Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 18, 1880, Page 4

{HE CHICAGO. ‘TRI Ghe Tribune. “TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. BY MAIL-IN ADVANCE—POSTAGE FREPAID.” Dally edition, one year... Parts of 3 year, per mont 5 uon: Lite: to regard the Supreme Court-decision in: its proper Jight and acknowledge its correct- ness. BN VANDERBILT'S FOLLY. Tt is generally understood that the manage- ment of the Eastern railroads isin the hands of Mr. Vanderbilt. Commissioner Fink, the head of, the pool, is regarded as a clerk. sub- ject to Vanderbilt’s orders. If this theory be ‘| correct, we should think that the railroad managers and the owners of railroad stocks ‘oo,| generally would begin to question either the Spectmen copies sent free. Gire Post-Office address in fall, including State and County. ‘Remittances may be made elther by draft, express, Post-Office order, or in registered letter, at our risk, TERMS TO CITY SUBSCRIBERS. Paily, delivered, Sunday excepted, 25 cents perweek, Daily, delivered, Sunday incladed, 30 cents per week, Address THE TRIBUNE COMPANY, ‘Corner Madison and Dearborn-sts., Chicago, I, _ ———e POSTAGE. Entered at the Post-Ofice at Chicago, I, as Second- Class Matter. For the benefit of our patrons who dosire to send single coples of THe TRIBUNE through the mail, we five herewith the transtent rave of postage: ‘| Domestic. Light and Twelve Page sixteen Page Paper. btand Twelve Pac Bigteen Page Paper TRIBUNE BRANCH OFFICES. THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE hes established branch pffices for the receipt of subscriptions and advertise-. qents as follows: : NEW YORK—Room Tribune Building. F.'T.Mo- Eapprn, Manager. PARIS, Franoe-—No: 16 Rue de Ia Grange-Batelere. &, MAuLEn, Agent. LONDON, Eng.—American Exchange, 449 Strand. Henry F: Griuic, Agent. WASHINGTON, D. C3019 F SOCIETY MEETINGS. street. APOLLO COMMANDERY, NO. 1, EK. ‘T.—Special Conclave Tuesday evenine Jan. 20, 159, aii). Officers: please note the hours. ‘Thé Order of the Temple will conferred. Reguinr Conclave at 8 o'clock. The vommmandery wins? Appear quip ed. Visiting Sir Knights ar always welcome. By order of the Eminens Commander. HL S. TIFFANY, Recorder. CORINTHIAN CHAPTER, NO. 68, BR, A. M—Special Convocation Monday evening, Jan. 15, at 7 o'clock. SEL spea ts tna alates, Browicrar a OUR OBIT BEALOOM, M. EEL P. +. JOHN 0, DICKERSON, Secretary. FAIRVIEW CHAPTER, NO. 161, R.A. M—Regular Conrocation Thursday. erentng, Jan. 2 ‘at 7:30. Vis- ing ous shed, Sompantons are corms. TIBFANY, MB. EL P. MYEON HARBIS, Secretary. LADY WASHINGTON CHAPTER, NO. 3, 0. E.8. ai kaaeean P. 8. HUDSON, W. P. 8T, BERNARD COMMANDERY, No. 35, K, P.— Stunted Conclave Wednesday evening, Jan. 21, at 7:30 islets eee eee Sete ne oe ae De . GAity M.D, Commander. corder. BLAIX LODGE, NO: 3m, 4. F.& A. M.—Rogular Communication Monday evening, Jan. Yorat tah for goporiant work and business, Visiting brotnren cor ‘s rOS ys it BUZZELL, Secretary. KIGWINKING LODGE, No. 31, A. F.& A. M—Tho nombersare specially requested vo attends: meeting bn Thursday evening, at. Business of portance. ‘By order J. W. DAVIS, Acting W. M. SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 188, Gen. Grant will leave Havana for Mex- Yeo Feb. 13. Tne jury in the Hayden case, which retired Friday evening, has, up to the present time, failed to agree upon a verdict, and Was last evening locked up, toremain until to-morrow. ‘Tre House Committee on Indian Affairs spent yesterday in an investigation of the Ute question, the principal witness being William McLeeds, formerly Chief Clerk of the Indian Burean. He attributed the dis- affection of the Utes to the fact that their pressing wants were not supplied, the reason for this state of affairs being the fact that Commissioner Bayt neglected his duties in the way of supplying them ‘with arms to be used in killing game, and agricultural imple- ments. : Poor St. Louis has anew causeforanxiety. Some time ago it was considered cértain by the politicians of that city that the National Democratic Convention would be held there, butof late apprebensions have been felt that either Chicago or Cincinnati will be chosen. Last night the Central Democratic Commit- tee held a meeting and adopted resolutions calling upon the Missouri Congressmen and members of the National Committee to bestir themselves and see that the Future Great was not ignored. . x . In a conversation with Senator Teller yes- terday, Ouray, the Ute Chief, made some very pertinent remarks regarding the money due the Indians under the Brunot treaty. Of the $63,000 to which they are entitled, but $4,000 has been paid, the reason advanced by Secretary Schurz for the withholding of the balance being that were it sent to the noble red men they would squander it in various ways, This, Ouray says, is nobody’s busi- ness cven if the statement were true,—a con- clusion with which most people will be in- clined to agree. ne THERE {is no abatement in the epidemic of killing under which this city has been suf- fering for the past week, yesterday bringing to light another shocking tragedy. “The vic- tim in this case was 3 woman of low charac- ter, who, ag nearly as can be ascertained from those who were in her company at the time, was shot and Killed by a@ young man named George W. Stratton. The pair became engaged in a drunken brawl during the early hours of yesterday morning, and, after firing two bullets into the unfortunate woman, Stratton fied, but was subsequently arrested at his room in a down- town block. He confesses to the killing, but alleges that it was done in self-defense. Tue celebrated case of Fitz John Porter has reached another stage, and one in which ~ the entire country will be interested. The House Slilitary Committee yesterday reported in favor of the passage of the Bragg bill, which provides for the restoration of Porter to his former rank of Lieutenant- Colonel, and the payment to him of $75,000 back pay,—a very comfortable amount of money to receive for having been permitted to attend to private business: for several years. This report was signed wholly by Democratic’ members of the Committee, the Republicans submitting a minority report to the effect that the finding of the court-mar- tial in Gen. Porter’s case was correct ant should be sustained, ‘Tur Maine Fusionists, who have been talking long and loud as to what they intend- ed doing yesterday, failed to