davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Power Of Comprehension.

1t is said of Thorean. he would take uD
any -!.e.i humber OF lead pencils without
counting. A celebrated trapper once as
sIlred us that he could tell how many balls
he had in his bullet-pouch by placing his
hand on it, and without stopping, to
count, and added: Il csn tell the number
instantly, without STOPPING, rs you pro-
nOuncc d word without spelling It,"
Southey was accustomed to take in the
substance of a book in turning the leaves
over continuously, slarc'nS down the
pages. Houden, the magician, trained
himself to quickness of perception, when
a boy, bv running past shop window at
full speed, and then trying to tell what
was in it. We once saw man on a canal
boat who was amusing himself by going
from passenger to passenger and telling
almost every one where he had seen HIM
before, on such 4 train, in such hotel, in
such Il street, giving date and place to
people With whom he hal never exchanged
word. This training of the faculties in
particular directions is carried to mar
velous extent by backwoodsmcn, trap
pers, and men who guess the weight of
animals. Perhaps the most remarkable
instance are the markers who leap from
log to log ut the north Of Il boom, stand
ing on Il log and TRANSMITTING Instantly an
old mark into a new one, remembering
what equivalent to give for each of a hun
dred marks, and choppin% it upon the log
in the time it floats its length. is is said
that Thorcau knew the relative order OF
towering of all the plants in the Concord
woods, and knew the note of every bird,
and Il thousand Out-of-the-way things be-
siucS-He0yfh and Home
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
The Utah Troubles.

The President, on February Il, sent a
message to Congress calling the attention
of that body to the condition of affairs in
the Territory of Utah, and to the dangers
likely to arise during the coming recess
from a threatened conflict between the
Federal and Territorial authorities. The
President says:
The organic law creating the Territory of Utah.
passed September ., 1853, provided for the APP
pointmcut OF supreme Cot.rt, the Judges Ofwhich
attorney, and to these federal officers is CON
fined the jurisdiction in all important matters. But
as decided recently by the Supreme Court, the act
requires the jurors TO serve in these courts To he
selected in such Il manner Us the Territorial Leg
isatrIre fit to prescribe. II has undoubtedly
peen the desire of Congress, far as the same
of the Federal Government, to lca.c the minor de-
tails connected with the Instrumentation OF the law
to regulation by local authority; but such II de-
cree ought not to govern when the effect will be,
owing to TIE peculiar circumstances Of the case,
to produce a conflict between the Federal and the
Territorial authorities, or To impede the enforce
ment of the law, or in any way endanger the
peace ana good orer 81 The Tier, IsrrltTry ErrdeniX
Legislature with power which would enable it by
creating judiciaries Of its own or increasing
the jurisdiction of courts appointed by the
Territorial authority, although recognized by
Congress, TO take the administration of the law
out Of the hands of Judges appointed by the
President, or to interfere with their action.
The PRESIDENT recOu'mpnds that the
selection OF grand and petit juries for
the district court, if not put under the
control of Federal officers, shall be placed
in the hands of persons e,t,.t.y iii,icpen-
dent Of ti.cse who are determined not to
enforce any act Of Congress obnoxious to
them, and also recommends the passage
of an act which shall deprive the petit court
or any court created by the Territorial
Legislature of any power to interfere with
or impede the acticn Of the Courts
presided over by United States Judges.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Opium Eating.

