Newspaper Page Text
MR. STEPHENS LETTER.
/L'Urvuicfc 4’ JJwstitutiouuUst.
Mr. Stephens’ letter, dc|niiig his po
sition wftlj reganl, to the Democracy of
the Eighth District, has been befoj-c the
public for several days, and its contents
have doubtless been carefully consider
ed. In it he gives his reasons for be
coming a candidate for re-election, and
the history of the telegram aunouucing
that lie would “ stand.” It is proper
here to state that Mr. Stephens is mis
taken in his statement about the letter
to which his telegram wag a reply. He
says:
. * *
On my return from Baltimore on the
evening of the 25th ult.. I found a very
large pde of letters which had accumula
ted on my table while I was Bspc. It was
near ten o'clock at night wifs>re l got
through reading and having them read to
tne. The last on the from Col.
Wright, which had come m 4he mail of
that day. It was of the same purport with
several others. He wished to know if I
had determined definitely whether I would
be a candidate again or not, as several as
pirants for the positioifgrould likely spring
up soon, which might create (lesions, &c.
lie said it was important that my position
in reference to being a candidate again
Should be settled at as early a dn v as pos
sible. This was the substance of his let
ter.
Mr. Wright did not write such a let
ter, as we think Mr. Stephens will as
certain by referring to the document in
The gqor is not of impor
tance, Jt,is true.aJMit hs Mr. Stephens
prides himself upon his particularity
“.in small matters” he.*should have
been more accurate in his statements.
Mr. Stephens sayk that he will nei
fchel* seek nor decline a nomination from
a Convention. This is the position that
most aspirants for office occupy—in
theory—and no one will deny that it is a
sound position. Mr. Stephens admits
that he has received a nomination from
two Conventions within four years—as
he phras.es it, the Conventions “ asked
“ his consent to the presentation of his
“ name to the people of the Eighth Dis
“ trict as a fit person to represent their
“ interests in Congress.” This is a fact
that has escaped the attention of the
public. Our impression was that he
was nominated Just as other men have
been nominated, dnd that he cheerfully
accepted the honor conferred. We had
also thought that in the Convention! of
1874, so fir from being “ asked to con
sent to the presentation of his iiarti’e to
the people of the District as a fit per
son to represent their interests in Con
gress,” he was brought in as a compro
mise candidate, and only nominated
after a day and night had been spent in
fruitless balloting. It is evident, how
ever, from Mr. Stephens’ letter, that
we were mistaken, and that it has taken
the most urgent persuasion to get him
to accept a nomination from the Democ
racy of the District. Mr. Stephens,
in his letter, falls into the subjunctive
mood and says if the Convention which
is to meet at Thomson attempt to rule
him out of the Democratic party be
cause of his telegram he shall consider
them an irresponsible faction of trick
sters and run for Congress as an Inde
pendent. lie knows very well that the
Convention will not do any such thing.
He knows equally well that Conventions
have not such power, and have never
attempted to exercise it. Mr. Stephens'
letter is simply a defiance to the De
mocracy of the Eighth District. He
says to them, in substance, “ I am a
Democrat, but I alone know what De
mocracy is. I will accept your nomi
nation, but if you give it to someone
else I shall run anyhow.
In all kindness and candor, we think
Mr. Stephens has made a mistake. We
have borne testimony to his integrity,
to his unblemished public and private
character. Wc have often differed with
him, but never questioned his motives.
With modesty we express the opinion
that the people of this District have
agreed with us in what we have done.
