The New York Herald Newspaper, January 10, 1872, Page 6

NEW YURK HERALD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1872.—TKIPLE SHEET, NEW YORK HERALD BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR, Velame XXXVI soreeeNO. 10 AMUSEMENTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, IBLO'S GARDEN, Bi ” ae ‘streets.—BL ACK CROOn, Betrnee Sree, oe BOWERY THEATRE, Walirs or New Yor. OLYMPIC THEATRE, Hroadway.—Tue B. - TOMIME oF HuMPry Duwery. Matinee at 3." fae Bowery.—Hovst Doc—Tax BOOTH’S THEATRE, T a - Pn E, Twenty-third st., corner Sixth ay, GRAND OPERA HOUSE, corner of r t= Be a lel E, corner of 8th av, and 33d WOOD'S MUSEUM, Broadway, corner 33th at, —| - ‘ances afternoon and evening. BEAUTY AND Tir Besse ST. JAMES’ THEATRE, Twenty- way.—MONALDI. » Twenty-ciguth atrect and Broad- FIFTH AVENUE THEATRE, Twoaty-f stroot. = Tux New Drama or Divorce, iia caea WALLACK'S THEATRE, Broad oe seaeon &, Broadway and 13th street. AIMEE’S OPERA BOUFF! — Po 'B, 7% Broadway.—Orera MRS. FP, B. CONWAY'S : G Monts Ox1570. BROOKLYN THEATRE.. PARK THEATRE, 0} ite City Hall, Trumrs; on, Hien, Low Sack anv rut GA Brooklyn.— ME. STEINWAY HALL, For Ti y Guann Conciat. L, Fourteenth st.--Turopore Tuomas! THEATRE COMIQUE, 514 Broadway.—Comio Vooat- 18m, NEGKO Sean Matinee at 2. UNION SQUARE THEATRE, Fourtoonth st, and Broad Way.—NEQHO ACTS—BURLESQUE, BALLET, £0. Matinee, TONY PASTOR'S OPERA HOUSE. No. 201 Bowery,— NE@EO EcurntRICiTIRs, BULLESQUES, £0. BRYANT'S NEW OPERA UOUSE, 234 at, botween 6th and 7th avs.--BRYANT's MINSTRELS. SAN FRANCISCO MINSTREL HALL, 685 Broadway.— ‘Tur San FRANOISCO MINSTRELS. NEW YORE CIRCUS, Fourteontn street.—SCENES IN tum RING, Actonats, &0, Matince at 23. TRIPLE SHEET. New York, Wednesday, January 10, 1872. CONTENTS OF TO-DAY’S HERALD, Pace. I—Advertisements, veruisemenis, Washington: ‘The Charges Against Senator Clayton and Congressman Edwards, of Ar- + The Coinuge Bill in the House; Charies Hale, the New Assistant Secretary of State; Wholesale Ku Kiux Murders; Cuban Recognition and Spanish Slavery in the West Andies—The Closing Scene: Last Act in the ‘Tragedy of James Fisk, Jr.; The Obsequies at Brattleboro; a Qu et Funeral and a Mourniul Fotlowing—The Joseph Dowling Hop—The ‘Tammany Society—Telegraphic News Items, 4—Tiie Fisk Anque: ‘ne Coroner's Jury Find that James Fisk, Jr., Died from Wounds Inflicted by @ Pistol in the Hands of Edward 8. Stokes; the Jury Absent ‘'nree Hours; No Felony, but “Deliberate” Shooting; a Witness Who Dia Not Appear and Has Not Keen Found by the Police; Stokes Committed by the Coro» per—Amusements—Pigeon Shooting: The Mayor Thinks the Police Have No Right to ln- teriere—The National Academy of Design—Tar- nd Shooting and Cannon Firing—Mysterious veath—Scotia'’s National Game: The Grand Curling Contest at Ceniral Park—Suicide in a Station House—Fire in Catharine Street—Fire in Broadway—Personal Intelligence. GeReform: The Proposed New Registry and Election Law; the Remedy of the Radical Re- formers for False Voting and False Counting at Elections; a New Election for Mayor aud Aldermen to Take Place Next April and Anothor Next November; How the Reformers Would Have Voting and Canvassing Done in New York; # Complete System of Police Espionage io be Established Throughout the Whole City and County: the Pol:ce Board to Take Charge of the Bureau of Elections and Appoint Inspector, Poll Clerks and Other Election OMicers; Extraordinary Powers to be Conterred on inspectors; How Fraud and False Counting are to va Enectually Ren- dered Impossibie—Kmigrant Swindlers—Mys- terious Disappearance. G—Editortais: Leading ..rticle, “Cuba and Mexico, or Elther—General Grant's Great Opportu- nity’’—Amusement Announcements. 7 ain: HEKALD Special Report [rom Madrid; interview of General Sherman and Liteu- tenant Grant with King Amadeus; His Majesty Desirous of Peace and Amity Between tne United States and Spain—News from England, France, Germany and Belgium— The Warlike Mormons: Governor Wood's Message Kead to a Rebellious Legislature— The Kevolution !n Mexico—Louisiana: The First Blood Diawn in the Quarrel; Action of the Kival Houses; President Grant Unanie to re His Way Out of the Dificulty—Business joluces. 8—Municipal Developments: General Cochrane as Acting Mayor; Mayor Hall Takes a Week's Reat—Tne Committee of Seventy: Address of Mr, Wililam F. Havemeyer—Are Savings Bate? The Unprecedented Kun on the Third Avonue Savings Bank—New Jersey Legisia- ture : Organization, Election of Officers and Proceodings in Both Houses; the Governor's jessage—Uhio and Wisconsin Legisiatares— Naval Intelligence: State of Afairs at the brooklyn Navy Yard—Reckless Truck Driver— Brooklyn Adairs—Sale of Pews at Piymoutn Oburch—The Franklin Statue—Burglary on nth = Avenue—New York City News— hed by Rail—Fatal Collision—A Fractured skull—Pugilistio—The Newark Murderer—The Fitzpatrick Homicide—Burgiary in Bleecker Sireet. @=—The Custom House Committce: “informers” soning te the Front; How the Weighers Do Their ty to the Government and to Their Party—The New York Printing Company—A Villanous Outrage—The Museum Casualty— nanctal and Commercial Keports—Domestic arkets—Marriages, Birth and Deaths. 