Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 28, 1878, Page 4

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNL: The Tribane, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. BY MAIL—SR ADVANCR—TOSTAGE rn:;Alm. O1q copy. per yesr... Ciuhot fon; (Juh of ten. Ciub of twehty. Fpeclmen copt tGive Post-Ofiice County, Tiemittances may ho made either by draft, express, Fust-Uftice onler, o In regirtered letier. at onr riske TERMS 10 CITY SUBSCRIDRRS, Tally, delivered, Ennday cxcepted, 23cents per week. Dafly, déilvered, Bunday included, 20 cents per weeks Adiress THE TUINUNK COMPANY, Corner Madfvon and Dearbom-sta., Chicago, 111, Qrders tor the delivery of Tnx TRIDUXE At Kyansion, Fuglewood, and Hyde Park 16ft in tha counting-room WhLFeCCYE Jromut att TRIDUNE B Arenin falt, including Stats and TPE Cuicaro TAIDUNE has entabllahed branch offices «x the recelpt of subscriptions and sdvertisements ns aliows: AEW TORK—Room 29 Tyfbune Bullding, F.T.Mo- Atvey, Mansger. TALLY, France—~No, 10 Ntue do s Grange-Dateltere. ».Maurer, Agent. LONDOY, Fog.—Americsn Exchsuge, 440 Birsnd. Laany F. Oictiy, Agent, BAN FRANCISC Tanm MoVicker's Tneatre, 3tadiven street, between Dearborn and Kiate. ** \iuid anof thie People," and ** Tyat Blessed Daby." Afsers noyu and evening. Ilaveriy’s Thentre. Dearborn street. corner of Mouroc. £ngagement of Mr. and Sirs, Willamion. **Struck OIL" Afteracon and evering. ol ‘Thentre. Tandolph street, Clark and LaSalle. Ea- gawement of Mise Faon venport. Afternoon, ** Dis Like 1t Evening, ** Al voree, Acndemy of Musle. Wslsted street, between Madison and Monroe, Va« rlety enteruinment. Afteraoon and evening. Iiamlin's Theatre, CIark atreet, opsosite the Court-Houss, *'The Af: ghavtatau Carmen.” Afterpoon and evening. Metropolltan Thostre. Clark street, opnodite Bherinan llouse, terialomnent, Afternoon and evening. Variety en- White Stocking Park, Lake shore, fuot of Washingtah street, Graod ting Carnl SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1878, THE TRIBUNE'S. ANNUAL REVIEW, Infts lsse of Jao, 1, 1870, Tur Trisexx will wriut it regular Anoual Review of the Trade and Comnmerce of Chilcago for the year ending Dec. 31, 1878, In which will be preserved the features of accaracy and comprehensiveness which have hero- tofors characterized this valuable compendinm. In nnticipation of the large demand for cxtra coples invariably attending tho publication of Taux TauisvNe's Review, arrangements will be made for yrinting on anusoally large edition of the paper of thust date, and advertisers will percalve tho ad- vutuage of arranging for apace at as early a date as possivle, Greenbacks nt par. fire Lroke out and raged all day, On Thurs- day tho winter palace of the Khedive of Egypt at Cairo was half-destroyod by fire, The police-fores guarding the palace where the Austrion Emperor and his Imperial spouko nro spending the holidays has been lurgely ncressed, that the happiness of the season may oot be marred by any untoward event, Tho Internationnlists are abrond. —————— e Lieut,.Col, Fuzp Grnayt, of Gen, Bmeal- axN'8 stafl, has been granted leave of absence to proceed to Europo and join his illustrious gorent in his trip around the world, with full pay for the whole period, and thero is a high degreo of envy amoug the ornamental stafl oftlcora nt this stronk of luck, ——— Cloveluud rojoicos over tha completion of a Lridge and viaduet 8,211 feet long, which conneets tho two mections of the city in a aununer which must be conducive to the sutisfoction and sdvantage of both. The work has been accomplished at a cost of ubout $2,160,000, and its consummation was celebrated yestorday with adequato awie kolemuity, From tho statoments of Ar, Hanzisow, who bag tnken somwo palns to inform himself regarding tho motter since his return from Wasbington for the holidny recess, it apponrs thut o very genernl faoling exists favorable to un juvestigation by Congress of the com- plaints against Judge Bronazrr, who s sald to share in the opinion that tho moat effoct. uld way to eilence tho charges is to moet them squarely. A firiko of wagnificent proportions is im- pending in tho collierics of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. I it tokes place 100,000 men wili stop work, Everywhere in England the tendeucy is toward reduction in compensa- tiva for labor, aund the condition of the working classes §s constantly growing v serious and threatoning. In Sheffleld tho master-Luildors have given notlce of a n all branches of their trade,~— the reducticn in tho case of bricklayers, asonw, plusterers, and laborers to tako ef- Jeet Jau. 1, ‘Tho trinl of Josern 87, Peven avd Mrs. Craux, ou the charge of having murdered the husband of the latter, terminated yostor duy inn verdict of * not guilty,” and the two defendants who bave held ko large a pince in the pullis vye for sevoral wocks yuet will now relapso into their formner ob- suurity, which 18 far prefernble to that other eort of lupse which they stood in somo dunger of. ‘The case has been con- ducted with vigor by the prosecution, sud with sbility on both wides, and thy result is vot surprising when it is con~ siderd that the avidence against the defend- auts was in character at onve circumstantial wud judirect, leaving smple room for oppo- site opinions as to the guilt or innocence of the aceused, and slso leaving the yuestion, vwho killed Avnvino B, Craux, as far us ever 1ruw beiug satisfactorily auswered. Events in conueetion with the Congress- jonnl cleetions in the Bouth that bave cowe 10 the knowledge of the Prowident have sug- gvsted the possibility that he may have been too sunguine of the good results to be auticl~ pated from tlhe appoiutiment of Demograts’ to 6l fwportaut offices in -wome of thy Southern Htates, and that they Luve not fulfilled the expectation that they would be more successful than Republican cticicls would be fu cowmpalling obedience to tho laws. 1o is also said to Le dissatisfied v:ith the action of many of the Republican ap- ypuiutees, whio ore accused of having sold out to the Democrats in South Corolina and Louisiana. A covfidential ageut Is now vo. puged in wskiog inguirics on theso points, wud if it sholl sppear that the Republican Jarty wes betrayed, and fraud snd violenco Jusdy eany through the lack of sl or efli- ing one. on or about May 1 of each year, furnishes clency on tha part of these officers, n gon- eral clearing awny of rotten timber is certain to be ordered, as in such easo it onght to be, A closer examination of the act appropri- ating $20,000 for the expenses of a Senate investigation has convinced the First Comp- troller of the Tressury that tho Trrrem Committes can lawfully draw