The New York Herald Newspaper, May 24, 1875, Page 3

LOUISIANA. — oe ——_—__. State Taxation and the In- crease of Debt. PUBLIC CONTRACTS. Sad Distress in the Towns and Cities. New ORLEANS, May 10, 7875. Here are a fewMgures which give some tdea of how the affairs of Loul: a have been managed ‘under the radical rule since 1868, CesT OF THE LEGISLATURE, For mileage, per diem and contingent expenses ‘the General Assembly of the State cost, in 1860, before the war, $99,435; in 1861, $131,489; in 1866, ‘the year after the war, $164,906; in 1868, the year of reconstruction, $363,156; in 1869, $370,214; in 1870, $722/231; im 1871, $958,956; in 1872, $350,000; in 1873, $461,450; last year a much smaller sum, over $200,000; but still tae Comptroller of the State says, $60,000 avove his estimates of the proper coat, STATE PRINTING. In-1860 the State printing cost $40,900. In 1867, the ysar belore reconstruction, 1t cost $75,000, The Legislature of 1868 adopted a system under which each parish bas an official organ, whicn prints at ‘he public cost, not only the laws, but the journals of the Legislature and the proceedings of police juries, This abuse has been checked, but not yet entirely stoppe During its height these petty Journals were, with a very few exceptions, owned by members of the Legislature. Hence these per- sons every year voted themselves handsome sub- ies, and the State printing bill, which amounted to $75,0001n 1867, jumped tu $431,845 in 186y, $313,920 1M 1870, $397,600 In 1871, $154,752 in 1872, and $160,866 in 1873, That is to say, the reconstructors man- aged to spend out of the Ireasury in five years for printing alone very nearly $1,500,000, and a great Part of this they voted into thelr own pockets. STATE TAX RATE. In 1861 the State tax amounted to 29 cents on $100; in 1867, the year before reconstruction, to | 873, cents; in 1868 to 6234 cents; in 1869 to 90 cents; in 1871 to $1 45; in 1872 to $215; 1m 1873 to $215, and in 1874 to $145, at which it is fixed, now, I believe, by the constitution, STATE DEBT, In spite of this enormous increase tn the tax rate, the debt of the State has trebled since 1866. In that year the absolute and contingent debt (by which the State accountants here mean the debs owing and for-waich the State has engaged itself for the future), amounted to $11,182,377. In 1863, the year of reconstruction, it amounted to $16,885,682, In 1870 it had been run up to $40,456,734 “The report of the Joint Legisiative Committee to mvestigate the State Auditor's office—the committee 1s composed entirely of re- publicans—gives the following summary of the State dept at the beginning of the present year:— Floating devt.. eeeee + $2,165,171 TL Bonds loaned property bank: + 4,830,683 33 Bonded deot proper..... + 22,134,800 00 Contingent debt repurted by Auditor. 10,896,000 00 Contingent debt not reported? by Auditor ctesereresee 9,606,500 00 $49,604,155 04 Add trast bonds and bonds missing.. 994,194 91 Total. $50,597,304 95 The committce add to this statement these re- marks :— In conclusion the commission find that a large portion vf tue pubiic deot has arisen from extrava- parce. profiigucy aud misuse of the revenues of e mrate; that as to ali that portion created wince 1865, the State did not realize over fifty cents on the dollar, nor was the amount expended for the benefit of the the exient of more thhn one-half; in other words, State has not been actu: benetited in amount exceeding one-!ourth of t deb created, nor to an amount exceeding on the taxes collected since 1865, lance, fourths of all the present dept, dered or done worse with by th di se government since that dat admiuistraion TAXES COLLECTED iN SEVEN YEARS. The State revenues, as given in the Auditor's reports for the different years, were :— + $4,312,033, collected in taxes from the people jor the support of the State government in seven years, besides city Sod parish taxes. ‘The various petty monopolies and swindles to which State ald was so profusely given, and some | of which 1 mentioned in a previous letter, account for a small part of this huge debt and expenditure. Buch extravagance as is mentioned by the Auditor tm his last report (1875), lu the following words accounts for more :— Thus the number of pag which by act No. 11 of 187218 luted to ten, at & compensation jor each of $180, was increased more thau sixty, and vouchers issued to them at (in the Legislature), srom $160 to $is0 each, Lor Was this practice con- | Dned to this particular Class of employés, but was , cartied toother classes,such as euroliing and committee clerks, porters, &e. He also, in the same report, complains that he Bas vainly tried to get tne Legislature to adopt a new plan of assessing property for taxation wbich “would save the State $156,000a year.”’ in the Auditor's report for the year 1871 complaint was made to the-Legisiature of the great cost of col- Jecting the taxes. ‘in 1870,” says this report, “the actual commissions paid on account of asses- sors Was $151,975, and the amount paid to tax col- lectors $216,411. In 1871 the comumissions of tax collectors amounted to $820,252, and that of Assessors +0 $260,898.” PENITENTIARY. Of course there were some heavy jobs, which helped torun up the dept, For instance in the Auditor's report for 18711 find a statement thas Guring the two previous years the State, under an arrangement with the firm of Jones & Hugez, lessees of the Penitentiary, bad issued $600,000 in State bonds for machinery for that institution, The lessees were to pay one half their clear profits to the State, They paid nothing, and in 1870 transferred their contract to another set of men, the State agreeing thereafter to accept $6,000 a year in lieu of ali profits, with an increase of $1,000a year. Between 1869 and 187K, two years, “the Penitentiary bad cost the | State $796,000,” A RAILROAD JOB, In 1868 the New Orleans, Mobile and Chat- tancoga Railroad was charsered is Louisiana, and it was determined to connect Moby® and New Orleans with Houston, Texas. In 1909 the Legis- jature agreed to indorse tae second mortgage Donds of the road to the extent of $12,500 per mile, and to make the indorsement for every section of ten miles built They butt geventy miles, and the State indorsed | $876,000 of their cond mortgage bonds, The next Legisiature agreed in addition to give the rond @ State subsidy Of $3,000,000 of bonds, and of this they drew $750,000. The company now proposed to bulla @ ratiroad from Vermillionviite to Shreveport, and in 1871 the State agreed to take stock in this enterprise, $2,500,000, paying for itin bonda, and