The New York Herald Newspaper, January 31, 1871, Page 6

a f G NEW YORK HERALD BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR. JAMES Volume XXXVI. AMUSEMENTS TRIS EVENING. GRAND OPERA HOUSE, corner of Sth av. ana 23d st.— La Pexiouonr. OLYMPIC THEATRE, Broadway.—Tar PANTOMIME OF Wer Wri Winn. BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery.—Paston's DavGnTER— SEE SAW, WOOD'S MUSEUM Broadway, corner S0:h #t.—Perform+ ances every afternoon and eveniag, GLOBE TAINS dway.—VARiEty ENTER REP. HEAPRE NEW YORK STADT THEATRE, 45 Bowery.—Tarvs- OBUNG ALY TaRUsonD FIFTH AVENUK THEATRE, Twenty-fourth street. SARATOGA. BOOTH'S THKATRE, 3 een th and 6th ays,— Rionkuire. -—TuB SPROTACLE oF WALLACK’S THEATRE, Broatway ana With street.— Paint Hrart Neve Won Fats Lapy—Usep Up. LINA EDWIN'S THEATRE, 720 Broadway.—Huntep Down; O8, 148 Two Lives MARY oY Leica, MRS, F. B, CONWAY'S PARK THEATRE, Brookiyn.— Tue Lorreny or Lire. TONY PASTOR'S OP! RIFIY ENTERTAINME: THEATRE COMIQUE, 514 Broadway.—Comio Vooat- 18M, NFGRO ACTS, £0.—THE Fine Fenn, RA HOUSE, 201 Bowery.—Va- BAN FRANCISCO MI TREL HALL, 685 Broatway.— Nrano MinsrTanusy, Fa BURLESQUE, &0. BRYANT'S and 7th avs. W OPERA HOUSE, 231 st., between 6th aNO MINSTRELSY, TRICITLES, &C. HALL. corner 28th sireet and Broadway.— eY"S DIORAMA OF IRELAND. NEW YORK CIRCUS, Fourteenth street.—SoeNRS IN THE RING, ACROBATS, &O, Dx. Cc HOOLEY'S OPERA HOU Brook)yn.—HooLry's AND KRLLY & LRon's MINSTRELS. BROOKLYN OPERA HO! Wartr’s MinsTer.s. -Canw —Wriow, Hoon & m News TO Many. NEW YORK MUSEUM OF ANATOMY, 618 Broadway.— SOIRNOF AND Aur. DR. KAHN’S ANATOMICAL MUSEUM, 745 Broadway.— NOR AND ABT, TRIPL New York, Tuesday, January 31, 1871. CONTENTS OF TO-DAYS HERALD. Pace. 1—Advertisements, 2—Advertisementa, 3—News from Washington—Enrope and the Fast: The Roumanian Question Looming Up Before Turkey—Untted Germany—Collision at Sea: The Steamship Kensington and the Bark Tem- ond Sunk—News from Mexico—Miscellaneous lelegraphic Despatches—The Thaw. 4—Proceedings in Congress—Criticisms of New Books—The Pacific Railroad Ring—More Bur- Gens for the Taxpayers—New York City Xews—Chess Matters—Italian Unity—Unton Home and _ School—Masonic—Two Buffers Fight a Duel with Pistols, 5—College of the City of New York: Sem!-Annual Examination of the Students—The Taylor Will Case—Political Notes—Voice of the pPle— Theatrical Dongs of the Week—Obituary—The Freed Fenians: They Accept the Hospitality of the City—The Brooklyn Gas Casualty—The Jersey City Charter—Essex Market Police Court—Brooklyn Common Council—Keal Es- tate Matters—General News Items. 6-Elitoriais: Leading Article. *‘ihe New France, the New Germany and the New European i ice of Power'—Amusement Announce- ments. Y—Edtorials (Continued from Sixth Page)—Jules Favre’s Negotlations—HeRa.p Spectal Report from Versailles—The French Nattonal As- sembiy—War Contribution Levied Upon Paris— Bourbakr’s Arm: ermany’s New Cclony— Americans in is—Personal intelligence— Balls Last Night—Views of the Past—Business Notices. S—North Carolina: The Impeachment Trial of Gov- ernor Hoiden—The Lecture Season—Army In- telligence—Naval Affairs—The Recent Total Felipse of the Sun—Tedions Death—The Ra- acity of Registers in Bankruptcy—Journal- istic Notes—Suicide in Brooklyn—Death of De- tective Starfcrd. of Jersey City, 9=Proceedings in the New York and Brooklyn Courts—Municipal Affairs—The Death of Mr. Blont—Financial and Commercial Reports— Havana Markets—Marriages and Deaths, 10—The State Capttai— Amnusements—Another Tene- ment House Horror: Four Persons Ktlled— Anoter Fenian Address—Shipping News—Ad- vertisements, 41—The Japanese Commissioner: His Arrival in San Francisco—Pennsyivania Coal Trade—The Methodist Preachers—Poor Policemen—Inc!- dent in a Murder Trial—Advertisements, 12—advertisements. Tweep says he has no complaint to make against editors. What a complacent, un- ruffed temper, or else what a thick rhinoceros hide he must have! Tne Horpen IMPEACHMENT trial was for- milly commenced yesterday, and was imme- diately postponed for ‘wo days, owing to a slerical error in the articles. Tue Lake Giza Bit, allowing the taking of more water for the Croton aqueduct, has been reported in the State Senate. This is one of Tweed’s princely ‘‘jobs,” in regard to which he won't ‘‘take water” himself. Foun Prrsons,were found in their poorly furnished room in a tenement on Third avenue, near Kighty-sixth street, last night, all dead. They had evidently been suffocated by gas, but whether it was accident or suicide remains @ mystery. Tue Fenian Exires hive accepted the mu- nifice t donation of fifteen thousand dollars whic Tammany has presented them, and have bad a pleasant confab wih the Board of Aldermen. They stil! hold out that they are opposed to all partisan