against the fond, and he has accordingly reversed his decision to the contrary. The Committee will therefore lose no time in organizing and getting to' work. As to the purpose and moaning of tho law there was 1o qriestion, and any objection to the e of the appropriation by the 8pecial Com- mitteo could be made only for the sake of defeating the investigation. At yesterday's conferonco betwoen the city and county authoritics on the subject of the monterial 1o bo nsed in the constraction of the conneocting archos of the Court-Houso and City-Hall buildings there was mani- festod n gralifying spirit of fair. ness Aaml 8 disposition on hoth siden to meet each other haolf way. There Leing no longer any Ring in the County Board to complicate matters in the ine torest of favorite contractors, and the city nuthorities having no desire to create causo for disagreement, thero is an excellont pros. pect that a satisfactory plan of sdjustment will be arrived nt withont difonity, oot vy Down in Mexico they havo views of their own rogarding the spoils of war. These views are certninly not in strict accordance with tho usages of civilized communitios. Recently a battle took place between alleged Natlonal troops and supposed Insurgents, in which the former won n glorious victory, which was wound up Inastyle decidediy Mexican, 'The death carnival inaugu- rated durlog the fight was continued with & relentlessnass that even our Sfoux Indiaus would blush at. The swonl and musket having done their work, the gallows came in for ita share in tho orgy, snd eighty of the vanquished warriors were sont into eternity from the end of a rope. The rest of tha defested army are sald to have been convinced, under the circumstan- cos, that their cause was lost, and, so con- fessing, thoy were allowed to return to their rospactive wigwams. OUR LOCAL TAX SBYSTEM. Tn tho discussion at the rooms of the Citizens' Association on Thursday last thers were some very intercating facts disclosed, especially with reforence to the tax.ma- chinery of this county, The statements of Mr, Kroxxe, the County Olerk, as to tha ‘book-making department, though many times published in Tax TrnuNe, wers given by him officially, and the record is an interest- According to thisreport, tho County Clerk, each of the Town Assessors of thia county ‘with & manuscript book in which is entered o full and accurato description of overy lot, block, tract, or parcel of land in such towa- ship, These books aro returned by the As- seseors in July, with the valuations made on each pleco of property. From theso books the County Clerk makes out the war- rants of the Colleotors, which warrants are transoripts of the Assessor's book, with the tax on eoach lot, otc., extended. The Town Collectors return these books in March, with n list of all tho property on which taxes have not been paid, which list generally includes oll the real estate, Theronpon the County Colleotor, upon receipt of these warrants, proceeds to make out o consolidated delin- quont list, which list requires from thirty-five to forty large volumes. This list, prepared by the Collector, ia filed by the County Clork, who makes an oxact copy of the same, em- bracing tho same number of volumes and pages. Tha Clerk’s copy is filed with tho County Court, and judgment is asked there- on, The Clerk also makes outa later and revisod list, omitting all property on which the taxes have been pald, This list makes up twenty-three volumes of 300 poges ench, aud the Collector solls from this list, The Asgessors’' books mako 120 volumes; tho Town Collactors' books are the samo; the County Colleotor'a list requires forty vol- umes ; tho list filed for judgment about the same; and that on which judgment is ob- tained twenty-threo volumes. Thus there are no less than 848 largo manuseript vol- umes, containing about 103,000 pages, in which is copied the list of property subject to taxation, most of it being &opled savernl times. All this labor ia for tho simple pur- pose of onsbling the County Collector to give notice that tazes aro due, and that unloss paid he will apply for judgment, and on a cortain day procoed o sell the delin- <quent proporty. Mr. Krozxx recommended a change in the law whereby, witlout in the least impairing the work, 240 of theso volumes might be disponsed with, and from £25,000 to §30,000 a yoar, the cost of their preparation, may be saved. The scoumulation of these records, at the rato of 840 ponderous mauuscrpt volumes each year, is appalling, They will %oon require a special building in which to keep thom, Not included in Mr. Kroxxe's statoment of useless expenditures is the cost of proparing and printing the list of delin- quent property, or what I8 known as the tax- list, ‘Chis is wholly uscless; all iho notice required might bo embraced in one twonty lines long, and $100 would bo sll the ex- pouse, where now the oullsy {s botween $40,000 and $50,000, Eighty thousand dollars a year might bo saved from the refonn of this ugeless machinery ond ponderous bookkeoping, The County Clerk proposes the abolition of township organization in this county, dispensing with the wholo force of 'lown Collcctors and other officers, and the ap- pointment of A County Buroau of Asscss- ment, reducing the machinery and the cost vory extenaively, This latter suggestion is 8 very practical ono, Township organiza- tlou werves no useful purpose iu this coun- ty except to oreato’s battalion of petty ofticers, all of whom are supernumerary, As ong Collector of 'I'axes can do all the work of all the Township Collectors, so & County As- sessor may do that of all tho Town Assessors, with a great saving of cost, much simplifics- ‘tlon of busiuess, aud to the greater satisac- tion of the public. The procesdivg to abol- ish township organization is to have the question submilted to a vote of the people st some election, We are certain that (ho people of this county will gladly vote to get rid of what has become an intolerable nui- shnce aud most wastelul expenditure. In gl measures for the rulorm of taxation, its assesyment and collection, it must uot be forgotten tuat, while taxation wmay be re- duced by cutting off all of the many useless expenditures, revenuo is Indispensable, The lower tho tax levy the greater necessity for the collection of it all, It iu unjust and op- pressive to wake one wau poy the taxes on auother's property. If each man can be cowpelled to pay bis own taxes, then the ont to property-owners. glasing instances of wrong and oppression which are facilitated and encouraged by the present status of the law. the Patont Offico, which has grown ont of cation. large monoyed intorest which can afford to goneral burdon will