Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 2, 1879, Page 4

£ THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, FEBEUARY 2,-1879—SIXTEEN PAGES. deserving of remark is that in which he gaged to defend the wrong man,—BirsTow. In Tlye Tribuwe, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. BY MATL—IN ADVANCE—POSTAGE PREPAID. r Ecu $12.00 X 1.00 2.50 2.00 WEEKLY EDITION, POSTPALD. g One copr. ver year. 1.50 ‘Tour. 3. Specimen coples sent free. Give Post-Oftice adaress in full, including State and County. Ken:iitances may bemade elther by draft. express, Po#t-OfEce crler, Or in rezistered letter. at our risk. TERMS TO CITY SUBSCEIBERS. Teilr, elivered, Sunday excepted, 25 cents per week. Dally. celivered. Sunday incloded, 30cents per week. Acaress THE TEIBUNE COMPANT, Corzer 3adison snd Dearborn-sts... Chicsso. Tl Ordens for the delivery of Tz TRIRCNE 8t Evazston, Exglewood, and Hyde Park teft (n the couting-room willrecetve prompt attestion. TRIBUNE BRANCH OFFICES. TRE CRICAGO TEIRTNE has established branch offices fer the recelptof subscriptions and advertisements a3 Toliews: o NEW TORR—Room 29 Tribune Budding. F.T.Mc- ADDEY, Manzzer. PALIS, France—No. 16 Rue de la Grange-Batellere. F.MARLER Agent. © LONDON, Fng.—Americsa Exchange, 449 Strand. SOCIETY MEETINGS. XDERY. ¥O. 1. K. T.—. u_are hereby notified 0s. 321078 Monrue street. s 271378, at10:¥0a. m.. 1o attend the funeral of Sir Knight Edwin Grifiths. Leave Asvlum a1 10:33 prompu,_br carmuze, o honse of deease No: 1D ‘ernon aveaue: from thence to Dr. Gitson's Charch, er 1wentleth strees and Michizan aveane, and nece by carrage 1o Graceland Cemetery, and Members of Sister Comupasder.cs and Home Lodzay d Chlld!fifl CIIIXIX“EY l"(m;“g?nw‘fa;gh ADOllv Commandery.. order of the en M ¥ PR HFFANY. Recorder. ren- N ILLINOTS ST. AXDREW'S SOCIETT—The members £rétequested to altend the funerl of the late Joha of Wachinrton Helghts, rrom bls laie Tesl- Feb. 7, 12 0'clock, Carviages for Wash{nzton s snd Oak Woods Cemetery will leave Russ & '&-1abash avenue and Twency-se strect, at 12 o'k, Iraing ue at 1320 LADY WASHINGTON CHAPTER. X —Rerular Commerliestign wiil be beld at Hall, Xos. .0 and South Hulsted strees, o0 Tuesday evesinz. o'clock. All membersare requesied 10 { Worthy Pazron, by dispensatior from Grand Patron. By orcerof ¥ AURIYLEN PEABSOY, W. M. APTER, No. 127, R A. 3. 144 Twen- Eaiar Convotation Wednesday evea e e tne pro s ing acti . HieBt To the by-laws. By order of the M. ELI SMITH. Secretary. 0 COMMANDERY. NO. 1. K. T.—Stated C. AroLLTufid:)‘ evemns, Feb. 4, 16:9. It is expect- < ¢! he Order_of the Temple witlbe conferred. Mem! of efser Co::mt:de.‘h:s :EE,HI‘!TI"’HNNQ. B derof .miaent Commander. L onierof the minent pr P HFFANT, Recorder. CHICAGO CONCLAVE. No. §1. RED CROSS OF R. ASEIGA 0 C00 Feadrazous Mondsy, Feb. s, 1879, ai 2:30. i, fur work. Order of 3up. mh, S werk JGUTIM. CARR, M. P Sor. L S. AUSTLY, Recorler. 3 a1 el Bius T Fanions are cordiaily order S SR SRR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1879, The Rzvo investigation drags its slow length slong. Yesterdsy Col. BESTEEN was the priccipal witness, and in the course of Lis examination gave s vivid déscription of | the terrible situation in whica Rexo found himself on the eventfal day of the Cosr=m massacre. To all questions touching the brsvery of the officer ander investigation, ke yromptly " answerefl “that his condact was uniformly thst of a gallant and feerless sal- dier. R Pabiic opinion in Waskington has .alresdy i3ed zdversely to the pretentious claims «f Rescon Toxerryg in the matter of the w York Custom-House sppointments. It s generally believed that, in view of the strong case made by the President and Sec- retzay . SuEmyux, .no Senator outside of CoxEzrse can be found wko will take upen Limself the public condemnation conseqaent upon his voting to retain in ofice the prince of incompetents and maladministrators, Collecior ARTETR Tae Lake-Frort promisss fo be s frujiful source of legislative wranglicg in Spring- feld this winter. Itis alleged thet a vigor- ous attempt wiil be made, under the leader- ship of Senstors Werrxg end AMoxy, to wrest it from the city and have it conveyed tuck to the General Goverament. Should 1his scheme succeed, the railroad companies ~which have been for years trying to acquire it will have less difficalily to encounter than formerly, and the procseds of the sale, if consgrmated, would go into the United States Treasury instead of the city. The Treasury siatement issned yesterday shows an increase of 2,751,930 in the pub- lic dsbt during January. The cash on hand is upwands of $382,000,000. Thereis a gain in gold of over 200,000, which shows that the grest American public acts very much like the traditional Frenchman who wanted his gold when he couldn't obtain it,and “ declined to take it when he conld. The ' debt incresse is probably due to the fact that the sales of the 4 per cent consols exceed the retirement of the five-twenty and other bonds 'drawing s higker rate of interest. As soon as the peo- ple will have fally realized thst resumption is an assured fact, without the probability of & hitch, the Secretsry of the Treasury can reduce the coin balance fifty or sixty millions Ty the purchase of the old issue of bonds, diminish the public debt to a similar extent, &nd still maintain a coin balance greater than that carried by the Bank of England, which Ligs for 50 many years ruled with undispated sway over the financial world. Supt. SEAVEY wants ninety-one more men, and other additions to the expense of his Gepertment. He says that Erser” Wise- BrEy's Administration was considered sn economicsl one, but it cost 3220,000 a year more than his. But he conveniently forgot in what kind of money. The city in 1872-% sas in a whirl of building excitement. Thousands of citizens were rebuilding, re- gerdless of cost. Money was borrowed on 1mortgage security by tens of millions, and profusely laid out. The cost of building was fully twice what it is mow. Wagesof laborers, tesmsters, sad mechanics were about double the present rates. Everything +was high end dear. Speculation was raging. Money wes chesp and plenty. Taxes were essily paid, ssrents were high and profits onbusiness large. Everything was booming. The city was overflowing with strangers and new-comers, stiracted by the insatiable de- mand for lsbor end rebuilding:and replen- isaing msterisls. Notling in the war-times «qusled it. Inflstion raged and ran rampant. All this is changed. The rush and scramble of revrilding are all gver long ago. The