receptions and are will- ing only to accept the hospitulity of the people without regard to party. Tue SreamMex Kenstneron, from Savannah for Boston, collided with the bark Templar off Cape Hatteras recently, and both were lost. The passengers and crew of the Kensington were saved and carried by a passing vessel into Charleston; but nothing whatever was seen of the people on the Templar, although the vessel cruised about the neighborhood of the disaster for some time in hopes of rescuing them. Tugz Coroner's Jury in Brooklyn have investigated the gas works casualty, and, finding no one to blame, have requested the authorities to: take down the remaining col- umns aud make inquiries regarding the safety of the gas works. Inquiry is hardly neces- sary. It is plainly evident that a gas estab- lishment which has two explosions and a caving in of all the columns within a few weeks is certainly unsafe. Nor Deap Yet.—A joint resolution has been introduced into the Indiana Legislature, declaring the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment illegal, and proposing a conven- tion of the States for amending the constitu- tion, It was referred to the Committee on “Poreign” Relations. What is meant by this reference? Does Indiana consider herself out of the Union and only mean to treat with tho federal government as a ‘foreign” one. Truly, ' “the tools are not all dead yet.” NEW YORK HERALD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 31. 1871.-TRIPLE SHEET. }'The New France, the New Germany and the New European Balance of Power. The capitulation of Paris marks the begia- ning of a new historical epoch for France, for Germany and for Europe. Henceforth, whether empire, kingdom or republic, France will not be the France of the Bonapartes, the Bourbons or the red republicans, but a new France, governed by new ideas and a new réle in reference to European affairs. Completely at the mercy of the Emperor William, we recognize the broad and comprehensive mind of Count Bismarck in the liberality of his terms to France, embraced in the surrender of her capital, In his discretion the German con- queror might have recalled the Bonapartes or the Bourbons; but recognizing the people in the foreground in France, as in Germany, he has wisely granted an armistice of twenty-one days, during which the French people, in the election of a National Assembly, are to deter- mine for themselves the reconstruction of their government. Whatever this gov- ernment may be it is evident that Count Bismarck is sure of its compliance with his terms of peace, and that under any form the immediate necessities of France will serve the ends of Germany. There is, too, a shrewd exemplification of German good sense, moderation and economy in their requiring the three or four hundred thousand French soldiers in Paris only to lay down their arms and consider themselves as prisoners on parole within the limits of the city, instead of exacting the condition of their removal as prisoners of war to Germany. Thus, while in this graceful act the general feeling of the Parisians will be softened toward the hated Prussian, a very con- siderable sum of money is saved to Germany. Indeed, in every respect the moderstion of the Germans in this capture of Paris is a great improvement upon the examples of the first Napoleon in Berlin, Vienna and other capitals reduced by him to the humiliation of a fereign master; and a great improvement, too, upon the occupation of Paris by the Allies in 1814 and 1815. This conciliatory policy on the part of the Germans will no doubt operate to their advantage in silencing the “‘reds” and in developing the eldnents of common sense both in the election and in the deliberations of the forthcoming French National Assembly. In any event the reconstructed France of 1871 will be a new France, differing in many essentials from the France of 1870, or of any other period, under Bourbon, Bonaparte or republic. She will be shorn of those eastern fortresses, and the opposite Rhine valley, to and including the Vosges range of mountains, at least, will be annexed to Baden, and this will close the border gap and the temptation to France to enter it as a disturber of the peace. She will, in other words, be removed entirely from the Rhine, and will know heace- forth that that bond of German unity must be respected. Apart, however, from these mate- rial guarantees, Germany, for atleast a quarter of a century to come, from the convincing les- sons administered in this war, will have a peaceful neighbor in France. Down to the entente cordiale with Efgland of Napoleon Iil. the universal French idea was the idea of avenging Waterloo. How long, then, will survive the bitterness of France against Prus- sia and Germany in reference to