The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-09-16

is in the following proportion to the ma
tional revenues: England, 2 $40 per
cent; france, 2 $40 per cent, always
not including the lonna since the Ger
man war;l Austria, 2 2-1O per cent, and
Germany, l per cent.
In conclusion, Mr.. Baxter contrasts
the rapid decrease of the debt Of the
United States with the slow process Of
the reduction of the English debt. aud
states that Europe has good cause to be
alarmed at our progress.
The COMMUNIST TRIALS. "A singular
fact, noticed by all French correspond
ents, is the almost absolute Indifference
with which the people of France look
upon the Communist trials at Versailles.
In fact it can be said that the interest
felt for them is vastly greater every
where elso than in the country where
the prisoners but lately played such q
prominent and bloody role. While
English, German and American papers
devote considerable portion of their
space to the subject, and many foreign
ers have made extra trips to witness
the trials, the French press gives but
meagre reports, and the court room, by
no means of extraordinary extent, con :.
tains half lf.empty benches. This is all
the moro remarkable, as French halls
OF Justice are generally filled even dur
ing Insignificant cases with an attentive
audience, and prominent murder trial
Is watched with feverish anxiety all
over the country. But what is the
cause of this lack Of interest in cases
which, by their horrid and bloody
character and by the number of the
defendants and the position they are
going to occupy in the worlds history,
are destined to throw all other causes
cele6res into the shade? It seems as
though the government of NJ. Theirs,
which is still in q terrible fenr of that
many-headed monster, the mob OF
Paris and the other larger cities of
France, avoided the danger of placing
the accused in sort Of romantic light
and of giving them chance to arouse
the sympathies of the lower classes
whose martyrs they claim to he, by
directing the whole prosecution into
purely technical and most uninteresting
channels. The proceedings were thus
drawn at length, and the accused.
Judged one by one, deprived of the
occasion to place themselves as a whole
on heroic pedestal, md, by passion.
ate appeals to the French laboripp
classes, wrap around themselves a sort
Of poetic halo. "a la Girondins." which
has never failed to be effective in France.
Another probable cause of the lack of
public interest in the proceedings is the
idea prevalent among the French people
that the fnte of the prisoners has been
liked IN advance, and that the Govern
ment means to show clemency to them.
One Of the Supreme Courts of France has
decided in recent caso that oil deatl,
sentences passed upon political prisoners
are VOID, as the death penalty for politi-
cal prisoners Inns been abolished in
France. 1t is believed that NJ. Theirs is
also opposed to the death peualiy on nc
count Of the frequent delays granted to
the insurgents of Marseilles, Cremieux
and his confederates, condemned to
death ny court martial in that city; do
lays which are looked upon with any-
thing but favorable eye by tho con
servative majority Of the French Nation
al Assembly. 1t is we'll known besides
that the Radical Republicans. whose
great strength lies in Paris, are making
tremendous efforts to amelorute the fate
OF the accused, and there is q probabili.
ty that Thiers, always man of com.
promise, will listen to them in certain
sense. This may go far to explain the
remarkable indifference of the public,
which does not expect to see the affair
eni i'll q tragical manner, and hence
tnkeu no interest in the same.
At tho election in Wyoming, where
the ladies voted, it seems they '.went"
the Democratic ticket. If they will do
this everywhere. We shall hive no obiec.
ton to taking them on trial. The de.
spatch giving the retnrns saya. ..Ahnnt