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“ERROR CEASES TO BE DANGEROUS WHEN REASON IS LEFT *FREE TO COMBAT IT.”—Jefferson.
VOLUME XVIII.
ATLANTA, GA., WEDNESDAY, MAY 16,1866.
NUMBER 20.
tUrrklt) Jntflliflfnffr.
PUBLISHED DAILY AND WEEKLY BY
JARED I. WHITAKER,
Proprietor.
JOHN II. STEELE, ..... Editor.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA,
Wednesday, May 16, 1866.
Tuad. Stevens proposes in Congress to ex
press our very deep sympathy as a people with
the Emperor of Russia. He is a great admirer
of Russia, and desires to make a Poland of our
Southern States. Having adopted the ideas of
the Russian des|>otiHin, he naturally feels an in
terest in its head.
We notice the foregoing in one ot our ex
changes. There is in it more of truth than old
T/ituf. himself would probably admit. What
ever may be his design, it is evident that his
policy would reduce the South in its relations to
the government, to a condition as like that which
Poland hears to Russia, as it could be made.—
.The South would then have a despotism ruling
over it. Mr. Stevens’ policy prevailing, we would
as soon lie in Poland, as in the late Confederate
States. The despotism of Russia would not be
more intolerable than the despotism which the
extreme radicals anti their policy, would inflict
upon ns. But we have no fears that it will ever
come to that. Mr. Stevens and his party will
surely lie defeated in their schemes.
When asked some days ago, says tlie New
York /'> ting Express, where he found the au
thority to make appropriations for schools, asy
lum , and other expenses for the freedmen, this
same Mr. Tbad. Stevens replied “in the lam of
conquest.'' So, says the Express, Lief ween the
laws' of war during war, and the laws of conquest
when the war is over, the people of the South
are politically as powerless as ever the slaves
were upon their plantations, or Indians ate
minors. When men make up their minds to do
desperate deeds, they tire always ready to find a
reason for their violence. Mr. Stevens, at the
beginning of the war, laughed to scorn those who
stickled about the Constitution, as in Pennsylva
nia, years ago, he damned the consciences of
those of his own party who offered auy scruples
about their conduct in the Legislature.
\ New Destroyer of Wheat.
<>ur old friemfr Hiram H. Embry, ofJCarroll
county, in this State, one of the oldest and best
farmers in that county, informed us on yesterday
that a new destroyer ot wheat lias made its ap
pearance in the wheat fields there in the shape
of a small insect, which appears on the blade, va
rying from one to four in number, and which is
producing sad liavoc. The attention of Mr.
Embry was first called to the appearance of this
insect and its destructive powers by another old
farmer of the same county, Mr. Henry Summer
lin. The two together have watched the pro
gress of this insect, and what with the present
appearance ot the wheat crop in this vicinity,
and the destructive powers of the insect itself,
have come to the conclusion that great damage
will be done to the wheat crop in Carroll if it be
not totally destroyed. The insect, Mr. E. states,
has never before made its appearance in that
county. Farmers would do well to look after
.their wheat, ami lyitc the sjxwwww of Uw
troublesome insect, its habits, and so forth, and
discover, if possible, the source of its origin.
Abolition of Military Tribunal*.
The National Intelligencer, at Washington
City, says the following is the order abolishing
military tribunals, as directed by the President:
War Dki-artment, Adjutant Gen’l’s Office, I
Wasiunuton, May 1, 1866. (
Gi'unral Orders, No. 26.
Whereas, some military commanders are em
barrassed by doubts as to the operation of the
proclamation ot the President, dated the second
day of April, 18G6, upon trials by military courts-
martial and military offences, to remove such
doubts, it is ordered by the President that—
Hereafter, whenever offences committed by
civilians are to be tried where civil tribunals are
in existence which can try them, tlieir cases are
not authorized to he, and will not be, brought be
fore military courts-martial or commissions, but
will be committed to the proper civil authorities.
This order is not applicable to camp followers,
:ts provided for under the (50th article of war, or
to contractors and others specified in section 16,
act of July 17, 1862, and sections 1 and 2, act of
March 2,1863. Persons and offences cognizable
by the rules and articles of war, and by t he acts
of Congress above cited, will continue to be tried
and punished bv military tribunals, as prescribed
by the rules and articles ot war and acts of Con
gress.
The Cotton Crop In Georela.
For several days past, we have been engaged
in collecting all the information we possibly
could, relative to the prospects of the present
growing cotton crop in our State. From all our
sources of information, the conclusion lias forced
itself upon us, t hat the result of this year’s plant
ing will prove to be a most unprofitable one for
our farmers. The crop will turn out to be an
exceedingly short one, if the half that has been
reported to us be true—which is, that most of
the seed planted has proved to be imperfect, the
plant itself, after its appearance above ground,
almost invariably failing to take root and sustain
its growth. On very many plantations, there
will be entire failure; on others, only partial,
some greater, some less. This, with the experi
ment of free labor, now being tried in the State,
warrants, we think, the conclusion to which we
have come, that, the cotton crop of Georgia will
be an exceedingly small one.
Mr*. JetT. Davis at Portress Monroe.
The following telegram to the Associated
Press, dated at Fortress Monroe the 4th instant,
we copy from a Nashville paper:
“Mrs. Jefferson Davis was permitted to have
an interview with her husband in the presence
of one of the officers of the garrison, at half past
eight o’clock yesterday morning. All her bag
gage was* moved inside the fort last evening.—
Since her arrival she bad made her home at the
residence of Dr. Cooper, post surgeon. Mrs.
Davis is constantly receiving letters of advice
and inquiry from all parts of the country. She
has secured the services of Messrs. Charles
O’Connor and George Shea, of New York, in
whose hands the case of her husband rests.”
The Progress of Usurpation.
The Nashville Union A American of the 8th
iustaut, under the above beading says:
It becomes our duty this morning to chronicle
the passage, by the Senate yesterday, ot a bill to
take the city Governments of Nashville, Mem
phis and Chattanooga respective!}-, out of the
hands of their people, and vest them in the bauds
ot commissioners, appointee! by the Governor.
Why it is done, we ltave not the remotest notion.
There is not a city in the world of like size that
is better governed, or in which offenses and of
fenders are more promptly noticed and arrested,
than in Nashville. The only assignable reason
lor this tyrannous action towards this city is a
wanton disregard of jiopular rights, and adisjio-
silioti to exercise a |n?Uy despotism over an inof
fensive people under color of statutory enact
ments. We are ignorant of the merest shadow
ot pretext tor tins extraordinary interference
with the municipal authorities ot a peaceful and
well-ordered city, and can ascribe it alone to
passionate partisan malignity.