Woerth, Se- dan, Strasbourg, Metz and Paris? It may last for two generations; it may disappear with the present generation. The necessities which will compel France, government and people, to look to the ways and means for repairing damages will divert her attention and her energies to new ideas, new measures of reform in her military system and in her school sys- tem, to closer relations, political and commer- cial, with the Western Powers and with the United States, and to the policy of a larger development of her colonial forces and re- sources. In the gencral diplomacy of Europe her future policy will not be aggressive, but conservative; not dictatorial, but respectful, to her neighbors; and not for the extension of her frontiers, but for the maintenance of her established boundaries. This radical transformation of France from a policy of war to the ways of peace will be to her an immense gain. The debaucheries of war and conquest have been the ruin of all the ruling nations of the Earth, from the ancient Assyrians and Persians down to the decline of Spain, from the invincible Armada to the Spain of the present day. We cannot believe, how- ever, that the active, intelligent and industrious French nation is on this downward course to ruin from the debaucheries of the empire; but that France, from the severe instructions of this war, will become a new France and great among her rivals in a new career of peace, and that Paris, in all the ennobling tri- umpbs of modern civilization, will become more than ever the metrepolis of the civilized world, The new Germany developed by this war is the strongest Power in Europe. Her military strength and her central position considered, she may dictate the law to her neighbors, north, south, east or west. But the Germans, although now proved the most warlike, are in truth the most peaceable and reason- able people on the European Continent. For hundreds of years, from their absurd divisions and subdivisions of petty kingdoms and principalities, free cities and what not, they have been the prey of France. But in counting upon the continuance of these divisions Louis Napoleon committed his fatal mistake. He thus did the work for Germany in aday which otherwise might have occupied Bismarck to the end of his life without real- izing the accomplishment of German unity. Thus war sometimes has this advantage over peace. It cuts short all quibbling and petti- fogging and brings the interested parties directly to the main question. German unity is now a fixed fact, and the new Emperor of Ger- many mey repeat, if he will, the imperial réle of Charlemagne. It does not appear, however, that he aims at anything more, territorially, than those disturbing French provinces, in whole or in part, of Alsace and Lorraine. Upon this basis we are prepared for peace. With Germany, then, rests the future Euro- pean balance of power. The interests of Aus- tria, looking down the Danube, will attract her to an alliance with Germany; the interests of England and France in the maintenance of Turkey as an independent State, will draw those Powers to an alliance with many: the King of Italy, Uaving lost the Emperor of France, will now seek for a friend in the Emperor of Germany, and the dear old Pope, the good but unfortu- nate Pio Nono, has already secured the friend who will see him righted ia the stout old Ger- man who was yesterday only the King of Prussia, but is to-day the confirmed Emperor of Germany. We incline to the opinion, too, that thisnew Germany will hold back Russia from Constantinople, and that Russia will thus devote her attention less to the Bosphorus, and more to the development of her vast ter- ritories of Asia, even tothe Pacific Ocean. We believe, too, from what our travelling special correspondent on the Euphrates and in Persia and in Asiatic Turkey bas told us of English and French enterprise in those regions—the cradle of the haman race—the great centre of the mighty nations and races from which Europe was peopled or overrus— we believe that England and France will be active in calling to life again all those inte- resting historical regions, from Jerusalem to the sites of Babylon, and Nineveh, Babel and the Garden of Eden, to Persepolis and theace to Hindostan. Such is the field of thought open before us in Europe and in Asia from the issues of this war in France; and all because Louis Napo- leon of France, as king-maker of Europe, would not havea Hohenzollern as King of Spain. Favre’s Negotiations With Bismarck. Continuing his full and graphic report of the ever memorable events which transpired be- fore the French capital last week, our cor- respondent at Versailles sends us a special despatch, narrating, in a lively, animated style, the negotiatiens between M. Jules Favre and