The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 27, 1870.

sel's name to appearin the paper, although, as a pro-
minent•lawyer, it has frequently to allude to him
as the plaintiff's or defendant's counsel. But though
gentlemen like Mr. M'Farland may be permitted
the luxury of shooting their enemies, the execution
of Jack Reynolds shows that he was wrong in his
remark when arrested for brutally ending the life
of Mr. Townsend, that " hanging for murder is
played out." Stupid, brutal Jack, without friends,
was just the style of perzon for an example. There
are many murderers now in our prisons who might
with as much profit to the community be exe-
cuted ; but having friends in office, however
cruel and premeditated were their acts, there
is no chance that any such punishment will be
meted out for their crimes. New York has been
so far consistent that a strenuous effort was made
to save even Reynolds, but it very properly failed.
Although no sign of feeling was shown by the, pri-
soner when sentence was passed, at the moment of
execution he was seized with terror and anguish,
tears streaming down his cheeks, and he died in
this state. The Union League Club has celebrated
at a great meeting the proclamation of the Fifteenth
Amendment. Senator Wilson spoke, so did Mr.
Greeley, and Wendell Phillips is here to attend the
meeting at Apollo Hall, to-night, the last of the
American Anti-slavery Society. Our coloured citi-
zens have had great rejoicings, and demonstrations in
the streets, getting up creditableprocessions,though
people do ill-naturedly remark on negro minstrelsy
when the bands play and the dark procession moves.
Secretary Boutwell spent several hours in Wall-
street, but the Executive have learnt a lesson, and
it will be a sharp operator who extracts any state-
ment from him, though on his return from Massa-
chusetts another attempt will be made. The
Funding Bill is to be brought up for discussion at
the next meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.
Rumours have been floating about of rings to lock
up greenbacks, with a view of breaking down the
stock market, and it was even commenced, but
money is cheap, while greenbacks are scarce, and
it would be difficult to alter the natural tendency
of things. and those who tried it would be very
likely to burn their fingers. James Fisk, jun.,
has succeeded in decorating himself with military
as well as naval feathers, and getting a thousand
men as well as his fleet of se eamboats to back him.
He has been elected Colonel of the Ninth Regi-
ment, and a committee was sent to the Opera
House to conduct him to the armoury of the re-
giment, where he addressed the officers, and an-
nounced that a new uniform, if necessary, would
be supplied to every man joining the regi-
ment. The Susquehanna Railroad people might
not have got off so cheaply in the great Battle of
the Tunnel had Fisk then been so well prepared.
Miss t. larke was married to Mr. Leon Neff, on
Wednesday, but the ceremony was quiet owing to
the illness of the bride's mother, much to the dis-
appointment of many who expected a very grand
affair. The marriage of Miss Lulu Clarke has
been postponed until November, also causing dis-
appointment. Miss Belle Macdonald, a Scottish
lady here on a visit to her relations, is engaged, it is
rumoured, to the Hon. A. J. Garvey. Mr. Henry
Moss is to be united to Miss Sarah Hill, Mr. Philip
Cunningham to Miss Faxton, Mr. J. H. Serie to Miss
Mary Tilford, and the marriage of the last is soon to
take place. Several newly-wedded couples have
taken their passages for Europe, and you will soon
have quLe a number spooning over that continent
on their honeymoon tour. I am sorry to say that
several of our citiz !ns have to leave too in search of
health, among them Mr. Herbert Noyes, who will
not return till September.

