Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-05-25
Work for Barnum.

The Herald has pleasan5 /" After-Dinne
Meditation - abous- BarEam. He has been
and is still a wonderful man. His museum
of oddities, curiosities and monstrosities
which was burnt in New York, was asthin
worth seeing. He seems to have the pecu
liarity of hitting upon things that attrae
attention and hold it. In his autobiography
he admits that some of the ideas which lie,
to getting many of his best things were sug
gcsted by hint or thought of some one else
i who had in his mind no germ of what il
Barnum's became living, surprising real
ity. He is not dead to the world yet, ever
though his museum in New York is burnt
and most of its contents-the Happy Fami
ly, Learned Seal, and Big Bear, among Other
things.
Should he now turn his attention to gath
ering lot of curiosities in the way of lcgis.
lative acts, he could get together, no doubt,
such a strange and ludicrous collection Of
things that his last act would be the crown
ing wonder and success of this successful and
wonderful man. And among the legislation
of later years he could find the best speci-
mems. For notwithstanding the interest that
usually clusters about antique things, dust
covered and moss stained, some of the more
recent acts of our legislators are of so truly
strange and unaccountable growth that they
would excite in such gathering, after short
time, much more wonder than anything of
former years, though it should be of the eery
dusty past.
One important thing we suggest MIR. Bar
mum should get for such collections, the
bill for reducing the revenue, should that
become a law. For while our Treasurer is
knocking off the debt in fine style, and pay
ing BY millions every month wAaE >e s snall
arc wanting to reduce the income from the
revenue, so he cannot pay it so fast
Then there is the funding of the debt. If
Congress does not make arrangements for it,
MIR. b. would do well to put it securely in a
cabinet by itself, calling it, in remembrance
Of his famous b" What-is-it - - What
been" For surely coming ages
will look upon a failure to bring this about
now as the loss of grand opportunity for a
udliondi Soou Ol ueep anu Tasting import
Ii is simply the question whether it is better
to continue paying six-twenty and seven
thirty interest on our debt, or about two per
cent. less, with a longer time for the bonds
to run. The high position our bonds hold in
foreign markets shows that such plan is as
feasible as could be wished. The Tribune of
last week says: Mr.. Bowles, Partisan
banker, made an argument last Thursday be-
fore the Ways and Means Committee in favor
of a long four per cent. bond. He demon
strated clearly to the committee that bond
of that character could be successfully nego-
tiated. He stated that be bad given this
subject a careful consideration, and had con-
ferred with leading bankers in Europe, and
from the information he had derived from
them and others, he had no doubt that the
bond could be easily foated. He was ready
and willing to undertake it, and give all the
necessary guarantees for its early accom-
plishment Now why not have this pass,
SO that Barnum could have among the curl
osities and monstrosities of legislation one
act of beautiful utility?