Count Bismarck. By way of intro- duction he alludes to the conflict of feeling on the part of the French in Ver- sailles, We can very well understand how they hesitate between joy at the approaching termination of the war and the deepest anguish at the surrender of Paris and tho humiliation of France. But this uncertainty of feeling must finally give way to a brave resignation. There will be mourning enough in bereaved homes, not only in Versailles, but throughout France, without the entire nation giving way to grief over a disaster so utterly beyond repair, that nothing could be more criminal than a resumption of hostilities on the termination of the armistice. Leaving Versailles and the joys, sorrows and anxieties of her citizens, our corre- spondent enters into the details of the capitu- lation and armistice negotiations. M, Favre's meeting with Bismarck was full of dramatic interest. ‘Well, Monsieur Favre,” said the Prussian Minister, ‘‘what is the object of this visit?” Whereupon Favre, deeply affected, declared that his object was to puta stop to the terrible sufferings of his country, as Paris had lost hope of relief from the pro- vinces. What a change this dejection pre- sented from the haughty demeanor of the French republican leader in his first inter- views! However, Bismarck was magnanimous and even sympathetic. When Favre de- manded permission for the garrison of Paris to march out with the honors of war he frankly admitted that he could not approve the de- mand, but he promised to lay the matter before the Emperor. That done he assumed a sociable air, dismissed business and proved himself a generous foe by inviting Favre to a substantial dinner—a good ‘‘square meal,” without, we hazard, such delicacies as fricasseed rats and dog chops, to which, doubtless, Favre, as a patriotic Frenchman, had limited his menu for several days pre- viously. But in spite of the courtesy and considera- tion thus shown the iron hand was felt beneath the velvet. Fayre was placed under surveil- lance ; he was not permitted to hold commu- nications with any person, and the Mayor of Versailles, who endeavored to have an inter- view with him, was threatened with arrest if he did not abandon his design. Of course the Emperor William at once rejected the French demand and submitted his terms, which were Ginally accepted. After Bismarck left the Im- perial Council with the acceptance he entered the office of the chief aide-de-camp ‘‘and be- gan whistling the Prussian ‘hullah,’ which is blown at boar hunts when the beast is down.” Doubtless this was a diplomatic way of informing those present that the French boar was down, for he never spoke a word, But if Bismarck was elated the Emperor of Germany was not. ‘‘Hnceore trop de bali- verne,” he observed in a troubled tone, when he had finished reading the terms of capitula- tion which had beea arranged the night pre- vious between Favre and Bismarck. And doubtless the old Hohenzollern monarch had good reason for thinking that there was too much humbug in the document. The real trouble was all over, however. Paris had surrendered and the triumph of Germany was complete. What will follow the armistice is now the great question. Our correspondent thinks that Bismarck’s thirteenth trick will be the imperial regency, with which he expects to win the game. Favre and the other “gentlemen of the pavement” he does not trust. In them he can see nothing but the seeds of future trouble with France. How he will play his last remaining card will be made known before long. The chances are that he will trump the republican knave and the Or- leans deuce with the imperial ace. Tae New Sitvation 1n France.—There is litle to add to what bas already been stated regarding the situation in France, as described in our cable despatches to-day. The army of General Bourbaki is breaking up demoralized, and those who composed it are dispersing and endeavoring to make their escape into neutral territory. From the Heratp’s special corre- spondent at Versailles we have fuller particu- lars of the surrender of Paris and the meeting between Jules Favre and Count Bismarck. Speaker HirowMan’s new rapid Transit bill has been introduced in the Assembly. It provides for an improved elevated railway from the Battery to Spuyten Duyvil, running along the west side, and will require a capital of ten million dollars. Burier had passed in the House yesterday a resolution of welcome to the Fenian exiles. It is ‘too thin,” The Fenian vete cannot be caught on such slim pretence as that Byron’s Forty-Parson Power at Lust. ‘Byron, ina moment of frenzy, called for a “forty-parson power” to do something or other, What it was we don't remember, and have not time to hunt up the passage, but we rather fancy it was to sing the