be reduced. The pros- ont Ravenno law containa no ponalties snfli- cient to compel men to pay their taxes when due, or to indneo other men to advance the taxes and hold tho property se socurity. There ia substantiaily no process to compel men to pay their taxcs. Year after yoar de- linquent property ia knocked off to the Btate from which the owner can redeem it at 10 per cent. Practically, the public loans thess men the sum of their taxes at 10 por cent in- terest. Tnxes are not levied to bo loancd Taxes are levied to meot the expense of (tovernment, and whon they are not paid, thery is a doficiency which hiax to be made up by increased tazes on the property of thoso who do pay. many millions of theso nnpaid taxes all over the Btate. and the amonnt is growing, and, unloss the law be so amendoed that a proper- ty-owner can make more monoy by paying his taxes than by forfeiting them to the State, the time will come whon the whole levy for State and local taxes will be de- faulted—borrowed by the property-ownera at the rateof 10 per cont interost. reform which has becomo a positive neces- sity in the collection of rovenne. Thero aro This is & THE PATENT LAWS, Ono of the most important subjocts now before Congress is the revision of the patent Iaws, and the discussion thereof which will bo resumed aftor the holiday recoss onght to botherough and searching. Withont giving ear to any of the Communistic howlings for & repenl of sll patents In order to dlscourage the invontion of labor-saving machinery, it is cortain that the laws aa thoy now stand work great injury to the mass of tho peoplo. It is not always, and perlinps not ordinarily, that the inventor derives the benefit from those provisions which sre too favorable to the patonteo, and it is likely that the manu- fncturers and employing classes suffer more from the oppression of thesa provisions than the laboring clnsses. The evils of the pro- vailing system wera well stated in a genoral way by Senator Davis, in a recent specch commenting on the bill pending in the Bonate, to be twofold, viz.: (1) The monop- oly which the presont lawas encourage, and which enables capltnlists to form combina- tious for levying tribnte upon the commnnity &t large, inventor from their extortionate gains be- causo he hag not had the means to perfact his lotters patent, set up a manufacturing business, and carry on the litigation neces- sary to protect his invention from infringe- ment; and (2) in the case of patents which nffect large snd powerful interests, these interosts may combine, with the nid of com- plicated laws and long snd costly litigation, to deprive tho inventor or patenteo of the onjoyment of the profits to which le s fairly entitied. In one word, the patent Inws, a8 they now stand, almost invariably enable the stronger and richer to overcomo the weaker and puorer, and it should be the aim of Congress to so modify and simplify these laws as to dofest this injustioe ns far a8 possiblo, ' and to tho exclusion of tho An exporienced patent-lawyer, in a recont interview with & ropresentative of Tnz Tnipung, communicated some of the most The practice of precedents and docisions of the courts, is to fssme o patont on almost everything for which an application is filed, and which is backed up by suflicient menns to comply with a complication of ro- quirsments and overcome any intereated opposition that mny be made to the appli- Unless such patent affocts some contest ita validity all over the couantry, tho owner thereof can mako his nasossmonts and collect them from individual users who find it cheaper to ncquiesce in his demands, no matter how proposterous they are, than to incur the cost of resisting them, Theroe is no doubt that milliona snd millions of dol- lara hava been fraudulently exacted from the people on this account. It is gonerally cheaper for the individual users of any do- vice on which a patont s claimed to pay & ronsonable royally than it is to goto the seat of tho United States District or Circuit Courtand contest the claim. This will apply, in almost every case, to farmers and mo- chanics scattered throughout the' coun- try, and living, perhaps, hundreds of miles from the scat of the Court in which thoy would be obligegd to make their dofonse, The alsurdity and injustice of the practico of issning potents under the present laws is pointedly illustrated by o case ‘whero Jottors were fssued and royalties col- locted on a hole in the ground, One man so- cured o patent on tho proceus of driving an ordinary pipo into the gronnd, nnd another upon tho perforations through which tho ‘water was pumped from the bottom into this pipe. Tho Supreme Court of the District of Columbia sustained the claima of these **in-~ ventors," though thoy had been used by farmors time out of mind, and hundreds of thousands of dollars wore collected before it became the interest of mon able to contest the claims to dofeat the blackmail, Tho present rule of recovory under the patont laws also involves great Injuatice in that it roquires an accounting of profits and savings, and provideathat the patentee shall recolve the benefit of all auch prot- its or mavings in overy caso of an jufringemont, Tho oppression that may bo practiced under this rule is well il lustrated by the device for destroying tho cotton-worm, It was known ju the Bouth that Paris green woyld destroy the worm, but its uso likewlso dnmaged the crop. Some. body discovered that a combination of flour with thoe Paria green would save the cotton from damsge while the polson would still operate effectively upon the worm. If this was patented, whother by the original dis. coverer or not, the owner of the patont could recover from the people of the Bouth tho value of about one-thirdof the entire cotton crop, aa that is about the proportion saved, and as the devica is of a character that would naturally come into general use as soon s ita eficioncy had been demonstrated, Bo the practico of makiog the users of any patent pay the ownersll the savings that can be credited to the invention, even when he has sustained serious lossos in the businous in which it was employed, msy often work great ijury. ‘The bills pending in the Sen- ute sud House propose to remedy some of the dafects and nbuses of the present law by providing a statute of limitations so that damsges for {nfriugement of patents may not be collected after unreasonsble delay any more than other claims or debta; by modify- fug the rule of reoovery which makes it necessary for the courts to cowpel every wan (0 exposs Lis entire business whenever au infringement-suit is brought sgsinst him ; sud by imposing veriodical feos in order to kecp patents alive on old