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About Weekly constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 185?-1877 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1868)
THE WEEKLY CONSTITUTIONALIST VbMBSDAT MORSISO. NOV. 4, IM» Jh’ov president. HORATIO SEYMOUR, OF NEW YORK. Koi' ice-l President: FRANCIS P. BLAIR, OF MISSOURI. Club Rate# for the Weekly Constitntlon alist. That every oue may be enabled to sub scribe, and receive the benefits of a live jour nal, we offer the following liberal terms to Clubs ; 1 Copy per year - - - - $3 00 3 Copies per year - - - - 750 5 Copies per year - - - - 12 00 10 Copies per year - - 00 We trust that every subscriber'to the paper will aid us In adding to our list. CROPS AND OURREN C NEWS. Our subscribers and friends, in the coun . try will confer a favor on us and our nu merous readers by sending us items as to crop prospects and general news in their different sections. We trust that each subscriber will consider himself a special correspondent for the Constitu tionalist, and thereby add to the interest of the paper. MURDEB. NORTH AND SOUTH. The New York Herald has advocated the election of Gen. Grant, but it is, by no means, a lover of the Radical system of re construction. While partisan journals, like the Times and Tribune, are devoting the South to destruction, because of certain murders committed, the Herald takes an impartial and just view of the matter; so just and so impartial that it may make men wonder. Here is the article we refer to : “ We have been made familiar for a long time past with stories of frequent murders, violent assaults, displays of force to interrupt political processions in the Southern States, negroes assailing white men even unto death and white men assaulting negroes. This is all the natural result of the Radical system of re construction. The reconstruction laws were the basis of a war of races. We Cannot, there fore, be surprised at the fruits. For example, white men in open day murder Randolph, a black member of ihe South Carolina Legisla ture ; black men in Lou.siaua hunt down a white man. chain him to a tree, threaten him with death, and the result is a general fight be tween negroes and white men, ending in the death of thirty of the unfortunate blacks and two white men. So, also, at Jefferson, a city •situated a little above New Orleans, the old police force and the new one appointed by the Louisiana ‘ black and tan ’ Legislature come into collision upon the latter attempting to assume au hority. Wherefore? Because the new organization is composed, in large part, of negroes, who, it appears, go heavily armed through the streets, displaying that ef frontery which always characterizes ignorance invested with authority. A newspaper office in Alexandria, Louisiana, is also sacked by a mob, whether white or blapk the dispatch does not state ; but that it was nevertheless the result of collision between the races we may safely as sume. The latest murder is that of four peo ple in the streets of New Orleans on Saturday, in a fight between a white and a black political club. From various quarters in the South we hear of similar conflicts, which make good the prophecy that the reconstruction laws, whether 1 unconstitutional, null and void,’ as they have been declared by the Democratic platform, or not, are certainly provocative of much mis chief, anarchy and bloodshed. So much for the Southern record of murder, and we have not noted the half of it. But what of the mur der record of the North ? Perhaps if we were to strike a fair balance there would not be found so much difference after all. The appa rent difference is that homicide at the South is invariably put to the credit of politics, and in exciting times like these there is much made of it by partisan newspapers. We are told that in one single county of New Hampshire theie are now awaiting trial no less than five mutderers. In our own city homicides are almost as nu merous as the nights in the year. New Eng land furnishes, according to the record, nearly as many murderers in proportion to the popu lation as the Southern States. “The moral of all this is that while Radical reconstruction cannot check the progress of crime in the Southern States, but rather fosters it, so New England Puritanism cannot elevate the moral condition of its people above the use of the knife, the pistol and the poison cup. The cause of the increase of murder in the South is to be traced to the war of races, the inevitable result of Radical policy. In New England it belongs to the war of bad passions, to irreligion and intemperance. No plea of political exasperation can be put in there, for everytning is serene and pleasant in New En gland ; no military governors, no offensive ne gro supremacy, for New England takes care that the negro is kept