It will pass the House, :is a matter of course,
and then we shall see what we shall see.
Valparaiso has been ruined upon by the shot
and shell of a Spanish squadron, merely because
Chili declined to coal Spanish vessels, last year,
that were engaged in attacking Peru. Spain de
liberately picked a quarrel with that State on no
other ground.
Presidential Vetoes.
It is a remarkable fact that, in the history ot
the United States, no instance can lie cited where
a Presidential veto—however much at the time
it was submitted to Congress it may have been
denounced by tiie supporters of the bill, or the
measure that was vetoed—lias not been sustained
by tlie people, sulisequently too commanding the
approval of our greatest statesman. It is singu
lar too, that, save in the case of the Civil Rights
Bill, no Presidential veto of any proposed meas
ure or bill, lias ever yet been over-ridden by that
two-thirds vote required by the Constitution for
tlie enactment of any law, to which the Presi
dent dissents. This new era in the history of
national legislation—this radical era, when radi
cals and fanatics control the legislation ol the
country—witnesses the exercise of a power, dan
gerous to the liberties of the people, and which
no Congress lias ever before exercised since the
formation of the Republic. The veto power
set aside for the first time by Congress, is no un
important event. It is an event—all the cir
cumstances by which tlie act was surrounded ;
the recent war; the late return to peace; the
time when the present Congressional members
were elected; the state of the country—that
teaches a mournful lesson ; it tells us that party
lues triumphed in the natjpnal legislature over
principle—that fa natieixm knows no bounds when'
it is no longer under control.
But the President lias not been daunted in his
determination to carry out his great work ot
Southern restoration, and to protect the persons
and property ot the people of the South, from
any unconstitutional interference with them.—
The successful riding over of his veto in the case
of the Civil Rights bill, has neither driven him
from liis purpose to exercise liis constitutional
privileges, whenever lie may deem it necessary
and proper, nor has it even intimidated him.
Recent information from Washington tells us
that he has signified liis intention to veto the Col
orado hill, a measure as iniquitous as almost auy
other that has been passed through by this radi
cal Congress That a territory embracing a pop
ulation less, we see it authoritatively stated, than
25,000—its advocates claiming for it only 80,000
who had gone there as adventurers searching
for gold, and whose population for two years past
has'been decreasing, should be made a State,
with influence in the Senate of tlie United States,
equal to that of New York, is a most monstrous
measure. Every congressional district in the
United Statss is required to have a population of
at least 120,000, to entitle it to a representative;
but this territory of Colorado, with less tlianoue
fourth'of this number of inhabitants, must be
made a State, be represented in Congress, and
have the same representation in tlie Senate that
New York lias ! We do hope the President will
veto the bill.
There is another measure before the present
Congress, which, we trust, will be vetoed by the
President, if it be ever submitted to him for ap
proval. It is that, measure, hill, or provision of
a hill, which imposes a tax of live per cent, on
cotton. This tax upon farming industry, is par
tial, not general, and is therefore unconstitution
al. It is an oppressive tux, and an unjust one.
Did tlie Southern States grow till the cotton in
the world, then our growers of cotton could
siaucMhe tax ; DCS competition is great or now in
tlie production of cotton than it lias ever been,
and will increase rather than diminish, as every
possible effort is being made in India and else
where in the French and British Possessions, to
grow and increase the growth of the staple. It
will be “ taxation, ton, without representation,”
and we trust the President will so view it. We
notice in the Montgomery Mail that Senator
Parsons, of Alabama, writing from Washington
city on the first instant, to a friend in Montgom
ery, says: “I am going over to New York to
meet tlie Chamber of Commerce in that city at
its annual meeting on Thursday of this week,
in the hope that they will unite in a strong re
commendation that the proposed live cents tax
on cotton be left where it is, viz: two cents per
pound. This is heavy enough in all conscience,
especially when we take into consideration the
impoverished condition of the cotton States.”
We fear the Alabama Senator will fail in liis
attempt, and that there is no hope to save us
from tlie contemplated monstrous extortion, save
tlie interposition of a Presidentail veto.
Tlie Bonner Gold. Mine*.
These mines, situated eight miles Southwest
from Carrollton, Georgia, have, at the instance
of Dr. Gamble, lately been visited by Judge C.
II. Strong, of our city, who furnishes us various
memoranda concerning them.
On a recent visit to New York, Mr. Strong
made the acquaintance of Sir. A. L. R. Hallo-
well, of Nevada, a gentleman thoroughly versed
in everything that appertains to gold mining,
and gave him an outline account of these valua
ble mines. Sir. II. was so much struck with tlie
description, that lie came to Georgia with Sir.
Strong, to make a personal inspection of the
property, and lias just returned after a thorough
examination. He was so well pleased, that lie
has made an agreement to purchase, and will, in
a very short, time, put the whole thing in motion.
It is not out of place to give a few items in re
lation to the vast resources of this valuable pro
perty. It embraces within its limits 14174 acres,
being seven lots of 2024 acres each. Gold is to
tie found in every lot, and two of them possess
it in a high degree. An immense ledge or vein
of Hint quartz traverses tlie whole width of these
two lots for at least If miles, having a breadth of
one to two hundred feet; throughout this entire
length anil breadth, it is impossible to find a
pan ot soil, that docs not possess gold. The ore
also is reported to be very rich, though tlie quartz
mine has never been operated to any extent. A
feeble effort was once made with a shackling old
mill, and if the parties who erected it had possess
ed the means aud requisite energy, they would,
without doubt, have met with the most entire
success.
The owner of this valuable property lias grown
rich from the place. Before the war he owned
nearly one hundred slaves, whose labor during
crop time he devoted to farming, aud, when the
season was over, employed it in liis mines. He
is now a man advanced in years, aud under the
changed system of labor has concluded now to
do, what he has heretofore always steadily refus
ed to do, that is, to sell out. His remark was,
that his gold was in a good hank, and he knew
where to find it as he needed it. Mr. Bonner
has operated on these mines'for ten years, with
an average of ten hands. With common rockers,
washing tlie surface and the deposits on the
branches, he is confident that in that time,
he lias taken out largely over $100,000 in gold.
The quantity of land yet remaining, equally
as rihkI as the above, is immense, one may al
most say. inexhaustible: the precious metal bc-
intr diffused throughout tlie dirt from the top
downwards, tlie deposits varying from ten to
twenty-five teet.