Recognizing his honesty, the people
have allowed him the widest latitude of
opinion. W ith one voice they con
demned his apologies for Grant, the
tyrant, and his defense of Durell, the
unjust Judge, but they did not attempt to
humiliate him on that account. lie was
elected and re-elected to Congress while
nine-tenths of the voters repudiated
and condemned his course. They do
not now agree with him that the expo
sure of frauds and perjuries means rev
olution and “ Mexicanization.” They
do not think that it is a crime to prove
a crime, but they are perfectly willing
to allow him to form and express his
own peculiar opinion upon the subject,
because they have confidence in his in
tegrity if they do not subscribe to his
infallibility. But mistaking their mag
nanimity for fear he comes before them
now with a defiance —a defiance un
necessary and unprovoked. He sajs
to them in substance, “ I am a Demo
crat and I am the only judge of Dem-
VOL. II—NO. 44.
ocracy. If you nominate me I will ac
cept your nomination; if you do not I
will break. ’up your party.” Mr. Ste
phens has issued his pronuuciamento.
It is for the Democracy of tlw District
to say what they will do with it.
W e arc anxious that the position of
the Chronicle 4 Constitutionalist shall
not be misconstrued. The relations of
ita conductors ,with Mr. Stephens arc
of the kindest character. They have
not- had any desire to defeat his re
dact ion to .Congress- They have not;
attempted Jo pull him down in order to
put any one else in his place. The col
umns of their paper hear ample testi
mony to the truth of these assertions.
But the Chronicle 4' Constitutionalist
never lias been and never will be the
personal organ of any man. It claims
and will always exercise the right to
criticise the public acts of public men.
Its criticisms are hVrier inspired by per
sonal feeling but by what it believes to
be the" merits of the question. "We
shall not allow false issues to be pre
sented. We condemned Mr. Stephens' i
course with regard to the Potter inves
tigation because we believed him to be
wrong, not because we <Je
feat. We condemn his reccrft let|er
because we consider it a gratuitous In
sult to the Democracy of the District.
— „
Bee Stings a Remedy lor Rheumatism.
A German paper Cos a tains the follow
ing in regard to the cure of rheumatism
by the means of bee stings: The cor
respondent says that his wife having suf
fered so much as to be unable to enjpy \
any sleep or rest for the space of six |
months, the right arm being almost
lame, preventing the sufferer from doing
aqy household work, making her even
unable to dress or undress herself, and
having heard that a larmcr, quite inta
pneitated by rheumatism, had booh ac
cidentally stung by bees, and thereby
got entirely cured, lie persuaded- Iris
wife to try this remedy, as the pain from
the sting of the bees would not be i
greater than that already suffered. 1
Three bees were therefore laid and press
ed upon the right arm fora considerable '
time, in order that the poison bladder
of the insects should entirely empty it
self. The effect produced was astonish-1
iug, as the lady, even in the first night,
was enabled to enjoy a long, good sleep. -
the first time for at least six months, the j
racking pain being entirely gone. The
arm was, of course, swollen greatly in
consequence of the sting, but the swel
ling disappeared gradually upon the ap
plication of some cooliug lotion. All
pain was gone, the lame arm recovered j
its previous vigorousness, and not the j
least sign of rheumatism has since shown
itself. *
A Prudent Terson.
A friend of mine went sometime back
to have a tooth stopped. The dentist
advised him that he had better have the
tooth taken out, and assured him that
he would feel no pain if he took laugh
ing gas.
“ But what is the effect of the gas?”
asked my friend.
“ It simply makes yog totally insensi
ble,” remarked the dentist; “you don't
know anything that takes place.”
My friend submitted ; but just previ
ous to the gas being administered he
put his hand in his pocket and pulled
out his money. “Oh, don’t trouble
about that now,” said the dentist, think
ing he was going to be paid his fee.
“Not at all,” replied the patient; “ I
was simply going to see how much I had
before the gas took effect.**
A five-year-old daughter stood watch
ing her baby brother who was making a
great fuss over having his face washed.
The little miss at length lost her patience,
and stamping her tiny foot, said, “ You
think you have lots of trouble, but you
don’t know anything about it. Wait
till you're big enough to get a liekin ,
aud then you’ll see—won’t he ma?”
