The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-12-19

ter the manner of politicians in general.
Any indications of the lack of integrity,
however small they may he, ought to be
enough to defeat any candidate for official
trusts.
We want in official and responsible
stations, men, who will neither flag nor
finch who will not trucklc, nor trim
their sails to the popular brcczcs who,in
the discharge Of official duties will neith-
cr regard friends nor foes who will not
yield to the impulses Of feeling, nor be in
fuenccd by the hope Of pccunary or pc.
litical advantage to themselves; but who
will be true to themselves their country
and their God doing right Though the
heavens fall"
The Cincinnati Commercial (Rcpubli-
cam believes that the best thought of the
country is in favor Of a change in the
Chief Magistracy and says
We would prefer to see General Grant
retire from the Presidency at the end Of
his present term, because we are against
the cultivation of hero worship and the
one man powcr-bccausc we do not be-
licvc in the system of ascribing to one
man the heroism and the industry, the
historical glory and the productive energy
Of the nation. 1t is not well for people,
especially republican people, to hold
the doctrine that their welfare defends
upon the leadership Of an individual. In
the first place, it is not true that n great
people can be unable to care for them
selves to the best advantage, save through
some one Of the heroes of the day The
people Of the United States, or very
large proportion Of them, are too much
in the habit of talking, as if Grant had
crushed the rebellion and was paying the
debt, and doing everything worth doing.
As matter of fact his performance as
President has not been excellent The
country has grown out of debt and into
peaceful ways, as it would have grown if
any one Of thousand citizens had been
President. His merits have been rather
in not doing than in doing The Presi-
dents example in Office has not been
good. We do not charge him with hay
ing been corrupted by presents, but his
present-taking has done mischief. With
the Endorsement of the people for a second
term the result would be disastrous. The
distribution of Offices among his relatives
and his and their personal friends has
infected the whole civil service with
ncpotism. The unwhoesome result is to
be seen on all sides. His frequent and
protracted absence from Washington has
promoted absentcesm has propagated
the theory that official duties are matters
of much smoking and riding about, and
that it requires great deal of self-in-
diligence in the guise of recreation in
order to be in fashion. Not only has the
theory been propagatcd the practice has
been promoted. The absentceism and
nepotism and present, taking of the Pres-
dent, which We believe have seriously
dcmoraized the civil service, do not seem
to grow out Of inherent carclessncss or
viciousncss the President has simply too
far accepted his aduators' estimate of
his personal Importance, of his indspensa-
bic consequence. lie has too nearly ac-
cepted the flattcry that would persuade
a Chief Magistrate that the office is a
testimonial of public regard for him per-
sonally, and is to be taken as a compliment
and used at convenience. Throughout
the administration Of President Grant
has appeared the evidence that he was
less apprcciativc of the stern demands of
public duty than susceptible to the allure
mcnts Of private interest and convenience
and personal feeling.
TuE LrrrLrToN THAGEpy.-Thc latest
reports 20 to show that when Patrick
Heating sho. his wife at Lttlcton on
Tuesday last he was not drunk. She had
been to visit her father at Groton, four
miles distant, and on her return was met
by her husband who took her into his
wagon and drove her home. On getting
Into the house he asked if she had brought
HIM any money, and She said she had not.
lie was not satisfied and began to strip
and search her. She assisted in the
operation! being vcxcd, and having rcsum-
cd her clothing except one shoe, asked if
he would have that taken off also. Kcat.
ing then told her he was going to shoot
her and Immediately did So As she did
not fall at the first shot he fired again
and she dropped with one ball in her
right breast and another under the left
shoulder, Heating then sent four.year
old boy OF his to tell a neighbor named
Tobn what had been done. While the
boy was gone Heating shot himselfi in the
left breast, the ball hitting the sternum
breaking one or two ribs and lodging in
the back. The ncighbors arrived about
O'Clock and found both upon the floor
bleeding proiusely. The woman was
made as comfortable as possible, physi.
clans being summoned who could not
probe to find the ball, owing to the wo-
mans weakness. Constable Warren
finally arrived and arrested Heating,
whom he took to the town farm farm for
safe keeping An interview with Mrs.
Heating confirms previous reports of
keatings abuse Of her by words and
blows, and that their home had long been
unhappy. There is no expectation that she
will recover from her wounds. Keating's
reputation is bad lie has an ugly dis
position and has made his wife work to
support him and the rest of the family.
The farm Of seven or eight acres they
lived upon is said to be heavily mortgag-
ed. Heating said he meant to kill both
his wife and himself, and the only reason
he assigned for desiring to kill her was
that she was "all the time wantin' to 90
and see her father He will DC taken
to Groton to-day and there held to await
the result of his wfe's injuries.
This morning the wife of Patrick Keat-
ing was alive, but the physician entertains
no expectations Of her recovery. She was
eaciente at the time her husband shot her
aud exhibits symptoms Of premature
confinement. Heating has been convey.