make evena showing, and were quietly elbowed aside by * the properly-elected representatives of the people. Gov. Davis was installed with all the ceremony, and considerably more than the enthusiasm, usual upon such occasions. ‘The only person who seemed disposed to be dis- obliging was a somewhat, obscure function- ary,—the Assistant Secretary of State,—he refusing to read the election-returns. His action was of no avail, however, certified copies of the result ‘serving all purposes. Everything connected with the recent flurry may now be regarded as forever settled. ‘To-day will be even more quiet than yester- day. The people of Maine are 8 church- going and law-abiding set, and, after attend- ing meeting this morning, even the Fusionists will be insufficiently calm state of mind capacity or the honesty of the ruling spirit of the Eastern railroad system. It was de- creéd upon the closing of navigation that the -charges for carrying grain between New. York and Chicago ‘should be 2 cents a bushel That it was a prohibitory tariff be- came apparent immediately.’ It amounted to half the value of corn, and wiped out the farmer’s. profit im wheat. It produced a blockade. Capital recognized a good invest- ment in wheat, to hold till the opening of lake navigation should provide reasonable transportation.” There has been and stillis an abundance of money to hold this grain, and facilities will be extemporized for storing it until relief shallcome. In the meantime, the railroads have been running their cars. empty or laying them upon side-tracks, and. they are to-day probably losing money on a basis of extortion, when they might be making money at reasonable charges. ‘The usual excuse for. an increase of rail- road charges in the winter season is, that the cost of operating is larger by reason of the embarrassments and ‘delays incident to the season. Of course this furnishes a mere pretext for increased rates far in excess of the increased cost: , But there has practically: been no winter weather this year, The sea- son has been so mild that the railroads could hiave been operated to their full capacity as cheaply as in summer. ‘There has been a good demand for Western products and an abundant supply. The movement of grain has been stopped by charges that amount to confiscation, and it will not be renewed. until these charges shall be abated or water navigation -shall afford. relief, If capi- tal was prepared to buy ‘and store grain at the beginning of winter, it finds more attraction in such an investment now that the winter is half over. In six weeks more, according to the almanac, fleets: of ships will be able. to carry off the accumula- tion at rates which will yield a profit to the owners of the grain, and the railroads will then be forced to come’ down to the com- peting prices, or still ran empty. Wasn’t it clearly a piece of folly for Mr. Vanderbilt to order the blockade? Isn’t it folly to main- tain the blockade? ‘The attitude of the rail- roads, under the leadership and dictation of Vanderbilt, is not unlike that which was so insanely assumed by the Stock-Yards butch- ers under ‘the dictation of O’Connell and Power. The railroads have inficted dam- age upon the producers and the consumers; but they themselves have suffered and will continne to suffer still more from the legiti- mate effects of their own rapacity. If this sort of dictation shall continue, the owners of railroad stock should lead in the popular demand for National regulation. TROUBLE BETWEEN GERMANY AND RUS- SIA. ‘The latest pews from Europe indicates that serious trouble between Germany and .Aus- tria and Russia is by no means improbable. A few days since the Cologne Gazette, refer- ring to the Kindly feeling of Germany for France, which had been expressed by the German Minister at Paris to M. de Freycinet, warned the French that this feeling would exist only so long as they entered into no en- tangling alliance with Russia, and kept them- selves entirely aloof from whatever quarrel might arise between Berlin and St. Peters- burg. ‘The Frengk will probably pursue the course they have at present marked out for themselves, regardless of this advice. They ‘will, no doubt, continue to devote their en- ergies to the improvement of their own do- mestic interests, and not permit their desire for revenge to interfere with or delay the de- velopment of their prosperity. ‘The Cologne Gazette is known as one of Prince Bismarck’s organs. Its statements regarding the Ger- man Government have in most eases proved reliable. Its advice heretofore to the French, although without importance so far as they are concerned, may be regarded as showing that trouble with Russia is foreseen at Ber- lin, and its probability being seriously con- sidered by Bismarck. Besides the statements of the Cologne Gazette, information has been received from Berlin that Germany and Aus- tria are about to demand explanations from Russia regarding her unusual concentration of troops in Poland, and the statement is made that, if her reply is unsatisfactory, Ger- many and Austria will at once adopt de- fensive measures. ‘The news reaches us from Konigsburg, the extreme eastern fortress of Prussia, that Russia has secretly and very recently in- creased her force in Poland to such an extent that more than half her army is now sta- tioned in that country,—that she is rapidly strengthening and arming her fortresses along the line of the Prussian and Austrian front-, iers, and that her accumflation of warlike material in Poland has been within a few months unprecedented: and gigantic. It is Known that her arsenals for some time have worked day and night; that she has in store “more than three million riffes; and that, with- ins year, she has fabricated two thousand five hundred cannon of the most approved pattern... As an additional indication that war is liable to occur, its probabilities are freely and openly discussed by the officers of the German and Austrian, as well as of the Russian, armies. . This would not be permit- ted if their Governments were not willing and ready for its commencement, ‘Those who have studied Bismarck’s career and policy cannot be surprised that war be- , tween Germany and Russia should be liable to occur ‘at any time. Russia is as yet the only powerful neighbor who has not paid tithes to German power ‘as directed by his capacity. . By war with Austria he practical- ly annexed Germany to Prussia, and