Connecticut western news., 1872-11-22

Constitutional Amendment" We think we are as strongly opposed to the practice ot buying and selling votes as anybody, and now that election is passed, and tue following communication, although of po- litical character, favors neither one party or the other, but sends dart directly into the camp of the money changers of both parties, who prostitute their principles hy the purchase and sale of the elective fran chlse we have concluded to allow it to ap- pear in the columns of the NEWS.
 MIR. EDITOR Fl desire through your widely read journal, to submit for the con- sideration of the next Congress an additio nal amendment to the Constitution of the United States, to wit :-'That all popular cleo tions be and are hereby abolished, and in- stead thereof all offices when their term is expired, be held up to public sale, the proceeds to be equally divided among all persons registering themselves as appli- cants of the same."
 The word election means choice, and in theory is supposed to be the unbiased ex- precision of the peoples choice; in prac- tice however, as all know and none better than the politicians who live by elections, it means purchase, and although some un- sophisticated'folk still vote in their sim plictY, it has become so much matter of buying and selling and there is so much purchasable material in the voting market that the heaviest purse will always win the day. As ilustrution-a published list of all the bought votes in Duchess Co. is promised, and is said book will be necd- ed 10 contain them. conceive there are considerable advantages to be gained by my proposed Amendment.
 lst-Unreality and sham are obstructive to the moral sense of any people. A pre- tended choice which is always bought IS description of this nature. By the amend ment the name and thing will be made to correspond, and anotorious sham be abated.
 2nd-All temptation to the purchases of votes will be done away-a practice which breaks the law of God and man and is the most demoralizing imaginable. Conceive of the scorn for humanity, it must breed in the buyer. Sound if you can with fancy's plummet, tue degradation of ones man. hood, and the interior self-contempt of the seller! Once put all offices up openly for sale to the highest bidder, and as we have fair business transaction, which will not need hypocrisy and skulking and lying as its necessary adJuncts.
 3rd-It will be fair thing all around 4 it is now, while two citizens of Salis- bury made $50 each, and another 1925, another poor fellow only got $lO and now feels deeply wronged and thinks he is the victim of sharp practice. Why should poor men be subjected to these trials, and tempt ed to wrath and blasphemy thereby Fear ing that the working classes would raise 8 clamor at the proposal to do away with suf frage, have as you see ingeniously met that difficulty, It must be obvious to every close observer that their elective franchise comes from the fact that there is money in it. and that they can usually earn more on an election day (so called) than by a weeks hard labor.
 By the proposed division of the pro- cceds by the sale of public offices they will be compensated for their loss, and as money is plently and competition will often be brisk, perhaps taking it all round they will fare better under the new plan. I commend this Amendment then to the attention of Congress, as a short and simple cure for many grave and public evils which are distressing all con- ! scientious lives of their country
 Hoping for the everlasting gratitude of the nation for the above suggestion. sign myself RADICAL. Methodist Conterence. PEAsE :-- The last General Conference of the Meth odist Episcopal Church, ordered the hold ing of which is called District conferences, in addition to the regular quarterly and annual conferences. The District confer ence is composed of travelling and local preachers, the exhortors, the district steward and the Sunday School superin- tendents in the district, the regular busi- ness of which is to take the general over l sight of all the temporal and spiritual af- fairs of the district, to license local preachs CTS and exhortors; to grant recomme nd ations for " orders" and admission on trial in the regular ministry. Such a meeting was held for the Rhinebeck District, (em- bracing several charges in this state,) at Chatham Village, on the 13 and IA of tbis month, report of which may be of some interest to the readers of the CONN. WESTERN NEWS. The meeting was called to order by Rev. s. J. sFurgerson D. D. of the district, cx-offices, the chairman. After devotional exercises, the roll of churches was called and forty nine, preach CTS and laymen reported present. This being the first meeting under the new roll, committees were appointed on Rules of Order" and Conference Bnsiness," fol lowing which reports were received from the pastors of the state and condition oi their churches, also very full and clear statement of the presiding Elder, with re- spect to the chief features of the confer e1ce business, mentioning especially the Sunday School and church extention work. The following standing committees were ordered. list, Unoccupied territory, local preachers and aexhortors. 2nd, Min isterlal support and benevolent collections 3rd, Public means of grace and Sunday School. 4th, Ladies and pastors Christian Union. 9th, Periodicals. 9th, Education. 7th, Churches and parsonages, after which adjourned until evening, when Rev. Daniel Curry, D. D., of New York, deliv cred an ertempore address, giving a brief history of church discipline, the consider atinn in favnr of district cnnference anG