ideas and devices which contaia the merest and crudest sugges- tions for the unplements aud appliances that at Sorinzdeld, coat thin (lovernmont $115 each, and Yfll ng fin dofensc of this bill, in tho faca of mble 1o SATURDAYA DECEMBER 28, 1876—TWELVE PAGER' subsequently becomo practicable and valus- ble. Whother tha bills that bave been intro- duced will farnish adeqnate relief must bs a matter for aorions consideration and the most thorough investigation, What {s needed abovo all in the amend- ment of the patent laws is the simplification thercof on all sides, They require complete overhanling with this end principally in view, and the people have grown restive nnder, the oppressions that are now practiced to n degree that demands smmediato ralief. Tha popular demand is that tha clement of monopoly shall ba elimihated from them as miuch as possible, 'Tho most direct moans for doiug this wonld seom to be s provision for the payment of a reasonable royalty to the patentec by the manufacturorsof tho machine or instrumont based wupon the pa- tont in queation. Such A rule would be in tho interest of every honest and useful in- ventor, for Le could then look to s few per- sons for the collection of his proper reward. The nsers conld not then be annoyed and blackmailed by elaimants, and the manu- fnctnrers wonld collect the royalty for the patentee in tho prico of every article sold. It may be a diffienlt matler to fix a rule for royaities that would be fair in all cnsos, but it {s cortain that there would bo mmueh less infustice under any rational rule of that kind than there is undoer tho present practice. 'Tho royalties might vary from 1 to 10 per cent, in proportion to the valuo of tho improvement and the durn. tion of the life of the patent, For aslight improvement, 1 or 2 per cont would be fair; for an entirely nmow invention the royalty might be as high as 10 per cent for n time; a gradunl rednotion in royalty after it had been enjoyed for a long period wonld algo be prop- er. Such a rnlo wonld protect the discoverer or inventor from the extortion of capitalists, whose aid he might otherwise be foreed to invite in order to get his machine made and to whom Le might be compelled to concede, as tho inventor ofton does concede, the great bulk of the profit on bhis own brain-work and application. The publie, too, would en- joy the benefits of Inventions promptly and withont snbmitting to the exactions of com- binations that control them. THE ARMY BILL. Much attention has Leen attracted at tho East o the so-called Army Reorganization Ulil. We wish to notice particularly the attack upon the Ordnaace Dopartment, as shown in tho follow- ing clouse of the bills Bge. 580, . . but hereafter ordnance and ordnance stores shall not be fabricated by the Gov- ernment. However skillfully tho object of this clanse has been concealed, it 18 clear from the Wash- ington dispatches pubiished n Tnn TaisuNe of Dee. 20 that the clause emanates from the Now England Association of Arms Manutacturers,’’ nnd that its effect, it it were to Lecome a law, would bo to glvo to that Association, and to other organizations of Eastern manufacturers, a powerful control over the Government and Government money, especially in timos of war, ‘This clause is bolstered up by circulating freely through tho press of the country falsostato- ments 1o regard to the cost of Governmont man- ufactures, which statements are only too llkely 10 ba recefved and belicved by porsons whose attention bas not been called to the subject. In regard to the one item of arms, tho falsc- hood ot these statements is sufllclently set forth in the following extract from our Washington dispatcles of tast Friday, referred to above: ‘Tho facts about tho make-up of tho Bunxsinn Army bill are beginting to lesk out. The principal influence operating 1o insert the provisions In the biil for the abolition of the arsenals and armories and tho purchase of arms and ordi ores from privata firms was _exected by the sa-called ** Aano- ciation of Arms Mapufacturors,* tho controliing corparation of which la the Vrovideuce Tool Come pany, of Mhode Inland. Tt I¥ clnimed in b memo- rial to Burvaing that tho Springfleld ries, mado 1his atatoment memboes of tho Commiasion are ro- he ofiicial Bguces which aru published and acces- everybody, ‘Ihiess shuw 1801 to 1865, o duriagthe Wal urers i this coun< ty for 1,625,000 rifled wmu ot _anaverage of 80 each, 10 which hid to be added 21 each for In- spection-proof. and rinking each contract arm $21, Undcr these contracta thaGorernment ruceived only 13,490 muskets, less (ban ono-half of thuss cone tracted for, the contractors belng unablo to Al tho orders, During the axine perfod there wore manae« factured nt the Spriugileld armory B05, 597 ritled muskets, ot o cost of $11,80 each. T'bis cost in- cluded the price of oll tho lsbor, material, direct superviston, inspection, condeinnation of do- fectiva paris, U Per cent on the eatire fovestmont, sud alao includod tho deprectation in valuo for use of touls, achinery, bulldings, etc, Tho total expenditure at the Springfield ory, from ite establishment to tho 1t of March, 1872, amounted to §3, 103,843 for lands, balldings, Iron aud wooden fences, ill-dsms, canale. wewars, shop-fixtures, and new machinery, The amount charged to the depreciation of thoso ftems from KU1 to 1805 was §1, 704,600, far wore than half af the original value, ‘Tha cost of contract armns as given shows that they cost an Average o1 20 eactr, 10 which I8 to ha added 81 cach for inapection and yroof, making the cost of coniract asuie o tha [eitod Biaten ai $21 cach, of ahout §0 each more than_the cost of thoss niade at the armory, As the Unlted Btates munufacturea 804,17 muskets durlog three years, s saving of $0 cuch makes a the Unlted Bistcs of 87,21 XS during the of 1801 to 1805, or a sum mory than twica the entlre cost of the Springield armory sinco its eatablishment. For the five yoars ondine June 110, 1877, the rmm during which the present regulatlon nrm hun beon manufactired, 77,000 bave becn turaed out at $10,:8), which includes every itum of invests ment, lnterest, aid cost which a private Sem would ke into lts calculatl ' oar e cost hum enly be clal (stary of many purchoses by the Uovernient une der contract during the War was 8 continucd story of awindling, both u price and quality. Toese dealluge, however, wero larguly with parties Abroa ¥ But it will be observed that the clause In the bill s so sweoping lu provisions as to includeal] *‘ordnguce and ordnance storcs. munufac- tured by the (overnment. As thisincludesnot only arms, but gun carrloges of nUMEroUs pute terns, artlllery imulements, Infantry, cavalry, rud