stripped Austria of all power-to retaliate. By war with France he defeated and ‘humbled her power and annexed Alsace-Lorraine to Ger- many. In each-case his methods have been similar. In the Austrian war he was assisted by Italy. Inthe French wat, Russia, through his diplomacy, prevented Austria from assist- ing France. In the Russo-Turkish war there ean be no doubt that he did all-in his power to bring it on, and that on.its completion the Russians wete, deprived of the results they had obtained mainly through his instru- mentality, Russia alone; of all the neighbors which he had cause to fear, has as yet con- tributed nothing to the. greatness. of Father- land. ‘She only is as yet able to oppose his ‘will, and her turn, if Bismarck lives, is prob- ably near. The Emperors of Germany and Russia, uncle and nephew though they are, personal friends though they may. be, may meet and utter personaliand peaceful: assur- ances to each other; but this man of “blood and iron,” if living, will none the less succeed in carrying out his policy for the aggrandize- ment of Germany. i An examination of the mapof Germany shows that for years the eventuality of a war with Russia bas been constantly kept in vidw. From K6nigsburg, Dantzic, Posen, and Breslau, which are the German fortresses nearest the frontier, railroads have. been built tothe Russian line, in each case, like the fingers of. an 0} " of these roads has been marked out with the ‘most consummate skill either for offensive or. hand. The dfrection defensive purposes. There is not a point on* the Russian frontier-which ¢annot be reached by German troops in force within thirty-six hours. There is scarcely a point at which, Germany cannot mass her entire army before” Russia could concentrate even that portion of herstrength stationed in Poland. The pe- culiar position of. Poland, jutting out as it, does towards the centre of Germany, between Austria and Prussia, undoubtedly gives Rus- sia someadvantage. -Foresceing thatshe, also, must intime pay her tax to Bismarck’s great- ness, Russia has endeavored to strengthen ‘this advantage by fortifying every available position within the Polish frontier. Her ljnes of ‘communication, however, are few in num- ber, and arein no sense comparable with those of Germany. Unlike Germany, shé has had no Von Moltke to set her house in order. The forests and swamps along her western line would undoubtedly prove serious ob- stacles to a German advance, but these would. not be -insurmountable. They..are by no means now 80 difficulé as -in 1807,: when crossed by Napoleon. : If a comparison of the armies of Germany and Russia be made, the advantage is‘ incon- testably in favor of the German. -The Rus- ‘slani army-is‘the largest in numbers, but its officers and men are far inferior to those who compose the German ‘army. ‘The German’ ‘military machine is probably as. near perfec- tion as anything’ human can ‘be.” Russia’s long Asiatic frontiers, her, constant wars in, Central Asia, and her domestic troubles with the Nihilists, would probably prevent her being able to oppose Germany even with an egital number-of troops. She has, it is true, increased her army since the Russo-Turkish war; but the difficulty she then found in con- centrating a force sufficient to overcome Turkey makes it quite plain that her entire army cannot be made available for service in Europe. Ina war between Germany and Russia—and so long as France, as is most probable, holds herself aloof from the difficulty—the chances would be greatly in favor of Germany. In such a war the German army, unlike that of Russia, can be used as a unit. So perfect are Germany’s military arrangements that’ her army could be mobilized to its utmost extent and placed upon Russian soil within ten days after a declaration of war. If, prompted by her desire for revenge, France ‘should at- tempt to take part'in the war, Austria also, by the terms of the Bismarck-Andrassy agreement, would be forced to oppose her. ‘Whether France should participate or not, it is believed Germany would be successful, and that Russia would be forced to pay her share of tribute -by the loss of her Baltic provinces, to the glorification of Bismarck and to the increase of German territory. If Bismarck lives these results can reasonably be expected at no very distant day. ——— THE LESSON OF THE PORK-PACKERS’ STBIKE. ‘The recent strike of the workmen at the pork-packing houses in this city was 2 loss of about a month’s employmentto anaverage of 7,000 men. at average wages of $2toéach man, The actual sum of the wages which the strikers refused to earn was about $350,- 000, In the meantime, ‘their expenditures were the same as if they had. been at work. The greater number of the strikers have not been reémployed,—their places having been filled by wiser men,—and the business itself has been so damaged by their folly as not to” furnish énough labor for as many hands as before the abandonment of work. A month of the active killing season has passed away unimproved, and some thousands. of these men will have no further work at pork-pack- ing this season. That much money—a third ofamillion dollars—which they refused to earn has deen’ lost to them and to their families. That much cash for bread and meat has been voluntarily rejected from their means of living, and the men and their families are that much poorer than they would have been had there been no assault made on the business of their employers. A few parsons claiming to be particular experts, and who-drew large wages, were only kept from resuming work by being bribed by the, same compensation that they would have got if they had “worked. The money used for this illegitimate purpose was drawn from the benevolent. funds be- longing to the “ Union,”—funds. previously contributed by the low-priced workmen from their earnings for far different purposes. The employing packers suffered serious loss because of the interruption of business, the necessity of operating at other places, and the general suspension of killing and pack- ing, and loss of so many weeks of the best part of theseason. But the worst loss, as in all such cases, and that hardest to be borne, fell upon the foolish workmen who are dependent on their daily earnings for their daily bread. i é ‘This strike was utterly unprovoked and indefensible, The men had demanded an incréase of wages shortly before, and ‘it was granted them. They were enjoying full