It is “good lor sore eyes ” says our informant,
after viewing the devastation made by the war
in this country, to take a look at his farm, 500
acres of the finest lands in Georgia, under four
teen-rail fences, every fence corner clean, a good
wagon way around the whole plantation, 250
acres of wood land also under fence for a pas
ture for his cattte, about 300 acres of the finest
bottom land, one half of which is in the highest
state of cultivation, and has now on it the most
favorable prospects lor wheat. Mr. Bonner lias
an elegant two story dwelling, line out-buililings,
the best bam and stables in the country, and per
haps the finestjtpple orchard in the State, con
taining over 1,000 trees in till! liearing; lie has
also about 2.500 peach-trees and a great variety
of other fruit. Besides these, his timbered lands
are of the best kind, comprising, in every variety
of growth, a nohle forest of pines, large, bodies of
oak, hickory, white ash, chestnut, dogwood,black
haw, sycamore, elm, buckeye, Ac. There is also
on the place a cane brake containing some fifty
acres, sufficient for a large number of stock. On
every lot there are good springs, anil runnia
water in every field; it is emphatically a well
watered plantation, and that too of the purest and
llest soft, free-stone water.
Not a lot on the whole property that does not
yield gold of the finest quality, worth at least
$20 to the ounce. With proper machinery, it is
not unreasonable to say that it will yield mil
lions of money.
Together with its other advantages, it is very
near the railroad, being only t wenty-three miles
from Newnan, on the Atlanta and West Point
Railroad, over a very fair road. It is lorty-five
miles from Atlanta, on the dirt road. The sur
vey of the Savannah, Griffin and Alabama Rail
road passes tltrough this property; this road is
already graded within twelveaniles of the place,
and there is a strong probability that work will
soon be re-commenced, as it is a highly import
ant auxiliary of the great Central Railroad of
Georgia, for which reason, as well as others, its
completion v ill not long be delayed.
It is indeed very gratifying, now that red war
is over, that we will again begin to see the great
mineral and agricultural resources of Georgia de
veloped. There is not a shadow of doubt that our
State possesses more of the precious metals Ilian
any other East of tlie Rocky Mountains, and has
also many rare advantages that cannot be found
in those distant regions. Here we are in easy
distance of any part of the United States, with
abundance of fine timber, and possessing the
finest climate on earth. We rejoice to see peace
and a resumption of business intercourse; and
cordially invite capital to assist us in developing
the immense wealth now hidden in our midst,
The National Debt.
We have been often asked “ wliat is tlie amount
of tlie national debt't ” The following state
ment prepared and transmitted to Congress by
Mr. McCulloch, the Secretary of tlie Treasury,
on tlie 2d instant, will answer the querry:
DEBT BEARING COIN INTEREST.
Hve per cent. Bonds $198,241,100 00
Six percent. Bonds of 1867 and 1868.
Six per cent. Bonds,1831
Six per cent. 5-20 Bonds
13,323.591 80
283,744,150 00
685,784,000 00
$1,1S6,092.841 80
DEBT BEARING CURRENCY INTEREST.
Six per cent. Bonds
Temporary Loan
Certificates of Indebtedness
One and two-years 5 per cent. Notes.
Three-year Compound Interest Notes.
Three-year 7-30 Notes
$4,634,000 00
131,497,853 62
62,620,000 00
6,036,900 00
167,012,141 00
816,512,650 00
$1,188,313,544 62
Matured Debt not presented for pay
ment
$877,729 64
DEBT BEARING NO INTEREST.
U. S. Notes
Fractional Currency^
Gold certificates of Deposit.
Total Debt ..
Amount in Treasury, coin
Amount in Treasury, currency.
$415,164,318 00 ; , is spokqi>. HG
2S,l!12;oi7 54
9,036,420 00
$452,392,755 54
.. $2,827,676,871 60
$76,676,407 02
61,310,621 80
$137,9S7,028 82
Amount of debt, less cash in Treasury $2,089,689,842 78
Opening of the U. S. District Court.
HON. ,TNO. ERSKINE, PRESIDING.
The United States District Court for the South
ern District of Georgia was formally opened yes
terday, it being the first day of the term. Hon.
John Erskine presided. District Attorney Fitch
was not in attendance, not having yet arrived
from tlie North.
The commission of Judge Erskine liavimg
been read and the court declared open by the
Marshal in due form, tlie Judge announced II. C.
Holcombe, Esq., Clerk of the District and Cir
cuit courts of the Southern District of Georgia.
Frank E. Hesseltine, Esq., made application
and was admitted to practice in t he District and
Circuit Courts.
Judge Wm. Law addressed the court on in
quiry as to his admissibility to practice in tlie
United States Courts under tlie act of Congress
establishing the test oath. The venerable ex-
Judge alluded to his having been a member ot
the bar of that court for forty-nine years, having
been admitted to practice before it in 1817.
His Honor replied that with regard to the test
oath, the law ot Congress was upon the statute
book, and that it was incompetent for him to dis
regard or evade it; but as the constitutionality
of the law liad been drawn in question by Mr.
Law, lie was willing, lo hear the question fully
argued, not only by the members of the Southern
District but of the Northern also. His Honor
further remarked that lie desired that the Gov
ernment should be lully represented in the argu
ment of the question, anti that as tlie United
States District Attorney was not present lie would
appoint Thursday next for a hearing of argu
ment, provided the case could then be taken up.
Quite an imposing array of the representatives
of the Georgia liarVas present at the opening ot
the court, among them ex-Goveruor Joseph E.
Brown, Judges W111. Law, and E. J. Harden;
Messrs. Julian Hart ridge, ami Tims. E. Lloyd,
Gen. Henry R. Jackson, Maj. Wm. A. Bassiuger,
Henry Williams, Berrien Lovell, A. L. Stone,
anil F. E. Hesseltine, Esqs.
It is gratifying to observe t he cordial manner
in which Judge Erskine has been received by
our bar and citizens generally, affording, as it
does, convincing evidence of the strong desire of
our entire community to see civil authority re
stored, and the highest tribunal under tlie Con
stitution reinstated in the exercise of its judicial
functions.
We take the foregoing from the Savannah
News <£- Herald of the 19th instant. It conveys
to us the gratifying intelligence that the highest
legal tribunal under the Constitution of tlie Uni
ted States has resumed tlie discharge of its func
tions in Georgia, and that it is presided over by an
eminent jurist and just Judge, a gentleman whom
we well know, and who being also well and most
favorably known in this city, is also to us anoth
er cause for congratulation. His appointment,
too, of an old citizen of this place—Mr. H. C.
Holcombe—as Clerk of the Southern District of
this State, will gratify the numerous old friends
of that gentleman, now in this city. Mr. Hol
combe has had large experience in similar clerk
ly positions, acquitting himselt to tlie entire sat
isfaction of all interested in business that come
before him. The appointment is an excellent
one.