“We have got to practice the most
rigid economy at such a time as this,
remarked a man the other day, to a
crowd on the sidewalk. “ I have stop
ped all the papers which I formerly sub
scribed to, and don’t buy candy, toys
and such trumpery for the children ;
times are hard. Come in boys and take
a drink.”
Read slowly and carcfulH.
HARTWELL, (HA.; WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1878.
Futurity.
Forest News.
Is it possible that, man's Using is lim
ited to this life? Is it iiossiblotliat no
immortality awaits him Beyond the
grave? Is it possible that man's death
is an eternal sleep? If so, why, then,
this constant looking into the future?
Why this incessant dissatisfaction with
the present, and this longing for future
good? Why this constant instinotive
shrinking back from the dark, bottom
less abyss, of annihilation, and this
■ ceaseless aspiration after immortality?
Is it possible that'these ennobling as
pirations were born in the hearts of all
men, only that they might perish in tin?
grave? Was man’s soul, with all its
sublime faculties, with all its inspiring
hopes, and with all its cravings of eter
nal felicity*, launched into being by i?s
August Creator, only to be the miser
able foot-balf- of a cruel destiny through
the checkered ills of this short life, and
then afterwards to flounder, and finally
to sink forever beneath the turbid waves
of tl\e shoreless gulf of everlasting ob
livion? Nay! Nay!! If the great and
GOOl) Creator had not prepared a hap
py and glorious future destiny for llis
creature man, lie assuredly would not
have implanted in his soul at first such
lofty aspirations after eternal felicity.
Give to the brute all that its animal na
ture craves, and it will have no thought
of the morrow, and no cravings for
anything higher and better in the future,
j But it is not so with man. Satisfy all
man's animal and fleshy* wants—-giva
i him houses and lands, and gold and silf
j ver, and pearls and diamonds—satiate
him with food and drink and' raiment,
and all the luxuries, dainties and pleas
ures which his animal nature may*
desire—and, after all, lie is not satis
fied. His mind arid heart craves some
thing higher and befter. Tie is con
scious tliat his being te not limited by
time, and that he was formed fief a bfeu
cr and nobler sphere than the humble
and miserable one which he fills in (bis
material and fleeting world. In this
world, and in this life, lie feels that he
is a son far from home, and from his
father's house. His thoughts rise up
ward, and his heart anticipates the hap
py* time in the glorious future when he
shall his eternal home and be em
braced in the loving arms of that 1 lea
enly FATHER, in whose house “ are
many mansions.” Such are the hopes of
the good man. And even the wicked
man. dreads annihilation ; and, although
lie fears that the sins which render him
unhappy in this life may* follow and tor
ment him in the eternal world, yet, he
shrinks back instinctively from the very
thought of eternal nothingness and ob
livion, and hopes to find some way* yet
by which he may escape from his sins
and their consecpiences, and may* secure
to himself an immortality of blessed
ness. G. 11. Caktledoe,
Alexander H. Stephens, the Contrary
Statesman.
llawkinsville Dispatch.
We infer from our exchanges that Mr.
Stephens has declared himself a candi
date for re-election to Congress from the
Eighth District, regardless of a nomina
tion at the hands of the Democracy.
He docs not agree with any of his col
leagues in Congress, and none of them
agree with him. He is not in favor of
exposing the fraud by which Hayes was
made President, because it would have
a teudency to again throw the country
into a convulsion. A year or more ago
he is reported to have asserted that Mr.
Hayes had a stronger title to the Presi
dency than any man from George
Washington down. Aleck Stephens has
more brains and more contrariness than
auy man of his size in the South. Tie
is neither popular nor useful. Like a
stubborn mule or a balky horse, when
ever there is a heavy load to pull,
Stephens begins kicking in the traces.
There is no difference between him and
the lone juryman who couldn't agree
with the other eleven —they are all
wrong but him.
When a Michigan woman was taken
from the cowcatcher of a locomotive
upon which she had been caught and
carried half a mile, she said with feel
ing. “I was just scooped up like gosh
almighty, wasn’t I?”
