one in every 700, et —— The people of East Tuunessee have become so Qlsgusted with the repudistion scheme of the Legislature that they are uow seriously discuss. ing the proposition to organlzo u separate Btate comprisiug all tha counties east aud south of o Cumberland Mountalus. A better plan would be to seud representatives to the Legis- lature whoso Intduence and votes would bring that aasembly to its right mind, Tlore seems to be su opportunity for the ghost of Awbpy Jounsox to get lu some good wurk. R —— Moro to tho Cliluese thas o any other nation the telcphione has been a Llessiug. Owing to the fact tlat the Chiness language has po alphas bet, the telegraph bas never been avallable in Chloa; but uow that tho telephone has been discovered it has' bLeeu selzed upon, and 500 tlles of telephono wires arc sald w0 bo olready io operation. . e —— According to their usual custom, the Hepub- licaus of Rbode Island have adopted no plat- form, but they have renomiuvated by scclama~ tlon- Qov. Cuazrzs C. Vaw Zawor, whkh mieans a re-election witbout suy dificulty, as bs 18 also tho Probibitionist nominee. Whea Mr. Harxs vistted Rhode Istand last ‘year, My, ZARDT made an enthuslastic, nay. even a cushing, specch In culogy of the Trealdent, whom he compared {o tha tising sun and man other glorfous things. This [sabout the ouly . public utterance of the Governor's that hiay been heanl outstds of the State, 5o that bis eg. thusiastic renonination is pretty good evidence 28 to how the Republicans of Ithode Ialang staud on the polley question. The news has doubtless been carried to Cnanprzn by thig time. Vax e— Mr. Bpeaker Bannows, of the Wisconsin As semnbly, has reason to congratulate himselt p. on the success hie has made of It asn presiding offiver, Belug called to tbe Chalr ander 0me- what pecalior and embarrassing clrcumstances, never having been u member of n leglslatiye body before, by his urbanity, vourage, and im. partinlity he soon gafned the respect and cong. dence of his assoclatés, and now, at the closa of the acssion, bie retires with his pratse fn every. body's mouth. ———— The success and reputation of the London Dally News have been largely acaulred ony of two wars. Previous to the Franco-Prussiag contlict the paper was not considered profitable property. Its expenses for war telegrams ang correspondence during the past year. were enor. mous, but Ita prestige has bece wondertuliy g5 creased. It bas just erccted clght Waltge preeses, with a capacdity fur printing 103,000 completed coples per hour. ————— Jony KELLY now rcfuses poaitively to give oy information toa WWorld reporter. And the World is fighting Joux KBLLY tooth and nay), Dear, dear, and It scems only yesterday when Jonn Ketry was telllng the World all aboyt the Twxzp confesslon, and the World woy golog to bolt It KeLLY's enemy, Famenivp, was renoininated for the Attorney-Generalship, ‘These things make us inexpressibly sad. e a—— It seems to us that Mr. TiLDEN shoald hire s brass band to serensda him, and wave a My- white spoech from his top doorstep. The Irre. concilables might also take up a subscription towards gotting him n new stencll-plate for Crantes Francis Apaws, Something should be doue to kecp up the excitement, or elss peo- ple will forget all about the Grest Fraud of 1870, and buainess will rovive, ———— There Is one advantage about the Democratle way of cutting down the Appropriation billsand carrying deflciencles overjto the uc4t year: some day & Republicau Congress will have to deat with the question of providing for the expenses of the Goverument, and when 1t provides for fiiteon or twenty millions of arrcars what a fearful showlug up of * Radical axtravagance " there will be! ———— The Pat-rioter, O'DoxovAx Roasa, says that by asingle savings-bank fallure in New York *larger sums have becn stolen from poor serv- ant girls and hard-working men " than the Fenlans bavo recelved from the samo sources. The Pat-rioter wants o fair divide, and {s op- posed to pluated monopolies. et At this distance from tho scene of action, it looks as if the Republicans of Milwaukee had a falr prospect of sucvess at the coming election, and it only needs o good ticket, with harmony in their ranks, to make victory certain, The Convention for making nominations s to be held to-dag. ———— BuLrock, the new Consul to Cologne In place of " hole hart!" BEAUCHAMP, is a retired “tallor of Rockvort, 8pencer Conuty, Ind, and the only lauguage with which he Is famiilar is. Hoosler. Only o short time ago Braucumamy married u little Germnan lady with » dowry of $60,000. ——— JAY Gourp bas Instituted a strong bear movement in the matter jof the sliver dollar, His paper calls it the 90-cent dollar, a fall of two cents. Thus have the widows, and orphnns, aud laborers, and boudholders lost nbout 25 per cant of thelr lttle aavinga at oue fell scoop. t—— ‘Tho reason why so few Japancse immigrate to this country is because wuges are so high ut home, & laooring man {n good thnes earnlug as - much s 1,000 cash a.day. (L', 8.