10—The State Capital: Procccdings of tne Legisia- ture; Appointment of Standing Committees in the Assembly—Mra, Wharton: Current of Public Opinion—Shipping Iuteiligence—adver- tsements, t4=Tho Courts: Interesting Proceedings in the United States Supreme Court and in the New York and Brovklyn Courts; Casey im Banke Fuptcy aod Admiraity—The Calender ‘Triat Poatponed—The Central Saviags Bank in Couri—Yorkville Police Justice Case—Acquit- tal of Parties Charged With Violations of the Election Law—The Oli Hackley Contract Litle ation §Revived—Importans Trials in the eneral Seasions—A Diainond Thiet—Adver- ments. 12—Adveriisoments, Toe New ORLEANS Muppir.—The trouble {n the Loulsiana Legislature yesterday resulted ina scuffle, ia which one of the members— Walter A. Whayland—was sbot. The un- fortunate legislator subsequently died, Naporzon’s Fortucomiva ReveLatrons,— The Emperor of the French, we are told, will shortly publish o historical work, in whtoh startling revelations will be made regarding the French military system during the late war with Germany, The world at large regarded the military system of France previous to that war as the finest inthe world. Opinion, bow. ever, bas changed since then. Napoleon's ideas also must be considerably altered. If bis forthcoming work {s intended to show the weaknesses, deticiences and drawbacks of the French system, which he formerly upheld, it is a great pity he did not know them before engaging in » war which brought disaster and calamity to bis country. Ssrazy Att Riaut.—Governor Randolph yesterday delivered his last message to the Legislature of New Jersey. From the finan- clal exhibit the State 1s in a very flourishing condition. In regard to the State tax on rail- toads the Governor says:—‘‘Over one-half of the entire receipts of the State fund come from Imposts put upon two railway companies, There {s so madifest an inequality in the ope- ration of the laws under which revenue to the State is levied from its railway corporations that a thorough revision of them is recom- mended.” This railroad tax, it so happens, is @hiefly levied upon the passenger traffic be- tween this city and Philade!pbia, our citizens doing their share towards rileving the Jer- goyren of the husden of local taxation, Cupa and Mexico, or Either—General Graut’s Great Opportunity. There has never been offered to any admin- istration at Washington, or to any candidate for the Presidency, such a splendid opportu- nity fora stroke of overwhelming popularity and lasting distinction as that which is now offered to General Grant in the settlement of the “manifest destiny” of Cuba and Mexico. Our relations with Spain have at length reached that point from which, in ad- vancing, we enlarge our national domain, wealth and power, but from which, in retreat- ing, we gain nothing buta postponement of the inevitable settlement—a postponement which may prove a disastrous blunder. Mex- ican anarchy, still tending from bad to worse, and the annoyances and losses which we suffer from it along our whole frontier, and in all our commercial relations with that distracted country, demand some form of decisive inter- vention in bebalf of law and order there; and here again a postponement only prolongs and aggravates the manifold evils which might at once be remedied, and for which the only remedy is active intervention and annexation. In Cuba and in Mexico, then, or in either, there is an opportunity for General Grant to make his administration the most distinguished in the history of the United States, and his second election as much the general choice of the people as the second election of Monroe. The outrages of Spanish officials upon Amer!- can citizens in Cuba, the intolerable insults from Spanish naval officers to our flag in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the continued prosecution of the African slave trade in Cuba, and the numerous savage atro- cities of Valmaseda, afford sufficient grounds for a decisive ultimatum from General Grant to the Spanish government. It is understood that, in reference to the outrage upon the ship Florida, an apolozy and reparation have been demanded of Madrid, and it is to be hoped that no diplomatic evasions or equivocations will be accepted in this matter. Should ample satisfaction be given upon these points, the common cause of civilization and humanity still requires ‘the active intervention of our government for the suppression of the African slave trade and these horrible atrocities of Valmaseda and his savage volunteers. Upon all these things, If General