flood «of borrowed money hes ceased to Aow. We are liviog threugh the panic and Lard times. Aoney has enormously sppfecisfed in pur- chasing power. The¥elue of property has sbrunk up. R priceof labor has fallen, Aloney 35 Sow to eem. Wages are low. Rents are Gown. People find it difiicult to ‘procure the meney wherewith to pay isXes. It tskes twice as much work or products to everything was inflated and flush. Supt. SeAvVEY cleses his eyes to these facts of the situation. He does not stop to consider the ebility of the people to stand tax-bleeding. He is thinking only of tax-eating. In all his computations and comparisons of ex- penses he must bear in mind that the dollars paid to the police now are worth twice s much as the dollars paid to WasHBURN'S police, and that it was easier for the taxpayer to raise two dollars in 18728 than one dollar in 1879. If he doesn’t consider those things the taxpayers do, and, as the money must come out of their hard earnings, the Alder- men would do well not to forget it, or the taxpayers will not forget them. Tho greater portion of yesterday’s pro- ceedings in the BLopgETT investigation re- lated to the case of Register HIBBARD, ‘whose reports of fees and emoluments were made the basis of the attempt to havehim indicted by the Grand Jury of the October term of ‘the District Court. The interest mainly centered in the examination of District-At- tarney Baxes, who testified that the indict- ment was suppressed at the instigation of Judge Bropaxrt, because the latter had given the sdvice npon which the sccused had act- ed in the matter of making up his reports. He also stated that the Judge had informed him that Judge Devanwoxp bad concurred in the opinion, and that he (Baxcs) had so re- marked to the jury. Judge Drmanuosp was called, and said that he had never told Judge Brovcerr what his construction of the + ambiguous ” section was, and bad never been asked for it by him or anybody else; but he did remark that if Ir. Hrssarp had acted on the advice of Judge Bropcert, it would be an outrage to indiet him. —— The Board of County Corhmissioners have postponed opening the bids for §300,000 of 5 per cent Court-House ~ construction bonds until the 15th of Felruary, becanse the engraving and printing of the bonds will not be completed before that date. This postponement will afford those an opportu- nity to bid for the bonds that may not have done o already. The bonds run twenty years, and no bid will be accepted which is for less than par. The denomination of the bonds wiil run’ from £100, the lowest, to £1,000. ‘the highest, to suit the wishes of bidders. The law does mnot per mit the issuing- of bonds smaller than $100, or else it would have been done to accommodate people of small means. The Commissioners will receive as cash pay- ments for the bonds crders on the Treasury to Court-House contractors. There are out- standing of these orders about $173,000, which can be turned in as subseriptions to the loan. Persons having money to invest who are not satisfied. with the rate of inter- est paid by the Government or its new bonds, which is only 4 per cent, must naturslly pre- fer the Cook County 5 per cents, as the rate of interest is’ one-quarter higher, and the psyment of the interest and principal is as absolutely certain as that of the Government bonds. ‘ The curiosity of the Kxorr Committee has evidently been aroused, and the members are disposed to smell sround s little and see ~where the various perfumes coma from that salute their olfactories. We judge so from the remark of the Chairman of the Commit- tee on Fridsy in regerd to portions of YVocsr's testimony, which was very myste- rious in some of 1ts parts, especially that relating to his own compensation zs As- signee, and what becatne of $5,000 sbout tke time that GREENEBAUM purchased the 170 shares ‘of Staats-Zeitung stock. The attorneys for the defense rnised the objec- ton to the exper: Alcarrke’s testimony that it was outside of the charges made against Judge BropoerT, and therefore irrel- evant, whereapon Mr. Kxorr, Chairman of the Committee, said: *+T wish to maka a statement for the Committee to the memorialiste and cotnsel. Tkis Committee was sent here by Congress, not upon any specific charge agamst JudZe BLopGETT. The resolution embraced no specidc charge at all. The eaggestion was mace by the Committee to have the charges formulated and answers put in 8o as to facilitate the 1nvestization and aoridge it as fer a3 possible. The Committee do not consider that they sre bound to limit their investization to the charges put down m writinz. If in the course of the ex- smmation it shonla be bronent ont that thereis a matter worthy of the favestizstion of the Commit- tee, they wonld feel that the duty for which Con- gress had sent them-here required them to make the investigation.™ TEE TAX-EATERS CRY FOR MORE. The *Department” heads of the City Government have generally demanded an increase of officeholders, of expenditures, and of salars. The Superintendent of Po- lice asks for an increase of ninety-one men. That is, that ninety-one more men be put on. the pay-rolls of the city. The Chief of the Fire Department wants more men and an increase of salaries, and the School Depart- ment wants a large increase of money to spend. The fact is that this is not a matter of choice. The city cannot make the increase and pay for it. That ought to be conclu- sive, but it goes for nothing with the per- sons in office, or those who expect to be ap- pointed. The expenditures for police pur- poses some years ago are referred to ; but it shonld not be forgotten that the expendi- tures of past years furnish the exact and very emphatic reason why such expendi- tures cannot be made now. Then all the city had to do was o issue scrip ; now the supply of scrip of that kind is prohibited. ‘Then there were from three tofour millionsof flosting scrip lying around paying interest at § to 10 per cent, and increasing annually by from $400,000 tg $600,000. It was easy to have regiments of officeholders, psy them with scrip, and let the scrip take care of it~ self. The more men employed and the greater the salaries, the greater the annual deficiency and the greater the nnpaid float~ ing debt. The time at last came when the City of Chicago bad to surrender its charter and ceass to exist, or reduce iis expendi- tures. It had to do one thing or the other. It bad to reduce experditures so as to bring them within the amount of the current rev- énue, and also to economize 5o as to pay the debt created by the previous employment of large