The weekly new era. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1870-????, January 07, 1872, Image 1

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The weekly new era., January 07, 1872, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextTHE WEEK rOLUMrE y. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, WEDN itew (Era. *1ast ten ycar» closes one of the most |ir»rkable decades in history. It has wit- 1 wonders in human events that prophesy >lf could have scarcely anticipated. Ten rs ago, there were, in the United States, irly four million of slaves. These are now tout; and by onr constitution of goyem- nt, stand unchallenged at the ballot. One their number has actually held a seat in i United States Senate, and both races are day represented in the lower House of Con- The reaction from servitude to the ftlUicat balance power, has been sudden and |ovoogh. If the pendulum has swung too m the opposite direction, it will, within Je next decade gravitate to the golden mean, hving the extremes on cither side. In Europe, the past ten years is as niemora le for important events as in America. Ger- any has risen from a congress of petty r:nqii>alitidsand conflicting states, into a con ciliated Empire of gigantic proportions. It is the foremost of the great European pow- -t has risen to this proud eminence the lsst five years. Since 1861, the jfi^rte dynasty has been completely over- hrowu, and France has descended from a first, o a second class power. In Italy—tho land of poetry and song—the last ten years has wrought a marvelous change. As a temporal sovereign, the Pope has been dethroned. Rome, 4 'the seven hilled city.” is again the sits of royal power. The palaces of the Cmsurs are once again the residence of au Italian monarch. The ancient bouse of Savoy, originating with the conquests of Charle magne, is now ruling in Rome over the “king dom of Italy.” Other members of the same roval boose aVe seated npou the thrones of both Spain and Portugal. Thus three king- -jparale and iudepeudout, and the old- the known world, are ruled l>y this tJ) f Italian Prinoea. *ulna, v* the first lime iu the world's his U'«>, has, daring the past ten years, sent eiphawdes from- her exclusive court to the nation >f ('hri->u>udoui; thus showing that even *V ' »r ; > nt s not infallible to the world’s progress ...kewiae Japan: she has fought, u years, her batting of rovolu- act Feudalism, enUbiished a anarchy, oonveued a Parlia- s» fix?.t rime in her history, » to the outside world and •«itoi*4 .u.-v.ions : pijicefui diplomacy. >V itui: the same ton vttars, science h*.,- not only kept pace with the progress of the nge, ^pt h« j o]wd« I new and startling fle’d* of inquiry Fret* inquiry has be< j stimulated to a degris- that threatens th$ existence of much •*f our orthodox Church creeds. Certain it is, that the phiiosrvhio mind demands, and it is now making, a rigid reexamination of the title deeds to old dogmas. . elcgrapliic OuL.alion has boen established across oceans, linking together the four great conti nents of the globe iu almost inaiaut&ueoua com.tofl ii. Within the same period tho gi amidst muuuuaent of human genius and en terprise, 4 he Great Pacifio Railway, has been upUted; tnua oonpeeting the two great Chords of oar continent, otic and the Pacific -^oiif.eVTrT futeipriso has been die- oa! success achieved,in tne great Snez canal, i with the waters of the - Urns uniting at one stroke three continents, the great his- f Africa with the seas of Asia And pe, one common channel tip* are now bearing the corn- f one half the world to the other. « These are some cf the more striking of the cnderful events of Cits most evontual de- , from 1861 to 187T, the most eventful ej>och of ten yean that has transpired in the world’s history for perhaps two hundred years. «ta of Disappoint in« i>*. Tlie Last “Sew Departure”—Mr. Stephens' Paper Turning Repnbliean. Mr. Stephens’ paper, published in this city, now professes great admiration for Mr. Madi - son, and adopts the Madisouian, as the true theory of our Constitution! We are glad to see the Bun thus abandon ing its extreme position in politics. From Calhoun and Hayno, to Washington and Madi son is a wide “departure.” It exceeds that of the Harrisburg, Pa., Convention beyond all comparison. “ Saul also appearing among the prophets,” was not a more notable con version from error to truth, than this turning of the Sun from C&lhoan to Madison. We most heartily welcome “A. H. S.” to our platform! Madison was the great forerun ner of Republicanism. He advocated tho very principles which Mr. Stephens hi^ spent a quarter of a century iu combatting. $f. therefore, Madison is to become the political guide of the Stephens wing of the Democra cy, then we can havo no issue with that fac tion. Mr. Madison held the idea of '‘strict construction ’’ to be wholly inconsistent with the nature and scope of the Federal Constitution. Mr. Stephens has here tofore been a strict constructionist Mr. Madison said: “I hold it for a funda mental point, that an individual sovereignty, or independence of the Slates, is utterly irrec oncilable with the idea of an aggregate or Na tional sovereignty." “Tho State authority," says Mr. Madison, “is always subordinate to the National.” Mr. Stephens, until quite re cently, held to the doctrino of “State Sovereignty,” and denied the existence of anything like a direct personal al legiance of the citizen to the Na tional Government ! Indeed, he denied that we had any National Government at all ! In its stead he wrote “Compact" and “A1P auee” between sovereign Republics; ** n d thence derived the monstrous doctrine tbs “Constitutional right of Secession.” “Centralization” hns been Mr.St-'pbeus’ great bugbear. On this point Mr. SA J s: “The necessity of a General or Naw° xal Government proceeds from the jnrojynsity °f the Stales to pursue their particular iuterests (as corpora tions) in opposition to the general interests.’’ “This propensity,’' ho goes on to say, “ will oontinue to disturb the system unless effectu ally controlled. Nothing short of a negative on State.-Jaws will control it." Mr. Madison’s interpretation of tho scope and powers of the Federal Constitution is thus stated by him self.: “According to the views of every tnemh/r (of the Federal Constitution Conventico) the General Government will have powers far beyond those exercised by the British Pirlia- meut, when the Colonies were parts d the British Empire.” Again he says: “Th» true policy of the smaller States lies in promoting those principles aifii that form of Government which will most approximate the Statu to the conditioner counties And Jfct the Son now indorse* Madison's theory! The Era could not go farter in the direction of “Centralization ’’ if i would, and it certainly would not i ftt could No mar. in tho United States has, of >Ue Years, been ..tf're heated aud unreasonable it * abu-e ot President Grant than Charles A. of the New York Sun. He has Abased President so constantly for the last two > ir» that Lis savings have ceased to attract i. It is looked upon as a matter of i'd if fall* utterly harmless, as is well known, wanted to bo Col- Customs in New