Grant is only half as much devoted to the Idea of the acquisition of Cuba as he was to tho annexation of St. Do- mingo, he may within a few months make the Cuban question the overshadowing political issue of the day. But, whatever the result of the diplomacy of Mr. Fish in reference to Cuba (and we are not very sanguine of anything but a tem- porizing peace policy from Mr. Fish), there is still the golden opportunity of a new depar- ture in reference to Mexico. Let the Presi- dent ask of Congress the power to punish the ‘free zone” smugglers and border ruffians of Mexico, In the authority to cross the Rio Grande with an armed force in the enforce- ment of our treaty stipulations with our dis- orderly neighbor, and we shall soon have a settlement of the Mexican question. How was Texas annexed? By joint resolutions from Congress, providing, in the President's discretion : first, for the imperative annexation of the Texas republic, regardless of its Mexican boundary dispute; and, secondly, for the set- tlement in advance with Mexico of the boundary question, President Tyler had yet one day, or rather one night, of his term remaining, when these joint resolutions were submitted to him for bis approval, March 3, 1845. He acted, after signing the resolutions, in accepting the first proposition, and at once he sent off his mes- senger to Texas with it, under cover of the night, so that when President Polk came in next day, (there being no telegraph at that time except the experimental line between Washington and Baltimore), he had nothing to do but to abide by the consequences of the decision of Captain Tyler, Texas was thus annexed on her own as- sumptions of boundary, and so her claim be- came our claim, She claimed the Rio Grande, Mexico insisted that the proper boundary was the Nueces, a small river running into the Gulf, some fifty miles, more or less, this side of the RioGrande, Between the two rivers the Mexicans had posted an army to maintain their claim. Between those two rivers Old Zach Taylor came into collision with that Mexican army; and this was the beginning of our war with Mexico. Polk supported Taylor, Congress supported Polk, and so the Mexican war was declared and fought through to ‘‘the Halls of the Montezumas.” And what were the results? They were the most momentous, the most wonderful and the most important in the whole history of the United States as an independent nation, Had Captain Tyler left the alternative of annexation to his successor, Polk, to whom it properly belonged, it was understood that the peace alternative would have been adopted, and that this annexation business would have stopped by treaty at the Rio Grande, we paying Mexico the difference for the disputed territory to the Nueces. But Tyler, in assuming the responsibility of the war policy, upset the democratic programme and spoiled the calculations of Calhoun, who foresaw the danger to Southern slavery from a war with Mexico, and fought to the last mo- ment in the Senate to avoid it, But the grim joke perpetrated by Captain Tyler, on bis last night inthe White House, turned out, we say, inits results, to be the greatest and grandest measure in the history of the government, The annexation alterna- tive he adopted gave us the war with Mexico, and the war gave us not only Texas to the Rio Grande, but all that vast region now comprised in the Territories of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona, and the States of Novada and California; and these have given us the boundless wealth of all their gold and silver mines, the Pacific Railroad, and incidentally they brought about the war of our Southern rebellion, the abolition of Southern slavery, the establishment of negro civil equality and negro suffrage, a national debt of twenty-five bundred millions, our present heavy national taxes, and a uniform national paper currency meeting all demands even in the way of small cbange beyond our famous nickel five cent coin, All these grand results are due to the scratch of a pen by Captain John Tyler on the night of the third of March, 1845, intended as a joke upon his democratic successor coming into office next day. But great, grand and glorious as are all these results from the scratch of a pen by Cap- tain Tyler, atill axcater apd grander xeaulta are promised from the scratch of a pen from General Grant at this time in reference to Mex- ico. He has only to say the word, in order to secure the annexation of that magnificent country, with all its incalculable mineral and agricultural resources. And with Mexico se- cured, the States of Central America next, and then the West India Islands fall in under the natural laws of attraction and gravitation. If you cannot bring Mr. Fish to make an issue upon Cuba of a decisive character, Mr. Presi- dent, you can surely bring him to the mark upon Mexico; and you have only to bring