em- ployment at full wages when the demon of Communistic demagogism appeared in the “Union,” instigating the men to demand that employers should surrender the control of their business to the irresponsible leaders of an oath-bound secret society. The de- mand was that no man should be employed except those whose names should be fur- nished by the leaders of the “ Union”; that no man should be discharged except for cause, and of this cause the leaders of the “Union” should be the exclusive judges. ‘These impudent demands were refused, and the reckless demagogism cost the unfortu- nate, fooled members of the strike some $350,000 hard cash,—wages lost in what should have been the the busiest part of the season,—and also resulted in checking out the last dollarof the benevolent fund in their treasury, which was sunk in prolonging this miserable civil war. . * This strike furnishes an ndditional instance of the abuse of the system of Trades-Unions. The original purpose of such Unions was of a benevolent character. It was to help the needy members, succor the sick and disabled, bury dead brothers, and aid and assist the families of the deceased. or disabled, and generally to provide support for such of the members as could get to work, or were dis- abled for labor. This proper and praise- worthy purpose has been perverted’ and abused, and is no longer the chief object of the rulers of Trades-Unions. The bulk of the moneys of such organizations is nowa- days appropriated to sustaining “strikes”; that is, in supporting in idleness members of the Union who voluntarily abandoy work, and refuse to labor at the best wages they ean get. -Nine strikes out of ten prove utter failures, sometimes resulting in the disrup- tion of the Union ordering them, and in all cases prove disastrous, financially, to those engaged in them. ‘The great and legiti- mate beneficial purpose of Trades-Unions is } sacrificed in abortive efforts to coerce eim- ployers, against the laws of trade, and to en- courage laborers to believe that it can ever be more profitable to be idle and earn no wages than to ‘be employed at the best rates the market affords. ‘Trades-Union strikes are subject to a law so general and go inevitable that it cannot be escaped., Strikes on a. rising market and in- creasing demand for labor for higher wages are hardly ever necessary. Demand alone learriés ‘up wages. ( When- warrant surrounding eircumstances, the yf demand proyes, successful, and employers rarely re- sist it. “Strikes to maintain wages, at’ old ‘rates ona falling market and reduced em- ployment are the wildest of follies; Set thou- “sands of such strikes have been ordered by the leaders of those organizations and per- sisted ‘in to the. point of starvation, which | stows the lamentable ignorance of the laws. sof political economy. that prevails in the Union lodges. . 2 But strikes which .aim' st something be- yond the. laws of ‘supply and demand for labor, such as a.demand for the surrender’ by an employer of. the. control of his own business, must of necessity fail, and the great majority of modern strikes have really. that purpose at their base. The two demands. at the Stock-Yards show how successful was* the first foran advance in wages, and how disastrous was the second for control of the employers’ business. The employers readily admitted the justice of the first one and submitted to the additional cost of labor without a struggle; to the latter they utterly: refused submission, and the workinen were the sufferers, Included in the costly and total defeat is the practical disruption of the “Union.” Its dictatorial power is’ destroyed. It will no longer be recognized. by. employers; no man will ‘hereafter be employed because he is a member of a secret, oath-bound league, nor be discharged or - refused work be- cause he is not a member of. such oath- bound league. - Its. controlling authority is lost in the loss of its dictatorship, for it can-. not secure its members a monopoly of work on their own terms, ‘The employers of 8,000: men, the owners and: representatives of a ast business, the: manufacturers of many millions of dollars’ worth of food, will no longer subject themselves to the danger of having their business interrupted, disorgan- ized, and defeated by the leaders of an or- ganization which- may at any- moment de- mand the control of that business, to the ex- clusion of thé owners. The perversion of ‘Trades-Unions from their proper functions— this reaching after. the authority to tell employers how to manage their own busi- ness—must of necessity wreck any combina~ tion that attempts to enforce them. Freedom ~—personal freedom of action—is essential to any success in business. The workman must be free'to work or not. work atthe wages offered him. ‘To coerce him to work against his interest or wishes is of the same grade of slavery that prohibits his laboring when he desires to. Employers, on the other hand, aré entitled to equal freedom of action. Public opinion, founded on the. inherent sense of common justice, will always con- demn and overrule any attempt to overthrow or.subyert this freedom of personal and business action, and will equally sustain those who assert and exercise that freedom. Mob force will not silence truth, will not permanently sustain injustice and oppres- sion; and it should never be forgotten that those who resort to mobbing to unjustly coerce others fail miserably, and often perish by the agent they so-heedlesly invoke. THE LAW IN. THE MAINE CASE, . For the information of those who have not had the time or patience to read the long opinion. given by the Supreme Court of Maine, which determines the legal status of the Legislature in that State, its purport may be stated as briefly as possible. This statement shonld‘be- premised, however, with the remark that the Constitution of Maine makes it the duty of the Supreme Court to control and define the law for the guidance of the Executive and Legislative branches of the Gdvernment. “We cannot decline an answer, if Wve would,” says the Court. This circumétance renders its opin- jon final and binding upon all law-abiding people. The Court first points out that, in the line ofits duty andin the manner prescribed by the Constitution, it advised the late Gov- ‘ernor of the lawful procedure in the case of the returns. “The law thus determined,” says the Court, “was the conclusive guide of the Governor and Council in