artlllery equipments of every variety, the varlous aud numerouas kinds of smmuuition, and thousands of other articles necessary for tho equipment of armics, which private manufac- turers know nothing about, are not prepared to make, and canuot make, it fs important to ms- certaln what schome 18 covered up (nthis sweep- togz provision, Oue thing 18 certain on the face of it, and that is, that {t is not to save mouey for the Government, ‘There are liviug now a greal many voluntcer officers who found out to thelr sorrow, upon the Lreakiog out of the lato War, that the small Government eatablishments in exfstence at that tima were totally inadequate, though drlven night and day, forsupplylug to thegreat srmies that came forward to the defense of the natton the necessary materisl of war, Many of the regiments were armed and cquipoed with the verless trash, because there was uothing elsc to Rive them. ‘There was a lack of energy displayed by Qov- ernmeut oflcers in supplylog the demand. Private mauufacturcre were called upon to asslst, sud bigb prives were offercd them., Drawiugs, patterns, {jostructlons, bills of materisls, machives, special workmeo, and fao- spectors were furnlshied to them by the Ord- vance Department, and inthis wey whbat sup- vlles they could furnish were obtained to supple- ment those turved out st the Goverument catablishments. They were not as good as those vroduced at the arscuals, snd how about thecost? Fortuuately for us now, the records of cost are carefully preserved {o the Orduance Office In Washingtou, and sre avallablo for the laspectlon of any member of Congress who do- alres to ses thew. It 4 clear that contractors who weré unpre- pared for sud ignorsut of sucli work could not vroduce it as clicsply, or if 80, 88 oo quallty, a8 It was produced at the arseusls, aud thoy did pot. Experieuce alio taught that the vrdinary coutractor was uot better than wnost wen, and that bo sumctimes lmproved the opportuuity for tradiug upon toe dire uecessities of thu Uoveru- went. At aoy rate the record will show that in il cuses the articles contructed for cost wmore, and (b sowe cuses twice us wuch 28 thote wuuufsctured fu the Goveruwent establish- that _from the United Btatos Company conld have fabricated them. Bouthweat, aud from tho wholo Misstssippl Val- menta. Tt 14 clear, then, that the object of the Lill 14 not to save inuney for the Uovernment, and the means of proving this are open to any who wish to be convinced. Ts 1t too much to sny that, whatever may bs the object of tho bill, ifs effeet would certainly ba to tie the nation hand and toot jn the time of natfonal porl), and torn it over to those who woutd be willing to prey upon it? But suppose tho atatementa circulated by pro- moteraof tho bill, that s saving of cost could bo effected, wers true, could wo afford even then tosign away our independence, a8 the bill provoses, and make it illexal for tho nation to manufacture its own supolies In its own eatab- lishments! We sk particular attention to this, for it scems to cover the scheme {nvolved In the uiit, and fe most viclons fn its cflect, Every reader knows that there i Involved tn tho man- ufacture of material of war at the present day many difiicult scfentific questions and much scientifie knowledge, Perfectlon or imperfec- tion {n this materlal dotermines moro than any other one thing tho success or fallure of armies. The leading natlons of the world are straining every means at their command for gaining superiority and perfection In this re- spect. The first element, the fonndation of any success in attalning this perfection, 9 the mcans of collecting, preserving, and apolying, pationtly, peraeveringly, and underatandingly, all the sclentific knowledge that {s avallable, the meaa of making carcful experiments and scl- ontific {nvestigations, and applying them in ectual practice. ‘The results obtnined show that onr country has not been heobind in this respect durlng the last'fifty years. The bill proposes now to wipo this all out; to leave the country with no means of moking cxperiments or jnvestigations; to break down and destroy the Ordnance Depart- ment, and transfer to other dutles officers who liave been selected, educated, tralned for, and perfected i this work, It 1 slmply saylog that the Unvernmeant shall buywhat any one happens to have or chooses to sell; that it shall pay what any ono chooses to charge; thmt it shall not bo allowed the means of knowing whether the article bought {s good or bad; toat it shall not be ollowed the means of showing what ought to bo made, and how to make it; and that 1t shall not be allowed the meana of knowing or showiog whether the price charged s exorbitant. or not. It I8 to Mexicanizo the Government in this respect, and put us on 6 par with the Bouth American Btates, or where Russia was Nity ‘The struggles and money expended in the last two generations to put itself on a footing with other nations {n respect to {ts material of war are pretty well known in this country. Now why prolibit the Government altogother from manufacturing nny of ita nceded supplics inits own establishments? Why not leave it optlonal with the Government to manufacture them or not, ns shail be found best; to manu- facture them, or buy them from contractors, as sball be found cheapest! Bimply and only be- canse {f the Qovernment is allowed to manufac- ture anything ot all, it (s in a yosition to prove that It can manufacture cheaper and belter than it «can buy; ond worse than all,—and hierefn appears to lio what the manulfacturers’ associations are scheming to combat,—if' the Government should decide to buy, it has the means of showing and can prove to the eontractor wiat is the cost, and what la a reatonable prics to charge for the articles fabri- cated, and how well they can be made,—artlcles not known in commerce; apecial material of war with which the publio Is unaequalated, Ia filustration of tho above, take tho follow- ing case: Durling the first yoars of the War the Uovernment was forced to buy Colt's revolvers, 1t bougnt all that tho Colt's Arms Company of Ilartford, Conn,, could manufacture. It would have bought several times aa many if tho A;‘ml he Compuny charged what it pleased for the arms, and the Government had to payit. It (the Goverment) had never made revolvers and could not even prove thatthe price pald was exorbitant. It pald an average prico of nbout 821 each fur them. Experionce since galned at tho Natlomal Armory shows that they could have been magufactured at that time for about oug half the above sum. L was that the Colt’s Arms Company became one of therichest private manufacturing comnpanien in the world. Government Is to be provented by