We shall look with much interest to tlie pro
ceedings before the District Court, connected with
the discussion of the question of the constitu
tionality of the “ test oath,” prescribed for attor
neys who shall practice before it. The profound
legal ability ot the venerable gentleman—Judge
Law—who has raised the question before it, will
impart to those proceedings unusual interest.—
The compeer of Georgia’s most eminent jurist,
Judge Berrien; his co-partner and rival in the
profession for many long years; Judge Law sur
vives, still recognized as one foremost among the
most eminent of the legal profession in our State.
Age has not paralyzed his intellect, nor has it
impaired his eloquence. The United States Dis
trict Attorney, whatever may be his legal ability,
will find in Judge Law an antagonist he would
rarely encounter, were he to attend in his pre
sent official capacity, every District Court, from
Maine to Texas.
From tbq Southern Presbyterian.
Light In Barknrns.
BT J. R. IARRICK.
The prison steals a sieam of light
From heaven’s uiujioudt'ii scroll;
A smile dispels the darkest frown,
A tear-drop melts Ifae soul;
The blight of years ipay in our path
Its withered roses ftrew,
As mafiy more with Spring wUI bloom.
And glittered in tlvdcw.
The cloud that drapes the sky to-ilav.
To-morrow turns to light;
The sunfhiue of the radiant dawn,
Is from a vanished night;
What if the cold, cold world reprove?
Unmurmuring boa. its blame.
Since life, aud hope, And happiness.
Are still to thee the same.
As play-things let ns dally with
The foibles of onrrace.
Nor seek in each unseemly act.
Some covert deed to trace;
What profits it to er*n and carl
At every trifling iii ?
The meanest of our jrother’uood.
Is but a brother st.ll.
Than with a cold, a stern disdain
Another's faults reprove;
Far better seek to ton him back
With unrequited lhve.
Could we but read each other s hearts.
Each other’s hope- and fears.
Than seek to add another care.
Our own would uwtit to tears.
‘ Tis God-like to susiain the weak—
The erring to forgiiy'—
The weary in his todAo cheer—
The wayward teas?; to live;
A tender word, a lo#n» smile,
May be uucousciolLgiven,
Yet fall upon th&gg|f)prng heart
. As sunshine heaven !
Soefeujfoi Chile.
A writer iu a rec Vjjfjiutuber of Macmillan's
Magazine, gives the ■ big account of Society
in Chile, a country whiiA* is at present attracting
an uuuswi^f txare of puliic attention. He says:
Education is makiugiprogress in Chile, under
the fostering care of aft enlightened government.
The population of the country is about one mil
lion five hundred Jhjngmd, and the attendance
at all schools, publlc ano private, is about 50,000.
A much larger number ail persons can read, how
ever, than one would iir sgine from these figures.
We presume the average period of attendance at
school is very short, which makes the quantum of
education, such as it is, suffice for a much larger
number of inhabitants 1$iaa it. ought to do. It is
noteworthy that the Roman Catholic clergy do al
most nothing in the-w^y of promoting educa
tional efforts. Indeed, where there is the faintest
odor of heresy about the educational exertions of
foreigners, a note of warning is instantly and
loudly sounded by the- church ; but as, in the
English and German academies in tlie larger
towns, a better education is provided than can
be obtained elsewhere, these warnings are not
greatly heeded by intelligent parents.
The better class in Chile are tolerably well edu
cated. Iu Santiago tlfeSs is a respectable univer
sity, an institute or higbfcjhool, and a theological
seminary—the last Inaiig in the hands of the
Jesuits or U1 tramontane), and designed to pre
pare a priesthood for tlje service of the national
church. It is but poorly attended, and through
out tlie country tlie altar is in a great measure
served by Spanish, French, Italian, anil Irish
priests. The university is chiefly devoted to the
study of law and medicine. A high classical or
mathematical curriculum is not insisted on, nor,
we apprehend, is it obtainable. The rector of the
university, Don AndefsBello, is a fine old men,
new nearly ninety years of age, a scholar of
some eminence, a poc-foand ouee an able diplo
matist. Venezuelan P>V birth, he followed his
celebrated countrynmn Bolivar, and during the
wars of the Indepen9i?pce, resided in Europe, as
secretary to the repre-^ntatives of some of the
rebellious Provinces, then embryo Republics. He
has lived to see the honorable labors of Iris ardent
youth largely repaid in the advancing civilization
of the majority of the < South American States.
“Bello’s Conimentapr^i Public Law” is known
aud appreciated,the Spanish language
wnmar is also an ad
mirable text book.
Amongst the women of Chile education is not
so well attended to, nor so widely disseminated
as amongst the men. In the art of writing, the
fair sex is particularly deficient, the epistles of a
Chilean lady, as compared with the notes of an
accomplished Englishwoman, being like the pro
ductions of a country servant girl. There is,
however, no lack of polish and refinement of man
ners amongst the better families in the Chilean
capital. Music is very generally studied, and
many of the young ladies render tlie operas of
Verdi and Bellini with a power and skill rarely
found in unprofessional circles.
The Chileans are frank, accessible, courteous
and hospitable. The unaffected kindness which
one meets with, especially at their estates or
haciendas, makes a lasting and most favorable
impression. In the cities, there is perhaps, less
outward expression of hospitality. A foreigner
is very rarely invited to dine, and is seldom
asked to stay at bis friend’s house in the city, but
in the country it is entirely different. Every
thing is there placed at the guest’s disposal, and
his comfort is studied in every possible way—all
with the most hearty ancl sincere good will.
In the cities, the evening is devoted to visiting.
Unless one is on terms of very great intimacy, a
visit during the day is as unacceptable as it w'ould
be unlooked for. * The evening tertulia, with its
pleasant gossip, is an agreeable recreation. Tbe
round tea table is an iustituton in Chile, and
English folks on visiting terms at native house
are not reduced to syrups or eau sucre."
The English National Debt.—In the House
of Commons, Mr. J. Stuart Mill recently made
a short speech, which appears to have created
some stir in England, lie urged the necessity
of doing something for the national debt, and
contended tliat the condition of Great Britain
would not justify the present generation in leav
ing the whole burden for posterity. Reminding
his hearers that the population of Great Britain
depends for subsistence on her ability to supply
the wants of other countries from her material
resources, lie took up the question as to he sup
ply of coal and declared that the exhaustion of
the deposits was a question not of centuries, but
of generations. He said :
If the present rate of eonsuption of coal
continues, three generations at the most, or very
possibly a considerably snorter period, will leave
no workable coal near®- to the surface than
4J)00 feet in depth ; and that the expense of rais
ing it from that, depth wifi entirely, put it out of
the power ol the country to compete in manu
factures with the richer coal fields of other coun
tries.”