Eat slowly and masticate well.
A %lfc Behead* Her Husband With an
Axe Near RurksvlUe, Virginia.
Btttntsvi r.tt?, VA., June 9-—Tli is town
wad thrown into a terrible excitement
to-day over a domestic tragedy of almost
unparalleled atrocity, in which Jennie
Millet beheaded her lnubaud, Anderson
MiHer, while they were at breakfast.
It seem* that lie was of eool, quiet
temper, but she, his better half, was no
torious hcrcnbouUns a tartar. The two
had been seated at the but a few
initiates when Mr. Miller ventured to
reumak: “ Wife here is a fly in the
At this Mrs. Miller fired lip.
and Arm mod out, “ That’s the way with
you, pro all flic lime finding fault.”
The husband said, “Oh, no; I just
happened to ace the fly and thought 1
would tell ydu.” The spunky woman
replit*!, “ You are a liar, fliea never get
in my* gravy.” Words multiplied, and
iu a little while Mrs. Miller was wultz
ingaionud the room, smashing up the
furuitgro and raising the deuce gener
ally. *
Firtrifly When tho husband, who had
by this time got his dander up, ordered
(the wi£c to leave the house, she ran out
and sqpzed au axe, which was on the
porch, and rushing back to her husband
dealt him a heavy blow on the hack of
the head while he still sat at the tabic.
He tried to get up, hut she repeated the
blow which felled him to the ground.
Then in her brutal rage she severed the
head lipm tlic body-
Ajnu'st of Mr. Miller was up stairs
while the bloody going oh,
and he got into the dining-room just in
time toee the end of it. As he enter
ed the guilty woman held thp head of
her htsbaud up and with a hellish ex
clamation dropped it to tho floor nnd
fell into a swoon.
’The news of tho murder spread rapid
ly, and Mis. Miller was promptly ar
rested and lodged in jail. The Millers
Uad boon married about two years. His
parents and friends advised lum against
the match, on account of her high tem
j>er, but little was it dreamed that the
result of the marriage would be so hor
rible.
A Deputy Sheriffs Lurk.
St. Louis Republican.
John Conners, deputy sheriff of St.
Chur county Missouri, was on his way, a
week ago, from St. Clair county to Jef
ferson City, conveying to the peniten
tiary a prisoner named Jones, and atone
of the small stations, thirty or forty
miles from St. Louis, on the Missouri
Pacific road, the prisoner got away.
Conners was dumb-founded, and got off
the train and plunged out wildly in the
dark, not knowing just why, but anxious
to do something. He wandered out in
to the country, until, tired and wet, he
reached a cabin, w here he coucluded to
stop and learn his whereabouts. He
k nocked vigorously at the door.
“ Who’s dar?” inquired, excitedly, a
voice within.
Mr. Conners explained his mission
and his condition.
“ Well, you jes’ can’t come in heah !
My ole mau’s away, an’ I'sc all by my
self. I’se feared to let you in heah, fur
shuah!”.
The Deputy sheriff pleaded manfully,
though, and the colored woman in the
cabin finally relented and let him in.
He took a seat, and being tired was soon
half asleep. The old negress went out,
and he dozed alone, when there came a
thundering knock at the door. Conners
started up and shouted, “Come in!”
The door opened and a man entered,
lie stared at Conners and Conners stared
at him. Then the visitor gasped out:
“ H-h-ow did you come here ?”
The man was Jones, the escaped pris
oner! By due of the most remarkable
coincidences on record, he had, after es
caping, walked into the very jaws of
danger again. Not one time in a thou
sand could an officer have been so lucky
as Conners. He seized the prisoner with
a yell and hung on to him. Twenty
four hours later Jones was in the peni
tentiary.
Here is what comes of leaving chil
dren lying around loose when hungry
Kbgs are about. Says the Macon Tele
graph awl Messenger: “Yesterday af
ternoon a little white infant, about a
year aud a half old, was accidentally
left in the back yard of the residence of
WHOLE NO. \rf!