statute from furnishing its own material of war; it is to be prevented from ascertainiug or kuowing what is required, or what it should cost, und the wholo One result of the War Is it not a pretty scheme? The Liuslness Is to bo turned over Lo the contractors to furnish what thoy please and charge what they pleaso for it, and in the very times when the nation's demands are imperative and the national ifo 1s at atake, DBut the Lill goes further than this. Under the plea that, If tho Uovernment cetablishinents aro not used, tralned oflicers to take chargo of them will not bo required, and proposcs to sub- stitute for them tewporary detatls from the Nne. 1t provides for legislstloz out of exist- enco forty-nine oflicers who, if falthful to thelr dutles and trust, would pofnt out and might frustrate the wishes of the contractors (sco Boca. 20, 40, 03, and 00). Then by providiog that the detalls for the staff, the purchass or fabris catlon, and dlstribntion of material of war shall b taken from the Becretary of War,—tho rep- reaentative of the people,—ihe schemeo appears 1o bo completo, i But putting sstde nlt scheries of arms com- panlcs, conteactors, and orivate associations fur waklng mouey out of the uccessities of the na tion, there aro other platu facts staring usln the face which ought to interest all members of Congress from the Northwest, the Bouth, and loy, Wo found to onr cost duriug the late War thut the national establishments wero lnade- quate for supplying the material of war the cuuntry required, We bought and were torced to buy whatuver and wherever wo could, princl- pally from forolgn natlons, and to pay exorbl- tant pricea for inferior and ofteuntimes worth- Ivss articles. Oficers remember now with o shudder the wortbless trash that was put fnto the hands of brave inen who risked thelr lives without the weans of fighttug. It s cortalu that the luability of the Uoveramont to supply suit- able material of war nrolonged the War, Immediately after tho close of the War, and while Its troubles and dlsasters were fresh, the outlon determined to bulld agreat Wostern armory and arsenal in tho Mississippl Valicy at Rock Istand, to supply a want which had been found to be Linperative. This cstablish- ment {8 now nearly completed, It {s oue of the fluest and most extensive fn the world. It will he sufticient to supply alt the wants of the whole Mississippl Valley, lncluding nearly all of the Bouthern Btates, and s the only estab- lshment for the supply of this reglon of coun- try. In s military polut of viow, nothing fs more probable than thut, in case of & great war, the Weat and South would be cut off from the Eustern Btates, and from all manufscturiog establislinenta that could supply materisl of war. Now, when this establishment is nearly com- vlated, Congzress (3 nsked to pss a law to pro- hibit the Government from using it, and prac- tcally to shut it up and abandon it, apparenily that certaln private corporstivns may bo en- rlched, . ‘We earvestly urgo that our people look fnto this matter, aud that sll members of Congress from tho Misslaalppl Valley and the South be urged to take neasures to defeat thly bl and fts schomes for crippling aud breaking down the army. Wo liave no large standing army, and uo large supply of arms and equipments for supolylug oue. The changes snd fmprovements lo such supplies with uations thet keep pace with the world are s0 rapid that now patterns are adopted every few years, and tbe cost of keeping enough of the best on baud tosupoly s large army would be too great to be borue. The lnteution of the armories and srseusls is to furnish the mesus of supplylog a large volunteer army quickly snd surcly fu time of great need with the very best waterial of war, aud to avold in tiwe of peace the cost of kecping & greas supply of thls waterial on band. In this s true cconowy, sud §t would be better tosid the Ordiance Deputwent o prepuring to do this than to cripple and defeat it, as the bill pro- poses to do. An army withont & and equipments, am- munition, and other material of war, fa no army atall, An army without tho very best mate- rial that sclence, patient and porsovering study, tofl and experiment can produce, cannot cope with an encruy that {s so provided. The fabri- cation and procurement of such matorial cannot be fotrusted to people who are irnorant of it. We belleve that the SBouth, the Northwest, and the whole Mississipp! Valley ara specially inler- cated in this matter, and that our members ought to do what can b dono to defeat tufs bisl, e To the Editor of The Tridune, FARPIRLD, 1a,, Dec. 25.—In the Aawkeys of to-day ln'yuun afinance article on the stlver ques. tion, “which makes elating to Fronch colnage. Yleass give yonr readers the proper in- formation = on thees points, vis3 u‘ Does Franco tedeem sliver fo pold coin? (2) Ias her coinage of siiver been stopped? The afllr e of thess queations has boen ueged why Froneh coins (goll and silver) are 80 nearly equal In value In Chicago, Yours Iml:,,r i (1) France does not *'redcem’ afivor {n gold coin. Bilver ia a legal-tender in France preclsely tothesame extent that gold fs: they are both legal-tenders to an unitmited amount. Siiver is not a token currency in France, and s there. fora not redeemed. Bliver is not s wote or promise to pay money to the bearer, but s actunl monoy {tsclfy possosslog intrinsic valae 08 a precions metal, conscquently it docan't need to be redeemed in gold any mors than gold ncedsto be redesmed In sliver. Tlo Fronch Government accepts gold or silver in payment of all kinde of taxes, at the taxpayer's option. The taxpayer Is the debtor, and discharges the Qovernment's claim uoon bim in silver or gold, in which he pleases. All debtors in France Lave thia legal privilege; all Frencbmen have the right by law to pay thelr debts fn elther motal, and the czeditor bas nothing to say about ft, except to take the kind of hard money offered to him, If any debtor tendors gold to his creditor, e docs it of his own free will and accord, thero belng no law requiring ft. The Bank of France redeems its notes 1o sllver or gold, at its option or pleasure. If tho bank chooses to accom- modate noto-holders desiring gold, it does it by courtesy, or from motives of pollcy, or what- ever the reason moy bej but thg holders of Freneh bank-notes have no right in law to de- mand gold, Bo, agaln, if & person has a quanti- ty of sllver money which he wishes xchiango for gold cotn, the Bank of France may sccom- modate him without charging any commission; but {t 14 a8 purely a voluntary act on tho part of the bank as it would be for ono man to give an- other small bilis for o large one, as a matter of favor or