in his proper place ; no disfranchisement of white citizens exists there to provoke conflict and keep men’s temper up * like quills upon the fretful porcupineand yet, with all the hideous reports of murder and violence in the Southern States, sad as they are, it would appear from recent statements that we are not much better off at the North than our neighbors in that wretchedly misgoverned por tion of the country.” The Abbott of the Monastery at St. Vincents, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, received, prior to the election, several letters, threaten ing to burn the property of the institution if the men connected with it attempted to vote. These letters were written by the friends of John Covode, as the votes were certain to b<| cast against him. The district is now contest ed by the “ scalawag,” because the voters from the above named were Catholics. They were subject to draft, pay taxes, and en titled to vote by the same rule which governs other citizens. Tfei only trouble About them is, they were not cast for the Republican candi date. . THE “BLOODY SHIRT.” Forney is waving the bloody shirt. He publishes what purports to be a history of the New Orleans riot of 1866. By whom, think you? By an ex-member of the “ Louisiana Tigers.” And who were these “Tigers?” Forney tells us thus: “The Louisiana Tigers were a military or ganization which gained an extensive notoriety during the late rebellion as emiractny the very worst elements of the city of New Orleans." From some bribed cut-throat or thief, therefore, Forney has contrived to elicit a “ thrilling narrative” for the edification of the trooly 1011. Bad as the “ Tigers” may have been, we believe Forney has libelled them , by pre tending that this narrative of horrors ema nates from any member of that company.— We believe Forney himself to be the veri table “ Tiger” and nobody else. Have we not seen him in the character of a “ Union Washerwoman” and an “Ex-Confed,” be fore to day ? We are fortified in this belief by the following extract from an editorial allusion to this “ Thrilling Narrative of a Louisiana Tiger.” He says: “ We hesitated in believing the dreadful cir cumstances related by the author as forming a part of the New Orleans tragedy. But on turn ing to the report of the committee of investiga tion appointed by Congress to ascertain the facts, we find the narrative to conform with wonderful exactness to the testimony of the witnesses in that investigation." That lets the cat out of the bag, and con firms our suspicion as to the authorship. The Proteus who disguised himself in the Grecian Bend of “ Jane Gather waits, a Union washerwoman with ten children,” would find no difficulty in skulking behind the trowsers of a Louisiana Tiger. The improbity that deliberately falsified a dis patch from the late John E. Hays, to suit a base partisan purpose, need not hesitate in turning the Congressional Comipittce’s report into sanguinary narrations of a Louisiana Tiger. It may be that the pious Forney has, indeed, eliminated from an “ organization embracing the very worst elements of the city of New Orleans,” an element baser than the rest, a scoundrel meaner than his clan ; but from the established character of the man who wrote the Jamieson letter, we are constrained to believe that the bloody “ Tiger ” is only a new perversion of a great original in the trick of flip-flap and artful dodging. The confusion in Louisiana is sufficiently bad without any interference from Forney. No doubt, he and his party have instigated much of the trouble which now rages In that unhappy and “ reconstructed ” State. Radicalism dearly loves bloody reprisals at the South, and always contrives to inaugu rate ‘ Southern outrages ” when the North ern heart needs fresh supplies of hatred. PERIODICAL LITERATURE. periodicals of the north. We beg our readers clearly to understand that in reviewing these Northern Periodicals we rev.ewthem solely upon their mer ts as literary works. When ever they treat of politic* we studiously ignore the article, whether a philosophical essay, or a mere dia tri’ e. The Southern reader and literary man must either adopt such a course, or he mu«t make up his mind to practice that sort of intellectual asceticism which con sists in shutting : he eyes of the mind acainst a large proportion of the most brilliant current literat re of his time. More and more every day English and Americans are becoming a periodical read ing people. A good part of the solid learn ing and philosophical speculation of the time, no less than its fervid imagination, bright fancy, and inventive powers dis played in fiction, have sought as a medium of utterance the various forms of the Pe riodical press. Leaving out of account those feeble two-pounders and frivolous pop guns of Magazinedom, which, after a few