the perform- ance of their.ministerial duties,” and a vio- lation thereof was ‘ta usurpation of au- thority ‘and must be held void.” It is also held that men who claim seats in the Legislature by virtue of Executive summons issued in violation of law are “in- truders,. without right, into the legislative body.” Such persons, purporting to act un- der summonses that are void,. “haveno right to take part in the organization, or in any subsequent proceedings, of the House to which they-are wrongfully certificated.” It is further held that a member without a summons is entitled to the same considera- tion from the Legislature, prima facie, as | one with a summons, because the former cannot “be deprived of the position belong- ing to him on account of dereliction of those whose duty it was to have given him the usual summons.” The Court points out that, otherwise, the Governor and Council, by granting certificates to men not elected and refusing certificates to those who were clearly elected, “may constitute each House witha majority suited to their own purposes, thus strangling and overthrowing the popular will as honestly expressed by ballot:”” If the Court had stopped here it would have laid down the premises for logically concluding that the acts of the bogus Legis- lature were void, and that the members hon- estly elected by the people had the right to organize the Legislature and proceed to the formation of a lawful Government. But the Court goes on to specifically determine how this should be done. It holds that all acts that have been done by an alleged Legisla- ture, lacking a quorum, excluding twelve persons entitled to seats, refusing to consider their claims, and thus leaving five cities total- ly unrepresented, are illegal and void. It holds that the fact that there is now no exist- ing Governor and Council to administer the oath of office to members of the Legislature cannot exclude the latter from their rights; that the oath is the essential thing; that it can be taken before any magistrate author- ized tp administer oaths, and thatit will be legal’ binding when so.taken. It declares that the Senators and Representatives who holdsummonses can meet together with those from the disfranchised cities not summoned who were elected, and organizea lawful Leg- islature; that, in cases where the official re- turns are lost, canceled, or inaccessible, whether by accident or fraud, the result of the election may be as- certained by the use of certified copies, and that the Jawfully-elected Legislature may assemble, organize, and proceed ‘to elect the Executive as provided bylaw. The gist of -the whole matter lies in the following sen- tence: “Neither the carelesness nor turpi- tude of officers charged with making, or with the custody, of returns can be suffered to de- feat the will of the people as expressed in the election.” ‘The duty of the Republicans is now very clear. They should assemble, seat those who were wrongfully and unlawfully deprived of certificates, and proceed to elect the Governor and Council in the manner prescribed by law. The direction of the Supreme Court in every State would be properly regarded as final in acase of disputed tenure, but it must be so in Alaine, since the Constitution of that State expressly constitutes the Supreme Court the arbitrator and judge; and makes its rulings mandatory upon the other departments in the construction of the laivs.. It abl that prompt.‘and vigorous. assertion, by the Republicans elected of their rights, a6 defined, by the Supreme Court, will. bring over,to them enough .of ‘the elected Democrats and Greenbackers to leave the.Fusionists without a respectable. following, and thus compel ‘the more desperate conspirators to slink away covered with the disgrace of dis- honorable defeat. If there’ shall still’be a show of violent resistance on the part of the Fusionists, they will be, in the attitude of nullifiers and traitors, and they should be visited with all the penalties that attach to treason and assault upon constituted authori; ty. It is certain that Gen. Chamberlain will recognize the mandates of the Supreme Court, and that, in his duty to preserve the peace and defend the law, he will furnish the, lawful Legislature and. the lawful Govern- ment, which: that Legislature is empowered. to create, with all the support which may be needed to-establish their rights. The Re- publicans are now, and have been all along, in the Jine of the Jaw, as well as of justice, and if there: shall- be any further attempt by fraud or violence, to wrest the Government from their hands, into which the people have, intrusted it, such‘an assault should :be promptly put down and the assailants sum- marily punished. The two bogus Houses of the Rump Legis- lature met yesterday, and showed signs of .dismay. The debate naturally suggested by the opinion of the Supreme Court developed: a disposition on the part of a number of Fu- sionists to accept the inevitable, and submit’ quietly to the ouster that has been virtually declared against the Fusion Legislature. ‘The only action taken was the appointment in each House of a committee to consider the present state of the case, ind propose anew set of questions. for the “Supreme Court. There is no objection to this, if, in the mean-. -time, the Republicans-will go ahead with the organization of the lawful Legislature and the election of excentive officers. If it, shall subsequently be discovered that any rights of the Fusionists have thus been disregarded, the Supreme Court willafford them a remedy. ‘That Court consists of four Republicans, two Independents, and one Democrat, and, as it, has been unanimous in the construction of the law, men who are in the right need have no fear that the Court will fail to sustain them. THE OPERA SEASON. The first week of the opera season has’ closed upon a success, and we enter upon the second with a still better repertory and cor- respondingly improved opportunities for en- tertainment. The first week has given ussix operas,—“ Martha,” “Sounambula,” “Aida,” “Faust,” “ Linda,” and “The Daughter of the Regiment,” the last two being compara- tively novelties,—and has introduced seven new artists, Mile. Marimon, Mlle. Valeria, Mile. Ambre, Signor Runcio, Signor Tebaldi, Signor Monte, and Herr Behrens, besides the old favorits, Miss. Cary, Mme. Lablache, Signors Campanini, Galassi, and Del Puente, and such a chorus and orchestra as we