the whole of these bonds were Gelivered to the company when they had done one day’s work on the road! They have never Gone any more, That is to say, the company ° built in aliseventy miles of an uncompleted, and, therefore, worthless road, and received from t State $4,250,000, or over $58,000 a mile, besides a grant of the use of a part of the New Orleans Jevee, valued at $1,000,000, and they have kept it ail. Finally, it remains to be said that two difer- ent companies of Northern capitalists offered to bDulld the Houston and New Urieans road without subsidy or State aid of any kind, pnt the Legisiay ture would not give them a charter. THE LEVER COMPANY. A great deal of money has been spent and squandered since the war on the reconstruction of the levees and their repair, and democrats as ‘well republicans have taken part in this Jobbing, the greatest waste, however, being since 1863, Between 1868 and 1871 $4,750,000 of State bonds Wore issued for levee purposes, and still no igveea, % aliowed to rejuse payment or to delay. The entire val- | ay One-nalf of all the taxes and three. | have been squan- | Most of the money Was sperit by a “State Board of Public Works,” whose D¥:mbers were appointed “by Governor Warmosh, /Wo 1871 a different system Was adopted, which $44 1s in force, and under hich @ large part/of the revenues of the State bas been bande@d/ over for a long term of years to @ private corporation, with privileges -whtch enabieft misuse and squander them ina ‘mest shocking Way, By the act this corporation, which waa'te ‘urnish & million of dollars in capital stock, agreed to build and repair the levees of the State and to be responsible in damages to the planters and farmers who should suffer loss by overflow or crevasse. In return for this the Legis- lature gave them a million dollars down, before | they began work, and the proceeds, annually, for a term of years, ofa tax of four mills on ti isiana, and against the ‘taxable property of Lo ized them to eharge, great fuad, sixty cents per cnbdic yard for their work, Buta grest part of the levee work, done by planters for themselves, cost only from fifteen ‘to eighteen cents per cublc yard, and thirty cents for the average of all kinds of work all over the State would be, experts tell me, a high rate. In fact, the first charge was so exorbitant thatit has been reduced to fifty cents, and in 1874 the levee tax, which the company continues to re- ceive, was reduced to three mills, But the com- pany never bad any money; tho levees have not been kept in proper repair, and the losses from overflow have never been #0 great as since it went into operation; and, having no capital of their own, if they are sued for damages they must pay these out of the State fund, and thas, in fact, the taxpayers pay their own imsurance. The company receive avout $720,000 a year. ‘This was one of the most notorious jobs perpe- trated py the Legisiatare, and attracted attention at the time because® great many members not only received bribes for its support—which was too common an occurrence to be noticed—but | actuaily gave their receipts for the money paid them, The following letter, of which the original is before me, shows how openly Legislative bribery was carried om under Warmoth’s admin- istration. The writer was then member of Assem- bly, 18 now State Senator and member of the State Scnool Board, and, 1 am sorry to say, is a negro:— Howse OF REPRESENTATIVES, STATE OF LOUISIANA. New ORLEANS, Feby 25th, 1871. GENTLEMAN OF THE FINANCE “COMMITTER LOUISIANA LEVEE OO. Srtus—Please pay to Hon. A. W. Faulkner tne amount you may deem proper to pay on account of Levee Bill I being absent at the time under or- ders of the House, But woula have voted jor the Bul had { been here. Mr. Faulkner 1s authorized to receive and receipt ior me. very Respectfully Gentiemen Your obt. serve. T. B. STAMPS. Surely the brazenness of corruption could go no further than this—when a legisiator cla’ a oF the service had he been in his place, and sends his friend not merely to receive but to receipt lor it. NEW ORLEANS. The city of New Orleans is made to pay a very great part of the State tax, and has been, besides, burdened In various ways by the Legislature, which has set apart a large part of ita revenues for State or special purposes. It has now a debt of been run up to three per cent. About $17,000,000 of its bonds are worth out tuirty-fve cents on the dollar in the market. Here is an example which tells the tale of wasteful misgovernment:—An estate, which could have been sold in 1867 for over $1,000,000, showed on its books, in 1872, this re- and usual repairs, the taxes levied that year on the property exceeded the entire rental by $540. mm the next year the receipts exceeded the taxes, repairs and insurance by $900, Yet, in 1867, this property netted seven per cent on over $1,000,000— that is tosay more than $70,000, after paying in- surance, taxes and repairs, It is not the wealtny alone who complain, 1 have spoken with at Jeast a dozen small property owners in the city and they all tell the same tale, In the country the smail farmers complain that they are forced to pay the heavy taxes, while in many cases thelr rich neighbors resist and are I was struck with the story of exasperation told me by ® man who sald;—“One piece of property alter another belonging to members of my family | had been sold out for taxes, Two years ago we camé nearly to the end. We could not sell, and we could not pay the terrible taxes. [ went to the Sueriff, and said to him, ‘This prop- erty which you are advertising Is the last posses- sion of my mothe: and sisters, and their only sup- port. Lwarn gpa +B.” on the day you put it tp at auction | am going to attend tne sale with my doubie-varrelied shotgun,’ And it was not sold, Next year we were fortunately able to pay,” Now I know the man very well who thos did, and I know kim to be @ peaceable, law-reapecting citizen, one of the most important and most useful members of te community in which he lived. He saw that l Was shooked and pained at his story, and said, “What could 1 dot We were wealthy people be- fore the war; we have been contented in our poy- erty since, and I have worked hard and lived very economically, My sisters teach school. But tne ume: so hard and the taxes so high that it was all we could do to live, and when I saw the last little dependence of my mother and sisters about to be sold to satisly these cormorants and thieves I could not stand it.” 80 at iseven yet the distress that the Legisia- ture has just passed a tax redemption jaw, forbia- ing