inefficient discharges, burst, and are scatter ed to the winds ; only think of the many splendid literary cannon that exist from the one hundred-pounder Quarterly, to the thirty-pounder Monthly, and the six or twelve pounder Weekly! This country absolutely bristles with an intellectual armament of the kind described. Few authors dream now of publishing at first independently. No, they make their primary appeal to the public judgment through the pages of the Monthly or the Hebdomadal. Hardly a celebrated work, of fiction at least, has originally appeared during the decade, except under these conditions. Since, therefore, periodical literature is assuming, day by day, more important pro portions, it is interesting occasionally to glance over some of its chief exponents and to settle their claims to pur regard. Let us begin with the North. Here comes 7he Atlantic, dogmatic, prejudiced, bitterly sectional, but full of brilliancy, and verve, preferring the wildest paradox to dullness, strangely -mixing cosmopolitan culture with local narrowness of view,, pro gressive, combative, extorting antagonism and admiration alike, versatile, rigorous, but cliquish. Its power, influence and merits are wholly literary. In politics it has al ways been weak, crotchety and violent. The notable articles of the last three or four issues have been a series of half scien tific papers, ingeniously reasoned by James Parton, on “ Smoking and Drinking,” and several thoughtful, often profound, essays on Sir Philip Sydney and Lord Bacon, by Mr. Edwin P. Whipple. Passing to New York city, we find three monthlies of importance, viz.: The Galaxy, Harper's and Putnam's Magazine. The characteristics of the first named are bril liancy, versatility and boldness. A little too dainty and fastidious it may be some times, but an air of refined scholarship per vades its pages which is decidedly refresh ing. The October and November numbers are even exceptionally good. They include, besides a vast amount of entertaining mis- cellany, installments of Marlon Harland’s clever story “ Beechdale,” and an anony mous novelette called “ Cipher,” which re minds us in a vivid manner of the weird imagination and constructive ingenuity of Poe, with a touch here and there of the subtler psychological insight of Hawthorne. The poetry of the Galaxy is for the most part admirable. This department seems, in*fact, a specialty. Elaborate little gems of fancy and feeling, lyrics of eight or a dozen lines sparkle in almost every number. Here is one by Robert Weeks, entitled AH AUTUMN SONG. A? “ What hav# rnatling leaves to say, Fit to make us sad or glad ; Bre the wind blew us away, Much delight in life wo had. “ Now we both of us are s»d, Both of us would death defer — You because you are not glad, We. because we a’ways were. “This is what tie brown leaves say, With a sadness less than mi e, Lear, if I should die to-day, Give me something to re.-icn I” Is that not a pleasant conceit, charming ly embodied? The Galaxy appears to be conducted upon liberal principles. It has no exclusive corps of writers, but has accepted, and will always continue to accept, articles of the requisite ability from any quarter of the country. Its publishers are Messrs. Sheldon & C0.,498 and 500 Broadway, New York. As a popular Magazine, a work which addresses itself to the average intelligence of the public upon every conceivable topic of current interest, and literary moment, Harper's Monthly deserves a high rank. With the comparatively small portion dedicated to politics, we have nothing to do. It is to its animated narratives of travel and adventure in all quarters of the world, its clear abstracts of scientific discovery, its biographical, and critical essays, its brief stories of fun or sentiment, and the serial fictions by one or more distinguished authors, of which its pages are seldom destitute, that we t irn always with a cer tainty of amusement and instruction. It is the fullest and most varied monthly of the sort now published in America. We doubt, indeed, whether any other establish ment, English or American, than that of the Harper’s could afford to issue upon simi lar terms such a periodical. We will take a recent number, (the September number for instance,) and briefly examine it. We find it comprises fifteen articles—ex clusive of elaborate editorial excerpts, criticisms, &c., five of which are illustra ted in a style of art equally profuse and' costly. Os the illustrated papers, that on Siberian Travel is alone sufficient to occupy hours of profitable study, while “The Woman’s Kingdom,” a Love Story by Miss Muloch. reaches the American reader, (with its sweet, pure morality, its healthful power of discription, its deep knowledge of life and the soul) very nearly at the same time that its charming pages open to the view of the writers