have never had here before. Such a season as this presents some points that are worthy of consideration. ‘The first of.these is the mistake that the public makes in disregarding the off nights. Mile. Marimon being recognized by common consent rather than by real merit as the star of the troupe, her nights. are ‘considered the regular nights, the crowd rushes to them, and seats go off af apremium. It, perhaps, has not occurred to the patrons of the opera that in making this discrimination they are pun- ishing themselves.. The best. performances last week were those of “ Martha,” “Linda,” and “Aida,” every one of them given on off nights. Without making any invidious dis- tinctions,—for Marimon in her way is anartist of the first rank,—the nights upon which Val- leria sings present equally strong, if not stronger, claims to be considered as regular nights. Unquestionably Marimon’s forte is in florid singing, and it was not until such opportunities occurred that she made any serious impression upon her audience. In: both “Sonnambula” and the “Daughter of the Regiment” her complete success was not reached until the concluding finales,—in the one case with the“ Ah! non giunge,” and in the other with the interpolated waltz- song. Mile. Valleria, on the other hand, made her success with her sustained singing and her intelligent dramatic ability. She scored her points as the work progressed, and she carried her audiences with her ina legitimate manner to the climax, enlisting at- “tention and appreciation all the way. This is a surer test of genuine artistic ability than facility, in delivering an elaborate and intri- cate cadenza, however astonising the feat may appear. Marimon. is unquestionably a more experienced and better actress than Valleria; but there is no musical reason why Valleria should not be classed as a prima and be considered a star. Sheis not a phe- nomenal singer, but she is none the Jess an uncommon one, who scores her success with- out any apparent effort to do so. In this yxegard her style is honest, and she consequently gives truer satisfaction than many artists who hold higher rank. For clearness atid beauty of voice, for truth of intonation, for’ artistic intelligence, as well as for repose, which is one of the es- sentials of art, there have been few singers here more acceptable. She deserves, there- fore, equal consideration with Marimon,: and we make this claim with no purpose to dis- parage the latter. ‘ The second point is the performance of “Aida.” In every respect, in the choral and orchestral work, in the strength of the in- dividual talent, in the beauty and fitness of the scenic display, and in all the details of costuming, processions, and properties, we do not remember to have ever seen an opera more thoroughly or elegantly placed. upon the stage. It is pleasant.to note that, not- withstanding such names as Ambre, Galas- si, Campanini, and Behrens in thé cast, Miss Cary was the leading attraction. Her per- sonation of the love-smitten Ammeris, with its passion sweeping the whole gamut, from the tenderest affection to the most furious rage, was a surprise even to her friends, who had not. looked for such an ‘intense display of ‘tragic power, and suggests the ques- tion whether this is not her true field of action. Hitherto Miss Cary’s reputation as an artist has largely resulted from her com- edy, though she by no means reaches such a high standard in it as in -heroic characters calling for dignity, breadth, and power. Miss' Cary’s comedy is very genial and rollicking, nearly always too exuberant. Unlike any other artist on the stage, she has taken ad- vantage of her popularity to establish a fa- miliarity with the audience, which, sooth to say, has been reciprocated in full. ‘Thisis not art, however. No artist has the right to be aware of the presence of an audience un- til the audience demands her attention in the way of applause. For this reason her com- edy has often been marred by exaggeration and by asides and by-play which have no connection with the business of the stage, and consequently should not have been intro- duced. In serious characters there is no opportunity for such a display. The attention of the artist cannot'be diverted trom the scene without the risk of a fiasco.or failure. ‘The result was apparent in the crowning success of her Ammeris.: It was conceived with admirably good taste and Judgment, and it was interpreted with aston- ishing power and fidelity; and in these re- And this success is all the more grateful be- cause Miss Cary is an American singer. In titis connection it is also 2. matter for con- gratulation that Mile. Vallerla, who has* made such’s notable success this ‘season, is also an American singeT- A The large attendance upon the opera—for the gross receipts of. the week have reached. nearly $20,000—shows that the good times are: Having their usual: effect, and that ‘people, having plenty of money, are bound to spend ‘itand be entertained, and fortunately the delightful weather of the past week has materially helped them in this determina- ton. ‘The indications for the second week are fally as flattering, and, as the repertory is much more attractive than that of last week, itlooks as if. both ‘manager and andience would have their fill of entertainment. _—— THE WEST SIDE UNION DEPOT, AND : : JACKSON STREET. The Chicago & Alton, the Pittsburg: & Fort Wayne, and the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Companies propose to build a union: dépdt on Canal street, extending from Madi- sonto Van Buren. Monroe street, east of, Canal, has” long since been vacated; . at Adams street there até 2 viaduct and bridge; and Jackson street is, still open to the river.. The railroad “corporations have asked the, City Council to vacate so. much. of Jackson street as is east of Canal street, that it may be built upon and used as part of the dépot. ‘On the other hand, the owners of property. on Jackson street, on both sides of the river, from State street west to ‘Hoyne, have petl-. tioned the City Council that a viaduct and bridge be constructed at Jackson street.” Here we have a case of conflicting interests. On tho one hand, the building of this, Union. Dépbt will be of great benefit to the public. Its construction will remove the unsightly and unsavory mass of rambling wooden sheds now occupied by the railroads, which are a disgrace to the corporations which have per- petuated them