Sheriff's sales where inability to pay taxes is shown. Inthe parish of St. Landry alone, as I think I have before stated, there were between | November, 1871, and November, 1873, 821 sales of plantations and lands for taxes. The newspapers 1a New Orleans speak of this Tax Stay iaw as an act ofbeneficence. Yet Louisiana ts by nature one of the richest States in the Union and New Or- Jeans 18 one of the greatest commercial ports. Is | ieurprising that the whole white population of | the State, except the offlce-hoiders and their rela- | tives amd intimates, united, in 1574, in the en- deavor to overibrow a@ party which bas so abused ite powers? CHARLES NORDHOFF, SUICIDE BY ARSENIC. At half-past seven o'clock Satarday night Thomas | Venny, a coacaman, aged fifty-five years, dweil- ing at No. 1,380 Broadway, went into the liquor store on the basement floor of the above number | ana in @ casual manner remarked to the pro- prietor, Mr. Powers, that he had just taken | arsenic, The latter, believing the man to be jest- ing, paid no attention to him, About two hours supsequentiy Venny again en- tered the barroom and commenced convers- | ing with Mrs. Powers, to whom he repeatea | the remark about nis having taken poison, | aading that he had taken too muca, which had caused bim to vomit several times and that had thereby narrowiy d with bis life. questioned as to the Cause Which prompted him to | commit the rash act, Venny repiled that on the day previous, quarreled with his wife, wi a8 @ COOK In & family residing up town, despondent. He furtner stated containing the arsenic was in the closet in bis ae Shortly before tweive o'clock Fr Meio, le ennoy excused himself by saying that ne was feeling 80 sick he would lie on the “hoor 80 as Dot bad it se at six o'clock alin arose ‘x o’clock yesterday morning, and, noticiog Venny leaning half way out of ine window, went Up to bim, and, to bis amazement, found him deaa. Officer Cavanagh, of the Twenty-ninth pre- cinct, Who Was passing at the time, was immedi- ately summoned aad acquaintea the facts. Yesterday aiternoon Cor Croker and D ty Coroner McWainn hela DOBt+ mortem examination of the remains and found in closet of the room a# a containing traces of arsenic, The wite of the unfortunate man, on being informed of the deed, came to the house. She stated that her hus- band bad been out of employment jor a long time past, whica fact probably induced him to commis the fatal wet, The arsente, said, bad been in bis trank, to her know! © three years, he oceasionaily aaing it for tue purpose o1 removing Warts from horses, The boay w: id to the Dead House, where an inquest wili Id t0-d “CAR ACCIDENT. —— Last evening as Michael Murphy, a resident of Thirty-ninth street, New York city, was trying to jamp on board a train at the Market street depot, bribe on the score that he would have performed | its own of about $22,000,000, and its tax rate has | markable condition:—Aiter paying for insurance | SHERMAN’S MEMOIRS. A Letter from Montgom- ery Blair. re HE DEFENDS HIS BROTHER, THE GENERAL. ——— The First Shot in Reply Sherman. to WASHINGTON, May 22, 1875. The ‘‘Memoirs 4 General Sherman’ were not offered for sale in Washington until to-day, and, aa Was expected, the demand was very great. The full review published in the HERALD seemed to ex- cite the curiosity of the large number of army and naval officers resident in Washington, as well as the Dost of friends of General Sherman in private | life. Omctals do not care to speak plainly until they have carefully read the two volumes, now the subject of comment throughout the length and breadth of the land, Detached parts, they say, are not enough to warrant unqualified con- demnation of what the General bas printed, but from the Secretary of War down to the Jower grade of the army there is but one opinion, and that is that General Sherman has availed him- self of the privilege of publishing his censures and strictures to gratify nimsel/ and make others miser- able, General Heintzelman said, in speaking of the book, that he had nothing particularly harsh to say about It. He did not deny he did some hard swearing at the Bull Run battle, but the state- ment did not hurt his feelings. He was rather glad, in fact praised General Sherman for publish- | ing his Memoirs at this early day. He thought it | Would stimulate investigation, revive the memory ofimportant historical data, and enable the next historian to do better work for future generations to ponder, Yet in the preparation of this book, which has occupied General Sherman many, many months, your correspondent was informed that the Gen- eral had extraordinary facilities. In the first place, his headquarters were in the midst of the War Department archives, which have been care- fully arranged so as to enable the custodian to find in afew minutes the least of the thousands and tens of thousands of orders filed away in the butiding. Then Sherman was surrounded by members of his staff, and from time to wme al) of them were engaged in comptiing and collating material for the General’s supervision, who, with untiring dustry, did the finishing strokes. General Logan, who was here for a few days, anid he should reserve his criticism until he had read the book dispassionately, and then he didn’t | know what he would say or write. There is one, however, who is tooill and too feeble, to reply, and the opinion 18 generally expressed among army oMicers that if General Frank P. blair was not an invalid his treatment by General Sherman would have been far different. His brother, Montgomery NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, MAY 24, 1875.—TRIPLE SHEET. 