The New York Herald Newspaper, August 17, 1876, Page 4

r NEW YORK HERALD * BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR ———_-—_—_— ° THE DAILY HERALD, pudif&ted every day in the year. Four cents per copy. Twelve dollars per year, or one dollar per month, free of postage. All business, news letters or telegraphic despatches must bo addressed New Louk Henarp. Letters and packages should be properly fealed. i Rejected communications will not be ro- tarned. PHILADELPHIA OF FICE—NO. 112SOUTH SIXTH STREET. LONDON OFFICE OF THE HERALD—NO, 46 FLEE PARIS OFFICE—AVENUE DE 1 Subscriptions and advertieements will be received and forwarded on the ssme terms as in New York. NO, 250 ANUSEMENTS THIS AVTERNOON AND. EVEAING, BOOTH'S THEA SARDANAPALUS, at S P.M. Mr. Booth. and Mrs. Agnes woobs MI M. SITTING BULL, at Sl’. M. Matinee at 2 P.M. KELLY & LEON'S MINSTRELS ateP. M OLYM THEATRE, VARIETY, at SP. ‘sah PARISIA. vA atSP.M. Matinee a i. FIFTH | AVENUL LORD DUNDREARY, at 8 P.M. v THR MIGHTY TIVOLI VARIETY, at 8 P.M. GRAND CONC: Pappenhetm. ke VARIETY, at 8 P. WITH SUPPLEMENT. ¥ AY, AUGUST I% 1 NEW YORK, THUI From our reports this morning the probabilities are that the weather to-day will be cooler and partly cloudy. During the summer months the Henanp will Le sent to subscribers in the country at the rate of twenty-five cents per week, free of postage. Wart Srreer Yrsrernpa The transac- tions in stocks were comparatively small, yet at the close prices were firm. Gold opened at 1113-8 and ended at 111 1-4 Money was supplied on call loans at 1 and | 11-2 per cent. Government and railway bonds were steady, and some of the invest- ment shares highe Lorp Lyrtoy, it is stated, will not resign the Governor Generalship of India next year. He may, however, do it this year. Tue Cruise or THe New York Yacut Crus has not been very exciting as yet, but if the yachts keep on the water long enough they will get more than capfuls of wind. A Lxap Inro Fame.—Mr. Hewitt’'s ringing speech at the close of the session, like Dorsheimer's speech for hard money, was a leap into fame. It was a timely speech and will do Tilden’s canvass great good. Bexrast, Ireland, is simmering down after its little Lady Day ruction. There are only twenty-six persons in the hospital. We can do better than that here by simply adding a few degrees to our normal summer tempera- ture. Rarm Taansrr.—The decision of Judge Van Hoesen is a step toward rapid transit. Let us welcome it, and let us thank Judge Van Hoesen for his prompt and just action. This heated term and its effect upon the poor are melancholy arguments in favor of rapid transit. Trovates are looming up in Crete, where Turkish rule only exists by the aid of strong battalions. As a diversion in favor of Ser- via the uneasiness in the island comes a lit- tle late ; but while the Moslem is in difficulty is the Cretan opportunity for gaining an ex- terpion of privileges. * Lrvixcstoxa, the great African pioneer and priest, was honored yesterday by ao memorial statue in the metropolis of his native land. Scotland, in doing this, showed a true sense of the honor which she owed to this hero of the wild—-her son. His fame, however, belongs to the entire world, and this fact, in turn, leaves the world in- debted to Scotland. Tue Controversy between Mr. Thurlow Weed and Mr. Alexander H. Stephens rela- tive to the “Clay Compromise” receives an- other chapter this morning in the shape of a letter from ex-Senator Clingman, who cor- rects Mr. Weed upon the main point— namely, the interview with General Taylor, and makes some interesting disclosures upon other points. Mexico staggers on under her load of revoluticns, without much apparent pros- pect of a healthy peace succeeding the gov- ernment efforts to 5 bellion. With busine raising their prices twelve per cent and little or no money to meet the war expenses, the situation does not stem pleasant for Baxxixe Cirnks must not, on pain of being adjudged lunatics, harbor any ex- traordinary views upon the subject of eternal damnation. Theodore Mullally, Jr., had, it appears, some strange ideas about it and was so adjudged. We would extend this warning to car drivers and expressmen, for @ reference to the supposed locality where everlasting punishment is served out ts more than occasional among these people. of pretty Newport yesterday which will furnish a good example to such of our youth who remain in the error, now happily disappearing, that those who have no need for work have no need for play. The play- ing of the lacrosso teams was witnessed with great interest, and from the description of the sample thero given we have no doubt that the Canadians’ gamo will be naturalized with us a little before themselves. One of the highest compli- ments one people can pay another is to adopt its sports. A fine polo match con- cluded the day of manly enjoyment, the Canadians | shal, | ‘‘machine” NEW YORK HERALD. THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1876.—WITH SUPPLEMENT. 