so long. - This passenger dép0t wwouldlead toa general rehabilitation of South Canal street, greatly to its benefit and to the sanitary, as well as architectural improve- ment of one of the most unsightly and dilap~ idated neighborhoods in Chicago. On the. other hand, the West Division is of immense area, containing more than half the entire population of the city. Several square miles of territory are occupied as residences of: persons doing business in other parts of the city. A very large portion of the same divis- fon is devofed to manufacturing establish- ments, and the tide of travel and of trans- portation from one side of, the river to the other Has become so great that every bridge is occupied to its full capacity, and the neces- sity for other bridges in the near future is quite evident.. The property-ownersonJack- son street have taken steps for its improve ment during the coming season, and this, they believe, will furnish the public with a new thoroughfare, to which a bridge is, of course, a necessity. i aL ‘There does. not seem to be the least an- tagonism on the part of the citizens to the dépét building; on ‘the ‘contrary, they insist. that there is nothing inconsistent with the two works. They claim that the roof of the dép6t building will be sufficiently high, and, if not, can be made sufficiently high, to admit of-a viaduct from Canal street to the east line of the building, passing through the upper part of that stracture on 2 level with the ‘bridge.’ They claim that“ this can’ be done without the least inconvenience to the railroad building, the, roof. of which can be thrown/ over and inclose the viaduct, and thatsuch a change in the plan would be an. improvement and ornament to its archi- tecture. ne a gS Oa ie It is understood ‘that. the railroad com- panies refuse all arrangements save the absolute vacation of the east end of Jackson street; that they insist on that as a condition of building & dépétatall.. At the came time, the Jackson street property- holders insist upon having a bridge at Jack- son Street, and, while willing to make any concessions and any sacrifice short of aban- doning the bridge, they will have the latter whether the railroad people build a dépét or not. -This question, which promises to be a lively one, may-be expected to occupy the attention of the City Council for several months to come. tae d f It should not be forgotten that the practice has heretofore been to have bridges only at alternate streets, the distance otherwise be- ing too. short to admit of the safe. manage- ment of vessels: The present style of ship- building is in the direction of the longest Bos- sible keels. Some of the propellers, recently. put on the lakes are longer than some of our blocks. There is danger, therefore, in hay- ing bridges too near each. other, as it may re- sult in so crowding the river at the bridges as to block the channel and keep the bridges open, to the interference of travel. ———— : STOCKINGS. he Wendell Phillips, in his inimitable lecture on the Lost Arts, insists that there is “ noth- ing new under the sun,” and, in support of the assertion, undertakes to show that the ancients at least possessed the germs of ail modern Knowledge. But this is very far from the literal truth. Of the fifty metals uow known and applied to the uses of life, the ancients were acquainted with only seven,—silver, gold, lead, copper, iron, quick- silver, and tin. Their architects, the tri- umphs of whose genius still serve as models, never thought of the simple convenience of a chimney,—something nowadays regarded as almost indispensable to life. Their scuilpt- ors, the mutilated remains of whose statues are preserved in the world’s museums as treasures of art beyond the power of modern skill to equal, dined and supped without the aid of knife, fork, or spoon. The Roman soldier who conquered the world never pressed a saddle nor placed his foot in a stir- rup. The smiths of Greece and Rome who made swords, and spears, and helmets did not possess the requisit ingenuity to invent, fashion, and nail on a horseshoe, The Greeks and Romans probably knew of the ex- Plosive property of gunpowder, but it never occurred to them to avail. themselves of it in mining or as a propellant of missiles in war. In the practical arts the ancients were mere children. If by accident an important fact was thrust upon their ‘attention -they lacked the wit to make’ much of it. ‘They knew of the power of steam, and used the boil- ing water in the tea-kettle to turn the spit by its side, but they never thought to make a slave of steam, and force it to bear: the great burdens of commerce and labors of’ pro- ductive industry. They guidéd their vessels by lashine, an eee ae side, but it did not Place the steering-oar in the stern and make a helm of rari made nets for catching fish, and laces of exquisit workmanship, but.were so dull of brain that the idea of making stockings by a similar Process never flashed across their minds. Inventions. spring from the brain of. tha laborer, and among the ancients laborers were slaves, ‘They were, debased and igno- rant. The product of their toil was filched from them, and in the robbery the stimulus to industry and invention was included: Few of the ancients had any clothing for the lower parts of the body. The Northern na- tions, first had hose or trousers; - their stockings ,were made .by the tailor. of cloth., It. is’ generally believed. that the art of knitting - originated‘ ..in Scotland” in the sixteenth century, because:when.: the: French sto ;guild made choice of a i selected St Fiatre, a native ete rd : the other hand, the English aiftthuta iy vention to 4 Spaniard, on the si ae tradition that Henry: VII, who hep * fore worn woolen-cloth ‘stockings: oer, about 1580, “a pair of. silk knit oa Ted, from Spain.” Queen: Elizabeth be ay wear silk knit stockings in thé thirg me her reign (1561), a pair having been Ot & for her: by her silk-woman. ‘ho ee tion is that she had small feet, alld Wragtace leclineg . ous about clothing them, for she q wear any other kind than silk; -‘Tt fs ny probable that she displayed her stat inged feet to the best advantage tt. flirtations with Sir Walter Raleigh, gat 2 ‘she wore a fine pair when she six al .death-warrant of her beautiful “rival, Me “|: Stuart. é There is a tradition of a ver who embraced the coatpatiie By Mira when her sight became so bad ‘as iets ‘her incapable of sewing or embroidery we “knitting work” was constantly in het Ber and this maxim’ on her tongue: ON _pray—to be fond of walking—to stang ie at the window and before the looking giag to talk much and do lttle—ts ‘not; my. eh, ‘the way to berich.” _ fond ‘An antiquary of note thinks that the artoy : knitting was derived from that of wire, : ing. In the sixteenth century the gig workers.were so cunning in making seremg that the ‘ignorant believed they hating sistance of the Devil.’ A screen Of° thissoq ay which surrounds the baptismal-font of old church in Germany is so ingenig, wrought that neither the beginning Far end of the wire is discernible, For a long ting stockings continued to be knit hand, notwithstanding the invention of 3 stocking-loom, and the stocking of 'sitk wy a costly affair, worn, of course, only fy dy great. In 1569 a German Privy-Connetio was rebuked by the Margrave fo silk stockings on ordinary occasions; 1575 the consort of a Prince refused ajay received 2s a Christmas gift, becansy gig considered them “too gay.”. In 15 oy William Lee, of England, invented a ing-loom. It was described at the. time a “composed of above °2,000 pieces .of sult, joiner’s, and tinner’s work, after so artifch) and exact a manner that, by.tha judy ment of “all beholders, it ‘far - exces in the ingenuity, curiosity, and subtlelya the invention and contexture all other frany or instruments of manufacture in use in ay part of the known world.” Following is tig tradition in regard to the origin of this thy great work: , Lee was enamored of & youn country-gitl, who, during his ‘visits, ‘pag more attention to her knitting than to ha lover and his proposals. Hence he, puthy wits to work to.devise a machi would facilitate the operation of kniith and so afford more leisure for the objectat ~ his passion to converse with him: Whether Lee married the country-girl- who’ inspind him-is not known. When it is considet that Queen Elizabeth was inordinately food of silk stockings, her treatment of Lee mys be regarded as shabby. She praised tds ir genuity, but declined to grant patent for the invention. At the request of Heiry of France Lee went to Paris ‘with chine, . but, the King being soon after asad nated, the poor inventor fell into great wus . and distress, and died a pauper in the Fresh Capital. It was not until 1663 that the stock. ing-loom, so to speak, got upon its feet tn that year a charter was granted by. Chace IL: to the Framework-Knitters’ Socfety:ot London. In six years thereafter theréwere 700 stocking-frames:in England, In 1 there were 9,000 frames in ope: . 115814000. eh ee About fifty years ago power was applied to the improved Lee’ knitting-machine {1 . this country. This application of stedm’ true ferred the industry from the fireside tothe factory, and gave an immense impetus to the Hosiery manufacture. Formerly, with. te hand-frame, a workman could produce,.in:a week a dozen pairs of cotton hose,- In the same time now a first-class rotary.-round power-frame will turn out 200 dozen ‘pain. ‘There is an ingenious little hand. knitting: machine; smaller than its companion, th sewing-machine, which will knit all kindsot hosiery, gloves, mittens, scarfs, -hoods;" ‘ASTRONOMICAL. - CmICAGo (TRIBUNE office), north latitade {1 deg. 52m. 578.3. west longitude, 42m. 14s. fron Washington, and 5h. 50m. 30s. ftom Greenwich.» ‘The subjoined table shows the time of setting of the moon’s lower limb, and the official tite for lighting the first street-lamp in each cirentt in this city, during the coming week, unlesar dered sooner on account of bad weather. the following times for, extinguishing the frst Day. Moon sets. ——— _ 10 turday Jan. %...... 6: 8% a.or. None. 2 ‘The moon will bein her first quarter at 12 50m. to-night; and at her greatest distance from the earth 3h. p. m. Wednesday. She willbe eat Mar ‘Tuesday evening; setting in company wit im. s ‘Monday, sun’s upper limb rises 7:23% Souths 10m. 57.63. p.m. Sots 4:58: P- Friday, sun's upper limb rises z Souths 12m. 4.89. p.m. Sets5:004. ° ‘0. Sidereal time Thursday noon, 20h. Sm. SLES Mercury is near the sun; rising before him Venusisa morning star. Thursday she rise at 4h. 2m, a. m.;souths at 9h. 13m.8. mi two-thirds of her die is illuminated. Sbeisn0% approaching the sun. rer Mars is an evening star. Thursday souths Th. 4m. p.'m., and sets at 2b. Zim, .the following morning. About nine-tenths of his rie disc is tur ned towards us. Heisa few ‘degn™ west from the Pleiades, and Tuesday eventos will be one degree south of Zeta in Aries. "- oe Jupiter is an evening star. Thursday vets 8h. 28m. p.m. He isa short distance from the ¥ of Aquaries. At Th. am. Tuosis? evening his second satellite .will emerge from behind the planet. At 6h. 5dm. Wednesday eve: ing will begin a transit of bis.third satelite, {ak lowed at 7h. 13m. by the first satellite totransit. At 6k. 6m. next Sunday eveniny 7 fourth satellite will pass off the cise of) Planct. These phenomena may be seen Hn"; avery small telescope. 5 Saturn isan evening star, nearly midway D® tween the apparent places of Mars and Jopies and situated east of gouth from the soutnens corner in the square of Pegasus. ie Souths at 4h. 36m. p. m., and sets at ‘10h. 4500, i" m. The breadth of his ring system is APPSIet”*, about one-seventh of its greatest diameter, 51 Uranus souths Thursday at 2b. S7m. is just visible to the naked eye ina clear Mt but not favorably situated for evening obserMs tion. ae 5 i Neptune souths Thursday at 6. 26m. Di Right Ascension 2h. #m., and Ds exits deg. 5{ min. north. He is invisible exe. through a telescope. oor 4 soritte —— Propasty, when the true history 18 pe of.Garcelon’s attempt to steal the Bi thd od Maine’ out of the hands of a majority @ people and thus turn popular govern! 8 farce, it will be discovered that the conspire originated outside of the State of Maint tS was a scheme invented by prominent De! cal to sce how the thing would work on & 4 If {thad worked well in Maine, and the Pee seemed inclined to acquiesce in the ea on then next winter it would have beet eal again ona still larger scale when the Ele iar vote is to be counted. The Maine, business Foy aimply an experiment, and Garcelon and tn were merely puppets who jumped when i) one behind the scenes pulled the string. 6 popular majority's will could have been Ay this year in Maine and the State siveo the keeping of the Democrats and the DemorConfederate majucity in te 5