York. Failing of (bis, he intimated a desire for a first-class for eign mission. Failing in both, he became the tdlv cf Fi3k and 'Gould and the Tammany K.ag in their indecent assaults upon the Ad ministration. Before his disappointment, Mr. Dana, like Mr. Sehurx, could not say enough in praise of General Grant. In proof of this, we gi\e the fallowing sample, taken from one of Dana’s publications, made before he de spaired of recognition by the President: •*1£or!y in i860 he (Grant) accepted a proposition from hi* father to remove to Galena, and join hi* brother* in the leather business. Devotinp himeelf with industry and good sense to the new occupation, he soon became familiar with all it* branches, aiul achieved a fair degree of success. But, not being at all demonstrative in his manor rs. nor inclined to take an aettve part in the affairs of the town, he made but few acquaintances, and those mostly among the peo ple with whom he hetTbusiness. A few of the best citisen* had broke®, through his natural reserve aud discovered Os sterling qualities if the man y though ii is bat Isir In say Ah»i ao one then suspected that lAMLindiiii iiiT and obacure Je^L.-r dealer would* ever become the mnet distinguished *•*./hit time. ••When the rebellion was precipitated upon the csoontry by the attack upon Fort Sumter, Grant bad just atta:n« 1 hie thirty-ninth year, and having been blaased with a strong and elastic constitution, an eqna- bJo temper, a stoat and well set figure capable of great endurance, he had psssod through the varied experi ences of hi* l:fe witk continue’!} increasing powers. He had not r*arhf d full mental development with nod. bmt had^inrirascd steadily in mental and . 4DV*rt by Hr trials through which he had gone, rather tb* L« l»y the years that had passed over his he*! ••Kt had neither whims nor hobbies, neither pet theories nor vitfemary schemes, but was entirely free from preju dice t/'lnry sort, and better than Aft he had reached CoJ*OJ|Sfc*,NsE, which, com- steadfast courage, imCuT,^Mfnand simple in his ad- drits, •;:*** manners nnsfiildj^by the world,' direct in las purposes, slow ti anger, t)fSE& qf words tn public, free from pan.'* and s’, amt. qf cuflt sort, and faithful atn thing/, he Mj rejn/Shd alii fra* friend, ag This maka^ inwrbaling rending, when com- pawd^wiLh some of Mr. D.tna’s recent assaults upon IV.o President- The hate 1'.lection Fairr-A Laugltablc Spectacle. From the bes^ informalim we can gather, there we* e not exceeding 35,1 oO votes cunt at the late Dtm.ocr&tie “elee: .-a" tor Governor. -• 200,000 —the most accurate estimate is ‘205,000. So that the vote on the 19th nit. did not ex ceed three twentieths of the vote of the State ! No one is surprised at this. The election w, and the manner of its passage, was held to be illegal by the aider and better in formed of the Democratic leaders themselves. Ah a legal proposition, it was a qnot! ion upon which the Democrats were divided— and the vote shows that the aiajority, even of that party in the State, either bold the election to be illegal or else regarded it as utterly useless, ineunriug an unnecessary ex pense to the State of not less than one hun dred and fifty thousand dollars. Hence, should Colonel Smith, by hook or crook, bo admitted to the Gubernatorial Chair, his ad ministration will incur an extra expense to the State of not less than $18,000 per month. Let the reader take his pencil, divide $150,000, the cost of the election and inanguration, by 9, the number of months for which he was electea. it i 8 a plain problem iu Arithmetic. Any school boy can solve it. All this for vihal? Why for putting a man in office contrary to the express wishes of sev enteen-twentieths of the legal voters of the State! It is hardly probable, under all the circum stances, that Smith will pu»h his claims further than a formal demand for possession of the office. We cannot believe thav be will make any farther issue, when less than ‘hree-twen- tieths of the vote of the State, and cvQ S jj era . bly less than one-half the voitof his oicn party, is at his-bock. It would be a very damag**^ showing to go abroad, especially in the fa the fcell known fact that the vacancy is al ready filled in the manner and by tho means constitutionally appointed. rsnu'Tiox > WITH TRUTH nnuoff Vu nt: Howlong will timber last when completely iraimrsfd'hi waterThis quest ion receives a p*ru»l j.matr at in the example of tfct 'piles -t t tuo bruftv. - built by tho Emperdr ifihe. One of these piles Vl *aken np. at d : . :nl t i i <• petrifi* d to the of ttir»«-foomm of au inch: bat the i >t of the w..od wm little difl. rent from its ordinary though it had been driven v.i&h than un-oeuto*>H. The piles under tLc |4trR o/ old London Bridge have been driven abgtt GOO years, aud. in 1746, it did net aj pb*tr lliat they were materially decayed; vndetid they were louod to bo jsnfficiently ;»»nd to support the massive snporstructnre. Tl*cy were Cbiefly of ehu. TIic Bonil Investigation. We hekr some startling coDjecttfes in reference to the efforts that Lave beer made, aud that are still being made, to dpreciate onr State securities. The opinion is now becoming qrite preva lent that the recent act of the Legislature, calling in all State bonds issued after a cer tain date, and suspending the tterest there on until after investigation can be had, by no means implies a monopoly of nrtae with those who originated it. That thee is an immense job covered up in this transaction, has been more than once hinted at; ivad this suggestion comes from those who do ipf believe there will be any Repudiation ! If these bonds can oe depreciated and thrown upon the market at a heavy discount, there will be some fttrge private fortunes amassed in Georgia within the next few years Mark well this prediction! Another suggestion: The Ceutral P-ilway Company, which has been a mo*®p°ly Georgia for years past, is greatly interested in the indefinite delay in the completion of the Brunswick and Albany *°ad. The Central monopoly has fought tUs enterprise from its inception up to the resent hour; and its in fluence is now felt 5* * movement looking to the depreciation * repudiation of securities upon the basis which the Brunswick and Albany Road depends for completion. * Furthermore, all the facts aud informa tion prifessfe! to be desired by the Legislu- ture, could have been obtained by application either at the Executive or Comptroller Gener al’s office, or ftt both; and hence this expen sive Inquisition and consequent depreciation of our credit was wholly unnecessary. Ti>*t there have been bonds issued irregu- ]p>iy, we thinly quite probable. It is not un likely that Mr. Kimball asked for and obtained bonds in advance of their becoming due, under terms of the law; but if the holders of those securities will now complete the Road, then the Smte will lose nothing and the holder of the bonds wiil bo likewise secured. But thf*c facts, seems to ns, may be elicited without suspending the payment of interest on all bonds issued since 1868, and without oparing aa avenue to greater frauds than have betfc known to exist in Georgia. The Campaign Ope: The political canvass of 1872 and