(Tnloss taken Tor the relief of disease,
and even then administered with the
greatest caution, the continued action OF
opium, as Il sensual stimulant, tends rap
idly to the wasting Of youth. strength,
healti, and Beatty. Those who begin its
use ut twenty may expect to die at thirty
years Of age the countenance becomes
pallit; the eyes assume q wild brightness;
the memory Fails, the gait tottcrs, mental
exertion and moral courage sink, and Il
frightful atrOThy reduces to frightful
Spectacle, the victim, who has ceased to
live. before he has ceased TO exist.
There is no slavery half so complete as
that of the Opium-taker once habituated
to his dose, az fictitious stiu,Ilant, every
thing will he endured father than the pri
walton, and the unhappy being endures
all the modification of IA consciousness of
his own degraded state, while ready to
sell his wife and children, body and soul,
for the continuance OF his .;.retched and
transient ueiignt; transient indecd-tor at
length the utmost effect produced is a
temporary suspension of agony; and,
finally no dose of the drug will remove a
state of suffering which it is utterly i'm
possible to describe. The pleasurable
sensations and imaginative ideas arising
at first, soon pass awry, they become
fainter and fainter, and Mt last entirely
give place to hOrrid dreams and appalling
pictures of death. Specters of fearful
visage haunt the mind-the light which
once seemed to emanatc from heaven is
converted into the gloom of hell-sleep,
balmy sleep, has fled forevcr-night sue
ceeds day, only to be tothed with never
ending horrors incessant sickness, vom-
iting and total cessation of the digestive
functions ensue; and death at length
brings, with its humiliation of the cOrpO-
real structure, the sole relief to the vic
tim of sensual and criminal indulgence.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Not Bribery-Only Per.usy.

Some. leading Republican Journals saw
OF the Credit Mobilier that the acceptance
OF the stock and dividends of the COM
pany by Senators and Representatives, so
far from being corrupt transactions.
formed an entirely rrrpcs and harmless
affair, ard that al! the trouble which has
come upon these members of Congress is
owing to their foolish attempts to conceal,
misrepresent, and even Iepy tho facts of
the case.
That Is to say. these gentlemen have
not been guilty of bribery, but have only
committed perjury! Does it not occur to
such apolOgists Of the implicated Con-
gressmen that inqtisitite. people will be
apt to ask il, the original transactions
were Tree o. all corrupt faint, why do the
Denehciarics of Ames try to cover them
up by false swearing? If when John
Doe is on trial for setting FIRE t.. q. house.
he goes on the stand and uneGuivocally
denies rndes oath that he fired the build
ing al all, his lawyer must be great fool
to then get up and argue to the Jury that
his prosecuted client set fire to the house
by accident, and therefore he is not guilty
of arson, bur only of lying while under
oath as witness. What would the jury
say In response to defense like this +?
The jury would promptly convict the
prisoner OF arson, and the court would
Immediately hand him over to the Sheriff
to await an Indictment for perjury.
And this is the precise predicament into
which COlfax, Patterson, Allison, and the
others have got tbemselVrs.-N. T. Sun.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Rough On COlfax.

Now, in himself Mr.. Colfax is nothing.
A more illustriOus embodiment of zero
never strutted his brief day IN our poll
tics. A smaller bit of bladder was never
blown into SO big ball. The memory of
MeZzofanti if surcharged with the ms
and outs of our public history for the
last quarter of a century could not exhume
this dish of skim milk has done. No great
speech, no sharp saying, no noted bill. no
policy, even of day, ever emanated from
Mr.. COlfax's tongue or brain. 1t is the
usage of our people to give political nick
Manassas Old Hickory to jackson, i'm
cOmmemoratiOn of his stubborn intrepid
ity; Old Bullion to Benton, in memory
of his hard money ideas; Rough-and-
Ready to President Taylor, to signify his
plain directness of purpose-and Mr.. Col
fax in this vernacular is known only as
the ''Smiler." His eternal, inane shipper
is popularity recognized as his greatest
part. His function in life is felt to be that
of the good boy on exhibitiOn-to sit up
and look pretty. How such an emptiness
came so high may seem wonderful, but
the explanation is simple. Mr.. COlfax is
an unequaled buffer.
In the sharp collisions of our politics
opposing political aspirations are often so
nicely balanced that neither side can pre-
vail. The irresis tible force encounters the
1mpenetrable substance, and a deadlock
OF huge proportions ensues. The party
must harmonic or 90 to pieces, and har-
mony is only possible by concentration on
Mutually unobjectiOnable third man.
Here the usefulness of the buffer appears
There is nothing in him, and hence no.
body tan object. The nomination is given
him and out of his utter vacuity his glory
springs. In this way Schuyler Colfax has
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Spain and Cuba.