3 by Grant's pluck. It is not surprising that #0 ais- creet @ commander should misjudge a bolder nature, and especially one who, altaough he had not studied algebra at West Point, at the govern- ment expense, was so inconsiderate of himself as to take up arms for the defence of that govern- Ment, when its enemies held both the State and national governments, and whea he not only had no color of authority to protect him and the men who stood by bim, but was in peril from both gov- menis, and did this, too, not omly without pay, bat spent ail he had in the world to arm his meu. Nor did my brother aspire to the comfhand of the Army of the Tennessee on the death of McPherson or fail in giving General Howard sap- port when he was put in that position, Logan, who heid an Older commission than my brother, did assert nis right to succeed to this command, and was somewuat restive and aisconiented when it was refused him. But General Howard expressed bimself to me as much gratified by my brother’s course, and sald that the support which my brother cave him was of the greatest assistance to him. ‘There is, in- deed, not a circumstance from first to last to jus- tiy Sherman’s reflection apon my brother, and 1 confess my surprise that he should have given utterance to it. There wasa slight unpleasantness between them at the outset of their association, growing out of Sherman’s jumping to the conelu- sion, without the slightest reason, that my brother had prompted some newspaper disparagement of him, My brother properly resented the imputa- tion and Sherman apologized, But the effect of this, my brother thought, was to establish kind and confidential relations between them ever afterward, 1tis true that he felt that Sher- man bad fatled enurely in any recognition of tis military services; but, as this was @ Magnanimity of which all who served under Sherman knew him to be incapable, me did not com- plain of it generally, and only on one occasion do IL remember of his showing any feeling for the slights which | knew from others had been put upon him by Sherman, That was With respect to tue battle of Atlanta. There, it will be remembered that, in consequence of hav- Ing gent off all the cavairy to protect the railroad communication, Hardee was enabled to march around Atlanta and fail upon the left fank and rear of Sherman's army, commanded by my brother, killing McPherson at the first fire, while Cheatham attacked him in iront, Sherman relused to credit the nature of the attack when it was communicated to him by my brother's aide- de-camp, and delayed sending support, saying that Hardee could not have got there without opening the city to Thomas, whosa corps was in front of Hardee’s position within tne city, This left tne fight night, by the Seventeenth Corps against alternate attacks im front and rear, until it was graduaily | swung around upon its right flank as a pivot, driving out Haraee from behind it. This the corps Was enabled to do by the precaution which my brovher had taken to seize and fortify and arm with artillery a command- ing position on its right flank. The position enabled him to enfilade the enemy with terrible effect at every attack, The capture of the position was attended with considerable loss, for which Blair, however, has come to the defence of the General. I called upon him yesterday to hear what he might say 1n regard to his brother’s treatment, and was informed that be had been requested to write a magazine article and speak his mind plainly. Montgomery Blair is a graduate of West Point, and served with distinction in a number ot en- gagements during the Indian wars, while Frank never had amilitary education. Mr. Blair, too, has known General Sherman for forty years, and he was married in Mr, Blair’s house, opposite the War Department. The defence, then, which he takes occasion to make in courteously thanking Tegarded as the beginning of the hostile fire which General Sherman will come under for bis course, The letter is as (ollows:— WriiiaM H. Browne, Esq., Editor of the Southern Magazine, Baltimore, Ma, :— Deak Str—I thank you for your kind offer of yesterday to publish any reply [ may desire to your magazine. But | canuot now command the magazine, nor do I think it necessary. Tne people | of this couatry will weigh what General Sherman says Only at ite worth, and properly estimate him and my brother. All wno know Sherman know that he ts of an envious nature, and his book would be unlike anything else he had done if it dia not reveal this. I recollect no gener- ous eulogy by bim of any comrade, and the extracts published in the HeERaLD from his book are thoroughly Shermanic, Tne purpose with which he gives Halleck the credit of the Tennessee campaign does not make tt neces- sary to qualify this critic'sm, for that was a thrust at Grant, to whom Sherman owes everything, and whom Halieck superseded in the act of following Up his blow at Donelson by the capture of Nash- ville, and so rendered nis victory fruitless, Whatever may have been the opinion of my brother’s military capactty, Suerman, under whom he served, and whom he succeeded tn the com- mand of the Fifteenth army corps, 1s the first to impute to him a selfish purpose in joining the army. Being the recognized leader of the military organization which protected the St. Louis arsenal from seizure by the State authorities during the winter of 1960 and 1861, ana the man who took all the responsibility and shared in ail the danger of the captore of Camp Jackson, which was the first blow struck for the Union, he was offered by Mr. Lincoin, on Gen- eral Scott’s recommendation, the first briga- | dier generalship for that service. This he declined peremptorily, and insisted that it should be given to Captain Lyon, the regular oMecer whose ald he had succeeded in obtaining to command the troops on that occasion, aiter appiying to Sherman and failing to obtain bis services, who decl.ned on the ground that he had no confidence in volunteer troops, @ principle to which he steadily adhered, taking good care never to voiun- teer any service to the government, or lift a finger | for tt tll commissioned as @ colonel in the regular | army. Nor did my brother ever seek military pro- motion. It was only in response to the urgent and personal appeal of Mr. Stanton, after the second Bull Rua battle, when great discourage. ment Was felt, and recruiting had come 10 a stand still, and it was necessary for the Govern- ment to avail itself of the popularity of some of | the public men im Congress, that ne and | other repudiican leaders left their seats to recruit | in their districts, He succeeded in recruiting seven regiments within # very short time, ana it was with a brigade from part of this force that, in | 1862, he stormed the works at Chickasaw Bluffs, which protected Vicksburg, and which he failed to hold only because Sherman failed to support him. I recall two other signal occasions when the | force under my brother’s command failed to | secure the fruits. of well fought flelds, by reason | | of Sherman’s timuiity, One was at Chattanooga. | Having crossed the river and beaten the | enemy in front of them, the Fifteenth | corps was in & position to intercept Bragg’s | army in fail retreat berore Grant, bat Sherman or- | dered the corps to be withdrawn and let Bragg escape. Again, at Bentonville, wnere, while Joha- ston was attempting and failed to crush Slocum, my brother’s corps, by rapid marching 1n the at- rection of the firing, was enabied to get into his rear, #0 to have effectually