earnestly. The first electi* a Congressman in the 0th trict, on yesterday. The election Republican. To-day tho Republic Hampshire and the Labor Reformers ol necticut, bold their State Conventions, the 17th of the present month the Temperance men of Maine will hold a State Convention, looking to action in the next State election, in November. Parham, *he present inenm- bent, will probablybe the Republican nominee for Governor. January 24tb is the time set for the State Convention of the “ Liberal ” or “ Sorehead ” Republic*^ of Missouri. Gratz Brown is expet^iog the re-nomination, aud at the same tij*e “ a uew national party ” is expected to be born. The Democrats of Connecticut will hold a State Convention February 6, to nominate State officers and to consider this “ Missouri movement” The National Labor Convention will be held in Coin mb us, Ohio, February 14, and will probably nominate candidates for Presi dent and Vice President. Their most promi nent candidate for President is Mr. George W. Julian, of Indiana, whose name is pres ented by the St Francisoo Labor Reformers and other societies. A National Temperance Convention will be held in Columbus, Ohio, February 22. On the same day the Indiana Republicans will hold a convention to nomi nate candidates for State officers, and the regular Republicans of Missouri will meet lor tho same purpose. The New Hampshire and Connecticut elections, early in the spring. In the former State, the Democrats and Labor Reformers are already iu the field with full tickets. Jiewel will, in all probability, be renominated by the Republicans of Connecticut. The Democrats will hunt a new man it ia understood that English “has had quite enough" of defeat. The contest, however, iu both States promises to be very animated. Oar Tlond* Abroad. There are said to be nearly three millions of Georgia securities now iu Germany; and we gather, from the tone of some of the late financial jonrnals in that conntrv, that un easiness exists in reference to the temper and tone of recent legislative proce dings in thi^tate, squinting nt Repudiation. The let- t#r of Governor Conley to Messrs. Clews & Co., dated November 11th, which we translate from the leading financial paper in Fraukfort- on-the-Main, will be ryad* with interest a9 touching this point The Governor, it seems, did not believe that Repudiation would be tol erated by the people ot Georgia. That the people of Georgia are unalterably opposed to Repudiation iu any form, is certainly tree; and no political party can long advocate it and live, either here or elsewhere. Convicted of Kw-l£lu The first important conviction for Ku-Klux- ery, in York District, South, Carolina, is one Samael Brown. He is a large land holder. He was formerly ft magistrate. He was a man of wealth, position, and influence; and he is qaite old enough to be free from all mere “fun frolics,” and other temptations of wan tonness. And yet the proof, as published officially is most direct and conclusive. It appears beyond all reasonable donbt that he belonged to a secret band which had commit ted at least one murder, and many outrages of a revolting character. He was a distinguished loader of the Bourbon Democracy. It would, however, be manifestly absurd and unjust to dbnolude, as some of our contemporaries do, thkt all Bourbons are Ku-Kluxicol in senti ment or association. * ••The motto mounted,” is the last elegant i of Mr. Stephens’ Atlanta paper. It r. Stephen*' Opinion of President Grant -The Most Itcmarkable Man of the Age. Iii his work entitled “The War Between the States,” vol. II, page 51)7, Hon. Alexander H. Stephens says: “I was instantly struck with the great simplicity and perfect naturalness of his manners, aud the entire nbscnce of “everything like affectation, show, or even ‘ usual military air or mien of men in his po sition. • • * There was nothing in his ‘ appearance or surroundings which indicated * his official rank. * * * His conver- ‘satiou was easy aud fluent, without *“ the least effort or restraint. Iu this, nothing “ was so closoly noticed by me as Hie point i 4 and terseness with which he expressed what- 4 ever he said. He did not seem either to 44 court or avoid conversation, but whenever “ be did speak, what he said was directly to “ the point, oad covered the whole mat- 44 ter ia a few words. I saw, before I was 44 with him long, that he was exceedingly quick “ in perception, aud direct iu purpose, with a 44 vast heal more of brains than tongue, as “ready as that was st his opinion mi. * * * 4 ‘The morrT became acquainted wilh him, 44 the more I became thoroughly impressed 44 with the very extraordinary combination of “rare elements of character which he 44 exhibited. • • * * Upon the “ whole tho result of this first ac- “qnaiutauce with General Grant • * • was, 44 the conviction on my mind that, taken all 44 in all, he was oue of the most remarkable “ men I had ever met with, and that 44 career in life, if his days should be pro longed, was hardly entered upon; that he “ himself was not aware of his power, and “ that if he lived he would in the future exert “a controlling influence in shaping tho desti- 44 uies of this country,” Ac. Do They Mean Miirhlrf! The Legislature re-assembles ou the 10th. The session, it is understood, will be a long one, as the main object will be to reorganize the State Government. This wiil incur a heavy expense upon the State. The 165,000 voters who took no pari in the recent election by the reactionary faction, will have to pay the expenses, other words, seventeen twentieths of the voters of Georgia, are tc be taxed to pay the expenses incurred by the wild and revolutionary scheme of the three twentieths who partici pated in the late election farce. Thus it appears that the great majority, not only of the voters, “but likewise o." tho Demo cratic voters in the State, are unalterably op posed to this disorganizing scheme. They rtcoguized no necessity for an election, and *hey wanted none. They did not participate m c te election; and they now look to Gov ernor Conley a3 the only breakwater to this reactionary movement by a small faction of the Democratic party. The unexpired term of Governor Bullock is already tilled in tho manner prescribed by the State Constitution. That term i9only for about ten months. There is no objection to Governor Conley, aside from the fact that he is known t*> be a Republican in politics. And in view of the fact that, in the opinion of some of the ablest lawyers in tbs Democratic party, the special election act was unconstitutional; that the election itself was wholly unnecessary and indefensible; that, at the faction, not exceed ing three-twentieths ol the vote of the State was polled, and consequently tb»t the people aie with Governor CouleyT aud not with those who seek to displace him—in view ot these facts it has been suggested that Mr. Smith’s friends will not push matters to extremes. We hope this may turn out to be the case; but there is a settled apprehension ot a long ami expensive session, aud of trouble growing dfct of the persistence of those who seek to reorganize the State Government; and this apprehension is serious y damaging the busi ness interests