5 lll Sig NPRORD MEME ST li si il Sa a gS A lk a a ae a SRR EY Civil Service Reform—What Does it Meant What do people mean when they talk of the necessity fora reform in the civil ser- vice? We suspect that very few really know the details of the evil they protest against. They do not realize that the government has come to be in this country one of the great- est employers of labor, but that, unlike any other employer, it gives to its servants neither the hope of permanence nor the op- portunity of rising by meritorious perform- ance of duty. A manufacturer or a mer- chant is but too glad to keep an expert and steady workman. He encourages him by the hope of promotion ; he assures him of con- stant employment ; he is annoyed if his ser- vant leaves him. The government alone does none of these things. It does not select its servants for competency, but for their political opinions ; it does not retain them if they are faithful and skilful, but dis- misses them arbitrarily at a moment's notice and for no fault, simply on the motion of a political favorite. It makes the tens of thousands of petty places in its service an absolute gift to the three hundred and sixty- six Senators and Representatives in Con- gress—so absolute that every clerk or other of its servants, down to the very janitor of a public office, is some member or influential friend of the administration ; and books are kept by ex- amining which one may ascertain to whom any one of these is ‘‘charged.” At least half the time of the President and of his Cabinet is taken up in hearing and deciding upon | E , B uP | protégée of some other Congressman, applications for office from members of Con- gress or on their recommendations. A large part of the time of every member of Congress is used in making or opposing, in forward- ing or thwarting, applications for office ; in causing the removal of one man that another may get the place ; in arranging and divid- | ing the plunder of his district, so as to maintain his influence. Finally, the dispo- sal of the offices is claimed as aright by Con- gressmen, and they think themselves justified in taking offence if their applications are re- jected. Nor is even this all. “The strongest argument aman brings to secure even the most subordinate employment is not that he is a faithful and competent man, but that he is ‘‘a good worker.” All this is sufficiently known; it is no news that wo aro telling ; it is so old a story | that it needs to be enforced by examples, and accordingly here is one. There is a book published at government ex- pense which gives, or rather pretends to give, the name of every man and woman employed in the federal service. It is notacomplete register, but it is the best attainable for our purposes. From it, and from separate registers of the depart- ments, we find that there are employed and paid by the federal government in the State of Louisiana alone nearly twelve hundred Now, all these hold their placeson the prominent condition that they shall be friends of the federal administration and “good workers” for the party in power. They may be able or incompetent in the perform- ance of their duties, but they must be zeal- ous partisans ; and they all know that they mmy be removed at any time and for none but political reasons. Of the whole twelve hun- dred probably five hundred are men who hold such appointments as would properly be changed by a new President, or forany cause but misconduct. The remainder ought to be carefully selected and should hold their places as permanently as a clerk or book- keeper in a counting room or an operative in a factory. But the State government of Louisiana is carried on in the same way. If we allow the same number of clerks and other subordi- nate oflicers in the State we shall have twenty-four hundred persons whose bread depends not on faithful service of the public, but on zealous partisan work. They are paid by the people to serve a handful of party leaders. Now, then, in the election of 1874, according to the admissions cf United States Marshal Packard, less than five thousand white men voted the republican ticket in Louisiana, and it isclear that these consisted almost entirely of the federal and State office- holders and their families. But these per- sons did something much more important in Louisiana than vote. Under the pay of the federal and State governments they marshal- led the negro vote ; they electioneered ; they “organized ;” they used all the power of the federal office and authority to influence ig- norant negroes to vote that ticket whose suc- cess would give them, the few oflice-holders, new lease of office, secure favor at Washing- ton, such permanence as can be earned by partisan service at the cost of the taxpayers, and as cannot, under this system, be earned in any other way. This is how what is called the political is constituted. Here is the sourco of its strength ; the reason of its per- tinacity ; the moving cause of its unscrupu- lous actions. It is a common saying in Lonisiana that Mr. Packard, who was last year at the same time United States Marshal and Chairman of the Republican Exeéutive Committee ; who is this year candidate for Governor and still United States not like to receive more white voters into the party. He prefers it asit is Very naturally. It is big enough for his purposes. if it were larger he might find it more difficult to control. persons. does other Southern