bodies of officers. It had to keep ont . of present debt and psy off the old one, end during the lsst three’ years the . peo- ple of this tity have had to. pay the cost of maintaining the govern- ment and paying the selares of the present force, and at the same time pay the sslaries of the extra and unnecessary force of men employed in the days of unlimit- ed scrip. The reckless and wasteful expendi- tures of those days, now held up 2s exam: ples for the present, furnish the impe necessity for not .repeating the same thing now. Within the year, Capt. Sraves, who hed 8 salsry of $1.500, was promofed to-be Superinteadent av a'sslary of £3;200 ; andif. the Council should ‘nc‘f'ifiwe&se his pay to $4,000, thd &ty would Thava. to leave. some other person’s wages unpaid to that poy S100 of taxesasit did in 1572-3, when | amount. The city cannot collect more than a certain sum of revenue, 8s the people do not mtend to stand higher taxation. It has to employ such force as it can command within that revenue. The officers all know this fact, and take and keep office accord- ingly. There aro ten men out of office who are willing and anxious to accept the place of each man now in the public service, and at the present compensation. The pay of the men in the employ of the city is higher than any of them can get elsewhere, and is higher than is paid in any branch of private em- ployment for the same kind and amount of Isbor. The number of persons employed by the city is small in comparison with that working for private employers, and, when the limited ebility of the City Government— which is but recovering from the very brink of bankyuntcy and municipal disbandment— is consideRely it is a question whichaddresses itself to every man in the city, why should the municipal employesbe paid morethanany other class of people for similar work. Itmust be remembered that theres is not and eannot be a dollar of revenue obtained for the City Treasury which is not forced out of the pockets of the citizens, and there are but few who can pay it without denisl and sacri- fice. Why, then, should the people, who can hardly live and pay present texes, be forced to pay increased salaries tothe Super- intendent and police force, and toninety-one additional men, when such increase of num- bers can be dispensed with, and when such men are already paid more than other ‘men in the city can obtain for an equal grade of services ? " The Common Council must remember that the great bulk of the taxes of this city is paid by families of comparatively small property and small incomes. Upon this class of persons the decline in profits and in wages and the scarcity of employment are resting | most heavily. It is.a severo exaction on these persons of limited incomes and earnings to pay their taxes and keep their property. When, therefore, any members of the Common Council propose to increase salaries, multiply officeholders,” and other- wise add to the public expenditure, it must te remembered from whom the money is to be extracted with which these increased salaries and enlarged expenditures are to be paid. The question is not so much asto whether the city shall pay a man more salary, but whether the hard-working, in- dustrious people, slready slaving themselves to pay their taxes, shail bs compelled to give more of their scanty earnings to pay such increased salaries. It is not only a guestion of salary, but also of taxation, and the Alder- man who votesto levy extra taxes at this time to pay extra salaries, or employ additional officeholders, must forget that he is grossly plundering his constituents to gratify certain men who want to live by officeholding. ——— AN EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT. 1t is due to the people of this city, and due to the Government at Weshington, that special attention be called to the remarksble statements of one of the United States Grand Jurors,—Dr. Hanary, of Evausten, in this county, concerning the way in which the criminal 1aw has been administered in this district, so far as it fell under the eye of the United States Grand Jury at the October ierm, 1878. We quote so much of Dr. Hax- LIN's statement before the BLovgerr Investi- gating Committes s is general, and which, taken alone, has no bearing upon the matters of Judge Brobcerr. We give it, not with refarence to that investigation, but es throw- ing strong light on the extreordinary chain of circumstances traceable from the “Depart- ment of Justice at Washington, and through several bureaus in the Treasury Department, 1o this city, and indicating a rottenness and & connivance with official fraud and dis- honesty that are both humiliating as well as demoralizing. Let the interested resd this statement: ‘Question—**State coything known to you of your personal knowledge. ™ _Anawer—*+1 went 0a the Grand Jurr with some reluctance, and in an unplessant frame of mind, because, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the Grand Jury was packed. Igot that informa- tion directly from =z person whose case was to be examined before that Grand Jury—ihat he was in- formed that he might present to toe properauthori- ties five Or six, or Six of seven names, of Ois per- sonal friends, to be placced mpon that jury, of whom he informed me I was one! Well, the mat- ter struck me very unpleasantly. I consnlted one of the oldest and ablest legal gentemen of the city, s personal friend of thirty years' standing, whetner, under the circamsiances, it Wwas proper for me to serve on the Grand Jury. He asked me if the knowiedge of that fact would affect my action. I1told him it would not, and he advised me by all means then' to serve. After the Grand Jury was charged and assembled, a number of days were devoted to investigating peity criminal cases. 1mean by that, indictments againsi men without friends and withont influence. For instance, Ire- mempber one cise where 3 man had made two lesd nickels; snother case where s White man's nezro mistress, being turned adrifz, wrote him 8 scanda- Jous postal-card, and the poor woman was indicted for it;_and such things. The major part ol the time was taken uo with that class of thinge, which were brought before the Grand Jury by Judge Baxcs, the District Attorney. It began 1o be ‘whispered about among the Grand Jury that noto- rious criminal acts that had occurred in our midst were not £o be intestioated; that it was the deter- mination of the Courtand its odicers to prevent such investigation. Well, 1 must confess that L took no stock in the ramors. When I was called npon the Grand Jury, I left my home suppos{az I should be gone ten days, and on comiay inl wanted to fix wy shrobbery for the wiater. 