The New York herald., 1866-05-29


pistol at another and wounded him, In @e
midst of dense crowd Of women and children.
Various trivial cases of assault have occurred
In that vicinity since the law went into opera
ton and also in our own immediate suburbs.
In fact drunkenness has increased on Sunday
in and around tho city for the pest few weeks,
although the public drinking places have been
closed. This facs is sufficient to prove that
stringent laws for the regulation Of the sppe-
tite defeat themselves. Police laws for the
maintenance Of public order, whether applied
to the sale Of liquors within certain hours and
by respectable parties, or for any other pur-
pose, can easily be made effective; but sump-
tuary laws or laws Unfortunately construct
ed, with extreme and impractical provisions,
are always failure and work more harm than
good. In this latter category the new Excise
law comes and Its fruits are already beginning
to develop themselves.
WAR OR PEAcE-PROsPEcrs OF EUROPEAN
CoNGREss.-As the dangers of general war
are thickening in Europe rumors, suggestions
and speculations In reference to peace con-
gress are multiplied. Among the latest OF such
rumon Is that Of the Florence Nasione Of May
Is, that note from the French government
had reached the Italian capital proposing the
assembling Of congress; "that France Is said
to have declared that she makes this proposal
with the view Of preventing war, without, how
ever, pretending to impose that mode Of settle
mentn and that the Italian government is stated
to have declared In rrp.; e this @ note 'ss'
while Italy did not decline the proposal she
would require the basis Of the preliminary
negotiations to be the cession Of Venetia.
"The cession of Venetia," condition pre-
cedent, is, then, the d.fficuliy to peace con-
gress, 80 far as Italy is concerned, while the
exclusion of this question from congress
would be the obstacle presented by Austria. In
the sans way, pro ana CON- the c,ssion OF 'ne
Danish duchies operates as . bar against =
congress in reference to both Austria and
Prussia. The three Powers, therefore, that are
on the verge OF war are excluded from a
peace congress in advance by the very terms
which they severally impose as the conditions
necessary to secure their participation in it.
The chances Of peace, then, depend upon the
chances of conference between England,
France and Russia; and the consent of Napo
leon to such Q conference win depend upon the
understanding that it is not to be bound by
those detested treaties of 1915. II appears
that on May Is several of the Paris journalS
reported that there had been o meeting BE-
tween Earl Cowley Che English ambassador,
Baron Budb erg CRussisn ambassador) and
NJ. Druyn de Lhuys Trench Minister of For
eign Affairs), "with the object Of bringing
about peaceful solution Of the pending diff
culties." There was, however, no confirmation
Of the intelligence and from the simple fact that
Napoleon stands aloof, on the plea Of neu-
trality and freedom of action, wien his active
intervention in behalf Of peace would secure
peace, it Is apparent that he wants war, is pre-
pared for war and that 1t 10 not likely there
will be congress to prevent war through his
agency as peacemaker. France has every
thing to gain from war; Russia may also gain
largely and has nothing 10 lose. England can
do nothing without France end Russia, and 30
the chances for European peace congress are
exceedingly slim and doubtful. We are rather
inclined to the conclusion that war win actu-
ally be commenced in Italy while the news
papers of Paris are still discussing the chances
Of peace and peace congress.
GENERAL HowARD AND THE OUTRAGEs IN THE
FREEDMEN's BUREAU. General Howard has
written a COMMUNICATION to the Secretary Of
War in explanation OF his attempt to screen
certain agents of the Freedman's Bureau from
the consequences of offences charged against
them, and says tina! 4said letter was written,
prior to the publication Of Steedman's and
Fulerton's report and only intended to vouch
for the officers refereed to in the private letter
received" He now earnestly recommends
that, inasmuch az "a majority of those officers
complained of are officers selected from the
army, generally of excellent record and always
vouched for by men of the highest standing in
the community, hereafter a fair trial be al
lowed to every officer accused prior to the
publication OF charges against them" This
request bears q suspicious aspect What
Is there in the reports OF Generals
Stcedman and Fullerton in regard to tho opera
tions Of the Bureau that does not thus far sup
port and endorse all that has been received
and published from private sourcesf Docs
General Howard pretend that II is necessary
the charges shall be referred tot secret com
mission before the poor negro can be pro-
tected from the cruelty and azariciousness Of
the puritanical agents Of the Bureauf Is II ne
eessary TO whitewash the glaring evidences Of
rapacity concerning these agents which come
before the .-public through responsible, II not
Immediately oficial, channels! II seems to us
that General Howard, while vainly attempting
TO excuse himself from the accusation Of
screening the implicated officers from the
charges preferred has laid himself liable 70
more serious one, and that Is ef desire to
have the malefacton tried before secret and
partisan tribunal, where their wrong doings
can be conveniently colored 10 suit party in