Mr. Mill argued that several millions a year
could now be set aside well enough for the re
duction of the debt, and that if, instead of this
being done, taxes should be remitted merely that
tlie money might be used iu some other way, it
would be a criminal dereliction of duty.—New
York Express.
A Radical Attack on General Grant.—
The Chicago Republican, edited by a man named
Dana, who received his newspaper training and
political education in the office of the New York
Tribune, and who was recently an unsuccessful
applicant for the Collectorship at New York,
has opened its batteries upon Genral Grant,
most probably because lip is the friend -of tlie
President, anil just-mindeil and humane in the
treatment of Southern men whom lie paroled
at the close of tlie war. His recommendation
for the release of C. C. Clay from imprisonment,
liis action in the case of Gurley, McCann, and
others, who have been made the objects of local
persecution, are too much for the nerves of this
“ loyal” saint. He takes up his pen and
produces an article headed, “Grant as a Thief
and Murderer.” He couples his name with that
of the Philadelphia butcher, and marshals him
before liis readers as tlie fit companion and peer
of tlie fiendish murderer of the Deering family.
We quote the subjoined paragraph as indicating
the bitter malignancy with which not only
Grant, but Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas and
others, are assailed by this friend of Stevens,
Sumner and the rest of the “Directory.” It is
still more singular that this man was hounding on
the war, through all its stages, and was even at
one time Assistant Secretary of War, and order
ing and directing these movements anil alleg
ed murders, which lie now classes with those
recently perpetrated in cold blood at Philadel
phia. This is his language;
“Probst wanted the $3000 and the boots:
Grant wanted Richmond: the Deering family
stood in the way of the money, and the Rebel
army in the way of Richmond. Probst murder
ed all the persons who could prevent bis theft :
Grant did the same. Probst did no more than
Grant, but, as to the atrocity of his act, was
fully equal to him; Grant’s motive was as crimi
nal as that of Probst, and to accomplish his
success he murdered more people,” &e. * * *
“To the extent that Grant is a thief and a mur
derer, whose deeds can be classed only in the
same grade with the atrocious slaughter of the
Deering family, so also must be classed the acts
of Sherman, 'Sheridan, Thomas, and their as
sociates, rank and file.”
Proceedings in the Senate.
THE BURNING OF COLUMBIA, S. C.—LETTER FROM
WADE HAMPTON.
Mr. Johnson read the following letter from
General Wade Hampton, on the burning of Co
lumbia, South Carolina:
Wild Woods, Miss., April 21,1866.
To Hon. Reverdy Johnson, United States Senate:
Sir—A few days ago f saw in the published
proceeding of Congress that a petition from Ben-
jarfrin Kawles, of Columbia, South Carolina, ask
ing lor compensation for the destruction of his
house by the Federal army in February, 18C5,
had been presented to the Senate, accompanied
by a letter from Major General Sherman.
In this letter General Sherman uses thefollow-
ing language:
“The citizens of Columbia set fire to thousands
of bales of cotton, rolled out into the streets, and
which were burning before we entered Columbia.
I, myself, was iu the city as early as 9 o’clock,
and I saw these tires, and knew that efforts were
made to extinguish them, but a high and strong
wind kept them alive.
1 gave no orders for the burning of your city,
but, on the contrary, the conflagration resulted
from the great imprudence of cutting the cotton
bales, whereby tlie contents were spread to the
wind, so that it became an impossibility to arrest
the fire.
I saw in your Columbia newspapers the print
ed order of General Waile Hampton, that on the
approach of the Yankee army all the cotton
should thus be burned, and from what I saw,
myself, 1 have no hesitation in saying that he
was tlie cause of the destruction of your city.”
This same charge, made against me by Gen
eral Sherman, having been brought before the
Senate of the United States, I am naturally most
solicitous to vindicate myself before tbe same tri
bunal. But uiy State has no representative in
that body. Those who should be her constitu
tional representatives and exponents there are
debarred the right of entrance into those halls.—
There are none who have the right to speak for
the South, none to participate in the legislation
wliicb governs her, none to impose the taxes she
is called upon to pay, and none to vindicate her
sons from misrepresentation, injustice or slander.
Under these circumstances, I appeal to you, in
the confident hope that you will use every effort
to see that justice is done in this matter.
I deny, emphatically, that any cotton was fired
in Columbia by my order.
I deny that the citizens “set fire to thousands
of bales rolled out into the streets.”
I deny that any cotton was on fire when the
Federal troops entered the city.
I most respectfully ask of Congress to appoint
a committee, charged with the duty of ascertain
ing and reporting all the lacts connected with
the destruction of Columbia, and thus fix upon
the proper author of that enormous crime the
infamy he richly deserves.
I am willing to submit the case to any honest
tribunal. Before any sucli I pledge myself to
prove that I gave a positive order, by direction
ot General Beauregard, that no cotton should be
fired ; that not one bale was on fire when Gene
ral Sherman’s troops took possession of the city;
that he promised protection to the city, and that
in spite of his solemn promise he burned the city
to the ground, deliberately’, systematically and
atrociously.
I therefore most earnestly request that Congress
may take prompt and efficient measures to in
vestigate tiiis matter fully. Not only is this due
to themselves and to reputation of the United
States army, but also to justice and truth.
Trusting that you will pardon me for troub-
bling you, I am, very respectfully, your obedient
servant, . Wade Hampton.
Mr. Sherman said he could not allow this
charge of this most impudent rebel against the
whote army, to be entered upon the records with
out some answer. The charge of General Sher
man in relation to the burning ot Columbia, was
in an official report and was fully sustained by
reports of other officers. General Sherman did
not charge that Wade Hampton gave an explicit
order on the subject; but simply that his previ
ous order in relation to the burning of cotton,
&c., led to that result. Mr. Sherman read from
various official reports to confirm tbe charge
against Gen. Hampton.
3Ir. Fessenden objected to tlie practice of talc
ing up the time of the Senate in reading letters ad
dressed not to tlie Senate, but. to individual Sena
tors, and especially on matters pertaining to pri
vate controversies, between persons not members
of tlie Senate.
Mr. Johnson moved the reference of General
Hampton’s letter to the Committee on Military
Affairs, or he was willing to have it laid on the
table.
Mr. Fessenden hoped it would not be referred
or ordered to lie on the table, but that tlie Senate
would refuse to receive it.
Mr. Conness said that a man w’ho would at
tempt to destroy the Government of the United
States would certainly not hesitate to bnrn a city.
He hoped the letter of Wade Hampton would
not be received or considered at all by the Senate.
Mr. Johnson then withdrew the letter of Gen.
Hampton.
Tlie Speakers in Congress.