for- ward the Mexican annexation question in a positive shape in order to walk over the Preasl- dential course next November. There is now no great political question or grand idea before the country. All the issues of the war and of reconstruction are settled, and upon the money quostion, in all its phases, the politicians on all sides are all adrift. The ‘‘sounding brass and the tink- ling cymbal” of civil service reform, revenue reform, Custom House reform, and all sorts of reforms, are heard on every side, but they are all ‘mere sound and fury signifying nothing.” Personal grievances and personal cliques and factions are cropping out here and there, and party landmarks and party principles are becoming dim and confused in the absence of any great issue or grand idea, Nor, under these conditions, can we tell where even the republican party will be next fall, It will, perhaps, be controlled more or less by some petty local issue in every Congressional dis- trict, or the shortcomings of Congress may neutralize the popularity of the President. Let General Grant, however, bring about a sharp and decisive issue involving the anpex- ation of Cuba or Mexico, and all the paltry party claptrap of the day on these small-fry questions of civil service reform and such will be swopt off in the general uprising of the people on the grand idea of ‘‘manifest des- tiny.” The Assembly Committees—A Good Brgin« ping in Legislative Reform. Speaker Smith has justified the good opinion of his friends. Entering upon the canvass for the Speakership of the Assembly with a determination to stand or fall upon his personal merits, and refusing from the firat to owe the position to a single outside or undue influence, he was elected without a pledge to any man, and with his hands free to form the groundwork of fogistation in such a manner as he should see fit, In framing the standing committees of the body over which he presides he has not rejected counsel and advice, but in his final determinations he has acted solely on his own judgment, and he Is alone responsible for their charactor. The list is published in our Albany cor- respondence, and it will be seen that, while many of the names are those of new men yet untried in legislation, the selections bear upon them the stamp of honesty and merit, It is gratifying to know that the Speaker bas expurzated from the principal committees every member whose logis- lative record is tarnished by the breath of suspicion, and that he has sought among the solid business men of the House those Into whose hands are to be consigned the most important duties of the session, Mr. Alvord, as a matter of course, finds his position at the head of the Committee of Ways and Means, to whioh he is entitled as much’ from his experience as from the vote he received in the contest for the Speakership. Mr. L. Bradford, Prince, a lawyer, residing at Flushing, is chairman of the important Committee on Ju- diciary. Colonel Rush C. Hawkins is at the head of the Committee on Cities, and, while he has done some indiscreet things early in the session, it is probable that, like many young members who are over-zealous at the start, he may settle down into a prac- tical legislator before the first few weeks of the session shall have passed. Mr. Daniel G. Fort, of Oswego, who has the chairman- ship of Canals, is a banker and a citizen of high oharacter and position. Mr. Alberger, of Buffalo, heads the Committee on Commerce and Navigation, and is a provision dealer, an old member and one whose honesty has never been called in question. Mr. Edward D. White, of Brooklyn, who is Chairman of Railroads, is a hardware dealer and manufacturer, and is spoken of asa man of wealth and strict In- tegrity. Mr. Lippitt, the Chairman of the In- surance Committee, is a farmer and merchant of Solsville, Madison county. Mr. C. Meech Woolsey, of Milton, Ulster county, is at the head of the Committee of Claims, and was a member last year. He is a mer- chant, and ts sald to be an honest man, although wo do not at the present moment recall the position he held in the last demoralizing session, The remaining chairmen are mainly farmers and merchants who stand well in their several localities; but, as we have said, many of the members are new and untried men, The best guarantee we have of the honest character of the committees is furnished by the absence of certain members from all of the important committee, Mr. Husted, of Westchester, {3 made chairman of the Committee on Federal Relations, which has seldom or ever any business to transact during the session, and has the honor of Thomas C. Fields’ company at the other end of the committee. The only other committee on which he appears is that of Two-thirds and Three-fifths Bills, in which important position he is associated with William M. Ely, of Broome, Mr, Ely has also the honor of being chairman of