cut off his retreat, the division commanded by Mower being actually in the camp which Johnston had left to attack Slocum, he was obliged by Sher man’s order to withdraw and let Jonnston escape. Hardee was also allowed to escape out of Savannah, Mow does it happen that, while commanding the finest army that ever took the field, Sherman never cap- tared the enemy? The explanation of this inva- riabie failure is found in his copsticutional timid ity. This enabled Sydney Johnstoa, at the head of 25,000 men im Kentucky, to ili him with panie at the head of 74000, and Price to stampede in Newark, he slipped, missed his foots nd fell AD arm was terribiy mangled | mn He mar live, . him, when réeiieved and transferred to Missouri, The truth I6 that he never did anything untill he came under Grant's upmediate command. and Rad 1s nerves sreadied It is not generally known that | the magazine publisher for his request, may be | Make to Sherman’s reflections on my brotner in | time required 1o write @ suitable article for your | my brother was severely censured at the time by | many of the army correspondents. But this posi- | tion and the desperate courage of the troops under his command saved the day, and yet bis nam@ is not mentioned in the report of the | battle. Po make amends for it, however, very | honorablp mention is made of some of his subordl- | mates, Military annals do not afford a paraliet for this, and yet my brother never spoke of it but once that I now recollect, and then with far less | feeling than was evinced by some of the suborai- nates whom Sherman had extolled wno have | often spoken to me on the subject, Truly, yours, MONTGOMERY BLAIR. | FALKLAND, Montgomery county, Md., May 21, 1875, | sonalexamination of the “Memotrs,”’ how far they have been abused, it 1s not likely there will be | much open censure. The conduct of General Sherman at and about Atlanta will, it is said, | | come in for severe criticicism, and statements | may be Maae that will weaken bis presumption In censuring those who strove earnestly to aid bim in every movement, GLENDENNING REFUSES HE AVOWS HIS DETERMINATION TO ‘‘STICK’’ AND DO GOOD AT ALL HAZABDS—THE PEO- POSE COMPROMISE A FAILURE. The ramor that the Rev. Jonn 8. Glendenning | would vacate the pulpit yesterday, owing to the pressure brought to bear by several ministers aud TO YIELD. (elders of the Qnurcn who are anxious | to avold @ spectal session of the Presby- | tery provea to be unfounded. His iriends in the congregation encoaraged him to persevere, | and, in tbe language of one prominent member of the chureh, to “live all this opposition down,” | Accordingjy, Mr. Glendenning was in the pulpit a few minutes before tie hour of opening the service. A handsome bouquet graced the stand beside nim, | Am attempt having been made to effect a com- promise between his aduerents and bis opponents Steadiastly 0; 10 boldly repéiied this charge yesierday. menced by takiog bis text from Galatians, vi, “Let us not be weary in weil dot, season we shall reap , we Alter speaking on the great im- por ce of doing well in a@ spiritual sense the Dreacher said:—there is @ morai cowardice in clamor it might arouse against us. more of the individual mao and society. Duty is @ thing that lies between oarselves and God, and is independent altogether | of what other men may say. The momenta man pauses ana a himself whether ihe pursvit of Guty will affect his business in iife, how is will suls | lence, or even how far it Will affect his | his con Salety, that moment ne begins to fail. When Lather established the Retormation there were } thousands ready to throw oif the yoke of Rome but they were afraid of consequetces, afraid of the world around, to give utterance to their jeel- mgs till the one bold man rose up and flung of | the yo! Then the multitude who stood ready followed him, To do good and combat evil re- | quire: lent energy. Even with the best of us | there an inherent devil in us with | whien we must contend. it is @ mistake to suppose that the principle of grace remains im us through its own tendency, We have to en- | counter our own evil passions, tor every step | downward increases the momentum to the abyss of ruin. Weil doing brings with it appropriate re- wards, world must he in tte pr the world, 80 that it 18 @ mistake in our times for the Churen to atm at converting the world by making concessions tw popular pieasures and popular prejudices, FIRE AT THE HIPPODROME. ¥ Yesterday afternoon, at about half-past three o'clock, ® fire broke out in the Hippodrome, | and for atime it was feared that the building, which is soon to be opened as a summer gar- den, would be rendered unfit tor use for some time. The fire broke out in the upper pare of the wing on the corner of Twenty-sixth street and Fourth avenue, where & lot of bed clothing had been stored, As s00n as the fire was aiscovered the watchman, Mr, Turner, sounded the alarm and then turned on the water through the hose comnectea with tne building, but before he had time to entirely extin- guish the fire the firemen were on the spot, and soon & half-dozen streams of water were fizz ing upon the burning materials. The loss by fire is small, but the damage by water will amount to several hundred dollars, as much property in th shape of wardrove and arena equipments belonging to the Hippodrome company was stored It was intimated by one of the managers of the Hippodrome company that the place was set on fire, as during this warm weather no furnaces a: t going, and he could Rot conceive why a fire should ve in that part of the buiiding. The property I tuily insured, but it will take some time to replace it, as much of it ache work. itis the intention of the FIRE IN HARLEM. At about five o’etock yesterday afternoon a fre Droke out in the swe story frame buliding used as anoffice by the Harlem Navigation Vompany, on She doun at the foov of 1998A treet. The dam: 1.000, whiten ie covered by jnsur- to | be carried on all day long, until twelve o'clock at | Until the thoughtial army oMfcers find, by per- | power of the Churen to convert the | serving its distance from | cn have the affair thoroughly | THE EF TID FLATS. WQuaid’s Place of Skulls and What the Peo- ple Think of the Garbage Outrage. Anticipated Spread of Disease During the Heated Term in Harlem and Vicinity. The utmost indignation has been aroused among the citizens of Hariem and the upper part of the burgh of Yorkville by the publication in yesterday morning’s HERALD Of the details of the shameiul usages of the Police and Health depart- ments in depositing the collected garbage