English Public. * * * The number of deserving authors and ar tists employed upon Harper's Monthly is, we understand, enormous, and if the edit ors could only be induced to drop all po litical controversy, or allusion, we would pronounce the work —considering its plan and purports —to be as really perfect as possible. That is a large if, however! The temp tation towards partisan warfare is too strong, especially for those whom circum stances have furnished with weapons of power, and who occupy “ coigns of van tage.” ' • Os the resuscitated Putnam, our opinion is, that the sooner a work so venal, and in some respects so stupid, sinks into oblivion, the better! The political hatreds, preju dices, bitternesses, and spites of those who conduct-it, so overload and press down its literary merits, that really nobody is able to d’scuss them. Putnam will, in all likeli hood, survive but a short time longer. It has taken no hold whatever on the sympa thies of the people. In less than a year Lippincott's (Philadel phia) Magazine has acquired a reputation which ensures its permanency and success. Typographically, it is to our taste the neat est and most attractive of all the monthlies, and its literary character, like a ripe peach “on the Southward wall,” is at once sweet and solid. The policy of the conductors as to contributors is generous, liberal and comprehensive. Already we perceive with no little pleasure the names of many South erners among its corps of writers. The October number, for example, contained an elegy, which we published, upon the death of Timrod, by Paul H. Hayne, and in the November number (a truly excellent one) we have encountered the following graceful little poem from the pen of that accomplish ed physician and scholar, Dr. J. Dickson Bruns, of New Orleans: Clasped hand", and throbbing hearts, and cheeks aglow, Beneath the starlight on soft Sun mer nights, And, mixed with tremulous sighs and whispers low, Most passionate kisses, and all dear delights That true lovo knows; j. And in the pauses silence sweet as speech, How swe t, how sacred, love alone can teach Under the Rose. Calm-fronted hours of golden Autumn fruit, Deep heavens of blue and Hopes of waving grain, In dusky roves the thrush’s mellow flute, The glad team loosed from the full-loaded wain; The lowingkine; The laugh of children sporting on the green, And, sitting robed and crowned, love’s wedded queen, Under the Vine. • A barren be»ch lashed by fierce Winter rain, And storm, and cloud, and tempest brooding low, And bare, black rocks, where thwarted wares com plain To the sad skies, whose sullen flashes show Fitful and few; A broken heart above a lonely grave, Round whose sere grasses moaning night-winds rave, Under the Yew. “ Expedition to Alaska “ Strength, and How to Use It;” “ Leutze, the Artist,” and & picturesque legend “ Rlccardz il Fulcoue, the Bandit of the Abruzzi.” A couple of tales, unpretentious and unexaggerated, give due variety to the table of contents. Lippinco-Vs deserves the patronage of the whole country. It will be appreciated by all but the Radicals. To them it must prove “ Anathema ;” for have not its edit ors discovered that there are a few white men at the South who can write grammati cal English—who can even compose decent verses.” And have they not (the editors) “ dared to say so ?” On a ftiture occasion we will refer to the weekly (literary) press, and to the chief monthly periodicals of the South. [From the New York Herald. Will There Be a Panic ? the present stringency in the money MARKET AND THE DECLINE IN STOCKS CRITICAL STATE OF AFFAIRS IN WALL STREET. The present aspect of financial affairs fur nishes food for very serious reflection. 1 hat affairs in the moneyed world of the metropo lis are in a very critical condition is obvi ous even to those who are most unwilling to decrv danger in the future. Money is scarce—that is, in the financial sense. It is true there is just, as tnuch money in the country now as theie was a few weeks ago; but the sudden withdrawal of $15,000,000 from circulation and the panic in the stock market hete caused lenders to be extremely cautious in their loans. They have also ad vanced the rate to the legal and even beyond the legal rate of interest—a device peculiar to Wall street. Set en per cent, is, of course, the rate beyond whfeh no lawful demand may be made, but thpre is no staute to pre vent its payment in. gold or the exaction of a commission, equivalent to .a bonus, for the use of the mopey. Hence in t,he present stringency borrowers have been compelled to pay as high as ten or twelve per cent, interest. The cause of this sudden crisis in Wall street may be briefly told and will be found an interesting narrative. Just about the middle of September in each year money always becomes active It was a little late this season, owing