Indian Affairs, and honor is all the position yields, Mat Bemus, of Fenton’s home, is allowed a seat on Roads and Bridges only; but there he is well sandwiched in with good men, The genial Tom Fields is at the bottom of the Militia Committee, in addition to bis position on Federal Relations, As be had much to do with drilling last year’s majority the selection is happy one, Alexander Frear, as long as he remains in the Assembly, is allowed to devote his legisla- tive experience to the committees on Public Education and Public Health, Other mem- bers who have had experience in last year’s legislation have been allowed to rest upon the laurels they then won, while the responsible duties have been devolved upon (ied huk pater (usted mom this the Speaker has acted wisely, and, what- ever the test and experience of time may bring forth, he is to be applauded for having discharged a difficult and most important duty in an honest, straightforward and independent manner, The lobby can scarcely hope to ac- complish their ends through the committees of the Assembly, however successfully they may work upon the floor. Tho Reformers’ Iror-Clad Election Law— Ousting the New Board of Aldermen. Reform has at last shown its hand in what it intends to do for this benighted city in the matter of regulating the registration of voters and protecting them in the act of exercising their right to the franchise. The manifold and carefully drawn provisions of their bill cover a system which is evidently intended to be as effective in procuring us purified elections as the celebrated iron-clad oath was supposed to leave no rebel the width of a needle’s eye through which to wriggle into office. In its very first section will be found an order fora new election for Aldermen and Assistant Aldermen, to take place on the second Tuesday in April of the pres- ent year. How the new Board will receive this slash of the Albany guillo- tine it is hard to say; but no doubt General Cochrane will be found murmuring musiogly the old couplet :— If so soon I have been done for, What on earth was | begun tor? The old Board will, however, relish the joke, delighted to find companions in their misery, The provisions of this bill are built upon a plan of registration which will remind people of Paris under the régime of Napoleon, with every man, woman and child ciphered down toa dot, This parallel leads to the comparl- son of our old state of things with Paris under the Commune, and it will be doubtful for some tims which will be the greater evil. In the first place, the charge of the whole business will be vested in a new Bureau of Elections, a chief for which will be selected by the Police Board, with a salary of $4,000 a year, and a clerk at $1,800 a year. The city will be districted off from the Assembly districts, each election dis- trict to contain as nearly as possible two hundred and fifty voters. The inspectors of elections are no longer to be the appointees of the Mayor, but of the Police Board. They are not to be the mild-mannered personages who heretofore counted in or counted out candidates at their sweot will or their masters’ bidding and then relapsed into insignificance and sinecures, but officers appointed for a year and compelled to serve under penalty, and vested during election time with the grave powers of committing magistrates. There are to be four from each district, two of each political faith. In addition are two poll clerks for each district, one from each side of the political Rubicon. These officers must be able to read, write and speak English understand- ingly. The act of registration is cumbered with an oath to be administered to each per- son, The most intricate part of the reform will be in the keeping of the registration books provided by the bill, One of these is to be the ‘Permanent Register ;” the other the “alphabetical.” These books are to contain the addresses and other particulars of residence to a minute degree of registered voters, Re- movals of residence from one district to another must be certified to by the inspector before whom the last regis- try was made before the new one can be entered. The Board of Health, too, is to supplement this labor of correcting the permanent registers by supplying the names of all persons dying in the city to the Bureau of Elections. In addition to their other powers, inspectors of election can order any one to assist them in preserving the peace, under the penalty of being tried for a misdemeanor in case of refusal to comply. A general registration and re- districting is to take place every four years—the first this year, in the months of August and September, just in time for the Presidential election. The next will be in 1876, For the guidance of inspectors the rules regulating the reception and counting of votes are most exact and stringent, provision even being made for a surplus