The Washington correspondent of the Boston
Post says:
After listening to the debates on the Civil
Rights bill I confess I was disappointed, and the
more I saw and beard ot the men who control
the legislation of Congress, the more I became
disgusted. Trumbull, of Illinois, the champion
of the radicals against the veto, made what, in
any other place, would be termed a harangue.—
His voice is badly cracked and pitched in a high
key, which finally became painfully hoarse, and
showed signs of breaking down. He is earnest,
but not graceful. Ben. Wade and Jim Lane
ranted, screamed aud bellowed like two mad
bulls, and raved like two hyenas. Doolittle ap
peared somewhat like Webster, and commenced
very gracefully, interesting and commanding all
eyes and ears, but unfortunately he drops down
to a common-place style,aud becomes wearisome.
Reverdy Joliuson commences in about the same
style as Doolittle ends, but Reverdy Johnson
wiirms up as he proceeds and gradually works
himself and liis audience to a high pitch of ex
citement, and liis style becomes highly ornate,
his language limpid, easy, flowing, charms and
fascinates you until, like the lamented Douglas,
you are enchanted by the “littlegiant.” Cowan,
of Pennsylvania, tlie real giant of tlie Senate,
has a voice like a church organ, and although
awkward he rivets your attention and uses very
strong and original illustrations to make his
“points,” and hits the nail on the head, as the
saying is. He could be heard and seen in a crowd
of a hundred thousand on Boston Common and
would be listened to attentively. His style is pe
culiar, being a compound of logic and classical
rhetoric, with a rather dogmatic manner.
Sherman, of Ohio, speaks well. Guthrie and
Davis are botli able and earnest debaters. Stew
art, of Nevada, bids fair for a leader. Harris
and Morgan, of New York, create no sensation
in debate. Wilson and Sumner, you know all
about. Tlie latter has certainly a very egotisti
cal, foppish, conceited way of attracting the at
tention of the galleries, as if he was a play-actor
on the theatrical stage, but liis “ tricks” are too
apparent. As to tlie House of Representatives,
Thad. Stevens is about the only conspicuous
man, the rest of liis party being mere rank and
file. Jack Rogers, of New Jersey, however,
makes as much noise as anybody, anil is always
ready to pitch in and have a free fight with Ste
vens or any other radical. He and Stevens are
the very opposite of each other in everything.
Stevens is an old, laine, demure man, with a
great brown wig and irascible temper. Jack
Rogers is a gay, handsome, jolly, jet black haired
youth, of perhaps twenty-five or thirty, rather
fast in his habits, and ultra in his politics, it is
said. The expulsion of Stockton, of New Jer
sey, from the Senate, and Brooks, of New Y'ork,
from the House, show that party spirit amounts
to injustice sometimes, although a large number
of the Republicans show by tlieir votes that they
had not lost all reason.
Tbe hotels in Washington are abominable,
dirty and filthy. If one-half tbe money yearly
expended iu the lobby of the capitol was ex
pended in building a good hotel there, it might
do some good.
Charles Herty, an estimable young man of
this city, says tbe Milledgeville Federal Union,
aged 17 years, was drowned in tbe river opposite
the city, on Saturday afternoon last, while fish
ing. The boat upset with himself and another
young man. His body was recovered on Sun
day morning. This is a most distressing occur
rence. Our whole community deeply sympa
thise with the afflicted family of the deceased.
Execntlon of a murderer.
He Barricades His Cell and Shows Fight—He is Overcome
With Copious Doses of Chloroform, then Taken Out
and Hanged.
The Cleveland Herald's reporter says: Tlie
third execution tiiat ever took place in Portage
county, and the first in twenty-six years, occur
red yesterday, April 27, at Ravenna, within the
county jail. Samuel Wittum, alias Jack Cooper,
alias William Moore, alias Samuel Clarke, alias
William White, suffered the extreme penalty of
tlie fow, for the murder of John Rliodeubaugh,
in October last. Since liis confinement iu jail
Cooper lias made three attempts to gain liis lib
erty. During his confinement no less than five
knives have been taken from him. On Monday
last a razor and a bottle of chloroform were found
in his possession.
After a desperate attempt made by Cooper to
break jail on Sunday night he remained remark
ably quiet; and it was thought by those who
had watched him tlie closest and knew liis dis
position the best, that there was something
wicked brewing. Close observation of bis move
ments convinced Sheriff Jennings that another
attempt at rescue would be made, and he con
cluded to place him in irons. By some means,
probably through some of tlie prisoners, Cooper
became aware ot the intentions of the sheriff.—
It was decided to put tlie irons on him on
Wednesday. During the day he went into his
cell and barricaded himself within it. He tore
up his bunk and placed tlie pieces against tlie
door.
When the sheriff came to shackle him he swore
no one should enter the cell, and that the irons
should never go on his limbs while he was alive.
He was perfectly wild with excitement. His
eyes glistened through the barred door like those
ot an infuriated tiger. He raved and tore around
his cell like a madman, cursing and swearing in
the most blasphemous manner. The sheriff
found that it would be impossible to confine him
without considerable assistance. He therefore
called in several prominent men of the town, to
consult as to the best course to be pursued.—
Among them was Dr. D. B. Jennings, who pro
posed that chloroform should be used to subdue
the enraged murderer.
It was at first objected to by some, but Doctors
Keyes and Graham being consulted, it was de
cided that that was the only means of accom
plishing' the desired end. Two large syringes
were procured that would each hold about one
pound of the subtle fluid. The syringes were
tilled with the chloroform, a bed-quilt procured
to place over the grating of the cell door, and,
after everything was prepared, the contents of
the syringes were discharged in the cell, and
luckily struck Cooper lull in the face. He was
somewhat taken aback by this novel procedure,
and told them to come on with tlieir doctor’s
stuffy but they would never subdue him in that
manner. A second discharge of the chloroform
laden syringes, however, did the work.
In little less than four minutes from tlie time
of the first injection of the chloroform, the raging
man was quiet, and sank down on the floor, per
fectly helpless. The sheriff and liis assistants
took him out into the corridor of tlie jail, where
the manacles were placed on his legs anil arms.
In about fifteen minutes lie revived, but the deed
was done, and he was unable to do further harm.
As soon as lie became able to speak and move,
lie raised his manacled head and said, with a
wicked oath, “Gentlemen, you showed a good
deal of wit, but you are a set of cowards.” This
took place on Wednesday.
In the process of injecting the chloroform into
the cell, a portion of tlie liuiil struck him in the
eyes, and other portions went into his bosom,
blistering liis body considerably.
THE EXECUTION.
At ten minutes to 1 o’clock the court house
bell was rung, as a signal that those who had re
ceived tickets could cuter to witness tlie execu
tion. Between eighty and one hundred persons
John Van Bnreu on the Crisis.