to the backwardness of the cotton crops in the South and to the retention of the Western crops by the farmers, who were seeking higher prices. Money was abundant in the metropolis as a consequence, and was loan ing freely at four, five and six per cent, on what are known as call loans. These are loans made upon collateral, such as stocks and bonds, and liable to be called in at the option of the lender. The ease in money induced the utmost speculation in the stock market, and everything in the shape of stocks was bought with avidity. Prices run up so rapidly that an advance of twenty per cent, took place in some of the railway stocks, particularly the Western ones, with in a few weeks. The situation afforded a fine opportunity for a grand “ bear ” opera tion, by which stocks could be sold at a price below their market value, and then by pressure forced below the contract fi gure. Such, at least, was the view taken of it by a prominent “bear” firm, who in duced others to join them, and a large “pool” was thus formed for the purpose of break ing down the stock market. Stocks go up when money is plenty. Conversely, they go down when money is tight. Hence the “ pool ’’ determined upon making money tight as the first step to their speculation. Accordingly they borrowed money by de positing collateral at the banks. The sum thus obtained they deposited in other banks, drew their checks against it and had them certified. The certified checks they cashed at still other banks, and finally they locked the last amounts in their safes. Any one familiar with business at the banks will sec at once that with a million of collateral the speculators could easily tie up, or “lock up,” to use the vernacular of Wall street, the sum of three, four, five or as many mil lions more as they could find banks willing to lend themselves to the scheme. The sum of $3,000,000 or $4,000,000 was thus locked up, and the speculators counted on the usual activity of money to help them. But money did riot become scarce, for the reasons previously cited, rnd the remaining volume of currency expanded so as to meet the requirements of business for a few days. The attempt was a fiasco, and after a short time they took their greenbacks out of the sale and put them in bank again. A second attempt was made a few weeks afterwards, but it was hardly more successful. The stock market in each instance vibrated a little, but the scheme being s.een through prices remained firm and the speculators retired vanquished,. The third and the most successful at tempt was inaugurated last Monday and Tuesday, when the sum of $9,0u0.000 was suddenly withdrawn from circulation by ths.- .“puo’ " :u:<! by the same “ locking up” process. The game now begins to be a desperate one on their part. Tne stock market refused to respond jts they wished to the tightness in money, and the screw was applied by the withdrawal on Thurs day of three millions more of greenbacks. Still the market was obstinate. The West ern railway shares broke under the pres sure, it is true, because they were the most largely inflated by the previous mania for speculation. The objective point was Erie, however, and that stock continued firm. A further withdrawal of money was man aged, and Erie, after fighting hard all day Friday, fell from 49 to 44, amid great ex citement. The rest is soon told. The with drawal of more greenbacks, until the sum of $15,•000,000 was taken from circulation,com pleted the mute of the stock market, and the whole list wavered and broke. Erie fell, rose again halfway, and then relapsed to about 38. The victors are not content as yet. They are still pursuing' the van quished Erie, with the threat that they will drive it down to 35. Meantime the green backs are locked up. When it is remem bered that the total currency in New York city is only from $70,000,000 to $80,000,000 it ls;«a-y to find a cause for the pinch in money when $15,000,000 are taken out of circulation. The worst feature of the situ ation is that the artificial stringency is likely to be aggravated by a natural one, owing to a demand for money in legitimate business operations, such as the movement of the crops and the like, which were sus pended until this time. Several of the banks are implicated in this grand scheme of the “ bears,” and when the crisis is over they should be remembered accordingly. Such is the condition of affairs at this moment. Where it will end or what it will result in are speculations for those who are versed in financial philosophy. If it sue; ceeds in curbing the speculative mania now, largely possessing money men and brings’ capital back into legitimate channels if it cures the great ambition of the day to make fortunes in a few hours at the Stock Ex change, and if it imparts a new stimulus to honest business transactions, it will not have