praises of the great goddess Hypocrisy. Well, we have at last very nearly realized the cynical poet's wish. The forty-parson power has all but made its first appearance on the great Ameri- can stage. It is at present only a thirty or thereabouts parson power—not quite the poet's number, but very nearly answering in the pur- pose to which it applies itself to the poet’s object. For this band of black-coated brethren has stepped forward, being ministers of Protestant denominations, to do—what? Make a united onslaught on sin, on immor- ality, on Sabbath breaking, on political cor- ruption, on the devil or any portion of that active personage’s works? Ob, dear, no; not the least in the world. They unite in this comical ecclesiastical phalanx to request the Executive to remove a Roman Catholic gentle- man from the head of the Custom House of the city of New York, The burlesque aspects of this proceeding are 50 overpowering that we may be excused if we dwell almost exclusively upon them. The thing has its serious, almost tragical, aspect; but Divine Providence and the congre- gations who pay these gentlemen may bo trusted to take care of that. But it is inex- pressibly droll to observe the total want of taste as well as of honor in theso guardians of the faith and pastors of the flock, Theo- logians have been in the habit of talking of holy simplicity as a specific Christian attri- bute. Shall we be thought very unkind if we characterize this step as an illustration of pro- fane simplicity? For, indeed, there is some- thing little short of profane in combining such @ mass of ecclesiastical respectability for an assault upon a single secular official of a dif- ferent creed. And perfect simplicity it is for these gentlemen to suppose that any result can come from their eccentric proceeding except discredit and ridicule to the ecclesias- tical character, 80 far as they repre- sent it. It is curious, indeed, to see with what animus ecclesiastics cembine. Once, and once only, did the Bishops of the Estab- lished Church of England combine for a par- ticular purpose in this century. If eur read- ers were to guoss forever they would never divine for what it was these prosperous and ponderous personages laid their heads toge- ther, and, putting by for the nonce bitter per- sonal and religious animosities, subscribed their right reverend names to a common mani- festo, It was to implore the directors of rail- way companies in Great Britain never more to run a single railway train on Sunday. That was the noble and exalted object for which the total British Episcopate blew its united and absurd blast. All England laughed at them, and in its respectable way swore a little under its breath at this amazing exhibition of par- sonic impracticability. But absurd as that was, it was respectable, and even dignified and pious, compared with this fulmination of a hole and corner council of Protestant ministers against a particular Roman Catholic official. It is disagreeable to have to break butter- flies on the wheel ; but if butterflies will get into the way of the wheel of business life they must thank themselves if they are crushed under it. We should like to know what the ministers of religion have to do with appoint- ments to the Custom House, and we should even more like to know the processes of thought which induced a group of these spiritual officers to approach the Executive with such an extraordinary attempt to influ- ence his policy and purpeses. The ways of parsons are dark, we know—too dark for us to understand—and we generally give them up like a riddle that cannot be guessed. But this latest and qneerest phenomenon of the eccle- siastical movement is one of which we should very much like to have the key. Is it a case of pure spontaneous generation? Hardly ; there is no such thing in point of fact. What fly was it that dropped the egg that hatched this maggot in the respectable brain ecclesiastic? Can it be that political cliques know how to manipulate the strings to which these puppets dance? Can it be that the churches are being invaded by the great republican and democratic fight? Can it be that the money changers have got into the Temple and are raising therein the seven devils of party strife? We shrink appalled from such a hypothesis. But what are we to think, and how sha!l we explain this mysterious circumstance? We would give it up, like the riddle, but wecannot. It will not give us up. It haunts us. It clings like the recollection of a hideous dream. It is a nightmare in broad daylight—an abomination of desolation, and perplexity and absurdity. And the frightful question further arises whether this is the first step in a series of such acts. For this sort of thing were these gentlemen in reality, among the