WASHINGTON, April 8.
The Corporation of Washington has been autho-
rized by a bill, to plant the streets and avenues with
trees, leaving roadways of not less than thirty-five
feet wide, and it is to be hoped that the Corpora-
tion will take action on it to beautify and give shade
to these "magnificent distances." Collector Parnell
is one of the commissioners who went to New Yosk to
investigate the Baileydefalcation, has returned with
the unpleasant information to bis bondsmen, that
the sum will reachs2oo,ooo. The President, his
private secretary, and all the high military officials
have left for Troy to attend the funeral of General
Thomas. The widow declined the proposition to
havi..> the remains interred at West Point. Every
honour that could be heaped on the noble Virginian
has been, but some exaggerated pretensions have
appeared in the papers, for, as usual, we run into
extravagance. The idea of drawing a comparison
between Thomas and Washington is ridiculous ;
nor is the comparison fair between Lee and Thomas,
for both acted honestly and according to their view
of what ,heir conduct ought to be. Both were
Virginians ; both West Pointers ; the one gave his
sword reluctantly to his State against the Union ;
the other gave his sword reluctantly to the Union
against his State ; and, although the war decided
that Thomas was right and Lee wrong, its decision
was that of force, not of equity, though you know
how strongly Union in saititnent I am, and how
thoroughly I uphold the patriotism of the decision of
General Thomas. Still, I respect the motives of
General Lee, and feel little inclination to draw
odious comparisons between these renowned
soldiers. Talking of soldiers, General G. R. Paul
of St. Louis had a joint resolution rushed through
Congress for his benefit. It is passing strange that
Congress, years after the gallant action in which
the General so severely suffered, should all at once
be in such a hurry to do something for the muti-
lated soldier, whose sight was totally destroyed by
a shot which passed through both eyes at Gettys-
burg. He is to have the pay and allowance of a
Brigadier, the rank on which he retired. Although.
General Butler has failed in getting his coloured
boy into the West Point Academy, Representative
Prosser, of Tennessee, nothing daunted, has brought
forward his boy, Alonso Napier. One member
wants to put a young Indian into that school, pro-
bably to teach our youths how to " sculp," acd him-
self to be taught how the savages can best cut the
throats of our citizens in the Far West. The Piegan
affair has been producing most disagreeable fruit,
as murders by the Indians are reported from all
sides, and people are becoming very uneasy in the
prospect of another sanguinary Indian war. That
affairs do not look so peaceful as it is desirable out
West is seen in the Mormon remonstrance against
the Cullom Bill. It claims a Divine origin for
polygamy, as given by God. through Joseph Smith
to the Church of Jesus Christ's Latter Day Saints.
On religious grounds Mormons denounce the bill as
against the fiat of the Almighty ; on legal grounds
they denounce the bill as unconstitutional; and,
generally, they denounce it as a measure of perse-
cution, cruel, and calculated to encourage vice.
There is something which wise men will not over-

look iu theMormondeclaration,that the Territory had
been settled and civilized by them before it passed
into the possession of the United States, and assert-
ing thatpolygatny was an institution of the territory
before the sovereigety of the United States was
extended over it, they urge the Washington Go-
vernment to follow the example of moderation set
by England towards polygamy in India, and France
in Algeria, as the Mormons regard it as an ordi-
nance on which their happiness and eternal welfare
depend. If these people are in earnest, and really
believe what they say, as I think they do, there is
danger in the Cullom Bill, yet the House Bill is
considered too lenient by the Senate Committee on
Territories which is now considering it, and is said
to lean towards more stringent measures. A de-
cided course one way or another has to be taken,
for we can have no compromise, no middle way,
and the Government must either be prepared to
fight or to endure what the people regard as a
scandal to the nation, till the institution can be
broken up by the force of Gentile colonization.
An interesting question is being considered by the
Senate Judiciary Committee, whether the Fifteenth
Amendment confers the right of suffrage on the
Indians. General Butler manages always to be on
a committee for investigating an alleged swindle or
other infraction of the law. His latest investiga-
tion is into the disposal of Cuban Bonds and their
influence on Congress. The Judiciary Committee,
of which it is au offshoot, uphold Butler in com-
pelling witnesses to answer all questions put. The
reason for this move was the contumacy of Dr.
Bliss, who attended the late Secretary Rawlins in
.his last illness, in refusing to answer questions, and
who has been rooted out by this Nose Committee,
as it is called, as interested in Cuban affairs.
When the investigation has been closed, the doctor
is to be dragged to the bar of the Representatives,
and there made to answer, or to be committed
for contempt. The lobbyists and newspaper cor-
respondents are the men Butler is after. He has
discovered that a black-haired, black-whiskered,
low-statured man had been offering large sums to
secure the influence of the leading newspaper cor-
respondents. Another committee is investigating
the affairs of Mr. Mullett, supervising architect,
and A third thole of Gen. Howard who has been