1 heard rumors tkat there would be an adjournment of the Grand Jury 1o ensble them to vote. Jucge BLopGETT and myself ride ap on the same truin, he residing at Waokecan, aod myself at Evansion. So I 100k the libersy of epeaking to the Judge at the Kinzie-street depor, in thiscity, and, sta that I had heard the session was to be lomz- continued, snd that some of the Grand Jury were desirons of & recess o zo home and vole, and ssked him if there would be sach a recess, Judse BLODGETT answered me that he did ot pro- pose to have a lot of Grangers loafing about there at the Goveroment's expense. They should attend 10 the business that the District Attorney brought before them, and go home. I had nothing more to 3y 1o the Judce; bus for the Srst time toen I be- a0 30 believe that there mizht be some grocnd for these rnmors thst flled the Grand Jury room, seemingiy withouta source and without a cause. ‘We passed alony throngh these criminal cases that were brought before us by the Distnct Attoraey, 2nd the teeling grew daily stronger and etronzer to compel an inrestigation of lae major crunincl cases, embracing the erection of the new Custom- House, the defalestion of the Postmas- ter, the aefunct Natioual banks, and the HiBsaRD case. Ncue of these cases were brought to our atiention by the Dis- trict Attorney. When the Grand Jury by moral forece brought them before us Judge BaXGs stated in regard to the National bank csses that it was nseless forus to investigate these matters: that some year or two previously ALLEy, the President of the Cook County National Bank. had been in- dicted,—his case was a notorious one; thst he had been ever ready and willing to try that case. but thst political Infinence had teen bronzht to bear with bim.to prevent a trisl. When they fourd they conld effect nothing with him' they went to Washincton, and, throuch volitical infinence (he [5AxGs) mentioned seversl persons, members of Congress and Uaited States Senators). the trial has from term to term beén prevented, and tant aur- ing the then session of the Grana Jury it Aad been put 03 again. Thatwas the statement the District Arttorney made in rezard to that cake when wécom- peiled 1ts coming before ns. There was no stste- ment made by Judee Basos as to the Custom- House case, but from' the:remarks he made we “jadge that he dId Aol dedire {0 {aa up the case, and we judge £0 particalarly from the fact thas the papers, which. 2s he s3id, were a car-losd, were not ordered from WashinZton, as ke stai=d, until 2fter ng we had been in session two weeks Hestatedtothe Grand Jury, in explanation of his notbeingready, and of his tired condition, that he had sat up eome hours, or nearly all night, reviewing the testimony which had been taken of the wimnesses that wereto come before it. In regard to the Postmaster's cage, 1 will 6ay that the testimony developed before the Grand Jury proved that the robbery of the Govern- ment in the one case was eftected in_preciselr the same way as thatin the caseof tne Money-Order Deoartment, in which department, when a gentle- man wantea furds, he went to the depository, took out funds, and placed what nsed to be known as an 10U in gambling circles in the drawers precisely a25in the case of the Postmaster, yet the DistrictAt- tormey informed us,—and, if I remember correctly, his information was supported by the Chief of the Secret-Service Department of the Government here [Specisl Agent Stoanr] thac they had osedall poseible means to get the peccesary documents and proofs that were held in Washington before us; and the Grand Jury were compelled to gointo the investigation witkont those documents, znd drag out the testimony as we best conld. All these things created in the Grsnd Jury abelief that it xcas not the intention of the euthorities to prosechte the major criminals. And while the District Attorzey made this statement, I wish to exonerate the attorey, becanse I think it was the bellef of the jury, 05 expressed in the resolution presented and passed by them, that this action did not originate in these cases with him, but it was due largely to the political inflzence and to the ad- ministration of the Department of Justice at Washington.” Witness declined to say who told him the jury was packed, for the reason that the man was uuder indictment, ond, winle the information was given long before that time. yet, in witness' opinion, the divulging of his name woutd have a very inju- rlous effect upon his trial. It was 1O person, how- ever, connected with the present iovestigation. e BISMARCKE AND THE POPE The Berlin correspondent of the Pall-Mall Gazette throws some light upon the recent negotiation between Brswarck and the Vati- can, and discloses some phases of it which are new. The public has been very generally aware that negotiation has been going on, .and that Bisyarck hoped as the result to get the support of the Conservatives, so as tooverthrow the Radicals ; but it is not gen- erally known that the negotiation ended in utter faillure. According to the Gazelte's correspondent, Bisyurc first approached Monsignor Maserra, tho Pspal Nuncio' at Mlunich, and hoped to plsy apon his vanity Qby representing to him how great s man he wouid be as Nuncio at the Court of Berlin. The Xuncio was somewhat dazzled by the prospect; but, when Brsararc named as the conditionof peace end the revision of the May laws that the Curia should command the * Centre” to vote with him on all important questions, the Nuncio flatly repiied that the Pope had no power over tho delegates on secular questions. When Cardi- nal Fraxcer died he was sacceeded by Cardi- nal Nrx4, whonotified Brsuuscs of his succes- sion to office as Pontifical Secretary of State, and expressed his willingness to do all ke could to bring about an understanding. ‘What Brsaarck replied is not known, but the repiy of the Cardinal so irritated him that he anthorized ‘Dr. Farcx to make his famous speech, in which ha declered that the Ultramontanes ‘must first obey all the Aay laws before there would be any revision of them. The answer to this speech has come in the letter from the Pope to the Archbishop of Cologne, which has been al- ready printed in Tee TrIBTSE, and in which the Pope, althongh he expresses great friendliness to the Garmsn Emperor, and even offers that ha will use all thein- fluence of the Church to suppress Socialism, upon certain conditions, nevertheless firmly declares that the Bishops shell preach obedi- ence to such secular