State, them is true of the country at large. The public service is carried on, the public sala- ries aro paid, very largely as the reward of partisan service; it isinade the interest of tens of thousands of public servants to use Mar- | But what | | is trne of Louisiana is true of almost every And what is true of | their influence, their time and strength to | care not for the interests of the public which pays them, but of party leaders, who stand over.them with the threat of removal unless they are “good workers” and support their political plans, We found an odd example of the unblushing impudence with which this system is carried on only the other day in our own columns, in a story abont Florida politics, where, it seems, the republicans have quarrelled and there are two nominees for Governor. tor Conover, one of these, has obtained the federal patronage in the State, and by this means confidently hopes to drive his rival, Stearns, from the field. That is to say, Coné It is cooliy related that Sena- | over goes to Florida and threatens every federal office-holder in the State with re- moval unless he supports his pretensions to the Governorship; and this is not concealed, but openly spoken of. It is no strange thing; in fact, it happens every day. Senator Sargent controls the federal patronage in California; Senator Spencer appoints his friends and turns out his opponents in Alabama; Senator Logan threatened to quarrel with the President last winter because General Grant ventured to remove some federal officers in Illinois with- out consulting him; and so onto the end of the chapter. No sooner is anew Congress- man elected than he rushes to Washington to “regulate the appointments,” He holds himself entitled to divide with a Senator of his State the appointments in his district, He believes himself authorized to demand a certain number of @lerkships in the Wesh- ington departments. His most important correspondence relates to the nomination of this friend and the removal of that enemy; and the worst of it is that there is no one at Washington to dispute his assumptions. So complete is this tyranny and so inexorable that we could relate cases where an appoint- | ment has been forced, in spite of the com- plaint of a superior that the appointee was notoriously unfit; so thoroughly is it carried “eharged” to some one of these or to | out that there is not to-day a poor woman employed as copyist in any Washington department who can be certain over night that she will not be = dis- missed the next morning; to oblige some member of Congress, who wants the place for a favorite—unless, indeed, she is the So en- tirely has custom ceased to make it shame- ful that when a Congressman takes the lib- erty to oppose the administration the per- sons ‘‘charged” to him are turned out of office, and when the democrats took posses- sion of the House last winter they did not | hesitate s moment to kick out of the petty | places in it dozens of crippled soldiers who had found a refuge there for their declining years. This is the atrocious and demoralizing system for the reform of which the people cry out. It leads necessarily to misgovern- ment. Its main object is to enable the party in power to defy and defeat the people's will, and to enable the party striving for power to makea ‘‘pool,” in gambler's phrase, of the public offices, and promise them as the reward of victory. As it demoralizes the public service by giving its rewards not to honest and skilful service, but to skill in partisan intrigue, so on the other hand it debases Congress, because Repre- sentatives and Senators are no longer selected by the people for conspicuous ability; a place in the national legislature is the prize, in the great majority of instances, of the more adroit and successful manipula- tor of the machiné; the “strongest” man is he of whom his fellow ‘workers” predicate that he will be the ablest organizer of the patronage of his district or his State. Heneg, finally, follows the demoralization of the Executive; he has no longer to fear opposition within his party, for he has bribed the party leaders beforehand; and as thoy came to be bribed, as they were se- lected by the machine for that purpose, they are not advisers, but flatterers, Thus, knowl- edge, genius, skill, independence are ex- cluded from the public service, and if any- where by chance an able and independent man gets into Congress the machine in ter- ror combines against him and flings him overboard with as little delay as may be. Governor Hayes showed in his letter of acceptance that he thoroughly comprehends the nature and the danger of this monstrous evil. He has shown, more satisfactorily than Mr. Tilden, we think, that he knows how toapply the remedy. His remarks on civil service reform have produced pro- found dissatisfaction and alarm among the managers of the republican machine. But he has the people and the press with him, and if he is elected he will have their sup- port in beginning a reform without which the country cannot much longer got on. Wagner and His Hero, In the performance which took place last night at Baireuth, and lasted seven hours and a half, the most important part of Wazg- ner’s music drama