At a late meeting in New York City to sustain
tlie President, John Van Bnren was present and
delivered a speech, from which we make the fol
lowing characteristic extracts:
He assured his auditors that the States lately
in rebellion would vote at the next Presidential
election, and that tlie votes then given would be
counted, let it eoiue on to-morrow, or on any
other occasion. [Cheers.] There was some op
position to the sentiment the President bail pro
nounced in relation to liis prophesied assassina
tion; aud the opposition party liad used his
words in that connection to his detriment. Now',
what, the President meant, in his opinion, was,
that there was a large, ignorant portion of the
people (negroes) who'might be incited to such a
deed. To'these the President referred. There
were those w’ho might incite the negroes to com
mit violence against him. It was to a black Bru
tus that the men looked for deliverance. [Sensa
tion.] Mr. Van Bureu then went on to say that
no Democratic President had ever died in office ;
and taking counsel from the past, lie might say
that none ever would. [Applause.]
Iu 1868 he said the Southern States would
have a vote in the Presidential election, and lie
might prophesy that Andrew Johnson would
then he re-elected President of the United States.
[Lond applause.] On tlie 4th of March, 1809,
he would be the President, and then the votes
given for any individual tor the Presidency
would be counted, aud the individual who re
ceived the constitutional majority of those votes
W’onld be pronounced elected, lie (Mr. V. B.)
did not apprehend any revolutionary disturbance
in this regard. There was, in liis opinion, no
cause for alarm. Andrew Johnson being Presi-
dent and commander-in-chief of the army and
navy of thfl United States, w’onld be able to en
force the law; aud as to the leaders of the oppo
sition, one of whom had escaped out of a back
window when accused of criminal offense, and
the other who went over lo Europe whining
about being whipped, lie thought there was no
danger.
* * * * * •* *
For five years past flic people of eleven States
liatl been unrepresented in tbe Congress of the
United States; now it was tiie duty of the Pres
ident of the United States to invite these repre
sentatives to a local representation, and to do
this it was necessary to make a reform in the
Cabinet. [Cheers.] As for those members who
differed from the policy of the President, he
thought it would be the dictate of reason for them
to repeat their offer of resignation, made when
President Lincoln was unfortunately taken away,
[cheers,] that, like Uncle Toby’s dog, should
walk into the street without being kicked. [Ap
plause.]
Severe but Ju*t.
Tlie Richmond Times is responsible for the
following: “Tlie editor of tlie National Intelli
gencer is greatly to be envied. He lias a com
plete file of the Washington Chronicle, in tlie
columns of which the ‘dead diilapper’ has been
turning summersaults once a week for live years.
During the last half decade Forney lias daubed
with praise and bespattered with mud every
prominent politician and leading measure. With
this terrible record of bis innumerable aposta-
cies at his elbow, the editor of tlie Intelligencer is
enabled to impale the ‘dead duck’ at least three
times a week. If lie quacks forth liis abuse of
any distinguished personage, it is simply neces
sary to turn to the Chronicle to find the most ful
some and sycophantic flattery of that very per
son by Forney. If lie denounces any public
measure, straightway the Intelligencer re-pro
duces front the editorial colunis of the Chronicle
the most violent advocacy of that very measure.
“Providence having wisely provided every ani
mal with an epidermis sufficiently thick to pro-
were admitted. The prisoner was then prepared I tcct its owner, Forney is, of course, protected
for the scaffold. Cooper had a few minutes’ con- like a crockoilile, with a skin of uncommon
Dr. George Fort, formerly a citizen of Mil
ledgeville, died in Macon on Friday morning
last. His remains were carried to Milledgeville
and interred in the family burying ground on
Saturday last.
eonvei-satiou with the Rev. Mr. Hall, and joined
in a prayer at the foot ol' the gallows. Just pre
vious to this he had expressed a desire to inspect
the scaffold, which w as granted, and he mount
ed the steps to the platform, and examined the
traps, rope and other accessories of tlie fatal
drop.
At 1 o’clock he came upon the scaffold for the
last time, accompanied by the sheriff’and his as
sistants. lie bail a cigar in his mouth, and on
reaching the platform he was seated in a chair.
Sheriff Jennings then stepped forward and read
tlie warrant for execution. He asked him if lie
had anything to say, and lie answered that lie
bad. Then followed one of the most incoherent,
rambling and maudlin speeches tliat ever was
listened to. It was impossible to report it, and
even if reported would be read with no satisfac
tion. He wandered and rambled through a jum
ble of words in tlie most sickening manner for
twenty minutes, at the end of which time lie
was told that his hour bail come.
The Rev. Mr. Hall and the prisoner knelt up
on the platform, and a prayer was said, during
w’liieli tlie minister was repeatedly interrupted
by Cooper. At tlie conclusion of tlie prayer his
legs and arms were pinioned, and the rope was
about to lie put around his neck, when he seized
it, and after a few incoherent words lie placed it
over liis own head. 1 le asked the sheriff’ how
long he bail to live. “ Only one minute.” He
then said, “ Let me die—knock it out.” At these
words the spring was touched, tlie trap opened,
and the spirit of one of the most desperate men
was sent before the Great Judge. His neck was
instantly broken, and he did not move a muscle
after reaching the end of the rope. At the end
of twenty minutes he was pronounced dead by
the surgeons, and liis body was taken down.
The Imperial Prince.
The Paris correspondent of the Loudon Star
says:
The last number of the Enenement is most in
teresting ; it contains the foe simile of a very
spirited sketch by tlie young Prince Imperial, as
well as a description of his suite of rooms at the
Tuileries and an account of the manner in which
liis time is spent. His tiny library is described
as containing a pair of globes and a collection of
classic books, well thumbed, the bindings con
siderably the worse lor wear, and not altogether
innocent of ink stains. Tlie Prince’s school
room table bears unmistakable marks of a pen
knife, and is scratched over after tlie most ortho
dox schoolboy fashion. His inkstand is of the
commonest depth. A paper weight, surmounted
by an equestrian figure of tiie lirst Emperor, of
a single block of ivory, and busts of the present
Emperor aud Empress, likewise in ivory, are tlie
only ornaments of this very plebeian study.
T\Vo chairs are all it contains—tliat of the
tutor is in good condition ; tlie second, which is
raised, has its straw' bottom considerably dam
aged, the bars worn, and it is altogether anything
but imperial in its appearance. Some shelves of
the library are filled by English books, which the
Prince reads in preference to any others. The
bedroom has been lately re-lurnislied, the walls
are capitonee with blue satin, and the ceiling
painted in oils. Tlie bed is a curious specimen
of modern marqueterie. A picture given by the
late Duke of Moray, of w'liicli the subject is
“Religion protecting Childhood,” occupies the
above. A large branch of box is pinned against
the satin, and several small crosses and medals
are suspended beneath this relic. Avery 1 beauti
ful copy of a Byzantine chapel, containing a
crucifix stands on a chest of draw ers, and a pic
ture of General Fleury’s children is hung oppo
site the bed.