of votes in any box, by which one of the inspectors is to stand with his back to the box and draw out the number of sur- plus ballots—to be deducted, if the votes have been already counted, from the candidates’ returns whose names appear on the ballots thus drawn. The Board of Supervisors are to be the Board of County Canvassers. Three lists and tallies of the returns are to be pre- pared—one to be carried to the Chief of the Bureau of Elections, one to the County Clerk, and the third to the Board of County Canvassers. The budget of terrors to all infractors of the Election law in the shape of imprisonment will carry small comfort to the little lords of the sidewalk who made a living by running gangs of re- peaters. For false registration or attempting to falsely register, the crime is called felony, and the punishment from one to five years’ imprisonment, For personating another voter (repeating), or bribing or intimidating a voter the same crime and same penalty are to bé counted, A felon voting or attempting to vote will be served in like manner. An inspector caught ballot stuffing or falsely counting will be also a felon, with a five years’ confinement before him, Taking a false oath on election matters will be proceeded against as wilful and corrupt perjury. With these copper-bottomed provisions care- fully carried out it may succeed in accom- plishing its purpose. A strong remedy is, doubtless, needed; but there is an amount of espionage about it which seems to make much of it distasteful at first view, and a cumbrous- ness that may interfere seriously with its com- plete administration, It is to be hoped there will be a full discussion on the bill, Mayor Hatt has taken a week's vacation from the duties of his office, and has appointed General Cochrane, the republican President of the Board of Aldermen, his Weum tenens during that period, Savep Tak Trovpre.—Alderman Falconer said on Monday, in the Board of Aldermen, that if Shannon were elected Clerk he would deem it his duty to go to Albany and Lave the ong legialated Qué of ofce. Congress Yesterday—A Seuater acd Mem- ber Implicated in an Election Fraud— Revision of the Colmage Laws. The Ku Klux Joint Committee, in pursuing its investigations into outrages in the Southera States, seems to have unearthed a fraudulent trangaction which, though not coming exactly within its jurisdiction, could not be passed by unnoticed, It appears that the sub-committee which had charge of the State of Arkansas had testimony brought before it which im- peached the conduct and character of a Sen- ator from that State (Mr. Clayton), and af- fected the right to his seat of a Representative from the same State (Mr. Edwards). The story testified to is to the effect that Clayton, while Governor, made a corrupt bar- gain with the democratic members of the Legislature, that if they would support his candidacy for the Senate he would give the certificate of election to the House to the democratic candidate (Mr. Ed- wards), by throwing out of the count, for technical irregularities, the votes of several counties which had been largely in favor of the republican candidate (Mr. Bolles), The contract was faithfully carried out on both sides, and the republican majority in the Senate of the United States was needlessly, if not questionably, strengthened by the ac- quisition of Mr. Clayton, and the democratic minority in the House by that of Mr. Ed- wards. Atleast, such is the story told and presented yesterday in both Houses, Mr. Clayton denounced it as a falsehood and courted further investigation, which was ac- corded in the shape of a special committee, The case of Mr. Edwards in the House was simply referred to the Commiltee on Elec- tions, We hope that impartial justice will be done, and that when Edwards is sent back to his constituency he will be accompanied by his partner in fraud. It is full time that all tampering with the purity of elections, whether by Tammany roughs or by carpet- bag Governors, shovld be effectually put a stop to. Asan offset to the acquisition of Clayton under such circumstances, the Senate yester- day admitted to aseat a democratic Senator from Alabama, Mr. Goldthwaite, who has been playing in the ante-chamber for quite a long while; and then it rewarded Mr. Foster Blodgett, of Georgia, with pay and mileage for having laid claim to a seat to which he bad no sort of decent pretension. The proceedings in the House were of very little public interest, The whole day’s session was occupied in the reading and discussion of a bill codifying, revising and amending the existing laws relating to coinage and the mint. The question of salaries, connected so closely with the movement for civil service reform, came up in the course of the consideration of the bill and effectually blocked its progress, for Mr. Dawes, who has so distinguished him- self heretofore by his