was reached and success- tully accomplished. The hero Siegfried is the central figure, around whom gods, nymphs, dwarfs and giants revolve. Our special correspondent at Baircuth refers to the enthusiasm of the audience and the striking effect of some of the scenes of the opera. Tho intermissions were two hours in length, leaving five hours and a half of solid music—enough, one would think, to satisfy the most insatiate appetite No wonder that poor Betz weakened at the prospect of such an ordeal after two nights’ expenditure of lung power in “Rheingold” and “Die Walkiire.” The the score of the opera w day have been very will convey an idea, could express, of the characteristics of the music. A very interesting account of the first grand rehearsal of the introduction to ctions from 1 we present to- carefully made, and stronger than words | the ‘Trilogy also appears in our columns The conscientious earnestness and ing industry of the composer are un- iable, whatever may be the divided opin- ions regarding his music. Althongh many will be inclined to differ from Hueffer in his glowing tribute to Wagner, when he says “he has crushed the hard fetters of petrified formalitics in the firm grasp of his hand, remoulding the dead metal by the burning breath of his genius into new shapes of har- monious fashion,” yet all must pay homage to the greatness of an intellect that has created such » marked revolution in the realms of music. In the vast and varied history of the divine art the fonr perfoim- ances at Baireuth of the ‘Ring of the Nibe- lungen” will occupy 4 most prominent place, Epwin Boorm objects to the use of his | name in connection with Booth's Theatre, We appreciate the reasons which prompt him to this conclusion, but at thé same time | think that his name belongs to the theatre, that its use in thet conuection is a monn- ment to him and that he should so regard it. He may feel, perhaps, that his name is its own monument, and in this he does not do injustice to his fame as the first tragedian of America and one of the really great actors of the world. What the Troops Will De in the South. Many members of Congress made a stren- uous opposition to the bill authorizing the enlistment of twenty-five hundred additionnal cavalrymen to serve against the Indians, The ground of opposition was that there are abundant troops in the South that might be employed against the Indians. Even without any minute investi- gation this allegation would seem tobe well founded. It is preposterous and incredible that with an army of twenty-five thousand men the government cannot »muster a force of more than three or four thousand for active service in an emergency. Act- ing on this presumption we have caused careful inquiries to be made, and the result is stated in detail in our correspon- dence elsewhere. The reader will find a full and authentic statement of the number of federal troops in the Southern States, with the name of each company and the place where it is stationed. The conclusion from these detailed statements is that five | regiments might be spared from the military | posts in the South to reinforce Crook and Terry in their campaign against the Sioux. There is, of course, no reason why these troops should not be* kept in the South for precautionary purposes so long as there is no employment for them elsewhere; but it is a wasteful absurdity to maintain idle soldiers in the South while we are prose- | cuting an active campaign against the In- dians with an insufficient force. The State militia should be adequate for every emergency in the South, or if the militia of any particular State can- not be relied on to put down a riot, and federal assistance should bo needed, it is lawful for the President to call out the militia of the States whose loyalty | and fidelity could be safely trusted. We ask attention to the striking exhibit pre- sented by our Washington correspondent. The order from Seeretary Cameron to General Sherman, which we also print, shows that the administration has had o very definite uso to make of these troops all the time, and we at once see why Creok and Terry havo been deliberately left with- out adequate support. It is expected that the five regiments will carry four of the Southern States, by whipping the negroes into line who have either become listless in politics or wandered off to the democracy, and by terrifying the “fiendish” white liners intosubjection. By keeping the | outrage mill slowly grinding, and sending platoons of cavalry hither and thither, it is evidently hoped torevive the bitterness which has been rapidly disappearing between the races in most parts of the South. We wish to see all citizens protected in their rights, but this turning of the army of the United States into bands of drummers for the negro vote is pushing partisanship so far that it would be grotesque if it were not infamous. This is doubtless the work to which General Sherman referred when he said the “highest authority” must answer why the tropps could not be spared to fight the Sioux. The desperation of a move which dares to saddle the country with the expense of extra soldiers while keeping nearly four thousand idle for political pur- poses is