of the State- NING, JANUARY'" 7* 1872. NUMBER 43. Orgaulxt-d It is the shame of partisan journalism that it is venal, slanderous, and recklessly inde cent. This is especially true of a class of Ku-Klux organs and their Washington corres pondents. The following is a sample, clipped from a late issue of a Democratic organ at SavuDnah: Fred. Grant, son of Mrs. Grant, but no rotation to General Grant, lias gone off on a foreign staff of the General of the Army. General Grant made good many enemies by th;* business, bat it vr.tu’e fault. Wfien Wiethe people cease bothering tlie General of the United States for acts which Mrs. Grant does ? Newspapers thus lost to all sense of shame never essay legitimate discussion of prin ciples or policies involved between themselves aud political opponents. That would Paper Currency. Department announces that January 1, 1872,) defaced or States notes anfractional of being redeemable* by the United States Treasu- discount for mutilation, will bo their full face value in new notes icy by the Treasurer, the several as- irers, aud designated depositories ted States, and all National Bank Depositaries, and will be received at'their full value by all officers of the Treas ury Detriment iu payment of currency dues tl the Uuit-d States, provided that twee-fifths of the origi:^ pro- portioB-*of the notes are preserved in one pi Its. Fragments less thau five-eighths wilj be jUi-emed only by the Treasurer of the ,t*s. If more than one-half aud less ;hths is presented, half of the face Ije paid. Less than half a note wiil only on affidavit that the missing been totally destroyed, the new rules, any person, lum, {■oration, or public officer, will be |p forward five dollars and upwards currency, and fifty dollars and . __ a T tender notes, ior redemption f xJLfury, by express, at the expense^ £mect, under the Government Adams Express Company. Hen ng less than $500 was entitled lion at Government expense. I t w— c i Is k p bank 1 z and tlie Democracy. ible that the Democratic editors in u have forgotten ex-Presidont John- of Carl Schurz ? m remember why Schurz wj^ sus- a lucrative position by the Presi- ruptcy, aud hundreds of thousands of labor ing men reduced to starvation; and such men as Clay, WcWter. King, Berrien, and Preston were ostracised from the councils of the na tion and pa; • ike criminals. But why should we ; l'here is no end to the fol lies ard ci. ommitted under this word democracy, r. ‘ imagine, if you please, just such an individual, aud scores of them, and just such scenes, ii such a thing were possible and bearable iu this oar changed condition; for Democracy is “time honored and unchang- able”—what say for. will be the fruits and tho harvest ? The word Democracy, said our Revolution ary fathers, is unsuited to our country; it is anarchical, it is dangerous, it is insurrection ary, and should be tabooed as a party name. But, srid your Van Burens, your Bentons, and your Euchanans, it is delectable, it is taking, it is facinating, it is the very word we want, we will take it for our creed, our ritual, our tocsin, and onr war cry. And so they did. with all its horrid results. But I abandon for the present further search for its meaning a«d significance, and propose in an other article to say something more of the glorious old Whigs and their labors. Common Sense. GEORGIA FIXASCES. IT WAS DOXE. The Cincinnati Southern Railroad Pro ject—How It was Defeated by a Drunken ant Venqil Legislature—A Prediction Verified—The Louisville Monopoly vs. Geergiu—Tammany Rascalities Out- dose. From the Lexington Correspondence Cincinnati Com- maicial.] Tbp chances of the Cincinnati Southern Railijpad charter in the Kentucky Legislature aro materially improved from what they were last year. We do not say it will pass, but the addition of a little more honesty and the exo- das af a heap of corruption has brightened its prospects so that it will hare little difficulty in douse and gather more votes in the Sen ate. It the Senate had all come fresh from People, like the House, there would be no douSt of the question of the passage of the charter through that body. But half of them held over, and consequently there can be no new coant of the old noses in the way of light It is complimentary to the present Legisla ture to say it is more honest than the one which went out as its predecessor. Yot it is not saying much in the aggregate, for it would have been a poor excuse if it had not been better than THE CORRUPT THING Georgia sou’s ?pi Do t pended ^ dent ii Do>tfy remember w’hat J. Harvey Wat tor- son sddof this Scharz’s complicity with cer tain riovmnnent ootton transactions in the So a fieri States in 1865? r»ey remember these thkjg.-;, as we pre- sumo most, do they no#- consider that Presjdeht Johnson lied, and that Schurz was a slandered and ill used man ? They thitk so, else why do they now hold up Ur. Schurz as a man of immaculate purity sfejtoman integrity ? * Let tttojtruthbq told. Schurz has ho higher claim to respedability with the Democracy attadies to him in virtue of his Preiident Grant; aud these slan- dbetfer origin than the refusal of j|tanominate Schurz Minister to Iniflsia. This was the begin- IJe official patronage iu Mis- tJeen dispensed ia the personal ator Schurz. This is the end- I^tttk* Peirbcratic party so sorely pressed ujjpuui-uis. mail woum VB _Mi ,> , .. ’ • . wholly beyond their depth. Ignorant, mall- 0^'^ * ^ °P » “ d ‘ cions? and peevish, these creatures deal in t^>tQr-r wfco abandons his principles and b, 3 nothing more elegant than slang, and hfl^itu- ally substitute personalities and calumny for argument. If the average iuteiligeaca of their party is to be determined bjigpch a standard of excellence, who would no^egard iLs acoes- ston to power as an ijarelrieTable calamity ? press princ^jflesand party rr -roly because his leadership was not reoognir. fl ? It wolbd indeed seem so. Nevertheless, .ex- Presider- 4 Johason*s opiuiojf/ik still of record; and “A^riy" is still the iaol dr the Southern DemociAsy! Some of the critics have made out a case against Senator Sumner’s Grammar, as dis played in the first words of his proposed Six teenth amendment to the Constitution. The words are, “ Xo person shall be eligible,” Ac. The question is how “ No person” can be eli gible to anything ! Such “peipiou” never ex isted, or ever will exist Those who sustain as well Mr. Sumner’s Grammar as his proposed aineniment, make this defense: To make out tho case the critic must prove that “No person” over existed. As, however, that involves general,jmnihila- tioc, the proof would be profitless. Xommoo sense affirms that to say 44 Xo personttiaH” do this or that, is eqnivalent to saying Umt John is qgite scholastic, though it is doe **A. H. S.” Smith, or George Brown, aiul the rest of us, to sif that it does not appear over his initials ^hall > o! do it. .Literature. It is important that tho freedom ol the be guaranteed. But it is still Iks forking of thisgrfiitp engine of civil and religions liberty should be properly regulated by law and by public opinion. The freedom of the press does not mean licentiousness. Under the Constitution and laws of this country, every