The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-02-09
FROM oUR OWN CORRESPONDENT,

York.
FROM oUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
| NEW YORK, February 4.
The temperate, even Indifferent, tone of the
American press relative to- the difficulty
which has arisen about the adjustment of the
Alabama claims is In curious contrast will
the fury of the London press on the same
subject. 1t was supposed here, at first, tina
the angry feeling in England was but tht
natural expression of the surprise with which
the announcement of the enormous damages
claimed by America was received, and that Il
would soon blow ever, but special cable dis
patch, published In one of the morning papers
gives more serious aspect to the case.
Chief Jnstice Cockburn has really counselled
| the British Cabinet to recede Immediately
| from the Treaty of Washington, leaving to the
United States to decide between new treaty
or war, our government is placed in an EN-
barrassing dilemma.
To consent to annul contract in which
we have secured most of the advantages, upon
the dictation OF the other party, who finds 1t
inconvenient to carry out Its provisions, is q
humiliation scarcely to be borne. II would
cover the political party and The admins
tratlon submitting to 1t with ridicule. and In
| sure their defeat In the Presidential cam
palgn. On the other hand, can the govern
ment accept the alternative of war After
the revelation of the rottenness and inef1.
cheney of our navy, what hope can we have oi
successfully coping With England for five years
to come If we cannot afford to 60 to war
with Spain because we weuld be blown out OF
/ the water II we did, how much prospect
would there be of our thrashing the biggest
naval power OF the world And If we at.
national debt be paid off?
This is General Grants new difficulty. II
England repudlates the treaty, bis admlnlstra-
| ton, supported by Congress, must submit to
! the indgnity, and be repudiated in turn by 9
| disgusted people, or he must plunge the coun-
try into war, in which all the first battles
are likely to be won by the enemy. Either
horn Of the dilemma destroys Mr.. Grants
chances of reelection. It is probable that the
administration newspapers, which have been
doing over the late news from London, will
| shortly awake to realizing sense Of the per.
plexlty of the situation.
1t used to be favorite saying of Pierre
Soule, In Confederate times, that England
would come to rue the day when she refused
to join Napoleon In giving material assistance
to the South. 1t is an odd verif1cation of this
prophesy that the London journals are now
engaged In showing how much cheaper it
would have been to England If she had inter-
vened then than 1t will be If she has to pay
the enormous claims now made by the Amer
lean Government. A war w&yed In conjunc-
ton with France, in 1854 would have crippled
rival at third OF the expense now attend
Ing settlement of It's indemniflcation de-
mauds, or of war resisting them. The Uni.
ted States, as q consolidated nation, has mad
the good luck to reap The benefits of Eng
lands bunder; but what will history say of the
English craftsmanship of the last decade
Il seems to be agreed on all sides that the
"Reformn Legislature Is failure. Even the
Times, the apoogist OF Radical frauds gener-
ally, is constrained to scold its friends at
Albany for the poor show they are making.
The Legislature was elected on the reform
Issue, but 1t has been six weeks In session
and has done nothing towards betterlng things
In this city. Indeed it appears to be as cor
dar is filed with jobs and the lobbies swarm
with the old familiar faces. The fact Is that
the Republican politicians are thoroughly cor
rupt. and not whit better than Tweed and
his Tammauy gang. They have more than q
two-lhlrds majority of both houses, and In
tend to use 1t, as usual, 10 make money for
themselves. 1t is we'll understood that Tweed's
agents are at work In the lobbles, and that
without opposition from the Republican men,
bers. 1t Is 10 be hoped that he will 60 over
and join the party to which he naturally be-
longs.
The Reform Democrats of this city were
regularly organized last evening by the meet.
ing of their general committee at Apollo Hall.
Almost the first action of the new body was
the adoption of a resolution calling on the
Legislature to repeal the charter of the Tam
many Society, or Columbian Order, on the
ground that the members had violated the
charter by using the society to support cor
rupt political ollgarchy. It is sad commen:
tsry on our politics that the first meeting OF
the Reform Democratic general committee
developed frauds in the election of Its mem.
of the delegates was assailed In the hall and
terribly beaten By o gang of ruf1ans. 1t seems
that parties change, but the politicians are
the same ae ever.
The interest In the life and death Of Fisk
has not yet evapordted, for one Of our literary
Bohemlans is about to turn an honest penny
out of 1t. Mr. C. G. Rosenberg, known In
newspaper and theatrical circles, announces a
lecture fifty cents admisslon) at slenway
Hall, entitled "The Good In James Fisk. Jr."
He proposes to show the better side of the
nature OF the late Erie magnate, and for that
purpose has been collecting all the informa-
tion attainable of his deeds OF kindness and
charity, and his work for the public veal.
The colonel's regiment Is raising sum OF
10 puLIu u mOuuuSuI OFGl AlS grave ou
Brattleboro'. His will was lately admitted to
probate, the value of his property being estl-
mated therein at one million Of dollars, the
bulk OF which goes to Mrs Fisk.
Still another theatre has been opened In this
CITY. chrlstened the 'Theatre Francois" and
dedicated 10 French comedy. 1t Is situated In
Sixteenth street, near Filth avenue. There
are now nearly fifty places Of amusement open
| in New York and Brooklyn, inclusive Of pic
lure galleries and minstrel halls. Of these not
| less than eighteen are legitimate theatres for
the performance of plays and operas. Enter
taInments are given nightly in four languages:
EngIist, Italian, French and German: This
can be said of no other city OF the world, and
shows the truly cosmopolitan character OF
New York. In Paris, Its only rival in this re.
spect, English is seldom heard on the Stage,
and German never, and at present even italian
opera does not pay and Is not given. NYA.
QUEER EXPERIENCE.