apparent, and adds another stigma to the rule of the party in whose name and for whose aid it is unblushingly done. Will the British Oarsmen Kow Us Downt The quality of at least two of the three British amateur crews now in this country makes the prospect of our winning the world’s championship in amateur fours ex- ceedingly doubtful. Unless Yale can whip the Northwestern four that doubt is in- creased, for it was plain the other day that while the latter won they did not row really well or with that dash which is always characteristic of a thoroughly fast crew, superior power appearing to be what pulled them through. If looks are any criterion the Dublin four, which passed through this city yesterday, have more power than the Northwesterns and are very likely to have better form, while Captain Gulston’s four also have a dangerous look. If our crews now entered are the best we have, then, if beaten, we should take . defeat with becoming grace. But it is cor- tain that one of our fastest fours, if not the very first of them all, will not be in the fight. In the recent Saratoga contest three ont of the first four crews rowed in boats of exactly the same dimensions and model. Another such boat can be had at the shortest notice, and at present Commodore | Ferguson thinks that the whole week com- mencing on the 28th inst. will be oceupied with the single, donble and pair-oared races alone, so that there will be no four-oared contest before tho 4th of September. In the nearly three weeks thus remaining to Cor- nell she could easily be ready if she wanted to. But sho says there is not time enough in which to have a suitable boat built. Very good; then we aro to understand that Cor- nell wins races not by any superior training or stay or oarsmanship, but simply because she can manage to get a faster boat than her rivals. If this is so it ought to be under- stood at once. If it is not, then let her prove it is not by taking a boxt liko other people's, and winning, as others have to, on their merits. on THe Trenxisn Qurs- trox.—It is curions to note in the foreign press, and especiaily the London journals, the rising of tho tide of public opinion against Turkey. Much of this must be attributed to tho eloquent letters of Mr. Gallenga from Therapia tothe Times. Mr. | Gallenga directly charges, in a letter writ- ten on July 20, that the British Minister, Sir Henry Elliott, had shown undne sym- pathy with the Turks—that he had not kept his government well informed | on the atrocities in Bulgaria, For this | reason, says Mr. Gallenga, ‘the corre- | spondents of English and other toreign jour- nals in this country are resolved on having an inquiry of their own, and they have in- trusted its direction to Mr. Schuyler, the newly arrived American Consul General, wiio will proceed at once to Philippopoli, attended by a well known correspondent of the New York Hisnanp, and by other jour- nalists of repute.” The result of this in- quiry has been to throw the forces of the | Times against the Ministry, and to compel from Mr. Disrneli a speech of apology. This shows the growing importance of the press as one of the powers that rule nations. Too Much for One Larynx. There was something in the meagre de- spatches from Baireuth yesterday painfully recalling that disagreeable person who used to sit by the Roman conquerors during a Triumph recalling to the crowned com- mander that he was onlya man. Wagner wes reminded he was mortal. Here was the hugest operatic show the world has ever seen stopped as completely as if it were a far Western travelling troupe after taking part in a steamboat explosion ; here were a pair of emperors, an empress, a full hand of kings and queens and an entire pack of princes and serene highnesses getting their money back at the box office ; here was Herr Wagner tearing out the roots of his hair; here wore twenty-four doctors with gargles, lotions and potions around a gigantic couch ; here were wailing and gnashing of teeth among eighty-four special correspondents, despair among belated telegraph operators and probably forty thousand people turned | over to the gartens and drowning their disappointment in illimitable beer. And all for what? Fora slight laryngeal inflam- mation ora slight relaxation of the thyreo- arytenoid ligaments in the throat of Herr Betz. And who is Herr Betz? At the time we write of he was a bursted baritone, some- time the pet of tho Berlinese, descended from Herr Leatherlungs and the great Burly- bumbo who sang double D what time the young bloods of Old England fonght a pitched battle over the rival merits of Fiddle-de-dee and Fal-de-ral-tit. Previous to his collapse he had been singing the rous- ing part.of Wotan, the God of the Snn, in the firstand second parts of the Nibelun- gen Lied. He had had a fine musical edu- cation. For years he had longed to do something musically terrible. Having prac- tised for months to a boiler maker's obligato, with steam whistle interludes, ho saw Wag- ner one day, and hailed him three or four blocks off with a calliope chest note. The musician of the future thought he would do, and hired him on the spot, with a proviso that he was to find his own lungs. He had afresh copper-fastened pair