The Portland daily press., 1870-06-17

WE have no interest, except lis d spectator,
in the new irrepressble conflict" between
Boston and New York, growing out of the
almost utter failure of the Beethoven festival
in the latter city. When the Hub last year
began to prepare for the magnificent Peace
Jubilee, the Metropolis jeered and sneereo al
the arrogant assumption of the New Ens'ahu
capital to be regarded as the great eastern cen
ire in musical affairs. But the Jubilee was a
success in every respect, ana lncreaseu 'he
envy and jealousy of the Manhattanltes; SO
tban seercbed the :alendar for an occasion to
inanourate more gigantic display of musical
mower. and they concluded to make the CEN
tenary Of Beethoven's birth an occasion. Bos-
ton good naturally lent its Handel and Haydn
Society, its Gilmore and Zerrhan. bic
drum and anyils, and allowed its neighbor to
copy its artillery bassos and magnetic bell
ringing, and would have loaned the Coliseum
lift had been bespokcn in time. Notwith-
standing all this the attempt of New York to
eclipse Boston has fallen far short of success.
Both in orchestra and chorus the New York
affair was behind its prototype. The manage.
ment was bad, and on the first day there was
dlscord between the conductors and the in
strumentalsts. The audiences have been
small, and the receipts have not paid expenses.
Boston claims that its loaned talent alone saw
ell the thing from utter failure, and complains
that New FORK ingratitude allowed the Bos-
ton people to be crowded into back seats and
suffer for food and lodgings But in the midst
of all this, Boston INDUCES in little express
sion of pride that il is neck ahead of the
Metropolis. 1t is very strange that the noble
science of harmony should create such dis
sension.
A WEEK or ten days ago between three and
four hundred sacks of mail matter from the
post-office at London, bound to South Sea Is
lands, were received at Omaha On Wednes-
day the EDglish-Australian mail, which had
been landed at San Francisco and brought
across the Pacific railroad, was shipped to its
destination from New York. England with
her great mercantile marine and intricate
commercial connections, thus admits that the
shortest route to her antipodal colonies is
across the American continent. And in this
we see but the beginning of the great COM
mercal changes it was foretold transatlan-
tic railroad would produce. First comes the
letter-bag, then the package, followed by light
freight, and as the means of communication
increase, and competition between routes lev
els the cost of transportation, the sharp Eng
lsh merchant will send his venture to China
this way and grasp the benefit of a waiting
market, while his neighbor pursues the old
route to get more uncertain return al the end
of long sea-voyage. We have something
akin to this in the history of our early Cali
fornia trade. The Eastern merchant filled the
orders of his California correspondent by
heavy-sailing vessel, and at the same moment
shortened the route for his own cargo by
means of an extreme clipper ship, which car
rieda smaller freight, and skinned the profits
OF the market before the big ship had got
around the Horn. And SO the commercial
world is finding out the truth of the PROPOSE
ton that straight line is shorter land cheap
err than a curve.
PosTPoNED.-The State Temperance Mass
OoA'ShoiOAl3 WhiSh Wdo " HAVE 1utG dU du-
burn to-day to consider the expedency of
making an independent nomination for Gov
ernor, has been Indefinitely postponed. In
view of the result of the Augusta Convention
it was hardly expected that the distinctive
temperance men would have done anything,
had they assembled, but ratify and endorse
the nomination of Mr.. Perham, as he was last
year, and has continued to be favorite with
them. This action, coupled with the proceed
ings at Augusta, consolidates the Republican
party more closely than it has been for two
years. The Democrats will not approve this
movement, for it knocks out their last hope
of making capital out of third patty or dis
affection in the Republican ranks. The NOM
inee of their Convention on the 2Sth inst.
will not have the ghost of a chance for cleo
ton against Mr.. Perham.