laws only as ere mot opposed to the Catholic: faith. Thus the Pope ard Brsaxuxcs are ot/ 8 complete dead- lock, and the sirugglé temporarily halts, Brs- anrc being now epgaged with matters of en economic natare, which in the present distressed condition of the German creople sre of more importance than the Farcxlaws. Bissares kas preity thoroughly disposed of the Socialist danger, and he is in a fair way to carry his Tariff and Revenue laws. When 1his 15 effected, and the enemies of the Gov- ernment in Parliament are gegged, we may expect to see the struggle with Roms breek out agein. BAD SPECIAL-ASSESSMENT LAW. One of the ‘‘general” laws enacted by the Legislature of Illinois, after the adop- tion of the new Constitution, was the “act to provide for the incorporation of cities and villages,” approved April 10, 1872. This act provided that it might be adopted by any city when the Common Council thereof should submit it to a vote of the people acd & majority of the popalar vote should ba in favor thereof. But the act provided, further, that the City Council might, by an. ordi- nance, at any time and without submission to & vote of the people, adopt the ninth arti- cle of that general law, being the article re- Iating to ** specinl sssessments for local im- provements.” .The Common Council of Chicago, in September, 1872, adopted this article, which thenceforth became the char- ter provisions on this subject to the exclu- sion of all previons laws. This law is sadly defective. It standsin the way of justice and right in making local improvements. The opening of a street through a block in Chicego, which ordinarily onght to be 2 matter of small cost aad easy srrangement, is, under the 2ct in guestion, of such unknown proportions and possible cost that but few property-owners dars ven- ture upon the undertaking. TUnder the law, in ell csses where private properiy is to be tzken for public improve- ment, the act requires two sets of proceed- ings: first, there shall be a valuation, and a judicial proceeding, and - s verdict, to ascer- tain and determine the value of the property taken, and the compensation fo be paid to the owners. Haring reached this point by a long and tedious course more or less costly, sod the Constitution requiring that compen- sation shall be mede before the property can be taken, then begins the other proceeding to ascertain and apportion the value of the benefits of the improvement upon the prop- erty to which the improvement is to give in- creased value. This second proceeding does moi take place perhsps for a Year or two years after the first one. Thisis by far more difficult than the first, as pay- ment is always more troublesome than con- tracting a debt. Every man interested be- comes & defendant; every party to the pro- ¢eeding resists strenuously being taxed to pay the cost of the improvement. Where the original inding may award to the owners of the land taken, es in the case of opening a'street, twica or three times more than the sctual damages,—call them the sum of $100,- 000,—the award of bensfits to result from the opening may be made to fool up not more then $20,000. Ordinarily, the result of such a double proceeding would be thet the improvement should not be made; that it is not worth more than 20 or 30 per cent of the allegal cost, and therefore should be sbandoned. Bat such is not accepted. The one side will not pay the tax imposed on them and the other” will ‘not accept less for the damages than the- original swollen ‘award. The restlt is that nothing is dome. The property becomes dead; it cannot be sold; it cannot well be improved ; the old building i i d the new line is theasetially shaudoned b undertakes o defense of religious persecu- one is mot legalized. The whole neighbor- hood of the proposed improvement i_'nlls under the ban, becomes neglected, runs into tion, his ground being that certainty is'nl- waysand rightly intolerant of that _whlch andermines certainty. Persecution is, ac- > . TOD- decay, people move out of it; and the prop cording to this ides, nothing bub i Foun erty ceases to have market value of any kind for any purpose. Now, this is all wretchedly wrong and wholly unnecessary. ~ The law should make one job of the" whole assessment business. It shonld, by the same proceeding by which the "value ‘of the land to bétaken and the compensation to be paid for it 8re 8SCeT- |y o yinoes: from that centre @ which a just intolerance takes, when it ean safely take it, for preventing the great mis- chief which comes of the undermining of certainty. In this connection, the London Spétator remarks * <+ The very core and essence of our faith in Gop in rigateonsness. On that point Reve- 15 onr {aith in rig] thntplat BT, tained, bs also determined what of the neigh- | procceds. It is therefore quite allowable and boring property is so benefited by the pro- | nataral to be more certain of the ht cart of the mat- ter than of the less nitimate and far more ‘mysteri- ceeding as to be justly taxable fora portion of | LECRS 0ol hecneg crutns whichare more of the cost; and also to determine how this tax less derivative,—which depend on our grasp of the for compensation shall be apportioned on SuCh | jeart of the matter. It is preciscly the ssme in benefited property. When the Court and | natural science. Ifwe find s men believing jury shall find that $100,000 is a fair and g, and acting as if he believed, that two t:md three make nine, we no longer consider him competent to just compensation for property taken, they | b Koy ggice, ‘and even emposer others should at the same time and upon the SAMe | 1o ppersede him. Bat if we find a man testimony find in what proportion the adjoin- | merely believing, Jike the late Mr. TUeqU- ing property shall be taved the $100,000. | nazm, that Rassis i3 the sothor of il evil in politics, or, like certain carrency Inall such cases the benefits toxestlt from | /0 by paper carrency wonld make States the improvements should at least equal the cost of making them, The whole theory of special assessments rests upon that assump- tion. In case of street openings or widen- prosperous, we permit them 10 air their crotchets freely, because we think that it is the zreatest pos- sible security for trath. to be constantly challenged 10 resist, and 10 be obligea to answer, error. So, ings, a portion, of the compensation is as- sessed to the municipelity to cover the street intersections, and, unless the benefit to the owners of the adjoining pruperty equal the remainder of the cost, then that should end the whole business. o At