I its parent* on Third street, while the
family was in the front portion of the
house. A sow, which was a pet in the
yard, seized the child by its clothingnnd
dragged it under an old house, and but
for the prompt disoovery of the missing
child a horrible death would have been
tli results.”
—
1 Kinking Fund.
Uetroit Free Frees.
At the last meriting of the Lime-Kiln
Club the Rev. Penstock rose to n ques
tion of privilege. He said :
“ Wuy on de las’ end of be Brush
fahni au old man is dyiu'. His ole wo
man am rim'd away, his chil'eu am scat
tered, an’ lie lies dnr all alone, wid no
kind hand to pass him a fried cake or
wet his pftfchin’ brow widoamfur. He
am nqt one of us, and we can’t give to
him from our relief fund, but I axes de
consent of Brudder Gardner dat wo
may take lip a Qolkckshun,”
“ You hint—you kin !” was the prompt
reply 1 of the president.
“ X puts dis dime iu dehat.au' I truly
hope dat de goniTin will depreciate de
sitiiMhitn,” said Penstock, as bo started
on his way. Passing from mnn to man,
the preacher nt length returned to his
scat. As lie looked towards the presi
dent there was a queer cloud on his
brow.
“ Well, wlmt success?” queries the
president.
“ Fo’ de Lawd, but I'ze eben los’ de
ten cents I started wid 1” gasped Pen
stock.
The silence was so deep that it cop I<l
have been cut up into coal shafts, Not
a hair moved. * ,<
“ Dar ’pears to be a groat moral lesson
aroun’ hoah suniwhar,” said Brother
Gardner.
She Knew Her Rights,
The passengers in a sleeping coach In
Delaware were iust dozing off when some
thing howled out:
“ ()w—WOW—wow !”
“ Great dragons, there's a young one
aboard!” growled a fat man from his
upper berth, “ I’ll bet a hundred dollars
none of us get a w ink of sleep to-night.”
“ Wow—wow!” whined the child.
“ There he goes again !” growled the
fat man. “I never travel but what I
run across some one’s offspring.’’
“Who’s that talking?” asked the
mother of thechild in aloud voice.
“ Me,” nnswered the fat'man. “ Why
didn’t you leave that child at home or
stay at homo yourself?”
“Are you talking to me?” demanded
the woman.
“Yes mam, I am. I say itisashame
to bring a sick child into a sleeping-car
to disturb twenty-five or thirty people.”
“Are you a father?” she asked.
“ No I ha'nt.”
“ Nor a mother.”
“ No.”
“ Well, sir,” said she, as she poked her
head out between the curtains, “when
you’ve been the mother of seven chil
dren, mover! forty-eight times, and livfed
in nine different States, you’ll begin to
think you know your own business. I
think I know mine; and if this baby
wants to howl he is going to do it, if I
have to come over there and kick a ton
and a half of conceit out of you.”
Now we know where the New York
Sun got its information from concerning
a Georgia farmer’s bogs being stuck to
gether in one mass of animal matter by
means of tar. It came from the Butler
Herald. That paper says: “ There is a
gentleman living at Silver Hill, in Tay
lor county, who has several thin hogs —
not the kind that poke their noses in
milk pitchers and suck all the milk —
that are troubled with fleas, and some
one told him if he would get sqme tar j
and lard, mix and rub it on the hogs, j
that it would kill the vermin. But the
gentleman having no lard rubbed the
tar on them. For several days his hogs j
failed to come up, and.he concluded to '
look for them. lie found them in a bed
in the woods all stuck together.”
There is a dog law in Indiana to this
effect: “ Every dog is taxed one dollar,
and out of the fund thus accumulated,
every farmer who has sheep killed, is
paid $2,50 for his loss. The tax raised
always pays for all the sheep killed,
and leaves a surplus, which is turned
over to the Educational fund.”
IMPROVED ARCHITECT IRE.
