The national Republican., 1869-02-03
o.Y w..s,.ss.a c.rr..pe.s.....


Ii Is not improbable that the number may
reach nvs hundred IN thls year. Nothing
was ever before known like this velocipedcs
rush upon the PaiSn, ONCE, unless ii be
that which occurred for potenis for new en-
gines Of destruction during tho frst and
second years Of the war. Ths current We
locipede mania will doubtless result In bring |
ing into use more or less American ap- |
pliances to the end Of facilitating locomo-
tion, likely to be far In advance OF those I'm
ported from Europe, which have started the
fever here. In England man Ia known TO
have recently ridden slxty miles In Ave
hours on q veloclpede. How long win Il be
until some American travels much farther
In the same time on an American veloelpcde1
According to the calculation Of those who
claim to be learned In such matters, IL Ia es-
tlmated that but one eighth the physical
strength and eIcrtion are required to be ex-
erted to propel vcloclpede that are neces-
sarily expended In walking. That Is, when
the velocipedo Ia running at a high rate Of
speed. r...
THE CABINET QUESTION.
hear Of various combinations Clubbing
us 1t were) to affect Grants selection OF Cab
met officers 1t 10 BY no means improbable
that the rule recently adopted by him, cut
ting short his hours for receiving visitors and
requiring their cards to bo sent In to him be-
foro their admission 70 his room, was
adopted to enable him to avoid being bored
hv tuat a,,.h .all.tt, ,.a s-i.na. Mor. ~
less Of these combinations seem to have been
formed to the end Of injecting into his Cabi-
net this or that gentleman known TO favor
this or that other gcntleman's aspirations to
succeed Grant In the Presidency four years
hence. think can venture TO assure your
readers that no man will be invited into his
official family whose presence there may, by
any possible chance, involve him directly or
Indirectly In intrigues, squabbles or schemes
bearing on the succession question.
RAILROAD COMBINATIONS.
The evident disposition Of the railroad ring
assembled here to "pull together" should be
received as q warning by the country Of the
coming danger to our Institutions, involved
In the rapid strides Of the corporations they
represent, towards controlling legislation.
Slavery, as q power In the land, carried mat
tiers with q high hand for twenty years or
more, ruling Congress and the Executive and
Judicial branches OF the Government to great
national disadvantage, In the way Of re-
pressing ideas and measures which, II carried
into effect, would have immensely advanced
the national interest. When the nation pre-
pared TO break from Its leading-strlngs, 1t
went to war to perpetuate Its divine right to
rule. Such is the philosophy Of its Ameri-
can history In nutshell
THE DANCER AHEAD.
The growing railroads interest threatens
quite as much injury to the public veal as
grew out of the despotism Of slavery over the
Government, II not more. The wealth Of the
railroads interest applicable to the further
ance Of Its eventual schemes upon leglsla-
tion, concentrated as that will be in few and
unscrpulous hands guided by most sagacious
heads, will prove an element Of power or
effectiveness which slavery, In It's most true
ulent days, could no, WELD or apply. Mil
lions on millions bid fair to be spent annually
to control Congressional and States rail-
road legislation. The extent or ratio Of
dividends will be In proportion to the i'm
munity enjoyed to treat the public asthe cor
porations' managers see at. The struggle
between these latter and the general public
is rapidly approaching. Whenever and
wherever Congress or any State Legislature
may hereafter be called on to interfere to
protect public right against corporation (rail-
roads) management, 1t Is clear that the cor
porations will act together to compass tho
ends Of any one Of them, to an extent not yet
generally comprehended. 1t is TO be hoped
that, in so doing, they will 80 develop their
policy as that all may realize the necessity
for the adoption Of q wise, comprehensive
and effective system Of national railroads
supervision, that will surely hold them In
check;-otherwise the railroad lords, dukes
and kings will not long hence absorb the
earnings of oil others In the community, be-
coming as wealthy and practically as priv
ilcgcd a class as the few thousand persons
who own the soil Of all England and Boot
land.
| TIE BOUTWELL, AMENDMENT.
| II ls of the utmost importance that the