Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-08-24
AtkinS's majority. .

Wrig hts majority for Congress over McElrath,
in the seventh district, is 6, 955.
We are indebted to the Nashville Union, of
the 10th inst, for these details. The defeat Of
Mr.. Etheridge will prove very severe blow to
the opposition in the next Congress, for he was
beyond all question one of their most effective
men in the last. To the Republican party his
loss is irreparable. for he was the Southern
member whose vagaries gave them most cOun-
tenance and encouragement. For some years
past, sitting over him as it were daily, while he
was serving in the House hall, and noting his
every movement in the by-play of legislation,
(Which, though rarely finding its way into the
newspapers, is far more unerring test of the
animus actuating an honorable gentleman, than
what he sees fit to say and do in a manner that
will get it upon the record,) we long since came
to the conclusion that Mr. Etheridge is an anti
slavery man, though he never undertook to
hoist any such colors before his own constitu-
ents His defeat is really one Of the most i'm
portant achievements Of the Democratic party
since the last Presidential election. Had he
remained in Congress he would have given
them, and the South especially, infinite trouble;
as one pretended, or rather lukcwarm friend of
their cause representing slaveholding district
and capable of maintaining himself in debate
as he is, would have accomplished more mischief
than can be accomplished by any dozen North
ern anti-savery representatives, we care not
whom they may be.
THE SPRINGS SEASON is very near over.
We learn from gentlemen just from the White
Sulphur region that the GOODNESS of fall weather
almost of November with us-has been expe-
rienced throughout the Virginia watering places
OF the Alleghanies for the last fortnight and
that the guests Of all of them are consequently
preparing to seek more congenial CLINE. Their
season has been nearly four weeks shorter this
year than usual; nevertheless, they have near
ly all done remarkably well, as the visitors
have distributed themselves more than usual,
while their aggregate number has been nearly
fifty per centum higher than ever before. At
the White Sulphur, for instance, eight hundred
of the twelve hundred who were there three
weeks ago were visitors of that place for the
first time, most Of them being from points south
and southwest of Virginia
The travel over the Orange and Alexandria
railroad, now the main channel through which
to reach all the Virginia Springs, has been un-
precedented in its history, and bids fair to be
almost as remarkable for month longer; after
which the watering places will be, for the most
part, closed. The freighting business of that
road, too, seems to have increased almost in
proportion with its transportation of passengers.
Already, its means of transporting freight have
been taxed to their utmost capacity, though the
crop Of the season may be said hardly to have
commenced to come down to market The
truth is, the landholders within striking dis
lance of the work and its connections Ma.
nassas, Warrenton and Central railroads-are
just now coming to comprehend the extent OF
their gains by its construction. That is, the in.
creased market facilities and facilities for i'm.
proving their farms it affords them, and the in
creased value it has given to their estates
Last week we were forcibly struck with the
evidence of their realization of these facts, in
the number and loads of the freight cars pass
ing over the work in question those trains
coming down being twice as large as at this sea-
son Of last year, and laden with wheat, oats.
other produce, lumber, &C., as never before
while those going up are equally laden with
fertilizers, agricultural implements and other
things indicating such o spirit of Agricultural