for the opening performance last Sunday, a set of vocal cords made of the best catgut, and a new vul- eanized indiarubber epiglottis. The per- formance proceeded. Wotan could be heard above the stage thunder, the bang- ing of the ten six-foot drums and the tornado of braying brass. Not a rivet started. He was merely oiled internally, bathed in lager beer and given some Lim- burger cheese and a piece of watermelon. The second night came and with it the Wal- kiire. He was inflated and sent on. Three hundred trombones were blown to atoms and four drums thwacked into flinders, but Herr Betz as Wotan outsung them all. It was ao triumph, but while his lungs held out the vulcanized rubber epiglottis was seen to become inflamed and the catgut cords to grow limp. Hence the row. . We pity Herr Betz, but who will pity Wagner, the man who burst such a baritone? Our public who heard ‘Lohengrin” will remember Herr Blum as the Herald and what a tempest of brass he had to bellow against. Even that necessitated the management the year fol- lowing stuffing an effigy, which simply opened its mouth while the orchestra was blowing itself black in the face. And that Herald’s part was mere ‘supe’s” work beside the thunderous vibrations that are | expected to issue from the throat of the god | Wotan. A man would want a windpipe like a colliery shaft to carry it through without a break from the rumblings in Rheingold to the explosions of Gitterdiimmerung. If this is the music of the future who will be left to sing it? Speaker Kerr at the Point of Death. The decease of Mr. Kerr, which is ex- pected from hour to hour, will be a serious misfortune to the democratic party anda loss to the public life of the country. His firm integrity, amiable temper, modest man- ners and irreproachable life have always commanded the confidence of political friends and the respect of political oppo- | nents, and he will be sincerely mourned by all who have been associated with him in tho national councils. Tho death of such a man in these degenerate times is a public calamity. He falls in the prime of manhood, when new opportunities of distinction and usefulness were opening before him, and his pofitical party is de- prived of the services of one of its few members of ripe and trained capacity for public affairs. Mr. Kerr was more remark- able fora clear head, sound judgment and power of perspicuous statement than for what is called intellectual brilliancy, his talents being solid, not showy, and match- ing his character, which was steady, faithful and manly, but not impulsive. He dics with the calm resignation of o Christian, anxious only for his family, whom he leaves in honorable poverty. A vacuncy in the Speakership takes away ono of the legal safeguards for keeping the Presidential office always filled, but this is perbaps of little consequonce, as the contingency against which this provi- sion is made seems very remote. Ordinarily, four lives stand aso protection against an executive vacancy—namely, the President, the Vico President, the prosiding officer of the Senato and the Speaker of the Hoase. The four will be reduced to two by the deaths of Vice Prosident Wilson and Speaker Kerr, and an «ccident to Mr. Perry wonld loave the Presidency suspended on the un- certain thread of a single human life. There is no reason for expecting danger, but still it is always desirable to have at least throe of the four offices always filled as an in- surance against the confusion which wonld result from a government without an ex- eoutive head. Tar Frexcn Cuampens have pacsed a law making elementary education obligatory on all the children in France. ‘This is the wisest measure that has boon passed by the Republic. There can be no true liberty that is not based upon edneation, and what France needs now is a law something lik that presented to the Convention by Robe- spierre—one of the best laws on the subject | of education ever conceived. The Diplomatic Service. : The President’s theory that Congress should not interfere with the prerogatives of the Executive by abolishing missions is a new one, We have no doubt the President has been advised that his position is a ten- able one, or he would not have taken the trouble to address the Senate on the subject. 'The words of the constitutional provision in reference to ambassadors would seem to | carry out the point involved in this Message. But we cannot think of any absolute power over the subject in the hands of the Presi- dent. If an ambassador under our govern- ment was like an ambassador from other governments the President's prerogative would be obvious. In monarchical countries the ambassedor represents the person of the monarch. He can claim more than royal im- munities and almost royal honors. Our ambassadors are not representatives of the President's person, but of his office, It follows, therefore, that if the rep resentatives of the people do not seo the wisdom of embassies it is not for the Executive to interpose his will, Any- thing under our government that looks like concentration and centralization, anything that adds to the powers or prerogatives of the President, should not be encouraged, Now that the President has advanced this right