efforts at enforcing economy on all departments of the govern- ment, moved an adjournment, in order to give members an opportunity to examine the bill more attentively, and that motion pre- vailed. Burial of Fisk in Vermont—Verdict of tho Corener’s Jury in New York. Fisk was buried yesterday outside the pic- turesque town of Brattleboro, away among the Green Mountains, followed to his grave by the comrades of his youth and bis com- rades in arms, and with a quietude strangely in contrast with the bustle of his life and the hurry of his death. A funeral sermon was preached by Chaplain O. Flagg, of the Ninth regiment, The earth was heaped over the costly coffin and the mourners slowly departed. Ashes had returned to ashes and dust to dust, and the Prince of Erie henceforth is only a name to be men- tioned in passing—a memory to smile at or be sad about, as the comedy of his life or the tragedy of his death may present themselves, In New York tho assassin was again brought before the Coroner, and after the examining of some witnesses the jysz of prominent citi- zens retired to deliberate. For three hours they wrestled with the simple facts and came forth in the end with a curious verdict, which is a simple statement, implicating Stokes only in the following words, speaking of the pistol “discharged by him in a deliberate manner at the person of the aforesaid Fisk.” An indict- ment by the Grand Jury will be the next step undertaken by the law officers of the people. And so for a few days we shall hear no more ofhim. The grave has closed on the victin— the prison gate on the assassin. General Sherman with King Amadeus. The arrival of General Sherman and Lieu- tenant Grant in Madrid is announced by our special despatch from the Spanish capital The manner in which our re- presentative General and the young scion of our Chief Magistrate were received by King Amadeus must be alike grati- fying to them and to the American people, for whom His Majesty expressed his ‘‘sin- cere friendship and admiration.” These fair words acquire a special signifi- cance at tie present aspect of difficulties between the United States and Spain, and may be intended to smooth the raffled spirit of the Awerican government and people. The King was politic, if not sincere, in saying what he did, We have no cause to doubt his sincerity and good intentions ; but much as the Ameri- can people appreciate these courtesies, it will take more than fair words and good intentions to secure a durable peace between the two countries, At the banquet which took place on the same evening at the American Legation the Spanish Ministers for the Colonies and Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Marine were pre- sent. Toasts and speeches complimentary to the representatives of both nations were made, Again the desirability of peaceful relations between the United States and Spain wos dwelt upon, Admiral Topete and Sefior de Blas spoke in tho same strain as the King, taking, no doubt, the cue from their royal master. Professions of peace and amity, when engendered under the genial warmth of the banqueting room, are apt to have a fleeting existence. But, coupled with the reception of the King, much importance may be attached to the fact that those three members of the Ministry who are charged with the direction of affairs which bring them into contact with the government ‘of the United States were present at the penguet of the American Legation. Governor Woods’ Message ¢o the Recah cltrant Mormon Legislature=The Oriml- nal Trials Suspended. Governor Woods yesterday forwarded his annval message to the Utah Legislature. As an executive document it sets forth the affairs ofthe Territory in a remarkably clear and coa- cise manner, and exhibits to the Elders of the Mormon Church composing the legislative body the view of their concerns from a purely worldly point—or, in other terms, shows them through a secular mirror those things they have hitherto seen only from their owa mare rowed religious reflectors, Starting from a common standpoint, he intimates that the Ter- ritories are the wards of the republic, and as such are subject to the will of Congress; and he makes this remark an introduction to one more important: “The constitution of the United States guarantees freedom of conscience in religion, but it is presumed that all religious convictions will be in harmony with the constitution, which is the supreme law of the land. Aught else than this would be national suicide.” This sentence of course touched the con- science of the Assembly; but the Governor leaves them in no doubt as to what he intends, for he followed this up by stating that bigamy was probibited to the country generally; that no exceptions could be taken, and that plural marriage as practised in Utah was a direct violation of the con- stitution. “If one class of persons can violate one law