politeness, It the [Hawkeye has made an assertion that the Fronch Government, orthe French Bank, or anybody else in France, is obliged to “'redeem? tho standord silver French coins in mold or any other kind of monoey, It utters a brazen falschood, uud must reckon pretty largely on the igno- rauce of fts resders to venturs on making a staternont so utterly dostituto of truth. (2) * Has the colnage of silver been stopped?” It ligs, virtually, for tho time being, on account of the enormous quantity already coloed and In circulation, The emount of silver five-francs in circulation {s equal to €U0 mitllions of our dol- lars, which Is ncarly as much asthe present vaper carrency of this country, including groen- backs snd bank-notes. France hos in clreula- tlon thirfy logal-tender silver five-franc pleces for every standard silver dollar colned in the United Btates, although she contalns butlittle moro than three-quarters of our population, When this country Las 000 to 800 millions vt legal-tender aflver dollars In circulation, the question will bo in order whether the coloage of more shall contioue. Lot us il up first with o few hundred millions before discussing the question of stopping the colnage. There are not sufficlent atandard sllyer dollars yét colned to supply the monctary wants of Illinols alone ~hardly enough, in fact, to do the busincas of lown, e Wil T Trin: Leginlativo’ Republican caucus for United Htates Bountort—Inler-Ocean, Tho wominee of the Legislative Republican caticus wlll not be clected by vopular vote, and will therefore mwot be subject to newspapor “support" or opposition, He may be nomi- nated at a caucus §n the mornlug nud elected or defeated tho samo day, and before the uoxt ssuc of this paper is circulated, and there would be no opportunity for “support.” The caucus might nominate some unfit person, in which case 1t would be the duty of Tus Trinuxz to disap- prove of such nounnee, It s ouly thoss who ko into a Legislativo caucus that aro bound by its action, and, as Tug Tuuxs does wot expect to take part and vote In the Republican Legiatative caucus, it will be under no obliga- tlons cither to **support® or oppose the nomi- nee. Tus TRIBuNN 18 not the property of any asplrant to the Senatorship, nor controlled by any. It balongs ta no riug or cliqua, but !a free to pursuo the courso its conductor thivks is right and for tho public good. It Is only partl- sun hacks that have surrendered thelr froe ngency who biindly. pledze themsolves in ad- vanco to the unknown. Tng Trisuns prefers to retain {ts frecdom of opinfon, and walt for the happening of the event to sce what or who it 1s that {e to ba espoused or eschewed, Onlya slave or o fool will put o gag in his own mouth, or surrender bis froedom of opiulon and right of comment on what may happen in the future. 1% the Editor of The Tribune. BroouxetoN, 1., Dee. 23.—Termit me ta fn- quirg If shora is anything fn ikie now Conatitution of the Stata that prohibita tho electlon to the United Htutes Benutouf any but UoLEsIY OF LOUAN, Tholr friends scem 10 talk and act as though they had some legal rights to this pogition, Thero are sowe fArst-clavs men fn Ihinols, Smong whom may bo montiound Judge LawnencEond E. I Wa nuwxe, and if no coneiitutional provisions vont, the votors of tho Ktate would ko to b sone man spoken of far Benator whowe stockein. trade does not consist {n fragments of ** the bloudy shirt, " or the fuct that be 1s 8 reformoed Demacrat, AUL. ‘Tho quallficatfons for Senator of the United Btates are prescribed by the National Constitu- tlon, which provides that ** o verson shall bea Scnator who shall not have uttafnod the age of 80 years,and hcon nine ycarsacilizenof the Cuited States, and who shall nbt, when clected, be an inhabitant of that State for which Ae stall bo chosen.” Uuder this provislon, uny person who Las beon a citizon of the United States nine years,is 80 years of age,snd an lulmbitaut of Illinols, 18 eligiblo to election, It has been claluied that when & law uses tho term “ho' it Includes “she,” fn which case all tho ladies of the Btate of the sge named are aleo eligible equally with the mcu. ls our correspondent satiafled? ——— Prof. Auaznt Ilanpy, Principal of the Mil- waukes 1igh-8chool, read s paper beforo the Acndemy of Selence, Art, and Letters, ot Madl. son, Wis., on Thursday evening, to prove that Bacox had nothing whatever to do with the authorship of BIAKSPEARR'S Dlays, Thatlaa subject upou which a grest deal moro thought, lsbor, lesruing, and rescarch have boen already bestowed than Frol. Hauny has been able to give it, and there are a Jarge number of scholars who stiil conaider thopguestion an opeu oue, No doubt, however, but that thy Prolessor pre- seated liis side of the argument with character- istlc ability aud thoroughinesw, considoring the briet space allotted for such &n esssy, o ——— A correspondent fn the country, who is evi- denily s Hourbon, writes to ask whether Gen, GaurieLD's speech uext week s “ 10 be & Re- publican specchu! Why, yea; of course. Stow could & speech to glurily resumption be any- thing eiso, lnssmuch as the Republican party shaped the legislation and paseed the laws nec essary to accomplish that desired result? That party not only made reaumption possible, but it had to fight tho greeuback Jusnatics snd infla- tlonists, alded and abetted by the Democrstiz party. The speech must b esseusially s Repub- llcan speech, with all that tho term implies, and it our friend dreads that sort of talk hls only safe way 18 to keep awsy from the GARFISLD wectivg. e ——— ‘The Toronto Giube says the Protectionlsts of the United States vistually give up thelr whole case when they ackuowledge that they cannot cowpete with the foreiguer 1 neotrul workets, w snpport the -nominee Bl the'" It says this country would find a rien market for her goods In Bouth Amerlun, but the trouble ls that, whils they are willing enough to take them, our tarif excludes the products with which they would pay their bills. At present, out of 213,400 vales of wool exported from Buenos Ayres, 2,000 only come to the United States and the remainder woes to England, England alo supplies all the South American countries, with American meat, Ameriesn petro. leum, American cheese and butter, and other articles which are bound to seek the roundabout routs by way of England, becanse no return freights can be got from Sonth America to New York. . —— A Democratic organ of the viraleat Copper- head type ts just now worrylng ftself because §2 has heard that President HAves s for GRanT tn 1880. It fan't exactly clear to the Democratia compretiension why Mr, AYRs should be in favor of one term for himself and thres for GRART; but