ana filth taken from all the hideous alleys and gutters of the festering side streets of the city in the | bowels of the Harlem Flats, Some of the most | prominent cltigens of the Harlem district have already begun to consult with each other with the , for the purpose of getting at the sense of the In- habitants as to how this shameless outrage on the people whg are householders and residents can be stopped, MONEY CAN BE RAISED, A passenger riding In a Third or second aveane car, assoon as the horses’ heads strike Eighty- #ixth street going north or 115th street coming south, finds the stench walted in through the car windows, smiting his ol-factories as the As- syrians were smitten in the night. Even strangers who do not reside tn Harlem or Yorkville are forced toendure the horrible smell while in transitu, ana this is by no means as slight @ matter as tt might seem at first, For every breath of air that is in- haled by the lungs of these unfortunate passen- gers is poisonous, and the germs of a most deadly disease are often Jaid ina moment’s time, while those who breathe the fetid odor may not feel the effects for days or weeks, or even months. It is said that $10,000 can be raised by Immediate con- tributiona if some four or five public spirited gentiemen will only take ter in hand to prosecute the contractors who dare to trifle with the lives of the people of Harlem in this piratical manner. | Even slaugnter houses would be preierabie to this everlasting dumping of the reiuse of a great city on these marsh lands. Many persons de- sired to know yesterday if it were not possible for | an attachment to be served on the Corpora- tion Counsel to prevent turther dumping of this very offensive kind, [tis very certain, however, that a mass meeting will be shortly neld in Mar- lem to devise means to put a sudden stoppage on Mr. McQuaid’s littie contract. THE POLICE GETTING ANGRY. The police oMcers of the Twenty-third whose station house is in Kighty-sixt | have, in the course of their duties, to traverse on their beats many blocks of this infected district, aud their feelings may be imagined when itis known taat they have twelve hours, from dark to dawn of daylight, on post in Second and Third avenues and the cross streets adjacent to the Breoincs, auxious to have his opimions ventilated, spoke to the writer as follows :— PLAIN TALK. “You see Tam aman of family and Ihave been on the police five or six years, It is not so easy ag a great Many people think to be a policeman and do your work honestly. You nave so many things to Watch and there is certain tobe some brether oMcer who is a bad iellow, a ltarand a scoundrel and who is always willing to assist the rouudsman or sergeant to trouble you by getting your confidence and then betraying you to the other scoundrels. Well, that keeps| & man thinking, and of course | While lam on my beat—i have aldug one, too, as , We all have—[ have this stench coming into my | Mouth and nose, until sometimes | Jeel as if L were | going to faintand lay down in tue marsh. Of | course, if I couid afford it and if I was allowed to } ull my stomach with brandy, lam certain that i wouid not leel the faintness coming over me from the bad smeil that is raised by this dumping. Why, I had to take one of them Itallans the other day—and, mind you, | pretty tough stomachs, for they anything, and can drink sweet oil as easy as I can drink cold water—I had to take bim the scow and get nim a cup of coffee, he was so sick, You see his dumping business was too ,; much for nt nd he had to weaken like a cat. | Some of the workingmen who live on my Mat bave to get up eariy in the mornings and get their breakfasts, and this smell strikes them as svon as G | tuey leave the house. Now, that isn’t a very | Bice thing for a man to t be starting for his work, even if he has | his breakiast, But if he doesn’t get his breakfast? Suppose his wife is sick in bed from tne s: vad swell that comes from this devilish dumping uls- trict and the man is in 3 burry to get bis car and | go down town to work and can’t get bis breakfast, | what then? Lain’t no doctor, I ain’t, and Icant | explain ali about these fevers; but I know if I | came outon my beat In this place—say around the | foot of Ninety-sixth slreet—without my oreakiast, | and my stomach was empty, what would be the result? I know that 1 would have to go to bea | Irom @ fever. I don’t wantto interfere in tue matter, because 1am @ policeman and [ am not allowed todo it, buti can get Dienty of men in | this neigabornood to say that there will be lots of | deaths in the streets around bere tna few days | Whea it becomes pretty warm wi , from this | infernal hole. Our people ought not to allow tuis scow to dump One load of this diseased stud.” | 4 BOATMAN'S OPINTON, | A boatman, whose business is to fish and to pick up odds and ends, and to carry passengers in | and around Holl Gate and Heil Rock, states that he finds that the river is fast filing up with vege- table matier, and that as soon as the engineers get through excavating the rock on the bed of river they will have to begin excavating the bed of the river on the west siae of the Gate to tear up the reuse and vegetavie matter that is growiug tnto a garden at the bot- , tom ofthe river. This boatman said his say in a | disgusted manner :— “L used to get a littie fish in and around the Gate before this dumping began, and many & basa , 1 captured in neighborhood of Mill Rock, in the old times, when Sandy Gipson used to make clam chowder, and he made it pretty ood alore he died, for he had the secret. jut [ was going to talk about tne fish. Weil, there ain’t no Gsh, for this man McQuaid that th HERALD galks about bas druv’em all out with his arbage. No some kind of offal that a isn Will eat, gather about it, particu- larly eei#they’re awful fond of rubbisn thai any Way decent; but you can’t make a fish tn: ¥ way pure touch an old waterfall or @ hoop- skirt dumped in the river, for, mind you, it all floats out, and so there is no show for any more fish up here unt this dumping is patangend to. Why, & whale would sicken on the | Smell, andl bear they have pretty good stomachs, though don’t say as I was ever ona whaling voyage. Then, vesides damaging the fish, you see, I can’t get nobody to go on @ boat and take @ row to or around any of the isiands as they used 10 when there wasn’t no dumping, because they can’t stand the damned smei), When was a boy, | can teil you we used to have the nicest littie parties y: ever saw down and up (rom where them ‘cre bre- men docks are now, and there would be lota of music