been without its good, despite the mil lions of dollars that have been gambled away in Wall street within the present brief calendar month. — I A party of hunters, near .New Orleans, ran a deer into the city and captured it in the house of the owner of the hounds, where it bad taken refuge. Our New York Correspondence. New York, October 21. The agitation of the subject of changing the Democratic nominees for President and Vice-President has done good, and the can vass now looks more promising than it lias at any time since the first of October. The personal responsibility and interest which every man may have in the result have been brought home to him. As has often been the case during the past eight years, the people have placed themselves in ad vance of their leaders, arid are pushing the canvass with such vigor as has probably never before been witnessed. That the re sult will be such as we hope for cannot b<* confidently assured; but the Southern people may rely upon it, that we shall at least deserve success. NATURALIZATION. A notorious fellow, named Murray, who is United States Marshal for this district, Is making a gre-t parade of discoveries of frauds in the naturalization of foreigners in the courts of this city. Os this Murray, it is no uncommon thing to hear Republi cans remark that they would not believe him under oath. Never has the work of naturalization been performed with more care than this Fall ; those who make the outcry know this; but the’pvirpose of the Radicals is to establish such opinions in the public mind as to take the power to naturalize foreign ers from flic State courts, and confide it only to the Federal Courts; In effect, re pealing our naturalizatiofl laws to a large number of foreign born white men. This is a consistent following to the work of forcing negro franchise at the point of the bayonet. THS WHISKY TAX. The collection of the whisky tax is now believed to be nearly perfected. How is it dene ? By an appeal to the self-interest of the leading distillers. The law, as it now stands, makes the manufacture of whisky a risky business. ’The action of the Internal Revenue Commissioner is directed to the crushing out of all small distilleries. The process of collecting the whisky tax is not precisely the “farmingout” process which is practiced in many European countries, but it is pretty near it. By the vigorous enforcement of the law, as it now stands, and the collection of the excise of 50 cents per gallon, the great distillers can make more money than they ever did when there was no excise. The changed aspect of affairs is shown in the fact that previous to the passage of the present law, whisky could only be sold “ in bondwhereas, it can now onlv be bought with the excise paid, and subject to drawback, if exported. City made whisky is now sold at $1 15 per galionH-costing not more than 45 cents to make, or, with the excise, 95 cents, leaving the enormous profit of 20 cents per gallon. The return from the whisky tax ought, therefore, be fully forty million dollars per annum; a sum sufficient, with the tobacco tax and the sale of stamps, to permit the removal of all other internal taxes, Includ ing the odious income tax; the duties on foreign imports may also be much reduced and the cost of living once more be brought within reasonable limits. But not with Radicals in control of affairs. Shall they not be overthrown ? ' NOTABLE COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS. One in a while a mercantile transaction occurs in our markets of such colossal pro portions as to deserve more than a passing record. The immense extent of business of New York is hardly understood, and diffi cult for the unitiated to comprehend. A prominent wholesale grocery house in this city purchased, last week, the entire stock of Java coffee in the country, amounting to 81,000 mats. Now, as each mat is worth about sl2 in gold, it follows that this trans aciioii involves the payment of nearly $1,000,000. Another of the same character was the purchase, by one house, of four hundred thousand cases of petroleum, (kerosene) whose value was about $1,500,- 000/ On Saturday about five thousand hogsheads of sugar were sold in this mar ket, and to-day about two hundred thou sand bushels of wheat. And it must be observed, too, that these transactions occur at a time when there is very little specula tive feeling. What can more strongly il lustrate the overshadowing commercial in fluence of this great city ? THE EPISCOPAL CONVENTION. During the course of the week just trans pired. as was anticipated, some acts of great importance have been passed by the Gen eral Convention of the Episcopal Church, which is still in session, and likely to con tinue so for some days yet to come. Among these is the consent of that body to the di vision of the Dioceses of New