~100,cask jnaka v, one vent.) | ‘Wo will bet Mr. Tratx a baked potato or & five-cont plate of beaus that he daren't go to Toronto and pitch futo the Orangemen fur stoulug Rossa, 4 The Pat-rioter, O’DonovaN Rossa, says ho does not belleve in collecting money and “put- ting it fu & bank to lovk at 1t.” We dessay not PERSONALS. Bazaine is in Spain, and hard up, 8ir Aubroy Paul, an English baronet, {a se oar that he ta obliged to make a living by photog- mphy. Beauregard's only danghter, Laure T., has been married at New Orleans to Mr, Charles A, Larendou, The firm of Woodhull & Sister proposcs to establish iteelf in England. Let's say nothing more nbout the Plalieries Award, dut pay over the $5,600,000. We can afford to, InJapan o man may procurs a dlvorco from his wife on the ground thst sho talks o much, aud the smount of domestic bilss that thero 13 In that cuuntry surpasses tho wildest flights of imagination. And it has come to this. A creaturo writo to tho Pnlladelphis Fimes ; *'1 see by your paper that a cuss called Maxwell Gwin calis afmeelf tha Bweet Singer of Founa, Now Idon't brage much os a SweetiSinger, but I just think XIcen lay over Gwin all the time,"” £ Mue, Heury Groville,—or, rather, Mme. Durand, —whose book, **Dosls, " 14 to be crowned by the French Academy, Lo tho wife of a Professor ‘who spont sowe yoard {n Iussia. She came back to Paris from Bt Petursburg with an armful of wanuscripts, and ler buoks bave boen uniforwly successful, 1- Julius Cwmsar, the Burrey crickoter, a re. marksbly fne batsman, who visited tnie country with the frst profossional team nearly twenty years 8go, isdead, 1lis son aud usmesake, also o prowe ising player, threw himeolt under iho wheels of nis express traln last yoar, having got lnto trouble withi o woian, The Count de Noe, better known a2 $+Cham," the clever caricaturist of Le'Churirarl, 19 wlways bulng gibed because of his absurd belelt, Tho latest accusation Lrougut agwinst bim ls that when b entered a hat-store and saked # clerk to 46 blm with o new tlle, the saleswan looked up at bis bead and opencd the artlat's ulater with the words, **Lsthero any elevatort A Paris paper has printed the Lonten ad- dress Lasaod 8 year ayo W hle Bock by the present Yope. In it ho defeuded thu Church against fLv twputation that it was Lustile to aud Incompatible with civilization, aud weat oo to explxin what cire hization was, and what were its murlte, quoting, - not from the Fatlers, but from Dastlat: **Socio: t7," e sald, **beiug composed of wen esscntially perfectible, canunot remaln wmotlonluss; it pro- gresaes and porfects ltsoll.” Progreas and civill- zation reault from labdr above sll thiuge; aud la- bor, despised Ly the woss fllustrivue of anclest phllosophers, was ralevd, bonored, and vanctided by Christianity, whoso Founder was a worklnguan aud the sou uf 8 workingwan, snd whose frb preschers tolled as they taught. Dut laboz is not tu be considered the eud of man, aad valualle vroduces wmore of less,” apd the ¢ @ timo} frow the ac- cueation **1batsbe luspirvs Lu the Lesrt & mystic Lorror for mundane thin aud recommends 83 sscetism which wunld prevent sny amolloration of the waterisl coudition of man. Cardiual Peccl then went ou to declare that the Church is not the wnemy of Scleuce sny ivre than of Indualry. Such enmity would be implousas well ax sbsurds for 1t would be based on the bypothesls of feaf Jest Scluace ehould dethrone God. Then bo went on 10 quote from Coperuicus, Keplor, aslileo, Volts, and even from Faraday, the Protestsnh concluding with the declaration that the ¢ ylla- bua does not condemn trae clvlization, that by which bumsnity perfects itself, but culy tbat 0~ calied clvilizstion—wmatyriallsm—which would supplant Christianity sod deatrov is. f