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.
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CROPS AND OURREN C NEWS.
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. try will confer a favor on us and our nu
merous readers by sending us items as
to crop prospects and general news in
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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.”
