The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-04-06

introduce the punishment of fogg;ng which was
erased from the criminal code Of Prussia by the re-
yolrton OF ls4s. In several OF the smallor Gernan
States this has been already effected the reaction
any party lock upon the whip as one OF the most
poweriul engines OF government, and endeavor to
or, We that the increase of crime noticed in some
prcyinces il entirely owing 10 It's ABOLITION Their
reasoning is very much like that OF the Times in de-
fer ce Of the lynchng OF Elton schoolboys; II man
committed an offence they say, he used to be fog
ged and there was end o. it; but now he i sent to
r,ison a punishment which he has no particular
dread Of as lie fed and clad at the expense OF the
State ana the consequence is that the prisons are
filed TO overfowng, and the community IS
buthered with the maintenance of a set of vaga'
bonds who in former times were subjected to
chastisep,ent as summary as 1t was inexpensive
The Minister of Justice, however, SCI his face
against the motion. and it was rejected by small
majority. In the Chamber OF Deputies considerable
interest was excited by an Interpolation addressed
10 the Minhter of the Interior respecting the recent
aeclions at Elbing In that city, which has always
been enc of the strongholds OF the democratic
party the police were even more busy than they
usually are on such occasions; they went round to
the electors, recommending the government ticket,
aNd threatening them with all sorts OF pains and
penalties if they refused to vote it, while many per-
sons who were known to be partizans of the oppesi
ton were actually driven from the polls and pre-
vented from giving their votes. Inc line
OF argument adopted by NJ. de Westpnaen,
in justification of these acts of violence, more
curious than felicitous He stated that the police
had merely intertered to prevent the electors from
being terrorized by the democratic faction. and to
protect them in the exercise of their tha. in which
they were menaced by the irccrrl-t'e enemies OF
peace and order. He admitted .0.e'as nat the
laudable zeal of the police had ,ntrcea them in
instances to lose sight OF the forms prescribed
by law, and promised that they should be more
strictly observed in future. To any one who knows
the state of prOstration TO which the Prussan de-
mocracy is reduced, the idea Of their terrorzng tn
electors and iptimdatiDg those who are inclined to
vote n favor of government Is certainly most as
founding. If M de Westphalen actually entertains
strange Authorization il is still more unaccount
able that be should have been so anxious a few
years since to do away with the ballot which would
have shielded the well disposed portion of the
community from the wrath OF these blood
thirsty terrorists But H. must be reco-
lected that in continental governments it
j. an invariabe maxim that the police can DO no
wrong that all Their actions are "dscreetest wisest
best, and there is no doubt the Minister of the In
terror imagined lie was displaying an unparalleled
amount of candor and impartiiiy in admitting that
they had beer guilty Of the slightest deviation
from the strict letter of the law, though of
they we're amply excused by the purity of their in
teutioLs.
The stagnetion in mercantile concerns, arising
IRON the late monetary crisis, continues undated.
1t is felt more especially by the manufacturers of
cotton and silk goods who sell or export to Poland
ard Russia. The buyers from those countries are
accustomed to make their purchases on credit and
the difficulty appears to be now that they paid
at home in Russia bank notes, which are curren
there but after crossing the frontier into Prussia
only taken at loss of IL TO IL per cent. This neither
party, creditor debtor, is willing to bear any how
the Polish Jews have made IL an excuse for not pay
ing their del BITS and stopping away from the spring
far OF Oder, one Of the three held
in the course Of the year, and where there is gene
rally the most business transacted. The report on
the same says" The distressing occurrences that
have lately taken place in the commercial world
and the continuous losses OF the manufacturers by
boz fa, -
at the great ,mporums of trade could not but exert
an uniavorible influence on the opSrations of the
fair. There was no life in the trcnsa ,tions. many
buyers chiefly those from Poland and Russia were
missing, and purchasers from other parts who were
the spot could obtain goods for cash at their own
prices from needy manufacturers in want Of ready
money According To official statements the supply
of goods brought TO the fair amounted To 81 900
cwt far exceeding the demand in every article.
Br"adcloth one OF the principal items was chiefly
bought by spectators, at a considerable reduction
on last years prices wrung from the necessities Of
the manufacturers Other fabrics Of wool and cot
ton produced in the Zolverein met with tolerably
brisk sale, especially for the south of Germany,
whereas in most descriptions OF dry goods imported
from abroad the sales were but middling, though
they quite came up 10 the depressed expectations
OF the importers. In hardware. porcelain and glass
ware The absence OF Pol-h customers was more Sc
yerey ielt and in consequence thereof the sale of
these articles was tritrl. Leather. Of which there
plentiful supply. found but limited sale aud
autumn fair In sheep wool too, the stock on hand
was large, and sales could only be effected at prices
considerably lower than those that ruled at last
summers markets.
Locking at such reports the FOREGOING it Is evi.
dent that the effects Of the cri-.s Ia he manufac-
trri.g interest are far from having ceased Plr-
chasers keep out Of The market when they see the
raw material constantly falling in the natural ex.
pectation that the manufactured article will soon
follow; the storekeep,rs buy but little aud offer
such prices rs do not realize cost 10 the producer
and thus the list Of bankrupts Is being svcea from
day o. day by The middle class Of manufa cturcrs.
However, rs no Polish or Russian buyers appeared
al Iiohkiort. and they must have disposed OF part
Oi their stock AT least during the interval OF three
or four months. the hope is INDUCED that by next
Easter fair, which commences at Leipzig in about
thf. weeks. they will have raised sufficient hard
cash 10 pay their debts and to lay in fresh stocks of
goo d. to ill up the vacancy Transatlantic custo.
rners may also be- expected 10 arrive ON hearing Of
tho a Of prices that has taken place since last year.