citizen has a right to express his opinions through the medium of tho press, with tho single reservation, on the part of the supreme power in the State, that the publication of those opinions be not calculated to create breaches of the peace, and debauch the morals of the people. This very restraint is one of the strongest safe guards of the press. No good citizen can object to it. It is deeply to be regretted that our law makers and judges have not paid more at tention to this matter before. Tho evils con sequent npon the abuse of privilege by a li centious press are becoming day by day more painfully apparent. For years past the press, periodical and daily, has teemed with publi cations the most seditious, obscene, and de moralizing that can be imagined. Half a cen tury ago the infamous ‘Minerva Press,” in London, was in full blast, and the weak minded youth of England were made the constant spectators of vice, portrayed in her most attractive form by Mrs. Behn, Fielding, Smollet, Monk Lewis, G. W. M. Reynolds, and scores of others equally as bad, and per haps worse. But matters are by uo means* improving at present. Nor do wo except our own country. The yellow backed literature with which the counters and shelves of onr book stores are crowded, is a disgrace to any age and country. The influence of these productions upon those who read them, is pernicious in the extreme. The instances are innumerable where the youth of both sexes hive gradually allowed themselves to be drawn from the path of vir- ture by the allurements so fascinatingly pre sented to them by our “ Dime Novelists,” and others cf the Ned Bcntline clique. Only the other day a woman was murdered in Louisville, and the general conclusion arrived at by those who knew her best was that the murderess w*s affected with a homicidal mania, caused by the constant reading of the criminal literature of the day. The mental food of this woman consisted of such scandal ous publications as the “Day’s DoiDgs,” “Sporting Times,” “Police Gazette,” “Dime Novels,” and other publications of even a dark er hue. This is only a solitary instance. The evil is growing, and un.ess the licentiousness of the press is checked, and its privileges reg- Gk*ed by law, the “art preservative” will be regarded as the art destructive. Let our legislators and magistrates take the matter in ha&d. Every consideration of ality and decenc»nrge us to suppress licentious publications. Unless we do this we shall live to see the “ Fourth Estate ” shorn of its power, prestige, and glory. Tlie Great Southern llat\«-oucl. We publish elsewhere extracts from a. recent letter written from Lexington, Ky., to the Cincinnati Commercial, and invite special at tention thereto. It shows the state of moral ity that prevailed in a Democratic body twelve months ago, and by ichat means Georgia was deprived of this outlet to the markets of the Northwest. Those who were readers of the Era pending that notable discussion, will re mem ber’that we then made the prediction that time wonld prove the Legislature to kave been subsidized by Louisville and the Louis ville aud Nashville Railroad. In confirmation of thi? prediction, we now relet the reader to the letter under consideration. It shows what an exceedingly cheap commodity a Demo cratic Legislature may sometimes become! i..U«i U : As a ns. Historical ami JL*ulltical- hst Democracy Hie&ns. ioaj appropriate part of these reool iapu jttto lutther search f<|t tue meaning and significance of tho word democracy in modern times. There are some things in this world which have names that are hard to define and hard to under stand, except by their effects. Such is ma laria, lightning whisky, and tlie like. Then again, the meaning of words and names change. Such was the case of the word tyrant, which once meant a civil and legitimate ruler. Now it means a despot, a usurper. So it is and has been with the word democracy. Its meaning and signification seems to change and be changed to suit all climates, all condi tions and occasions. Even the word Tam many once meant a respectable tribe of aborig ines; it now means a den of thieves and rob bers, and, with all due respect to honest citi zens, we have to inform them that it is now tho head-center ot Democracy, aud in its dark caverns have been hatched schemes to corrupt even the word Republicanism, and thwart its noble mission. Even Atlanta has not entirely escaped its poisonous contamination. The Greek republics,” says au able histo rian, 44 was never at any time Democratic in the modern sense of the term ”* * * “They were all aristocracies.”* * * At the most splendid period of Athenian history, only 14,000 persons, or about one in lorty of the population had a right to vote.” “Inli ninety years A. C., one in fifty voted.” let these were called Democracies. But in mod- times, Democracy, as understood and in terpreted by the mass of mankind, means, if any meaning it has, the absence of any or ganized government, or a government entirely subject to the will and caprice oi the multi tude. Or, if not this, it means ail power, the lav/ making, the judiciary, aud the executive powers concentrated iu one man or one leader, to be changed with every change of weather, as was the case with the French Democracj' from 1789 till it played out; and the same in the recent communal war. Or perhaps it means license to each one, or each little squad that happen be in a situation to co-operate, to give full vent to their passions, lusts, prejudices, and revenges, in the form of Ku-Klux Klans. But without searching further, and to be can did and frank, I would like to see the lexico grapher—excepting always tho Democratic orators—who can analyse and define the word or the party which bears it as a name in modern times further than to say it is what the i^jcients called tumultes, the French emeutes, or anarchy, or despotism, or office, plunder, or any thing that may best suit the occasion and the opportunity. A wag once said that a people under taking to legislate or govern nnder the name of Democracy was liko all the beasts of the forest, the fields, and the birds of the air, from the elephant to the jackass, from the wolf to the mouse, aud from the wild goose to the screech owl, turned into a farm to culti vate it and harvest the crop; and it is pre sumable that his metaphor is not a bad one. Crerfil, die We translate tho following from the Deutsch-Amcrikanisher (Economist, (Gormau- American Economist,) of December, 9th, 18^1, published at Frankfort, On-the-Main, and one of the leading financial and commercial jour nals of Germany: Executive Department, State of Georgia, Atlanta, November 11,1871, Mr. Henry Clews Co., Ao. 32 Wall Street, New York City: Gentlemen : I| affords me pleasure to ac- know ledge tholfeceipt of your communication of the 4th instant, this day received. Permit me to assnre you of my high appre ciation of the friendly congratulations tender ed in your letter, aud to return you my sincere thanks for the kind sentiments of confidence and encouragement so freely expressed. Com ing, as they do, at this juncture, from gentle men whose business and financial reputation is so wide-spread and so justly