The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-07

badly this was meant as quiet sarcasm, flung
at the head of almost equally absurd schemes
that were 1oated on the tide of popular ore
dulity. II was the harvest of knaves and
swindlers. Stock -jobbing acts had no sooner
raised the price of shares in any bubble to-
wards par, than the oonspirators hastened to
"unload" all they held upon the public. The
confusion OF dealings and the wild fuotuation
of prices was such that the same stock fire.
quently sold ten per cent. higher one hour
than it did the next, and was even quoted
with as wide margin at the opposite ends OF
the same crowd at a given moment.
This commercial infatuation was bsheld
with anxiety and alarm by all judicious ciu-
zens. AS all these bubble companies had been
prohibited by law, the King issued his procla-
nation against them, declaring them public
nuissnces, and prohibiting any broker from
giving currency to the shares, under penalty
Of $500. But what can laws, proclamstions,
or iniunctions avail, in the presence OF pubic
sentiment rotten to the core upon all topics
that involve money-gettingS Deluded people
still speculated, and unscrupulous brokers
still executed their orders. IL was not until
the collapse of the great parent bubble, the
South Sea Company, that they received q final
check. Then, when the commercial metropolis
of the world was strewn with the wrecks of
great houses, when lords and members Of Par
lament were imprisoned and mulcted of their
fortunes, unsorupulously won, and when Eng-
land was full Of "lame ducks" and ruined
gamesters, it began to lay to heart the lesson
of the bubble companies.
Napoleon and the European Conference.
From the ~ Y. Herald.
The conference which was to be held on the
9th Of this month is very likely to be post
poned, in consequence of request to that
effect having been presented by the Greek
he he
anxious to be represented in the conference by
their present minister at the court of the Sui
tan. In many respects this request seems to
be reasonable. 1t is presumable, therefore,
that the request will be granted. 1t is rather
a noteworthy circumstance that while the En-
peror Napoleon is about to attempt the solu-
ton of the Eastern question, the world should
be generally convinced that the situation of
France and of the Emperor in relation to
France is far from satisfactory. 1t is not to
be denied that France is i'll at ease. The
press is painfully rebellious and outspoken.
In spite of all the fines and imprson-
ments and suppressions, the journals all over
the country are as self willed and as out
spoken as ever. prominent London journal
tells us that the time has come when the
Emperor must either "check the press or
abandon personal government" Making allow
ance for the fact that the London press is too
willing and little too much disposed to carp
at the Emperor, there can be no doubt that the
remark above comes pretty near the truth.
The Emperor has governed France we'll, and
in many respects wisely; but it is the fault of
personal government that it is seldom rewarded
with gratitude. 1t will be long before France
will have such another ruler; bat another ruler
might have been less desired and the present
ruler might have been more thoroughly appre-
ciated if the French people had little more to
say in the management of their own affairs.
That trouble is brewing in France all the world
knows. How long it will be before an out
burst takes place depends very much on how
long the Emperor will live. The revolution in
Spain and the recent reforms in England have
tended very much to encourage reformers in
France, and Frenchmen are beginning to be
tired of seeing their chief attending to all
peoples and neglecting them. They, too,
have interests; and SO long as the Emperor
refuses to look at and acknowledge them his
dynasty is in danger. So far as this pro-
posed Eastern conference is concerned, there
are many in and many out of France who
say, "Take the beam out OF thine own eye."
A conference on European question in the
capital city of grumblipg and discontented
nation is not pretty nor encouraging sight.
France needs emancipation and liberty quite
as much as Greece. The European powers
cannot do wiser thing than give up the
idea of a conference, remain neutral, and allow
Greece and Turkey to fight it cut