Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-12-30
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.

Dfsasters-Wheat I'm Store-Trad
and Currency-Constitu Con
C.nsion-City Cs.si and county affairs
Daily Tribune he Weekly TIL
bune-Holidavs-sm musements.
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 1863 After a week o
mild weather, winter has come again in goo,
earnest. Navigation has been partially close,
for two or three weeks, though the river an,
harbor are yet free from ice. The steame
Truesdel, of the Goodrich line, will run al
winter to Grand Haven and back, and tn
schooner Len Highly will ply between thi
port and Sheboygan, as she did last winter
VESSELS LAID UP.
There are nearly five hundred vessels lai,
up for winter i'll this port, OF which SOM
fifty are tugs, and about forty large propel
lers.
LAKE DIsAsrKRs.
The past season has been disastrous t.
shipping on the lakes; the number Of disas
ters amounting to 914-750 more than Las
wear, and the damage estimated at 81. 160, co.
81 GAG, 600 more than in 1868. The loss O
life has been 209. against 321 last year. Their
were l26 vessels totally lost, with a tonnsg.
of 36 1872, valued at $1,414, ,2O0-being an in
crease IN losses of twenty-one vessels, l. rs
tonnage, and $2O6, 900.
WHEAT IN STORE.
Grain receipts are light and shipments
nominal, while there are in store here almos
two aid half million bushels of wheat,
half a million each of corn and oats, 45O 90,
bushels of rye, and $751; 600 bushels of bar
ley, being an aggregate of sbout ], ,SS3, ,00t
bushels more in store of all kinds thar
OF last year at this time.
TRADE,
except In holiday goods, is very dull. Col
iections are becoming more difficult, and
money more stringent. The banks have
more than they can do to furnish funds fol
beet and pork packers, and deposits run ex.
ceedingly low. Congress-, toe, is in session
with its thousand and one plans for doctor.
'ng the finances and tinkering the currency
and this has disturbing effect upon enter.
prise. 1t is not SO much present evi, as fear
OF evil in the future which makes capitalists
timid and purchasers cautious.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION,
after three days session at Springfield, has
got itself organized, by the election II an in.
bers named Hitchcock-as President. The
democrats, II Is conceded, = have control Of the
but as their work has to pass the
ordeal of a state vote hitherto decidedly re.
pubhcan, this fact will have q tendency 10
moderate their partizanship. The officers
have been equally divided between the par
ties. 1t is very desirable that the old consti-
tuition should be revised and improved in
many respects, and | believe this Is the con.
viction OF the great majority of the people.
irrespec i've of party. II the constitution
framed is not acceptable to the majority, 1t
will be voted down.
THE CITY AND covNTY OFFICERS,
now that they are fairly installed in their
places, manifest no disposition to reform
their salaries by reduction. The County
Clerk threw back the resolution of the Coun-
ty Supervisors, asking him to be content
with 500 salary. into their faces with very
little ceremony, and expect the other Off
GERS will follow HIS example. The reform
they were chiefly interested in was to re-
form their predecessors out of Office, and re-
form themselves into their vacated places.
That is the usual reform measure of poll
ticians.
CHICAGO NEWSPAPERS.
Chicago is az noted for it's newspapers, as
for Its manufacturing, CONNER cisl and mer
camille prosperity. Indeed, it's newspapers
are the indices and promoters off progress,
and lead in all enterprises affecting its ma
terial and moral well-being. They are the
representatives Of its growing greatness. and
play a most important part in its social, NOR
al and political life. And as Chicago is the
business center OF the Northwest, her papers
partake of her cosmopolitan character, and
not only furnish tue fullest and mos, complete
ports OF the lie islatve proceedings OF sur
rounding States, and earlier news from the
prominent points in those States, than their
home papers. And as Chicago, through her
network Of railroads, is accessible to
almost all points in the Northwest, the farm
er the merchant and the mechanic find it the
best source of supply for the earliest and
news, not only ofgeneral interest,
but Of whatever pertains to his particular
business. Supplying large field. and en-
jOying large patronage, the publishers can
furnish better paper. for the same price.
than the publishers in less favored localities.
And as his is the season for renewing SUBJ
scriptions aud forming clubs for another
year, few suggestions as to the character of
papers it is most desirable and profitable TO
take may not be out Of place.
The fret Characteristic OF good newspaper
is prouptness ia furnishing the earliest and
completest news. And though, as a general
rule, readers will prefer paper of their own
political views, yet it Is better to take good
OF opposite politics, than poor
one OF ones own political faith. And espe-
cially is it wise to take a paper of decided
political CONVICTIONS, fearlessly and candldly
expressed, than one Of no convictions. or
an aid to express any, lest it might offend
some Of it's readers.
A good newspaper vii supply its readers
with news on all topics of human interest
Its correspondents should know what they
are writing about, and be able to express their
thoughts in clear, concise and readable
style Its editorials should be terse, argu
mentative, exhaustive, gong to the marrow
III the subject, bold, manly, courteous, eleva-
ting, and pervaded with the spirit OF pro-
gress and the love Of humanity. Every lire
newspaper must have q soul in it, and that
soul, sooner or later, will carry with it the
souls Of its readers. complete newspaper
ia q ma n lao h11r, am II = "
day and week Dy week to represent the end
less phases Of the human species, in all their
occupations and pursuits, in their pleasures
and pastimes, in JOY and in sorrow, in health
and in sickness, in life and in death. 1t il
the best and truest type Of Man. l do not
say that such newspaper In perfection Is tc
be found. But the nearest approximation tc
1t In the Northwest is
THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE,
which, for fullness and variety Of miscellane
Gus, political and commercial news; complete
market reports; liberal use OF the telegraph
the number and intelligence of its cores
pondents, at home and abroad; the value O
It's Agricultural and Literary departments
the breadth, vigor, originality, in
dependence and thoroughness Of its tditoria
discussions; and it's boldness in taking The
initiative on important public questions, hal
no western rival, and challenges compariso,
with tnc Dcot C2otcIn 4Ac CiECulh
ton Of the daily is so great, and the charac
ter Of its subscribers is such, that an adver
tisement in it is worth more TO the ADVERTISED
than in all the other city da, les combined
Its editorial policy Is liberal and progressive
representing the advanced public sentimen
of the northwest. 1t advocates free banking
under proper legal safeguards; the impro re
ment OF the national credit and the reIundin.
or the bonded debt at lower rate of interest
q return to specie payments at the earlies
practicable period; tariff for revenue solely
and material and speedy reduction of tn,
present rate Of taxation.
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE
has been greatly improved, especially in it
literary and agricultural Departments Ii il
carefully edited, and considerable new mat
ter, not appearing in the Daily, is prepare.
especially for the Weekly. In addition to tn
excellent articles of "Rural." one Of the bes
practical farmers and agricultural writers il
the country, are several columns of specia
interest to farmers. 1t contains the lates
and the fullest market reports, and ttco day
later netcs than any eastern journal, and n
paper in the country can equal it in interes
and value for western readers. The Tribune
IN all it's editions, is type Of Chicago an
excellence as news journal. ability and indie
,pendence as 8 representative and guide o
public sentiment, has become q power Ia tn
state and nation.
rur uny rDavo