rest, ordained? Shall we see a perpetually recurring series of little Protestant councils pronouncing infalli- bly upon the merits of tax collectors and taxes? Will some little group of tobacco- hating parsons units in a manifesto to the President no longer to profane his posi- tion and the atmosphere by the Havanas which just make his tortured existence endur- able to him? Shall we supplement our secu- lar police by a religious constabulary, which will keep a register of the usual winks that pass between male and female clerks in our bureaus? Is the kingdom of righteousness to become a kingdom of white chokered Bumble- dom, with a hundred eyes of Argus, levelled at the ways and works of the miserable creatures who earn the hard bread of government? Will the Catholic clergy reply by a counter manifestation against some eminent Protestant official? Is the whole public air to be made hideous by beatings of this kind on this new drum ecclesiastic, by these squealings of mingled political and sectarian virulence? For our part we shall set about a severe course of fasting and praying to avert such horrors, And we can, in the meantime, only say with poor Hamlet, that we know what we are, but we cannot tell what we may come to. And to the ecclesiastics we can but humbly represent that they have their pulpits. Do they not hold us there like #o many Ancient Mariners ‘with their glitter- ing eye,” where we listen helplessly every Sun- day without power to reply? Is not that enough, Must thev invade the Executive ee Mansion, the Sonate Ouamber, all tho rest of | Congress Yesterday-A Sumptanry Lawes life? Is there no such thing in this perplexed world as the cobbler sticking to his last? In the name of public peace and common sense let them remember this bomely adage, and let this funny departure from the decorums and usages of religious life be their last. If they were to try for centuries they could never im- Prove upon this absurdity. And by way of flaal word let us remind these spiritual Quixotes that Church and State are separate things under the constitution of the United States. Do they suppose they will alter this fondamental law by this sort of popgun prac- tice? If there be any grace of repentance in these gentlemen, sackcloth and ashes ought to rise in the market; for of a verity they want a goodly quantity of both. The Eastern Question in a New Fhase. Prince Charles of Roumania has published a letter in which he hints at his approaching resignation of authority ‘‘on account of the too great liberty allowed to the people by the constitution.” Such is the substance of ao cable telegram from Europe, which we pub- lish elsewhere. This intelligence is in reality of much more importance than what may appear at first sight. It foreshadows an East- ern question agitation, It inclines toward placing Turkey in an embarrassing position at @ moment of most critical import in the cur- rent history of the affairs of Europe and the East. And by whom is it undertaken? By a Hohenzollern prince—Prince Charles, the brother of Prince Leopold, whose nomination to the throne of Spain produced the terrible war between Prussia and France. Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen is of the royal house of imperial Germany. Prus- sia may seek to take a new departure eastward in conjunction with Russia—the Czar, of course, keeping on the old path— even before the Germans disarm near Paris. If the Emperor William has turned his eyes in that direction it may be useful, after the fashion of Aisop's fable, to have the waters of the Danube muddied a little beforehand. Prussia, in her new rile of ‘head pacificator” of the Old World peoples, her sword in one hand and drafts of new constitutions in the other, may have determined to settle the Eastern question before his Majesty unbar- nesses from his uniform in Rerlin. In view of such an eventuality we illustrate our cable news telegram by the publication of a complete history of the Roumanian question, Prince Charles’ call to power, the resources of the Danubian Principalities, the Prince's family relationships, politics and money resources. The compilation will prove of much interest and great utility to the public. Growth of Western Cities. The Superior (Wisconsin) Times is much exercised at the prospect that its rival, Duluth, at the head of Lake Superior, will become a great city at the expense of the trade of New York. Rather, in consequence of that trade, neighbor; for whatever contributes to the extension of the business prosperity of the metropolis is sure to benefit every new and enterprising city in the West. New York has a position that commands the foreign trade with the world, and all efforts to deprive ber of that supremacy by envious sister cities are idle and will prove