Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-12-15

-CoNyENTIoN-IMPoRTAN OF THE SPECIAL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS STEAMSHIP SCHEME
HOPES AND FEARs-MIss KATE FIELDS LECTURE
Special Correspondence Of he Commercial.
| PHILADELPHIA, Dec o.
observe that you mention in the Commercial
the fact that the pending election, in our FRS
District will settle the question of supremacy il
the State Senate. Suchs the fact, and the canvass
is proportionately lively. The Democrats were
80 perniciously smart in nominating gentleman
against whom personally there can really nothing
be said, that the contest promises to be very
close one. Since my last letter the Republican
convention has met and has nominated Mr.. Jos
R. Lyndall well known and highly respected
citizen. So the LIST District is likely, as Dis
trict, to be handsomely represented no matter
how the election may result.
| But that is not the whole point. 1t is very
| important indeed that the Republicans SHOULD
| have this deciding vote. Matters of great i'm
portance will come before the Legislature thii
winter, and ohr majority in the Assembly, ant
all consequent legislation, might be delayed il
not entirely defeated by the want of single
voice in the Senate. The case is a very peculiar
one and is exciting great attention. II had the
uluort lliuhDithilt hb MY ciboh L hoiu Btb illl
to cudgel his brains for similar stats of things
in our local politics, but doubt if even he could
| remember one.
The Republican Convention was the scene oi
certain proceedings which were disgrace to the
| party, and we shall be served better than we
deserve if the results not seen in decreased
vote for our candidate. Such doings might very
well be left to the Locofocos, for sit is theii
nature to-" When we hear of riotings in Con
ventions, of attempts at mob rule, ETC., the i'm.
agination at once puts the Unterriied in charge.
The Unwashed had nothing whatever to do with
this latest outrage however, for which Republic
| cans alone were responsible.
| There is disposition among the papers to
keep this matter quiet, for the good of the
party" as the phrase goes, but it is certain that
| the better class of citizens dislike such subter-
fuge. Not after election, when interest in things
political dies away, but beforeis the time to strike
| at abuses. Right is right and wrong is wrong.
I for one would rather be defeated than sail into
| power upon q gale of fraud and outrage. Not
| that the nomination of Mr.. Lyndall was fraudu-
| lent or outrageous. By no means. Our skirts
are clean SO far. But the growing unscrupulous-
ness of our party managers calls for the severest
| rebuke There seems to be little difference be-
| in the shop over the way That is what honest
| men hate, and when they are further advised to
| to keep quiet and say nothing, some of them
get mad. But as "Ophelia" says lwith trite
more emphasis tiidli young lhuy uSually
gives)- hope all may be well,
The European steamship project which started
| out 80 swmmingly appears to be getting already
into troubled water. Not that there is any real
difficulty in the way, but that croakers choose to
| make trouble where none naturally exists. This
bugbear is the increased cost of construction of
American ships, over those of English build, and
| the consequent inability to compete with the
| freight and passenger terms of foreign COM
panies. This difficulty, if it is one at all, should
nj
estimate presented at the citizens meeting, at
the Exchange, for the cost Of these steamers,
was about $400, 900 for each ship. 1t is not pos
sible that they could be built on the Clyde for
| less than 20 or 25 per cent under this amount.
| I am not shipbuilder myself, and You have a
good many readers who are, yet make this
assertion with reasonable confidence, aud with
| as much assurance as though l had been born
with mallet in my hand, or at least,-for that
| last is ridiculous idea,-if had been born in
ship yard and had never left it on any pretence.
And If our homemade vessels do cost this addi-
| tional sum over those of British build, what
| then? Could we not abundantly stand the
| added price? Would not the great advantage to
them cheap, even If the difference in price were
double or treble what have assumed it to be
| This is what Philadelphia engaged to do in the
matter: to furnish 100000 of the entire ex-
pense of the enterprise, the remaining portion
| to be contributed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company Mr. McMchael, in asking the meet
ing if Philadelphia could furnish that amount,
might well say, that he was ashamed to pro-
pound such question. Very good. Could not
a demand be made, then, for a half or three
| quarters of million with better grace9 III
American built ships cost half million, Phila-
delphia has only to increase her proportion of
| the expense by subscribing 800, 900 instead OF
5000, 900, and the thing is done.
| And can our monied men do this am n.t
| even saying it is necessary, only say that such
/ actiQn wOuld uitHrulty and DlaCe
| the success of the scheme beyound question
| On the one hand it would be strange il with
| such men AZ John o. James at the head Of the
enterprise it should fail Of act" and on the
| other it is equally patent and very painful as
we'll to see that we are already halting in the
| work. But l believe there is public spirit
| enough among us to carry the project through,
| despite the croakers. l have dwet particularly
on the subject, because imagine it to be one OF
| peculiar interest to the people of Wilmington.
There is no community in the country, probably,
/ that is more concerned in the subject of iron
shpbuilding than yours, and if this Philadelphia
line ever become an accomplished fact, Whining
/ ton will be without / oubt connected with it in
| divers intimate ways.
The "gushing" Kate Field made bad failure
| at the Academy of Music, last night. The most
hardened cynic could not have wished for any
thing more complete. To most of the people
| present, however, it must have been painful. II
must be confessed that there was very little in
the lecture, itself, {" Dickens was the subject
but Miss Field rendered it additionally uninter.
| esting, by her entire want of stage power. How
the lady ever obtained the soubriqnet of "gush-
ing" would be hard to say: Perhaps from the
sentimental style Of her writings; certainly, not
i from her manner ON the platform. Olive Logan
does indeed .'gush, and very pleasant the ex-
hibition is. Miss Field, on the contrary, is sin-
gularly cold, angular and feeble--te sum all
nnattractive. There was nothing in her lecture
that any young lady of average intelligence could
not have written. 1t fell on the audience like
the wettest of wet blankets. There was no ap
plause worthy the name, and people commenced
to leave the house before the lecture was hall
i over.
hesitate to say this for fear you will think
speak from some prejudice. But l do assure
you do not I went to the Academy expecting
to have a great pleasure, and my disappointment
was an honest one. Nor can such as think as
do be termed ungallant in declaring Miss Fielt
to be failure on the platform. She challenges
our criticism, and asks money for admittance to
her performances, exactly as any other profes
sional artist does She must submit to be judg
ed accordingly. People who have to demur, cal
say this, and it is all they can say, that they arr
sorry they cannot admire her as much as the,