and sandwiches and beer in the boats, and | L would row them up and down from where she | Goed Shepherd House is, up into the Hud- | son River and over to Astoria and ; across to Ward’s Island, and then they | would come back, feeling happy; bat now that's r, and you can’t row with her sweetheart, because, she says, her cloties gets destroyed by the bud smell that comes out of the marshes, ana 1 don’t blame her; for! got a daughter about sixteen, and I wouldn’t think of bringing her out into my boat alter dark to give her a row | o@ the river until this damned dumping away withpy the Governor, or the Police or any one Who has got it in charge. I teil you that ’'a give that McQuaid apiece of my mind if I had tae chance in about & minotes,”’ and as the old boatman ceased he began to smoke bis briarwooa and relapsed into silence, | RAPID TRANSIT. | THE HUSTED BILL AND ITS PROVIsIONS—stM- MARY OF THE BILL AND ITS AMENDMENTS. | Mr. James Hasted’s Rapid Transit bill, popularly known as “Governor Tilden’s bill,” having passed without a single dissenting vote, its main features Will be found of general interest. The bill is given below in sections and, whtle stripped of much of its legal verbiage, all of the main points have been preserved. Just before it was reported from the | Conference Committee several amendments were ded which are givea in full im their proper | order. The titte of the bili is “An act farther to provide ‘or the construction steam railway or railways in counties of the State.” Section 1 provides that on the application of fifty householders and taxpayers of any county in this State that there is need in such county of a steam railway or railways, tae Board of su; visors of said county may, within thirty days, ap- point five Commisisoners, resiaents of said | county, who shall have an aathority as heretnatter provided, and wherever such proposed railway shall be wholly within the limits of any city u State then such application snail be made yor ofsaid city, and said Mayo! ch Commisstuuers as al Section 2 provides t within ten days after id Commissioners rt ly to periorm the } dusi ii give a bond in the penal 500, With two sureties, prior to enteri ng Upon the duties of his office. Secuga & provides ta ie ommissioners shall view of holding a public mass meeting immediately the mat- | street, | McQuaid Golgotha. One policeman, who was quite | is) id operation of a | in the | meet and organize into a Boara within fifteen days aiter appointment. ction 4—That said Commissioners shall, within big days after such organization, aetermine on the necessity of sucn steam railroads, i within sixty aays devermine and locate the route except Broadway and Filth avenue, oelow Fift; niniQ street, and Fourth avenue above Fort second street, in the city of New York, and e: cept such portions of streets and avenues As. | are already legally designed ior the main lin of, or occupied by an elevated or underground raliroa4s im active operation. Also, excepting | public parks, or lands occupied by county buildings;, also, excepting that portion of the city of Buffalo | between Micoigao aud Main streets, provided | toat she consent of the owners of one-half in value of the property bounded on, and the consent of the local authorities be first obtained; or in case the consent of such property owners cannot be obtained the power is vested fa three Commission- ers, to be appointed by Court, after. due hearing of ail partie: ed, wnose de- vermination, confirmed by the Court, shall be t@#Kken in Jicu Of the consent of such properw» | owners Section 5—That the said Commissioners shal | having invited the submission of plavs, within | Baety Gays aiter their organization, decide upom such rauway. ners shall witht a like period of ninety days a: organization de- termine the tiMé Within witch such railway shall be ready for operation, togetner with the maxt< | mum rates and the hours during which special trains shall be run at reduced rates, and within a& like period of ninety days shall determine the amount Of capital stock of the company to be | formed for constructing, maintaining and ope- | rating such railway, the number of shares and tae | cash percentage to be paid on subseription. | section 7—That satd Commissioners shall pre- | pare articles of association for the railroad com~ pany, with the proviso that in case oO! laliure to | complete such railroad within the given time the franchises of such corporation shail be forfeited | to the Supervisors of te county; subscription; beoks to be opened within 120 days alter tue ore | ganization of said Commissioners. | Section 8—That us soon as the whole capital stock shall have been subscribed for by not lens | than twenty-five persons, and the fixed percentage in casu paid in tne Commissioners shall call & meeting of said subscribers for the parpose ol or- | ganization and election o: directors, to serve for One year. Section 9 provides for the issuance and filing of | the Commissioners’ certiffcate and directors’ am- | davits, the receipe of certified copies o. witich by the Secretary 0: State shall be deemed presump- tive evidence of tue incorporation of said com | pany, Section 10 provides for an annual election of directors by stockholders, Secrion 11 empowers directors to enforce pay- mentof subscription to stock, under penutty of | forfeiture. | “Section 12 relates to the individual lability of stockholders for the debes of the company. | “Section 18 provides that the stock shail, bo | deemed personal estate, but po shares siall be | transferable unul all calls due shali have been | fully pata. | Section 14 provides for the increase of the cam | ttal stock to any amount sanctioned by a vole of | two-thirds in amouut of ail the stockholders, Section 15 provides for the personal non-lability ; Of persons holding stock ta any such commany as executor or trustes, or holding 1s as collatera) security. | Section 16 provides for action by laborers agaiust said company iu case any contractor shail | fail to pay laporers. Section 17 empowers any such corporation gen= erally to hold real estate required for the railway, and in case of non- agreement with owners giv: | the right to acquire title as hereinafter provided. | Section 18 provides tur a petition by the com | Baas to the Supreme Court jor the acquirement vu. Able. Section 19 provides for procedure before the Supreme Court on such petition, and for the ap- | pointmens by the Court of dive Commissioners of Appraisal. section 20 provides for proceedings before and Teport by the said Commissioners or a majority thereof to the