abortive. Let the youth- ful city of Duluth, and all other new cities in the West, havea chance. Duluth basa daily paper already—rather small, to be sure; but newspapers, like men, generally ‘‘creep before they walk.” Touching the subject of Western cities and the rapidity of their growth, we have some interesting statistics in regard to Kansas City, Mo. The census returns show that no other city in the country of a population exceeding twenty thousand has grown as rapidly within the last decade as Kansas City. In 1860 its population was 4,721, and in 1870 it was 32,286, the ratio of increase being 633 per cent. Kansas City owes her prosperity to energy and enterprise in the management and completion of railread connections, Five and one-half years ago she had not a single railroad; now she has eight prosperous ones. It is a pleasure for us to chronicle these evi- dences of the unconquerable enterprise of our Western people, and no railroad or other per- sonal interests should be allowed to impede the march of the West to a magnificent future, Extension of Storm Signals to the Pacific. After to-morrow, February 1, regular wea- ther reports will be received at Washington three times a day from Corinne, in Utab, and San Francisco, in California. The system of storm signals which has so frequently been advocated by the Hzratp, and the adoption of which has already commended itself by im- portant direct or indirect advantages, will thus be extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The first of the recent heavy snow storms came, according to unanimous reports, from the Rocky Mountains. The presumption is that these storms came from the Pacific. One important scientific question to be de- cided by the storm signals is whether this was actually the case, proving that some of the storms hitherto supposed to sweep from the Atlantic over the country on this side of the Rocky Mountains have, in fact, swept from the Pacific across the lofty Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. It may be expected that the system of storm signals will have been so greatly perfected and extended within a few months as to satisfy the public that we have not exaggerated the immense practical ser- vices which it is capable of rendering. This system will effect a saving of life and property on both land and sea which will be incalcu- lable, if due attention be paid to its warnings of the approach of storms, from whatever direc- tion. Tux Cnorrennina Fravp proves that the wits of Congressmen need sharpening. The whole fraud passed both houses without dis- cussion or discovery. Toe AMERICANS A Reapina Pgropre.—The St, Stephen (N. B.) Courier, afier calling at- tention to the enterprise of the New York Herarp in publishing such extended cable reports of the war in Europe, causing a lavish expenditure of money, says the Americans are indeed a ‘reading people.” Sothey are. But they are not only a reading people, but an advertising people, and, therefore, a sensible people, who are always ready to appreciate newspaper enterprise and reward it accord- ingly. The Air Line Railroad—The Chorpeuning Claim=The Krish Exiles—Woman suf- frage—The Gcorgia Senatorship. Yesterday was the miscellaneous business day of the House, in which the States are called for the introduction of bills for refe- rence only, and in which it is in order to move to suspend the rules and pass any measure by a majority of two-thirds. Among tho bills in- troduced and referred was one by which Mr. Morrill, of Maine, proposes to make the old Maine liquor law applicable to all the military, naval and civil officers of tho government, by declaring it an offence against the peace of society to furnish any of them with intoxicat- ing liquors and by requiring the dismissal of any of them who indulge in such forbidden pleasures. We very much fear that if this new apostle of temperance were able to carry his theory into practice there would be an active demand for men to fill the numerous vacant places in the army and navy and civil service, and that it would be very difficult to find the right sort of men in the requisite num- ber, unless it might be in the moral State of Maine, where people don’t drink unless when- ever they get the chance. The opponents of Mr. Ingersoli’s bill for an air line railroad be- tween Washington and this city resorted to a very ingenious stratagem to prevent any action upon it, Itis in such a position that it must come up In the moraing hour as soon as the call of States is concluded, which ordinarily does not occupy more than fifteen or twenty minutes; but that work was spread yesterday over the whole hour by the opponents of the air line measure requiring each bill that waa introduced to be read. By this parliamentary manceuvre