York, Mary land and Western New York ; the latter, however, not having been effected until after considerable discussion, owing to a difference of opinion in regard to some tech nicalities. Another proceeding also, which called forth a severe protest, was the send ing of the petition for the consent of the convention to the division to the House of Bishops, instead of to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, as had hitherto been customary. Not the least important, also, has been the passage of an act altering the fifth article of the constitution, by which the sub-division of Dioceses is rendered much more easy than formerly, as all re strictions are struck out, except that which requires the consent of the Bishop of the Diocese and of the General Convention. A new restriction, however, has been adopted, •to the effect that the consent of the General Convention shall not be given until satis factory assurance be given of a suitable provision for the support of the Episcopate in the new Diocese. This restriction, which was not adopted until after a long and ani mated debate, is, nevertheless, a most bene ficial and necessary one, inasmuch as the consequences would almost Inevitably have been disastrous to the purity of the Church had Dioceses been permitted to select those who should fill the office of Bishop, without asking for compensation, for it would have followed from necessity-almost, that when ever a poor Diocese was created it would be compelled to elect for its Bishop some one who would not require a salary, thus throwing this important and honorable office entirely into the hands of the richer portion of the clergy. The opposition to this pecuniary restriction came principally from the poorer Dioceses of the South and West. 7 • The proceedings this week have also been marked by the final settlement of the Tyng case, which lias for months past disturbed the peace of the Church, and given rise to So much discu-sion. The question was de cided against the innovating party, by a’ majority of one hundred and twenty-three , against seventy-eight-; this being the final decision against those restless and disor ganizing spirits, who find the numerous churches of the Episcopal communion quite insufficient for the expenditure of their in trusive zeal. Meantime, the Board of Missions has been actively engaged in arousing the mission ary zeal of the ChurclL and evening after evening the claims of some department of missionary work has been presented to different congregations. One novel fea ture in this movement was a musical festi val held at the Academy of Music, on which occasion the exercises consisted of the reading of chapters of the Bible, the re- cital of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer, and the singing of hymns and the performance of some fine pieces of music by several dif ferent choral societies of the city and suburbs. KELLOGG. The Academy'of Music, on Monday of this week also, Was thronged to its utmost capacity ori the occasion of the debut of Miss Kellogg, who appears this Winter before an American public in concert, or rather a sort of combination of opera and concert, as on the evening in question, after the rendition of several pieces in her accustom ed beautiful style, she went through th# third Set of Faust. During the concert part of the performance she wore thgsame dress In which she appeared at herflrst concert at Buckingham Palace—a rich rose colored silk, puffed over an under dress of white tulle, made with three flounces, and finished with a white satin striped panier, looped very high on the left Aide with a-bouquet of pink roses which turned towards the rightand fastened there with three bouquets. She wore a wreath of roses over an elaborate and tasteful coiffure, and a number of costly diamonds completed this most elegant costume. She was assisted by Miss Allde Topp, the cele brated pianist, and other artists of note. tt<- ; •■ 4, / ; • OPERA BOUFFE. Opera Bouffe is, however, the amusement. of New York this season, and rival PLma Domas and new plays are presented in this line both by Grau and Bateman. At the Frencli Theatre, on Thursday evening, the first representation of “ Genevieve de Bra bant ” was given, which, as a matter of course, drew a crowded and fashionable house. The mise en scene was very fine, while the opera itself offers reminisences of Offenback’s ather works. It is vehemently denounced as grossly in decent, but whether as an advertising dodge I cannot say. The charge is true enough, but will it prevent people who claim to be decent from visiting its repre sentation ? Probably not. The story is told that an author, finding that one of his productions upon the New York boards was likely to prove a failure, went to the editor of a noted daily and asked permis sion to publish a, notice