with impunity and shield them. selves behind the bulwarks of religious tole. « ration another class can do the same with some other law, and so on till religious dogmas are made to take the place of the constitution and laws, and anarchy would ensue,” This is the old, old doctrine, and preached from a reliable authority; but still the difficulty of dealing with polygamy remains as irksome and stupendous as before. Doubtless the appeal the Governor makes to the members of the Legislature in another part of bis message, to take the matter in hand themselves and enact such laws during the present session as will enable them to obviate the embarrassing circumstances that other- wise must arise from a conflict with the gen- eral government, is the right method, and should have the desired effect in arousing them to legislate for their own interests, But tho belligerent attitude of the members of the Assembly, their cool indifference to the recom. mendations of the Governor, their sneering commentary on the question of printing the document by substituting a hundred for the usual thousand copies, and the attempted in- sult to the chief of the Executive, the hurry ing of Delegate Hooper from the House as though the verbiage of the annual document was an insult to his religious sensjbilities, and the known and expressed determination of the Church officials to thwart the government in every conceivable way—all these things leave but little hope of an early termination of the struggle; but rather warrant, as our despatch states, the assertion that they intend to make it the ‘Kingdom versus the United States,” until the government determines to take measures other than those hitherto em- ployed. The direct course of justice is also consider. ably endangered. District Attorney Bates ap- peared before Judge McKean yesterday, and after explaining the impecunious condition of the judicial treasury, from which he antici. pated drawing funds to carry out the criminal prosecutions already entered upon the court calendar, he moved to have the causes dis- continued until March. In the meantime he is ordered to Washington to explain the state of affairs to Attorney General Williams, and endeavor to secure funds to carry out the laws in Salt Lake, The motion was granted, and Brigham Young and the others indicted for murder are to remain in the custody of the Marshal until brought to trial. Ex-Spenker Alvord On a High Horse. Ex-Speaker Alvord rose to a question of privilege in the House of Assembly last night, and administered a short but sharp re- buke to Colonel Rush C. Hawkins, who, it will be remembered, assailed the surround- ings of Mr. Alvord in the contest for the Speakersbip in the republican caucus, Mr. Alvord refused to accept the chairmanship of the Committee of Ways and Means until he had been assured by the Speaker that the position had not been tendered him out of parliamentary courtesy, but in consideration of his fitness to fill it, The Speaker having made such a statement, Mr. Alvord accepted, but not until he had afforded himself the grati- fication of a rebuke to Colonel Hawkins and a vindication of bis own official integrity. Mr. Alvord misunderstands the objection made to his candidacy for the Speaker's chair. There was no question during the canvass of his personal honesty. His own record might have been as spotless as the snow—and we believe that no person who knows him believes him to be individually cor- rupt—but it is notorious that he was surrounded by dangerous and unscrupulous men, who clamored for his success, and the whole army of lobbyists and rings was at bia back. His election would have been their triumph, and he could scarcely have hoped to shake himself clear of their influences if they had succeeded in placing him in the Speaker's chair, He should now content himself with his position on the floor, and should be glad that he has escaped the dangers and responsi- bilities of the office ho sought, and to which he could only have been elected by such ioflu- ences as we have named. If he is wise he will not suffer disappointment to lead him into opposition to needed measures of reform, and thus lend himself asa member to the designs of the corrupt men who were 60 eager to make him Speaker. cncitnieamaecaninaci tients Tue Aarvts of THE SNowsBoUND Rattle roaps in Nebraska and other parts of the West must be in a state of great excitement. As many as six different reports reached this city last night, and all disagreed more or lesa as to the time and places where the trains are stopped. Some stated that the railroad officials were endeavoring to prevent the truth being made public, while others intimated that, the most complete block-up had occurred, The whole affair has the appearance ‘of a quarrel of certain railroad corporatighs, who persist in advertising their Ines on ting “you're enctber” Reigolwie.