'For the Ifarttcctl ibiM.
Would it nut b wall for thawiechanic*
of Hart to orgimiae a Society for the
purpose of discussing and advancing
the sefenrie bff rWedmnlsm ? Editors
and almost, every* cthss of professional
inen.govonH4MTietwe pt tbyir profes
sion through organization, and why not
mechhniea? Old heads cannot be
placed *n young shoulders without a
sy’stem.
This project may be considered by*
some to be of no importance and not
worth attention. But I will try to,
point ont a few advantages that might)
be derived from it. and if I should be*
in error I ask to be excused nnd Cor
rected. Why is there so little beauty
comparatively in the architecture of the
country ? fciome will say that this Vl,*
dollar-loving country; others tliat ex
pense Is the obstacle, and the republi
can simplicity of the country cannot
afford the luxury of good architecture.
The latter of these solutions is clearly*
incqrrect, for it is knowledge and not
money tliat is the chief source of every*
pleasurable emotion that may lie Caused
by a building. Indeed a simple well
planned structure costs less to execute
for tlic accommodation obtained, than
aw,ill plamicd one; and the fact of ita,
lieing agreeable and effective or other
wise does not depend on any ornament
that, iuay be snperadded to the usefbl
and necessary forms of which it is com
posed or the arrangement of these'
forma themselves so that they may bal-
aucc eiy*h other and suggest the pleas
ant ideas of harmonious proportion,
fitness and agreeable variety to the eye,
and through the eye to the mifid. AU
tills is simply* a matter of study before
building, not of additional cost in build
ing. The question then occurs, how is
tho universal taste to be improved ?
There is the sound, healthy material,
unprejudiced, open to conviction, with
a real, though not thoroughly under
stood, desire for what is good and true.
There is plenty of prosperity and op
portunity ; plenty of means and indus
try ; plenty of everything but educa
tion and the diflltkion of knowledge.
This knowledge can greatly be en
hanced by mechanics forming a Society
and interchanging their ideas.
“ Tinge cannot (as some writer has
UJJWM Mtav -■■**> - J- Im.
nripleasant spectacle than to see active,
intelligent men with long faces and knit
brows incessantly sacrificing time,
health, home and peace of mind to the
old ‘Moloch’ business, as if perpetual
imprisonment were too good for repro
bates, and business must therefore be
converted into a Bastile for the use of
honest men.” It is worth remembering,
too, that no occupation need be undig
nified, no labor graceless. Adam
worked as a gardener, Franklin as a
printer, Paul as a rope-maker, and Je
sus Christ, at whose name it is said
every knee shall bow, as a carpenter.
Galvanized action is worthless, however
smartly executed. There must be gen
uine life-blood flowing through all the
members freely and vigorously or noth
i ing good will be achieved; for the
whole is made up of all its parts, and
the parts of architecture for instance
! are practically the trades directly con
nected with it. The resources, there
fore of each of these must be well de
veloped in detail before a really com
plete result can be arrived at.
In this country at present the wages
of mechanics are not comparatively
good. It is hoped that it will not
always remain so. But it is not equally
desirable that the style of labor per
formed for these wages shall continue
the same. On the other hand, it is to
be hoped, and reasonably, when the
subject becomes of steady public inter
est that the intelligence, skill and taste
of mechanics may be constantly bright
ened and improved, so that in time to
come average ability may do easily and
cheaply what is now considered out-of
the-way work. All would be the gain
ers and none the losers by this advance
ment ; for without the increase of
wages, man would be, with the same
amount of personal effort as formerly,
better calculated to attain more posi
tivly valuable results. The genius of
American art,may with justice say of
the genius of American education :
“ If she be not so to me.
What care I how fair she be.”
We hope to hear soon from some
more experienced mechanic upon this
subject. Mechanic.
An old house was pulled down m
Washington county a few days since
which was built one hundred years ago.
1 In one of the bricks was imprinted the
track of an animal, supposed to have
• been a dog.