celebrated for integrity and fair dealing, they cannot fail to be gratifying inn high degree. Tho excitement and confusion consequent upon the unejqiected resignation of Gov ernor Bullock, and the change which followed in tho administration of the Govern ment had, in a great degree, subsided, and popular sentiment is fast assuming a moro healthful aud deliberate tone, and it is confi dently believed that the causes which have hitherto operated to the embarrassment and desangement of bur financial affairs no longer exist. There, is entire harmony among all the officers of tie Executive Department of the Government, and they are all united in their determination to do everything that can be done to pHce the financial affairs of the State upon a trm and substantial foundation, and . restore t;^e confidence of the monetary world in our securities. It is not bclAved that the present Legisla ture will adopt aay measures looking to repu diation of oblimtlons hitherto incurred by the State. The pAjarity of the members of both Houses, thougi Democrats, are conservative men, and are Ii -posed on the whole, aside from questional of strict party policy, to act for the bestt interests of the State "in all matters concerning her material welfare and prosperity. It A not adjudged therefor :hat measures which yould forever ruin the crudit of the State, andjpperate so disastrously upon nil her interests, Material and financial, would meet with their kanction and co-operation. On the contrary, 1 believe that it will be their care to seo to it twit every obligation of the State is faithfully Viel and dischq^ged. This is, however, a matfer c f private judgment and not oi positive information. Of one thing, however, I can assf with absolute cer tainty, aud that my firm determiu- —* tHsSftkF 4 / may position of Govetqoref ihis^fcftau. which left its cigar stumps, whisky bottles, and its character strewed loosely about the State capitol, lost year. Talk about your Tammany Rings, your Gold Rings, your Fsmfif RaifrOad Rings, and your 4 .‘ cat skin ning operations ” in Indiana, as much as yon may, there was iu neither of these'TRiomina- tions any criminality* rascality, or festering pollution that did not find a counterpart in the history of the Kentucky Legislature of 1869-70. The facts attending the pending of the Southern Railroad charter i^Jbre that body reek with disgrace. Menroefcs were bought and sold as sheep in the shatfibles. It is mock modesty aud poorer charity to deny it. The soothing unctions q( the Louisville cor respondence, glitteriug with tribute to the in tegrity of members, were flnt a cover to the operations of go-bekweens iffthe matter of buy ing votes against "the charter. Virtue was talked about as if an infallible spiritual and moral attendant of every member of that de lectable body. Extra cautions were heralded to members against the alleged proposal of Cincinnati to buy Kentucky with ten millions for a railroad,* while there were legislators al ready bought to vote on the side of Louisville and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. We are not writing wildly. We are talking on paper of things that w’ere of common noto riety in the capital, aud about which the evi dence was too plain and clear to admit of donbt. Parties well postoif in the existing status laughed at the effoi .s of the Cincinnati Trus tees, who very foolishly, as they thought, were putting reason, virtue, and honesty against money. Where money was king, and reason, virtue, and honesty were in the minority, it sa vored of the humorous to talk of principle and statesmanship. What was needed was “businoss.” “We can afford,” said stockholder in thff Louisville and Nash ville Railroad, “to spend FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS per annum with the Legislature iu defeating the Cincinnati charter,and then make money.” But they didn’t spend that much. It was not needed, tto long as the Cincinnati Trustees relied upon virtue and intelligence, there was no great fifecessity for being lavish. At the critical mom^pt when the Senate was revolving tho charter m its mind, taking into consideration all* the votes secured by hook or, move m sums nuiu^mi crook on the side of the Louisville and Nash- business men to some extev GENERAL ITEMS. By Mail to the Era.] The Board of Emigration Commissioners of New York report that they have a large number of unemployed laborers on hand who want to go South. Queen Victoria intends, it is said, to cele brate the restoration of herself and the Prince to health by a number of brilliant state recep tions. Andrew Johnson has a prejudice against the practice of writing the middle name in full. In a recent interview, the ex-President de clared that he ‘ •never knew a man who wrote his name in that way to be any account.” The marriage service in the Ritualist Church lasts nearly an hoar, and is a very imposing ceremony. Tho priest who officiates usually wears a robe of white satin, trimmed with lace or embroidery, and the altar is decorated with flowers, wreaths, an^ banners. •It is rumored iu ^New York that Mr. Oliver Wendell Holmes intends to sue Jamos R. Os good & Co. for defamation of person for pub lishing such an abominable caricatuto of him in the last number of Every Saturday. The so called portrait looks old enough for Methu- saleh’s grandfather, and uglier than Calipan. It is believed here that Holmes ought to have at least $50,000 damages. Alexis is constantly iearniug something, and among other discoveries, the fact that West- % eru grain ei. vatore are not light houses, ac cording to his first impression. An Indianapolis paper thus sums up the divorce market: ‘‘The brisk competition among the . lawyers lias brought down the price of divosces very low'ia this market. We quote: Common separatioa $15; small ali mony, $25; large alimony, $50 to $100. There are but few of the latter in the market. Gen eral business good ftnd increasing.” An Italian paper, in noticing the funeral of the late General Robert Anderson, says that “there was no display of ribbons, decorations, or medals of honor, because Americans live and die for their country, not foa svowy dis tinctions, but as a matter of duty, oad they know no other distinction save virtue and patriotiso).” •Dr. Balmanno, a London surgeon, has suc cessfully applied the magic lantern to the study of diseases of the skin. A transparent photograph of the skin is taken, and then placed iu a magic lantern. A strong hydro oxygon light casts the picture enlarged on a white sheet, and in this way the smallest de tails are brought out with astonishing min uteness. The new ministry of Belgium are all Catho lics, not one being suspected of Liberalism. The new President of the Council, Count de Theux, is almost eighty years old, and has been in Parliament many years. Ho has no portfolio, his duties being confined to the Presidency—an innovation upon the usual practice. The Savannah News says there was au im- prov§ment Thursday in the money market, and complaints of “hard times” were less lre- queut than during tho past few weeks. A gen tleman well informed in finances stated Thursday that he thought the crisis had passed, and