present, when the inguiry in the first proceeding is confined to the valuation of the property to be taken, the testimony isall to it the greatest not to underate, but to mag- nify, the value neighborhood in which they own property. The result is that the damage is estimated-far, very far, in excess of the actual value. second inquiry is made as to how much the property in the neighborhood is to be taxed to pay for that portion teken, then there isa general and unanimous protest that the property to be benefited is not worth the tax with which itis charged! In the one case the swesring is up—all upward; in the other all the swearing is down—downward. The result is a wide deficit. It often happens that the greatest beneficiaries of the improve- ment are those who ara called upon to sur- render some portion of their land. While these men might often well afford to_give all that is proposed to be taken from them and then reap sn immense profit on the rest be- cause of the improvement, they will swear to an immense damage, snd protest vehemently against any contribution to the general But when the The members of the General Assembly from this county might render a great public service if they would have this general law on this subject of special assessments for local improvements so amended that the legal proceedings to determine the com- pensation to be paid for property taken, and the proceeding to- assess and spportion the benefits, should be consolidated and mzde one case, to be determined by the evidence for damages and benefits; all taken at one time. In that wsy onehclf the$ime 2nd costs consumed in the condemnation busi- ness would be saved, and each man, in swear- ing up his damages, would have at the same time to establish. proportionately the magui- tude of his benefits. The present law is ab- solutely destroying property in every neigh- borhood where these condemnation proceed- ings have been begun and oniy partially con: cluded. The Legislature can readily remedy the defect in the law. A MAN WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE EIS! OWN ARGUMENT. 4 Mr. Marrocs, the casuist and safirist, known to many readers through his “*New ew Panl and Virginia,” has caused a brisk discussion in English religions circles by a series of papers just concluded in the London Nineteenth Cen- The tone of these papers is very favorable to the claims of Catholicism. They bave given color to the opinion, widely enter- tained in some quarters, that Mr. Mavrocs This opinion is now, however, set at rest by an authoritative de- nial. In his last paper, on ““Intolerance and Persccution,” he says thst his “criticisms of | Catholicism are not the criticisms of a Cath- olic, but of a complete outsider,—a literal skeptic,”—who, hawever, desires to estimate fairly the character and prospects of *‘the one existing religion which seems still capable of either appealing to or appeas- ing the religious condition of our time.” is an inconsistency: in this position, and the keen critics of the reviews have not been slow to perceive it and point it out. If Ar. Marrocs is so assured of the superior worth of Catholicism, why does he not embrece it? It is absurd for him to point out a road to salvation that-he will not travel himself,—the very existence of which he is skeptical abont. There must be strong reasons, not stated by him, which hold him back from the Church. Then his argument is not ingenuous nor candid. Itis one-sided. It gives all the considerations for and none of the considerations against believing in Catholicism, which he admits ke does not believe in himseif. word ** obedience ” is itsclf offensive to him. The London Spectator suggests that dir. Marrocs rather Likes the position of & patron ab extra, and shrinks from that of obedience abd intra to which he would have to betake himself if he were by his own drguments; aud this view of the case seems borne out in part by the context of the article. However this may be, it is remarkable that Alr. Mirrock hes not been persuaded by his own argu- ments. AGAIPPA said unto Pavr: ** Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” But Pacy’s appeal wes largely from his own ex- perience. AGRIPPA probably would not have _been moved at all if Pavrhad first reasoned “Formyown part I am a ‘liberal skeptic,” though Christianity . seems to me “ the one existing religion capable of appeas- ing the religious éondition of our time.”” The fact is, it is not safe to take Mirrocx He is o macker. he has the advantage of not having any great reputation for consistency to deferd. Inv this respect he is better off than. Prof Txx- parz, who, while sometimes professing a mystical humility in approaching ail the great religions questions of the day, &t other times enucciates his views with dogmatic Marrocs is guilty of precisely the same inconsistency when he declares inone breath that he does not believe in any religion, 2nd in anotker that the Catholic religionis | capable of appesling to end sppeasing the } religious condition of our time. He virtually declines to say whether he isa believer ors disbeliever, and is in -no ‘respect ‘more ¢ sistent in this attitode. than. Prof. Trspazz is in speeking both as a materialis and *'2a immaterislist,” if we'may be pardoned” the laiter expression. Y Anothe. part of Mr. Marroce’s lest acticle | Republic” and “ is a Catholic himself. to be convinced As a mocker, in relation to theology, it may be apd is necessary to assnme the moral law as at the very basis of ha- man life, thongh the moral law is intellectaally open to criticism. But it does not follow that we should prohibit what we think to be error, ja rela- tion to the less nltimate though still suze traths of Revelation, because it may be the very best test of those truths, the very best evidence of thelr divine puwer to vivify the human conscience, thst they should dispute their position with erroneous views on the same subject, and prove their vower, like all other divine power, to hold their own.” Experience and common-sense long 8go established tho doctripe that ““Truth 13 mighty and will prevail” Whatever iheo- logical system is not competent fo stand the hard knocks of honest criticism is not fit to survive. Criticism cannot destroy, it must establish, truth. The survival of the fittest is as much a law of moral idess as of physical being; and heslthy competition is as bene- ficial in one domain of human effort as in another. This is making nothing, more- over, of the fact, which history abundantly atiests, that persecution in the longrun is more injurious to