Supreme Court, Section 21 provides for the confirmation of suc | Feport by the Court and tue issuing o! au ordec | Stating substance of proceedings and description | Of Teal estate appraised and direction us to | manner of payment of money therefor by the company. Section 22 provides for the entering into posses~ ‘slon by the company of such real estate so acquired; also provides ior appeals irom the appraisers’ report by either party to the Supreme ' Court and proceedings thereon, such appeal not to affect the possession of the company, Section 25 provides as to payment of such real éstate into Court bj sae. company and proceedings thereon; algo gives the Court power | to amend any formality or defect in the proceed- ings under tais act and to add new parties aud to appotut new Conmissioners if so required. Section 24 provides as to amendment of acquired title by the company if found detective. Section 25 provides that the Supreme Court shall have power to direct legal conveyance of re- quired realty by holaers nos authorized to sell and convey the same. Section 26 provides, first, for the hoiding ot voluntary grants of reai estate; second, that nothing ‘herein coutaiued shall affect the act au- thorizing tae construction of ratiroads upoa Indian lands, passed May 12, 1856; third, provides jor intersections and jolutugs with ovuer rallrowd previously constructed, and upon decision 0} amount of compensation in respect of such inter- section; fourth, empowers the company to convey. persvns and property upon their railway oy steam or any motor other than animal power: filth, em- powers the compauy tO construct and operate said railway upon the pan adopted by the Rud Commissioners, excepting tuat notming 10 this uct shail authorize cue construction of a railway cross. ing the track of any steam railway now iu actual Operation at che grade thereof, or the erection of piers or sq) for any elevated raiiway upon « rauway track now actually ip Use WD &ay Street or avenue; sixth, empowers toe company to issue bonds. Section 27 provides tnat every raliway oMcial shall wear 4 badge, otherwise be snail not be e Utied to @xercise any of the powers of 14 office. Section 2 provides as to the conveyance of United States mails, Section 29 empowers servants of the corpora. — to expel amy passenger refusiag to pay nis are. | _ Section 30 provides that such corporation must | farnish sufictent accommodations ior its patrons, and snail be table fur any neglect in this resp Section sl provides that tlany persou in cha money for of a locomotive engine or wale acting as condu ve tor on such ratiroad be intoxicated he deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. Section 32 provides aremedy for malicious ec agsinst the property of the soy toe | Section 83 provides for proceedings tor penalties under this act. Section 34 provides’ for the dissolution at any fature time oi any such corporation by the Legin- Jature. Section 35 provides in the case of intersection for the temporary removal of any hor: railway tracks aug restoration thereof nothing coutaned In this act shail authorize any corporation torwed Wereubuer to use the tracks of any horse railway. Section 96 provides that whenever the roua deteriniaed upon by said Commissioners With the route or routes covered by tie of a0 existing corporation formed jor the pur- pose provided for by t act, provided that sont corporation has not forfeited its charter or jail d to comply with the provisions thereof requirin the construction of any road or roads within ¢ time prescribed by its charter, suck corpuratie shall have tue like po toconstruct and op such railway or ratiways upon faifliment of re ments and condjtior impovred by said Comm sioners a8 @ co#poration specially formed unact this act. To this section the following imporians amendment was made just previous to the passage of the bill:—And the said Commissioners may 0x and Getermine the route or routes by witica aug elevated steam railway or ra! aciual operation may connect with other ste: railways or the depots thereo! Ties, upou fulfilment by sucn Way company, so iar as it relate tion, orsuch of the reqvirements and co! imposed by said Commissioners under ‘ this act as are necessary tron 4 of to be fultiied in sucw cases under section 18 Of urticle 3 Of the co! © tion Of this State; aad sach railway shail in such case p conierred by section 26 of th connecting route or routes 5! Such elevated railway com suca connection, with all the righ effect as though the same had been @ part of the original route of such railway. | Section 87 provides that said Commissioners shail hand over all papers and money to suc’ corporation Wituin one month after organization, | after deducting amounts due to Commissionera Jor expenses and Salaries, Section 38 provides nat each of said Commis. | sioners shail be paid §10 per day jor each Gay of actaal service, Section 39 clothes a majority of the Commis» siovers with power to transact business; also; provices for the removal lor cause by the powe appointing and for filling vacancies in the event ol death or resignation. Sections 40, 41 and 42 were added at the Iaaf Moment and are herewith given entire — Section 40—This act snail Dot be consirmed to ri eal or im any manner to affect chapter 140 of \ | Laws of 1850, entitied “An act to wuthorize tid formation of railroad corporations, and to reg: jate the same,” or the several acts amendator thereof or supplementary thereto; none of the pr Visions of this act snail apply to any railroad cox pany organized under apy general or special la of this State for the petit of constructing « pg a ronme ral road Spon the surface }, hor to the operation or me: of any railroad heretofore conmrusiea, Section 41—it suali not be lawful for any conv pany organized under the provisions of this acy or under any other act totore ed, 10 con struct @ steam railway dpon St. Nicholas avenue, | In the city of New York, or those streets or ave« nues in said city commonly known as boulevard except to cross the same under such r as Shall be impose y Commissioners prow vided for by this act: and every such wend Shall be bound by tne restrictions and limitati ‘88 to its route and as to ite mode of construction, which shali stablished by the Commissioner | appointed under tue acts from which its powerd | were derived, as far as such restrictions and jimi tatious are consistent with the provisions of Chia act. The provisions of this section sh: deemed to apply to any existing horse heretofore antnonized to be constr Section 42-This act shail take edlect im | ately. | nedi”