that money wonld now gradually be more plentiful The large sums sent into the interior to purchase and pay for cotton i3 now tending towards the ciri© it will move in sums sufficielv ville Railroid, the sum of THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS would have carried 4he bill, and giv2ii Cincin nati an outlet to tho South. The way was which they have been cRtrying months. -A projeot is on foot in Pifcfpbnrg. Ta., to enect a monument over the rdu«#du8 of Rev. Mr. open, and nothing neededexcept fqr the Trus- Spaulding, in Amity churchyard, Washington tees to put up the money. But they declined, county, Pa., who, as itas claimed, wrote for hi* own amusement and that of his friends a romance which afterward became the “Book all tho influence an l energy I may possess to the paramount object op maintaining the credit of the Stnt inviolate, and of main-- taining untarniajj' I the reputation Georgia has always b<>r: e ‘ r integrity aud tho faithful performance • her legal and moral obliga tions. So f • iy efforts can secure it, every just claim oe State, however large or however sm.». , .v-ull be fully satisfied. Shcuid any leisure be proposed by the legislative brand.of the Government looking to a contrary _X)licy, it shall meet with my hearty and determined opposition, and I shall use every rueaui within my power to thwart and defeat It. It will afford mo pleasure should the oc casion require to avail myself of the services so kindly praJered, and I trust that the har mony aud go*l will which have hitherto exis ted between this department and yourselves, may bo steadfastly maintained iu the future. Again thanking you for your kind congratu lations, and assuring you of personal good will aud esteem, I am, gentlemen, Very respectfully, yours, (Signed) Benjamin Conley, Governor. New York, November 16, 1871. I certify that the above and the within let ter is a true copy of the original document. Edmund J. Moulton, Not ivy Public City and County New York. The Chicago papers are quarreling fiercely over the location of the new government build ings. Congress, it will be remembered, voted an appropriation of $4,000,000, which is to cover tho cost of purchasing the land and patting up the custom house and post office. The gentlemenfcharged by Mr. Boutwell with the duty of looking over the ground and fixing upon the site are Mayor Medill, Judge Drum mond, and John L. Beveridge. They had na authority to go into that sort of business. 1J»ey were fulfilling a trust, and aside from personal objections, did not feel authorized to expend the monej of the peo- P 4 * °* Cincinnati iiiMytimate way to se cure legitimate results. , r- ■ The enemies of the SouAherc Railroad char- accomplishment of their obj ect. Handsome presents, appropriations voted to local enter prises, and pledges of support for official po sition, were used to convince obstinate minds. Men who had agreed to vote for the charter found, all at once, the most insuperable diffi culties in some innocent section of the bill; others suddenly became aware that their people at home were decidedly against the measure, and they could not go against their people. It became a common joke with the friends of the enterprise that this, that, or the other member had been “seen,” and it was no use to talk to him upon tho subject farther. Corruption was as rife, as deep, and disgusting as e’er disgraced the coun sels, or festered in the footsteps of Tammany. Tom Scott could not have reduced public morals or private character to a lower ebb. Night after night there were drunken carousals ia the capital—wine and waissail keeping carnival till the small hours of morning. The bar room and general grocery established by Louisville in one of the large rooms of the Capitol Hotel furnished liquor free to all mem bers who applied, with cigars ad libitum. The yielding of virtue to temptation in the one case of voting against a railroad charter, seemed the highway to general demoraliza tion. There appeared a general breaking loose of moral restraints. It was no unusual sight to see a member of the Legislature stag ger into the chamber, keeping his perpendicu lar with a sort of forced dignity, while his eyes were inflamed with liquor, and his face swollen with debauch. THE UNITED STATES TREASURY. Itt-ceipts for tlie Year—The Balance*. The receipts from internal revenue for the first six months of the present fiscal year end ing December 31, 1871, will fall short of $66,- OOtyOOO. The estimate for the year is $125,- 000,000, and, with the additional receipts from increased business, it is expected the total re ceipts this fiscal year will exceed the estimate fully $10,000,000. The Treasury balances at tie close of business to-day: Coin $111,175,035 Currency 10,100,481 Coin certificates 35,006,200 CURRENCY OUTSTANDING. The following is a statement of United States currency outstanding at this cate: OK 1 demand notes J 92,801 Lej;a! tender notes, new issue 151,271,538 Legal tenders, series of 1869 206,226.864 “ 118,447 40,552 83,302 721,190 4,391,809 3,190,709 4,696,608 18,458,975 10,029,773 Total ..$399,274,7’ _ series of 1869... One j’ear notes of 1863 Two year notea of 1863 Two year coupon notes of 1863 Compound interest notes Ymill "„nri ii fcFractional currency, first iss“- limii, anti a Fractiolial currc ncy, second Imagine, if you please, a man as tali as a hay stack, with arms like a r T«n,,..iP—■"■■■ j voice like a locomotive, before a crowd, be!- J Fractional currency! third flme lowing in this style: “ I am a Democrat. I j Fractional currency, fourth issue .. belong to tho time-honored and unchangeable J Fractional currency, lourth issue, seco Democracy; its principles aro time-honored; and unchangeable. I speak to Democrats. You are all Democrats, all of you arc unterrified Democrats. I am a sovereign you are all sovereigns, you are the backbone, ! you are the top of the pot, you are tli<j j rulers, you are the law makers, aud the law repealers; all powers are in your hands; your will is omnipotent; all laws claims, and pre tenses averse to your will aro usurpations, rev olutionary, null, and void, and I call on you to-day to put them down. Put nil uristocm- cie3, all monopolies, down. You are tho un- terrified, the time honored and unchangeable Democracy, and I call on you to swear that you will assert your rights. Hurrah—hur rah—hurrah—rah, rah, rah.” Imagine I say a scene like this, and you have oue phase of Democracy which has been seen during the past forty years on more than forty thousand occasions, and the chief means by which th« Democratic party arose to, and held power, and how it was and why it was The lull opinion of the United States Su- that the motly multitude was excited and in- preme Court iu the legal tender cases will be duetd to bellow, “Down with the banks ! ” delivered ou the loth of January. Those who “Down with the national currency ! ’ “Down will unito.ir. the majority are Justices Davis, with tho tariff!’ “Down wtth internal im- I Strong, Miller, Sayue, and Bradley; and those provements !” “Down with everything !” un-1 in tho minority. Chief Justice Chase, and As- til the whole country was plunged into bank- POL.ITICA1* MALIGNITY, iry A. Wise ami Ili* Ncv Book. The Ciuciunati Enquirer very properly says that so much ot Henry A. Wise’s new book as refers to Henry Clay must be takea cum grano sails. Mr. Wise declares that theRTeat states man was vulgar in manner, and of an excess ively violent temper. At one period of his life, Wise was the great Congressional sup porter of Mr. Clay, but during the adminis tration of John Tyler he adhered to that gen tleinan, and became personally and bitterly antagonistic to the Senator froai Kentucky. .Much of that which he has written against Mr. Clay was undoubtedly owing to his malev olence. sociate Justices Clifford, Field, and Nelson. CARL. SCIIURZ. A Graphic Sketch cf Hi* Career. From an Exchange.] The life of this man, in any country but ours, would have been considered versatile and adventurous. He was wall educated at Cologne and Bonn, and became an editor prior to the revolution of 1848, which -made him popular in Germany and forced him into the besieged town of Rastadt. When the German republic broke up, he became a refu gee in Switzerland, Paris, and London, whence he wrote for the newspapers at home, and taught languages, Ac., in the private schools. Only nineteen years ago he came to America, satisfied that the large German popu lation here would be willing to appriciate him, and allured also by the courteous character of our laws, which permitted easy naturalization aud even high distinction iu the Govern ment He had married well in London, and while very poor. The Germans in this coun try knew him instantly; for thousands had fled from their fatherland on the failure of the revolution, and they were well informed on the points of Schurz’s life; how he bad, at the peril of his neck, ingratiated himself into a fortress near Berlin, with the romantic notion of getting out his old college professor and chum, aud all knew that he had succeeded iu his task and crossed the North Sea to Scot land with a price on his head. Schurz figured as an opponent of slavery amoog the Ger- mans^and he was their favorite stump speaker. In deference to the German vote, Mr. Lincoln, in 1861, only nine years after his arrival in this country, sent him as Min ister to Spain. After long exposure in the war, where fortune was against him, Schurz turned up in Washington at its close as merely a correspondent, and he was probably the finest specimen of that genus ever sent here, not in performance, but in general grades. From that vocation can probably be traced his present attitude in politics--independent all the time. From Washington he wont to Detroit to edit an English paper there, but Detroit being a conservative, dull city, he failed. Then he went to St Louis and took a German paper; and the Germans of St Louis, having been electrified by the Blairs, Gratz Brown, and others, so as to be aware of tbeir importance in politics, resolved to have one of their number in the Senate, and they took up Schurz. It is reported that Senator Schurz will move to strike out all after the first clause of the Amnesty bill, when it comes up again in the Senate. ” The bill will then provide for gen eral amnesty. Ice on the track detains many of the Virgi nia traius. ofj Mormon.” Mr. Spaulding is said, to have priced his manuscript in the hands of Ea* Ruhert Patterson, father of one of the editors Urthe Presbyterian Banner of Pittsburg. It w^ oqpied by Sidney Rignon, then in his em- Fqjseph Stoith, tlmibjrmon b« thought, however, that a sufficient moun* ment to Rev. Mr. Spaulding and his eccentric production had already been erected in the beautiful city at Salt Lake. STATE RAILROAD NEWS. By Mail to the Era.] The Monroe Advertiser of the 2d inst con tains the following: We learn that the engineering corps on thb* work has established headquarters at Indian Spring, and is engaged in making additional experimental surveys in that vicinity. Col. Boynton, President of the road, reports that ten miles next to Griffin have been graded, and are now ready for the superstruction, and that several hundred hands are pushing the work vigorously. This looks promising for the success of the enterprise. Col. B. is urg ing the importance of the road upon tho peo ple of Augusta, and the press supports his views warmly, Speaking of the Brunswick and Albany Railroad, the Albany News says: “There is a faint glimmer of hope that order may yet come out of chaos. We have information that important propositions are being consid ered by the company and stockholders; that these prepositions embrace tho payment of all claims against the road and its speody com pletion to Eufaula, and there is reason to be lieve they will be accepted and the work re sumed within ten or fifteen days. We havo nothing definite, and eveu hope is weak; but partiesj deeply interested and better informed have confidence in tho programme.” The Savannah Advertiser, of the 2d instant, speaking of the Savannah, Skidaway and Sea board Railroad, says: The new lessees of this road, Messrs. Wil liam McRae & Co., took charge yesterday, and ene of the first steps inaugurated by the new company toward the successful working of the road was a reduction in fare, twenty tickets now being issued for one dollar. Several of the old conductors have been reinstated, and other reform movements will be made. The Advertiser of the same date as tho above gives the following list of Directors of the Augusta and Savannah Railroad: At an election held at the banking house of Wallace Camming & Co., in this city, yester day the following gentlemen were elected as directors for the ensuing year, viz : A. R. Lawton, William Duncan. R. A. Allen, John Davison, Wallace Cumming, Geo. S. Owens, and John L. Hardee. At a subsequent meet ing of the board Wallace Cumming, Esq., was elected President. FOREIGN NOTES. The commander of the Mexican revolutiona ry forces iu the vicinity of Matamorfts has given tho Texans permission to puisne Indian outlaws across tho border, aud to punish them f captured ia that country. Fresident Thiers, in alluding to the threats of the Germans, said that silence was the best reply to the haid words of Bismarck. The London Times thinks that “tho present Cuban policy of the United States may soon be exchanged for a more active one.” Yokohama is one of the most important of our consulates. The exports of tea from that port to the United States during tho past year have been over thirteen millions of pounds, from which the Government derived $2,500,- 000 revenue. The recent floods in the north of China will leave destitnte^ficcording to the admission ©f a high officiaffmo less than two million of peo ple. There is a talk of an immense snake, which is believed to bo a water gcd. The Louisville Ledger says: Tho next Republican National Convention, it is said, will be held at Philadelphia. Cincinnati and St. Louis were not considered favorable points by the National Executive Committee on ac count of their lack of hotel accommodations. The Temperance party will soon present a memorial to Congress, adoption of an amend ment to the Constitution declaring ineligible io all places of official trust all who are ad- dicted to the uso of intoxicating liquors ah a beverage.