the Air Line bill was successfully kept out of sight, where it will probably remain till the close of Congress, unless its friends are strong enough to pass it, under @ suspension of the rules, by a two-thirds majority. The somewhat famous Chorpenning claim was ventilated yesterday by Mr. Dawes, chairman of the Committee on Appropria- tions, to which the subject had been referred, and, according to the showing made, it was proved to be a first class fraud. Some eighteen years ago Chorpenning had a couple of contracts for carrying the mail between Salt Lake City and Sacramento and some other points. At his own request and for his own convenience he was permitted to change the route so as to take advantage of the water communication up the Pacific coast from San Pedro to San Francisco. For this, however, he madea claim for extra compensation, and Congress, in 1855, with that liberality which contractors and claim agents have found so easy and the Treasury so hard, passed a bill for his relief, under which he pocketed some seventy-nine thousand dollars. Ever since ho has been boring successive Postmaster Gene- rals to reopen his accounts and make him still further allowances; but as he could not con- vince any of the officials that he had not been already overpaid, or that he was entitled to “one red cent,” as Mr. Dawes puts it, he came to Congress and there found a means of get- ting a bill introduced and passed, on the last day of the last session, without explanation or debate, directing the Postmaster General to adjust his claim and to take for evidence the papers on file in the House of Representa- tives. These papers had been so arranged as to keep out of sight the fact that the change of route on which his claim was based was permitted at his own request and for his own convenience, while they contained scraps of evidence to give some show of color to his claims; and on these, which the Post- master General considered himself bound, under the terms of the joint resolution, to treat as valid evidence, he succeeded in getting an additional allowance of four hundred and forty-three thousand dollars, making the snug little profit of more than half a million over and above the contract price. Fortunately for the government, however, the transaction, at this interesting stage of it, reaehed the ears of Mr. Dawes, who got the House to pass a resolution suspending the payment of the award, and yesterday the House followed up the action by the passage of a joint resolu- tion repealing that of last session. Mr. Dawes attributed the blame in the matter to the reckless and precipitate action of the House at last session, rather exonerating Postmaster General Creswell for his share init. But Mr. Beck, another member of the Committee on Appropriations, was not so lenient upon the Postmaster General, con- sidering that, while he was not actually cen- surable for malfeasance in effice, he was guilty of great negligence in not calling the attention of Congress to what he knew to be a barefaced fraud, and mentioning, as & note- worthy incident in the matter, that Mr. Cres- well’s law partner and associate was the counsel who got Chorpenning’s claims through the department. The whole transaction reflects but little credit on Congress, on the Post Office Department or upon the claimant, who thas finds his little scheme exposed and brought to nought. The Irish exiles and patriots who have _ recently arrived here from British prisons have had a resolu- tion of welcome and sympathy passed by the House in the name and on behalf of the people of the United States. Mr. Butler, of Massachusetts, was the author of the resolu- tion, which was copied, as he says, from that passed by Congress in honor of Kossuth. Neither political party, however, can derive any exclusive benefit from this compliment to the Irish voters, for the democrats voted for it without @ single exception, and there wero oaly twenty-one republicans who ventured to record their votes in the negative. As the resolution welcomes the exiles to the Capitol we presume that arangements will be made for their presence at the carnival with which the Washingtonians are preparing to astonish and amuse the universe next month. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee has made an adverse report on the memorial of Mrs. Victoria C. Woodhull, asking the pas- sage of a declaratory act affrming the right of women to vote under the fifteenth amendment to the constitution. Mr. Bingham thinks that the amendment is not susceptible of that con- struction, and that if it is itis no part of tha duty of Congress to pass a declaratory act, but that it is for the courts so to construe it, Accordingly be reports against tho prayer of tha votition, and asks that the committee be