that fs not so inexplicable. Grant may be three times as doserving as Havzs, or the people may think three times as much of bim as of IlaTEs, or tho country may need him three times sa much as It needed’ Haras; or, to ot at the bottom fact of“the case, HAYES mayt hava changed his mind sloce he wrote his letter of acceptance. He told a raporter the other day that bo had made mistakes. ——— An {ntellectual treat fs in store for the peopla of Chicego in the forthcoming speect of Gen, GArriaLD, which fs set down for Jan. % Gen. GarprsLD hasbeco made the leader of the Haouse on the Republican side by common cons #ent, and lu justly recognized as ono of the fores most statesmen in the nation. While the speech will relate mainly to our financial condition as a natlon, and to maguifying the fact that re- sumption has practleaily taken placo at last, the part the Ropublican party bas played fn the affair and the great credit due it will not be 1fkely to be loat siznt of by the eloquent orator. ————em—— ‘Tho Montreal I'ost, a Catholle organ, enters & stronz and timely protest ngainst some of the methods usually resorted to at church fpirs, I it proper, tho Post asks, *‘to encourags Rambliog, to sell wine, to raflle tobacco, and ta see wheels of fortune and other tricks of the gamblers ott in full blast unger tho shelter of nhouse dedicated to tho glory ot Gont 'The gambliog spirit 18 encouraged and cultivated, while the glamour of sanctity is thrown over transactions which would be denounced from tho pulplt It thuy were carried on in s saloon instcad of a chapel®? e ———— Anotber good man has vindicated himself. This time it {s ex-tiov, I1any, lato Buperintend- ent of the New Orleans Mint. e states he has had an foterview with the President, who, alter hearlug his explanation, admitted that he bad removed him under s misapprebension of the facts, and, to repair the injustice done him, would shortly appolat him to a better position. Hanx now approviogly quotcs a couplet from & good old hymn: And evor the right comes ay 08 And w 1u|!lc-§%l:n. prematlly ——— Thers i & general complaint among the Re~ publican newspapers of the North bocause Hen- ator BLaing did not take hold of that {nvestiga- tlon himeelf. -The Hartford Cowrant says that ‘“1tis tobo regrotted that Mr. Braiw was 8o profoundly fmpressed of the necessity for the lavestigation, should not have beon will- ing to mssiat {n it."" And the National Nepublican thinks *B8enator Bratvm, after fnitiating the fight, should be io the fore front of the battic, fustead of at tho rear, among the baggace- trafn.” ———— The ruling passlon 1s so strong in * Olo Vir- ginny " that there will be = special election to ill the scat made vacant by the death ot Dova- LA, although by the time the clection 8 over and tho returns all jn the wvewly-clected will hiave but about forty-five days to serve. Butuo matter, ‘Thosa forty-odd days of servive will «antitle tho nn\rl\"e‘ccled member to $5,000, and oVl Tt f#ferldd i)' forever efterward address him as **the Honorable » So-aud-so, ——— Ban HILL I8 angry becauso the Legislative Committoo hns exonerated Uov. CorQuirr, of Georgla, to which IiLi's charges were sent. H1LL 1s the under dog now in the fAght, and he proposes to write to that Committes telling . them what he thinks of thelr report. After the Senator gets through with the Committee, perbapa he will find time to answer the rather caustic letter which “the" JENKs recently ad- dressed to i, i While the great State of Iliinols has only four or fivo active candidates In tho feld for United Btates Scnator, the smbller Btates ke Arkansas ood Florlda scetn to have an abundance of the same materfal, In tho latter Btato among the promincnt nspirants aro WiLtiax D. BLoxost and D, R. WaLken, two ex-Governors, Joun A. Ilenpereoy, D, L, Yuree, and Ronexr B, Bur. Leck, with several back couutics to hear from, e —— In April next, Chief-Justice Wasrn will zo to Bauth Carolina and a(t with Judge Boxb fu the United Btates Circult Court of that State, for tho trinl of the cosed growlug out of the violu- latlon of tho Eloction laws, Tho presence of tho Chief-Justica on that occasion will purze tho trials of all partisanship, and the public may cxpect to sce justico done. et Trorr I, 8uitu, of this city, had no snoner landed in New York tban be was visited by a Zyibuna reporter, who pumped him about the cipher dispatches, But he extracted not much boney from 8yiti. Tle was ono of tho visiting statesmen who went down South to sce su hon- est count, and kuows cuough to keep his mouth shut. —————— ‘The Secretary of War has eiven Col. Fnap QraxT, of SurriDAN'S stafl, o year's absence, and he will sall at onco fur Pasls, where he will Join his fatber, cx-Presldunt GRANT, and sccom- pany bl on his tour to Indis onthe Unltea States man-of-war Richmond. All the Demo- cratle newspapers will sot up a howl about it. e ———— In view of the outrageous Halifax award, the Detroiv Fres Presa snya that hereater “Every codtlsh baving the least bit of patriotism {n hls breast will confine bimself to American waters amd American fishbiooks.” Yes; and Jet thom stubbornly refuse any balt uuless it bas on l¢ the American trado-mark, e — Ao ex-member of Covgress who has studied the Bouthurn question with some caro'says: “Tno best way would bo 1o let thew stull all the ballos-baxes to bursting, and ram in tissue ballots by the mililon, and live under that sol of fraud ss jong as they found it pleasant.” e t———— The New Evgland diunerin New York ou Monday evening wass flne sffair aud Jargely attended. Oneaccount says “Evanrs prauced, Joux Busanax had too much: bard money ou the braln, but BLAtXE was fullchested and sliowed a deal of wind aod mettle.” i WiLnzrsy, findiog it impossible to answer all tho Jetters addresscd to him requestiug sutu- @raphs, has turned tho whole busiuess over 10 hia private secrclary. Young ladies can obtain them now at the low price of 15 centa each, of wo fog & quarter, e Inasmuch as (somus WiLtlam CusTis re- fused the Eoglish nisslon on secouut of hls preference for the carcer of s journalist, be way as well ba counted qut {a all calculations as tho successor of Bavaup Tavion st Ber- lin, e ———e In Jauuary, ludlavs, Liinols, Wisconsin, Mis- sourl, Colorudo, Keusas, Arkansas, aud New York, will elect Unlted Btates Scnators. The Dewocrats will clect three and the Republicaus four, e ——— Mr. Dana, of the Sun, wauts to know: “Ts Mr. Haxxs lu favor of circulatiog fmworsl Liter- aturet No, beis pot; be has nover subscribed for tne New York Sua. e — Nearly four wiilions of 4 per cent Govern- went bonds were subseribed for fo two dayslast week, ‘The cell s geuerally for bouds of small denowiuutions,