Miss Shaw, the English nurse who has had the
care of the young Prince Imperial since liis birth,
still occupies a dressing room next his sleeping
apartment, and has tlie charge of liis wardrobe,
superintends his dressing, and watches over liis
health. She is devotedly attached to “Monseign
eur,” of whom she has just reason to he proud,
and her young charge warmly returns her devo
tion to him. In the play room are an extensive
collection of drums, guns, theaters, whole regi
ments, a magic lantern, two cannon brought
from China, a hobby horse, and every variety of
ball, top, etc. The Prince is extremely intelli
gent: liistmy and cosmography are liis favorite
studies.
31. Monnier related an instance of liis quick
ness of comprehension which is worth recording.
M. 3Ionnier had read to him the legend of Cad
mus, tlie Phoenician founder of the city in Bcetia,
who destroyed the dragon guardian of a fountain,
and raised an army of warriors by sowing the
monster’s teeth, which army destroyed itself.—
Tlie Prince listened to the legend, and at once
said: “Cadmus is civilization. The dragon is
barbarism, impeding all access to tlie fountain—
that is enlightement. The triumph of Cadmus
is that of civilization. The army of soldiers de
stroying each other iu civil war is tlie agitation
of factious spirits whom no government can
banish in a country.” _
Mrs. Palmer, of Cincinnati, lias sued her
husband for $10,000 damages for putting her in
a mad-house. She is evidently mad.
thickness. Occasionally, -however, the harpoon
of the Intelligencer is driven so very deep tliat he
rises to the surface and ‘spouts blood.’
“For months past the ‘dead duck’ lias clamor
ed for the trial, conviction aud execution of 3rr.
Jefferson Davis. Tlie desire of Forney for the
death of Mr. Davis dates, it is said, from the re
furnishing of the illustrious prisoner’s wardrobe
last winter, as tlie wearing apparel of the victim
is always tlie perquisite of the hangsman, and
no species of plunder comes amiss w ith Forney.
In the midst of his hoarse, red-mouthed yells for
the blood of 3Ir. Davis, the Intelligencer repro
duced an editorial of Forney’s highly eulogistic
of Mr. Davis, which article was written after the
first battle of Bull Run. This center shot was
more than even the ‘dead didapper’ could stand,
and his efforts to wriggle out of the difficulty are
intensely funny. His admiration for the lute
President of tlie Confederate States was attribut
able, no doubt, to the proximity of the Confede
rate forces to Washington. Had the fortunes of
w’ar placed the Federal capital in the hands ot
tlie Contederates, everybody knows perfectly well
that in ten minutes alter the fall of the city For
ney would have crawled to tlie White House and
humbly sought the post of organ grinder to the
very man for whose blood he is now so clamor
ous. If published in Salt Lake City the Chronicle.
would advocate polygamy, and if in the Fejee
Islands it would stoutly recommend cannibalism*
Secretary Cliasc’s Son-in-I.aiv.
The Washington correspondent of tlie Com
mercial thus speaks of the son-in-law of Secre
tary Chase. He says:
MR. SPRAGUE, OF RHODE ISLAND.
That overruling Providence, without whose
volition even a sparrow can not fall to the
ground, may have liad a beneficent and wise
purpose in view in sending the Hon. William
Sprague (“Little Spragucy” they call him in the
reporter’s gallery, and when he rises to orate
they say lie “speaks his little piocey”) to the
Senate. It is more easy, however, to account by
natural causes for the fall of a sparrow than for
the election of Sprague. A brick or a shotgun
will produce the former result, by tbe operation
of the laws of gravitation, and Providence doesn’t
so much will the decease of the poor bird as to
refuse to suspend the laws of nature in response
to which the feathered tribe yield to the pres
sure of a bricli or the force of a buckshot. In the
case ot Sprague’s election, the object so far must
be a matter of faith, which is, we arc reliably in
formed, tlie evidence ot things not seen and the
substance of things hoped for.
3Ir. Sprague is the youngest man in the Senate,
and tbe smallest in physical, as well mental, sta
ture. There is a boyish look anil air about him,
and lie is, withal, a handsome man, the cynosure
of female eyes, and the focus object of innumer
able opera-glasses. He looks good-liumoredly
at the world through a pair ot glasses which
give him the appearance of a college student, or
an inspiring curate in the penultimate stage of
his divinity course. He seldom addresses the
Senate, and then invariably from carefully pre
pared manuscript, and not unfrequently in such
a stumbling and hesitating manner as to cause
his auditors to wonder that he isi not more fami
liar witli Chief-justice Chase’s handwriting,
which, it is proper to remark, is veiy hard to de
cipher.
This distinguished Senator from Rhode Island
made an announcement the other day that may
be said to have put the political world on tip-toe
of expectancy. He proclaimed himselt in favor of
“manhood suffrage” in tlie District of Columbia,
and said that, when a bill having this purpose in
view was introduced, lie would demonstrate that,
by conferring tiie right of suffrage upon tbe col
ored population here, Congress would go far to
ward solving the problem of reconstruction.
So, after all, perhaps tbe mission of Spargne
will not be much longer involved in that obscur-
rity which befogs it now. It may be that he is
the modem tEdipus, to whom is intrusted the
solution of the worse than Sphinx riddle which
has so long perplexed the Committee of Fifteen.
He has promised to “demonstrate” the whole
problem. Let him do it, by aj! means, and that
speedily, and a grateful and reconstructed nation
will rise with one accord, and from the rock-
ribbed coast of 3Iaine to the golden sand of Ca
lifornia, and from tlie frozen lakes of the North
to the snake-infested swamps of tiie South, the
welkin will ring with: “All hail to Spragucy, the
great demonstrator 1 ”
The Albany, Georgia, Patriot learns that while
the colored population were holding a meeting
in that city sometime since, for tbe purpose of
taking up a collection for charitable purposes,
there arose a dispute between the “ breilren,”
which finally come lo blows. It seems that one
fellow, after contributing his little mite, conclu
ded tliat lie could put his money to a better use,
and remarked: “ Bredren, dat money I trow in
the bat while ago I wants back, for I ain’t gwine
to work hard iu de hot sun and gib it to sich
lazy niggers as you are.” To this the “bredren”
became offended, and told him that he could not
get his money back, when a general row an-
sued.”