those who practice than to those who endure it. EsgmsoN has written of the whip of the persecutor 85 *‘a rope of sand.” “Every blow inflicted,” he says, “ji5a tongue of fame.” Truer and nobler words than these have seldom been written. We wish that Mr. Marxocs had read them before writing of persecution in so flippant and wicked a way. THE CASE OF MEKPHIS. The City of Memphis has legally ceased to exist. The charter of the city has been repesled, the government of the city is disbanded, and the tax-gatherer and the Sheriff can find nothing on which to levy their executions. The story msy be briefly told. The city was in debt; it had the fatal authority to sell bonds; its debt was large, its credit weak ; 1ts bonds sold at 30 cents so long as they could bs sold at all; it had no money; properiy-owners could nof or did not pay their taxes; the few who paid taxes found themselves left in the lurch. The city bad been subjected during the summer months to the fearful scourge of the pesti- lence, in which business had been sus- pended, production , arrested, and the city largely depopulated; the richest end most enterpnsing had perished, and the city was prectically desolated. With the return of frost and the fugitive in- habitants creditors sued the city, obtaining judgments and judicial decrees requiring the city to levy special tazes to pay such judg- ments. At least a half miliion of -dollars was required to be levied in order fo pay these exira taxes, and other orders were to follow. Taxes had already reached the figure of 3.07 per cent. The city was unable to collect the taxes already due, and, un- sble to prolong the useless struggle, laid down its corporate life. Some of the pu!ilic craditors had applied to a Court of Chancery to appoint a Receiver for the City of Mem- phis, and it was this action that precipitated the passage of the bill repealing the charter, and, of course, disbanding the legal organ- ization known as the City of Memphis. ‘What will be the effect of this action re- mains to be seen. It is pretty evident that immediate payment of the debt cannot be made, even if the people were disposed, at this time, nor for along time to come. It will require some years before Memphis can recover from the effects of the plague of last year. The city needs sewerage and street- paving as preventives,—absolutely essential sanitary precautions. . Overwhelmed with debt and judgments, and without revenue, it is helpless. The repeal of the charter will call a halt. It will give time for considera- tion and action. The creditors and the city will have an_opportunity of refunding the city debt on long time and at low interest, and, with a re-established public confidence, expenditures reduced and limited, the city will be able to put on new official authority asd begin officiallife on 3 new and better footing. The advance from scientific billiards to parlor- billiards, and from parlor-billiands to nursery- billiards, has been gradual but steady. The re- cent exhititions in New York are not considered scienufic billiards at all. RGDOLPUE is richs when he says, *“Zees ezz wot zee oillards.”? thoueh, 25 one correspondent keenly remarks, e is greatly in favorof nursine when heé is doine the oursing. It begis to look as if nursing will have to be barred, as the push-shot was a few years since. When this change is made a number of experts, notably two from Chicago, will be thrown on a cold and cruet world. For some reason, these changes always bear bardly on Chicago: The best pusher in Americe, when the push-shot was barred, was Jorx McDeviTT, who Dot only lost his erip on the cue at this time, bat his life also soon after, in the fire of 1371. Ope stern censor of the game remarked, the other day, that the only war to prevent these experts from making ‘“‘clock- work”™ runs w2s to spot the balls after each sbot; but this arrangement, it strikes us, would produce greater monotony than the present oze. A ruie requiring the cue-ball to be a certain distance {rom the object-ball before and after each shos would solve the problem. et The late Hon. JauEs H. KNOWLTON, of this city, whose deail was noticed at some length in Tue TeiBUNE of Fridsy, was much better known in Wiscousin' than in Illinois. He sertled in Janesville jn 1313, where he practiced nis pro- fession ugtil 1347, when be removed 10 Shulls- turg. He was County Judge, and represented bis district in the Legislature 10 1856. He then returned to Janesville aud represented the city io the Legmslature in IS, Judge Kxowrtow acted as one of the attorneys in_ the celebrated impeachment trial of the late Judge Lzv1 Hus- BELL, of the First Judicial Circuit, beinz of counsel for the defedse, the present Chief Jus- tice of-Wisconsin, the Hon. E. G. Rrax, being the leading actorney on the part of the people. Alr. KXOWLTCN was associated with Judze RYax in the Gubernatorial ~contest in 1856 between BazsTow: and BASmFORD. Which resulted in ORD'S claim to the office 1IDE sostaimed Supreme Court. In this 13st'case MaTT'H. CirrEsTER made his first aprearatce o an important trial, and, 25 1p the case of SANCELJ. TIDEN, was en- all- these trials Judze KNOWLTON exhibited mi d ability. During the session of 1353 he hairman of the Committee to investizate info the alleged fraudulent disposition of the celebrated LaCrosse Land-Grant, in which Goy, BasOroORD and many members of both Mouses received what BYRON KILBOURY designate) «pecuniary compliments.” In 1862 Jndes EK~OWLTON was a candidate for Associate Jus- tice of the Supreme Court aeainst Judge Og- 54MU3 CALE, and lacked only a few hondreg votes of an election. . He Was 2 man of eminent lexal attainments, and was proud of his stricy integrity. THE PROSE-CRUSHER (PATEKTED), A man at Decatar caliing himself DiLcy Moxa- HaN attended a temperance mecln2 atthat place the other night. in a state of intoxication, took tha pleage pubdliciy, then pulled out a whisky bottie 10d fook a drink just as publicly, wandered ous, and was soon found asiecp on the icy sidewalk any taken to the calaboose.