Now that Spain has turned Il somer-
sault, and converted all those descendants
of MIR. Darwin's hairy quadruped who
are called Spaniards into full-flcdScd re-
publicans, is it not about time for our
Great Father at Washington to ask HIM
self if he has not played the part of Thin
ble-rigger about long enough with respect
to Cuba?
To every rational human being who has
watched the course of events. it has been
plain for some years that the Island of Gu
ba is plum that must soon drop from
the paternal stem. For more than four
years, the government of Madrid has been
persistentlN demonstrating its inability to
administer its laws in Cuba, or to main
tain more than the false semblance of a
foOthold in that island. During all that
time, the government of Washington has
been patting the Spanish invalid on the
back, and negotiating for the abolition of
slavery by the Spanish authority in n
country where Spanish authority don't
amount to a respectable shadow of its
own diSembOdied and demOraliZed ghost.
The spectacle which the Washington gov
eminent has made of itself in its Uriah
Hecp diplomacy upon this subject is ridic-
ulOus and contemplate, and it is now
certainly time to bring that sort ola thing
to a full stop.
The island of Cuba is no longer de-
pcHucHCy VI fEsslii Ill bite Scisc WHICH,
would require any civilized nation to re-
spect the pretensiOns of the latter to SOW
ereignty over it and disrespect the pre-
tensions of the former to sovereignty over
it and G,srespect the pretensions of the
former to sovereignty over itself. Texas
was not more independent, in fact, OF Mex
leo when the Washington government
entertained its petition for " annexation
than Cuba is how independent of Spain.
The government of Mexico pretended to
include Texas as one of the 'sprovinces" of
that dominion, and probably would have
kept up that pretense until the sounding
OF Gabricl's horn if it could So long have
found q Mr.Fisii to respect such nonsense.
So with the 'haughty Spaniard,' whose
utter incapacity to manage his affairs al
home makes him insist with all the more
vehemence upon his right TO manage at
fairs in Cuba, where he hasn't had for
four years a constable nor a corporal of
the guard that would pay any respect to
his sham pretense of authority. The
thing is getting monotonous and disgust
ing. With the extraordinary somersault
that has now inaugurated Il political pan
demOnium for an indefinite period in
Spain, it is time to change from this alb
surd programme to something with more
sense in it.-CHicago Times.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Trimmed Out.

TIE race of little boys and girls is get
ting pretty well thinned out. DR.. Allen
to the contrary Notwithstanding, we be-
lieve there is still fair show OF babies, and
the old folks are altogether too numerous.
but the intermediate stage of little folks
is in danger of becoming extinct. We
read of party at New Haven, the other
night, of one or two hundred phenomena
that would once be called children, but
who are now referred to as masters"
and "misses.'' The hostess was vet
eran roue of the age of IL years. One
belle of nine years in addition to pow
dered hair and dazzling costume wore
diamond earrings and watch studded
with gems. while upon each arm she dis
played a bracelet with gracious remark
that there is no sham about these !"
Another was dressed ut an expense of
$1,000, as her mother proudly boosted.
supper at II midnight, dancing till , a.
M, etc. This all reads rather wild for
the old orthodox university town of New
Haven Whether it so happened or not,
it is right in the line of some peoples no
tons of bringing up children. Do let the
innocents be children us long as possible,
for the realities of adult life will come
soon enough at best.-Spriaqfetd (Hass.)
RenuHJicu,,
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01