we trust that Congress will take it up and decide the question. There should be no question of this kind between the Presi« dent and Congress. The President, in reducing the ministers in various countries to the rank of chargés (affaires, accepts the decree of Congress in proper spirit. At the same time he should have gone further. Now is the time to revise our whole diplomatic service, As it now stands it is an imitation of tho mo- narchical system, for which we have no need. Weare not in such relations with foreign nations as to need these elaborate diplomatic systems. Wodo not need an embassy in Germany and Russia and France. We have no particle of use for ministers in Italy, Austria or Turkey. We should have a Min- ister at the Court of St. James and another resident on the Continent, in Paris or Geneva, It should be the duty of this Con- tinental minister to visit courts where we happen to have any business. Thus Ban- croft Davis is competent to transact every matter of business that we have had with all the Continental Powers since he crossed the ocean, without any more hardship than is involved ina journey from one capital to another. In small kingdoms, as in commer- cial towns, we could have consuls, whose duty it would be to look after the business interests of our people. As the embassies are now constituted they have a social value; no more, They are pleasant resorts for wandering Americans whose time hangs heavy on their hands. The President has done so well in handling these appropria- tion bills, and especially in reducing the bill for the improvement of rivers and har- bors, that we regret exceedingly his failure to take hold of the diplomatic business and give the country a genuine reform, Ir tar Turks under Osman Pacha can turn Tchernayeff’s position without fighting him the war in Servia, in the absence of ins tervention, is likely to become one of gue- rillas. There is evidence, however, that the Moslom troops will only be able to enter the Morava Valley after hard fighting, for the Servians are on their own soil and occupy positions that can be’ defended with ease against large odds if the men have only ordi« nary soldiers’ firmness. The critical state of affairs makes all the Powers anxious to ine tervene, but leaves them so far without an opportunity. Even England, which is the one strong friend of Turkey, fears the effect upon Europe of a sweeping victory over the Servinns. The proposal advanced even now that peace should be concluded on the basis of the status quo ante belium is a warning to the Turk that, go far as he may in smiting the Servians, he has nothing to gain by fure ther slaughter. War Issurs.—This business of raising war issues in the canvass as reasons for or against the election of candidates is small. Many good, patriotic men questioned the wisdom of the war against the South. They had a right to their opinions. Why should those opinions be recalled by truculent politicians, anxious only for power, who supported the waz, if the truth were known, for power and not for patriotism. These men appeal to passions that should die and hatreds that should be forgotten, and they should be frowned upon as mischievous demagogues. PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE, Nowton Booth squeals for Hayes, Redpath believes that Belknap ts tynocent, Rovky Point (R. 1.) uses 200 bushes of clams a day, Count Stackelberg, of Russia, is at the Hoffman Fouse. Mr, James Ashbury, M. P., arrived at the Brevoort Houso yesterday irom Philadelphia, Daron Heyking, of Rassia, arrived from Europe tn the steamship Scythia and is at tho Fifth Avenue | Hotel. Senator William B. Allison, of Iowa, and Congress man Honry Watterson, of Louisville, are at she Bro voort House. - George Eliot“ have the more to give him since his treasare diflers (rom mine, Thatis a blessedness in friendship.” Elihu Barritt aod Robert Collyer will speak at the opening exercises of the lowa Exposition Butlding at Des Moines in December. When a Saratoga lady called her son to account be, cause he had a golden hair on the lapel of his coat he oxplainod that his girl had put a head on bim, The Corpas Christs (Lex.) Times puts it thus: To own ts human, To poy up divine, Like the Bosnians, the Bulgarians are descended from the serfs of the old nobility of their province, who in Bosnia became Mohammedans, but in Bulgaria were exterminated, The fight on the Central Pacific Railroad eontinuca and centres upon the purity or immorality of the Com. tract and Finance Committee, of which Charles Crocker was the head. A Vermont girl is dying from poison received by wearing striped stockings; yot the percentage of deaths from that 'y smdll considering the ber of stockin aptain William G British Legation Hotel. Cap Saturday tn ¢ te. The heat in 1 since Jaly 14, though not eg actly “tropical” —tor when men talk of “tropical hea ey moan in the shade—has been as great s withivan Indian noase caretuily cool ns possible, The thermometer ) S¥ in the shade, ap to £0 ina rather hot business room, and up (O76in a well ventilated and loity bedroom at eloven P, M, nos and Mr. F. Dohys, of the on, are at the Clarendon will sail for Bagtand om it ordinari regulated tc has range