—£rchange. We will now proceed to place this in the ‘hopper (4) of our prose-crushing machine, et the ponderons machinery (B, C, D, D) motion, and strain off the following limpid product as it drops from the still (E) into the trough or receptact®(F) below : . There was a younz man at Decatur, Qui BrLy MoSamaN nominatur, 3 Who went to a meet- » 1Ing of temperance elile, Loaded np with what folks call *‘the cratar, e took the pledge, then did prodace A botule fiiled ap with corn-jutce, Took 8 drink, away hied, . _ Fell asleep on the side- Walk, and was lugged 1o the calaboosa, ———— Queer papers, those -New York journals ‘With much egthusiasm and double-leaded typa the Herald and Sun printed the Pope's encyelical from an *advance copy * of the Osservators Ro- mano, kindly furnished them by the editor of 3 Catbolic wegkly about a werk after the same documeant had reached America in the Pariy papers. Which reminds us of how the New York papers were all cauzt last year, when the second part®: Hoco's *History of 3 Crime™ came out. The French publishers gave one chapter—that on Sedan—to the Paris vress, anil a French psper in New York cu: this out, re- printed it, 2nd sent proofs to all the big metro- politan dailies, **with compliments,” and the intimation that this was a selection from ad- vanced sheets just received by the French paper. Next morning all the papers came ont eulogizing the ssiute Franco-American editor for his enterprise and courtesy in placing “agd- vance sheets” at their disposal, and allof them selected precisely the same chapter,—that which had been printed in Paris,—as giving the moss favorabie specimen of the great mas:er's stylel All bu one, which had had the forethonght to order its Paris correspondent to send the first copy of the book that was to be had, and there- fore was engbled to review it in its entirety. Here comes in the joke, £0r early next forenoon its editor received a note from the French pub- lisher to ask for the Joan of the book, as his own copy ned not yet come to hand! If the biz metropolitan dailies bad only known thisst the time—! e —— e omitted to say in 2lloding yesterday to Mr. APPLETON MORGAN'S article on *The Shakspearean Myth that we have little sym- ‘pathy with this or any other effort to ascribe the authorship of SEAKSPRARZ'S plars to any other person than Szixspzakz. The evidence is too platn. To say SHAxsPRARE couldn’t have written those plays 2nd done so much beside is a simple bezgieg of e gueston. 1t reminds one of the Tombs Ilawyer's remark to his client: * Why, they eca2n't pot you in jail for that® “3Bai here I am,” responded the client. And toere are the plays, with the internal evidence that they wers writ- ten by one hand, and with the historical evi- dence that that hand wes SzusseEars's. Not to go fully into this czastica. which 15 ably ex- amined and discesed af = 6202GE WILEES' re- cent book, We refer tie doabzize reader to BEN JoNsoN's testimeny iz prese and verse, before, and after S=assPmiza’s desth. Joxsox's +Lines to the Memacy of SEARSPEARE” show conclusively thas sach 3 person did exist, that he did write & greas maxy plars, and that in his own day he Was thes est_emed: of ts 22! Sor " The applause! geixzms? ta2 woader of our stagd? Sweet Swaz of Avon! ‘He wes not for ar age, s fos sl tuze. Archbishop WEATELY'S * Doabs Coacerning the Existence of NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ™ i3 00§ more of = burlesque then any effort to break up SHAKSPEARE'S glory and distribute it piecemeal among his contemporaries. i —————— [ In April last the good ship Kate Kellock left San Francisco for Liverpool. When a few day3 out she enconntered 3 fesrfal storm, was dis- masted, and loss her kelm, whereupon Capt. RICKER “retired to the cadin with nis wife, and - remained there praving till the gale was over,” when he resumed the ‘command, which in the meantime had been exervised by the second mate, 3 mariner proficient and plueky, but pro- fane. The Board of Trade at Liverpool insti- tuted so inquiry into the matter, when thé’ Captain put in a plea by his conasel that thers bad been no defanlt of daty, because, “m all probability, had it no: been for the Captain praying, the ship would not have been saved ab all.” The tackles of the Commissionar proved unable to W'ist in this fact in reiigio-poysico- nautical science, and he reported in a grossiy materialistic marner to the Board of Trade thsb the pious Captain “*had been cuilty of gross misconduct; bat, as it did not appear to bave conributed, either directly or indirvetly, to the casualty, the Court bad no power to deal with his certificate, much as they regrested their In- ability, betieving him to be utterly unf to diF charge the duties of a master.” The bearings of this decision lie in tke application on’t; bat, 38 e construe it, in the merenan: marine of En- gland, watch—whether the same be larboard, starboard, or dog—is considered, especisily in squally weather, 85 of at least equal imiportance With pray. ————— 5 ‘We shall have to give up the CHECELET 10 mance, and many ot the morsl tales that did bang thereto. This estimable clergyman, it now appeurs, only died of starvstion bevause he suffered from a complain: tiat prevented his keeping food on his stomach. Iustead of re- ceiving oply $400, as reported, his income amounted to sbout $1,200 per sonva. Bat if zhere is any congregation anywhere that treats its old minister as Mr. UHECELEY was treated,’ —and tiie Lord knows there are such conzegs” tions not vers far oif,—the words of reproof and condemnation addressed to Canada ‘will 2pply nearer home. z S Ta——— Senator MCDONALD has introduced a bill to authorize the aopointment.of young BRADEN 16 an Ensigncy. in the navy. Beapzs is the boy who graduated last summer from one of bet Majesty’s naval collezes, carrying off mearly sll the first prizes, includiog the gold medal of 3% value sent personally by Queen Vicrorus. He is the first American who ever graduated at 2 British paval institution. He was offered 8 Midshipman’s warrant in the Royal Navy, wat Wwas 100 good an American to take it Though our navy is rather full at present, there ougat still to be room in it for young men of this de seription. ——————— Dr. DRAPER says that there is oxyzea Iz the sup, and he belleves LOCKTER'S alleged discov- ery of simpler elements than those Knowa to exist at present to be at least doubtful.- Lock" YER, on the other hund, is - sure of his owa dis- covery, and doubtful of Deipe's. What i both shou!d be right, or both wrozg? Epso¥ is peaging away at something of mure prac importance than either. As he ssidin bisdry way, he may not Koow anything apout sdence, but he has iavented more improvements in electricat machinery than any otker living man. ————e———— The bill now before Cozgress spprupriatind money derived from the sale of public lands 10 educational purposes is opposed by the Courant on the grounds that “keeping schoo!”’ 15 ot the business of the Guvernmens; that 1¢ would call for a mew Federal Department for the bandling ond the distribation of public money by men who by their central anthosity > e