of it. The editor from friendly sympathy, permitted him to do so, and left orders to insert whatever might be written. Great was his surprise the next morning to find the poor author’s play denounced as disgracefully prurient. But he found that these denunciations were written by the author himself; and from that time forth the theatre would not hold the people who crowded to see his play. BUSINESS MATTERS. It looks to-day as though gold had de clined.as low as it is likely to go for some weeks to come. The Government has been selling $300,000 per day, and the money market has been very tight. The “ bears ” have croaked their loudest about the effect of the November interest, till I think the effect has been quite exhausted. Cotton stands up wonderfully under the pressure of increased receipts, a close money market and other adverse circumstances. All efforts to force middling uplands below 25 cents have thus far failed. But the crisis of the market is hardly reached as yet.— Some are looking for a decline in gold to 125 during the Winter, and it is by no means probable. It is clearly the interest of buyers to meet the demand at current prices as freely as possible, for when stocks begin to rapidly accumulate here and in Europe, it will be difficult to prevent a de cline. It is noted that cotton which has paid tax—old cotton—has the preference with spinners, because they are allowed a “draw-back” on goods made from such cotton and sold for export. Willoughby. [From the Greenbrier Independent. West Virginia Despotism. We have been surprised more than once at the want of information abroad, even in the adjoining States, concerning West Vir ginia despotism. It is a fact of easy demonstration, that even the Southern States, ruled as they are by the sword, are more free to-day than the always loyal State of West Virginia. In this State there are not less than twen ty-five thousand disfranchised citizens. No, not “ citizens,” for the amended constitu tion of the State declares that they can never become citizens, although they were born on her "soil, have lived here all their lives, and are heavily taxed to support the municipal, State,, and National Govern ments. They are aliens on their native soil, as far as the State constitution can make them aliens. In this county alone, there are 1,400 dis franchised men, comprising the wealth, in telligence, public spirit, and moral worth of Greenbrier. In this town, with a population of 1,200, there are only eight voters ; and yet in this county there is not one disloyal man, ex cepting Radicals, who are all disloyal. In West Virginia there are not less than 25,000 men who cannot hold any office, sit on a jury or teach a public school. In West Virginia t.iere are not less than 25,000 men who cannot obtain judgments upon old debts due them, or enforce con tracts. In West Virginia the taxes for county and township, purposes are eight times heavier than before the war. In West Virginia we have five paid offi cers now for one before the war. In West Virginia the salaries of county officers are double, and some of Uiem treble of what they were before the war. In West Virginia, especially in the border counties, the officers are, with few excep tions, filled by the most ignorant and vi cious of the population. In West Virginia, three men in each county, known as the county board of registration, are actually licensed, by an act of the Legislature, to enter on record that their fellow-citizens are perjurers! In West Virginia, the county boards of registration have entire control of every office in the State. The Board of Registra tion of Ohio county, can unseat Governor Boreman by merely scratching his name from the list of registered voters. The Board of Registration of Monroe county can un seat judge Nat. Harrison in the same way. No man can hold office unless he Is. a voter. No man can be a voter unless he is regis tered. No man can register, or remain registered, without theconsent of the coun ty Boards of Registration. Scratch Bore man’s name or Harrison’s name from the registry, and the sceptre of power drops from their nerveless grasp. Did such a state of things ever before ex ist in any civilized community? Has as mean, contemptible, sneaking, cowardly, brutal a despotism as that of West Virgi nia ever before rejoiced the hearts of devils, or called for the avenging bolts ofheaven t “ Mountaineers always free!” Oh, what a mockery of a noble sentiment! What. a brazen-faced lie! There is no freedom in these mountains, except the freedom of ignorance and villainy to lord it oi er in. telligence and honesty. The Boston Journal says that “ some clergy men deal in rhetoric, some in logic, and some in common sense. The first are popular with most ladies, the second with most men, and the third with an uncommonly few of either ' sex.”