The other day at about II m. carriage
elegant enough in all its appointments TO
be private ''turn out" drove ~ TO the
door of one OF the largest jewelry estab-
Mshments on Chesn.;t street not far from
Twelfth, and from it descended a gentle
man, at least SO to all appearance, attired
in the most fashionable manner. Saunt-
crlng inside with an easy grace, he re-
quested to see some Jewels, stating that
he desired to make large purchase. He
carried in his hand handsome case or
bag, which he deposited CT the glass be-
fore the clerk who stepi d forward to
walt upon him. He was very particular
In his choice, but at last selected about
$4,000 worth of jewelry of various kinds
and styles. AS the clerk was about to
put the numerous little boxes into one
. large receptacle the stranger said Swat
moment. We can do BETTER" and open
ing his case, which still remained upon
the counter, he took from it and handed
to the clerk a neat box with key, sufil-
GENTLY large to hold all his purchases.
Into this the clerk put the jewelry, and
handed 1t back to his customer, who
locked it, leaving the key in the lock. and
replaced 1t in the bag, closing the latter.
Then putting his gloved hand into the
breast pocket Of his coat as if to take out
his pOcket-bOOk, he exclaimed in great
surprise, swell, how forgetful 1 am.
have left my book and money at the hotel
1 must 20 back and get it. Very careless
of me, very. You will, of course, want
to keep this. 1t wouldn't do to trust an
utter stranger with such valuables," and,
opening the bag, he again took out the
little box and handed it to the clerk. Its
very annoying, but will drive right to
the Continental, and be back in a few mo-
ments." With few commonplace re-
marks the elegant gentleman returned to
his carriage, and was seen to drive away
in the direction of the Continental, taking
with him the nice and innocent little bag
he had brought. They waited at the store
for him long time to come back. In fact,
he hasn't come back yet. At last light
dawned upon the terrified clerk, and he
reached for the beautiful little box with
the beautiful little key. ''Oh. it's all
right, of course he hoped i'm spite of his
suspicious. ''SOmething has detained the
gentleman, but I may as well make sure"
He is sure now. The beautiful little box
with the beautiful little key contained old
worthless iron padIOcks. No news of the
thief. Every reader will see 1T once how
the swindle was accomplished. The man
had two beautiful little boxes with two
beautiful little keys in that innocent little
bag. and, of course, gave the right one
(that is, for him) to the clerk when he
left.-Foq7sey Press.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
The Remedy for Corruption.

The Government must get out of the
protective" business and the ''subSidy'
business. 1t must let trade. and COM
merce, and manufactures, and steamboats,.
and railroads, and telcgraphs alone. 1t
cannot touch them without breeding cor
ruptiOn. We care nothing about the won
derful stories we hear about what can be
achieved in the way of promoting indus
try" by all these canal and steamboat and
railroad schemes. Were the prospect
twice As tempting, the state could not
prOfitably NEEDLE with them, because
neither it nor any ether government i'm
tue world can command the cty'tue necessary
to carry them on. This is not a matter of
speculation We know as matter of ex-
perience. 1t is almost as much as this
government can do to maintain order and
administer justice. 1t may one day be
able to do Il great deal more, but not until
great change has occurred in the social
condition of the country. We have gone
for enough, heaven knows, on the road of
''prOtectiOn" and promotion, and have
found at every step that it leads straight
to the bottomless pit; that for every hun
dred dollars voted by these poor men to
whom we pay scanty wages for passing
bills in Washington, we lessen, and per-
ceptibly lessen, the stock of individual
honor, of self-respect, and of public spirit,
of n loyalty to ideals, to which, far more
than to any triumphs of material indus
try, we must look for continued national
greatness. We are making money fast
enough in all conscience; what needs fos-
tering just now is honcsty.-Nev Fort
Nation,
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01

GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK.-The follow
ing embellishments contained in the March
number: q Farewell TO Homc,' steel plate;
coIored fashion plate; an alphabet for marking
{" Christ Blessing little Children wood-cut
illustration; an extension sheet of fashions, and
other useful articles for ladies and children; and
Il work department of fancy designs. The lit
crary department abounds in excellent reading,
calculated to instruct well As please. Remcm-
Der that Il handsome chrome is given to each sub
scriber to Cooley for 1873, whether a single sub
scriber for 81. 90, or Il club of six for Sl4 90.
Published by l.. A. Cooley, Philadelphia, Pa.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
King Bill.

The king-eiect of the Sandwich Islands
is bachelor. He has been engaged sew
Ell al times to Victoria Kamamalu, a sister
of the late king. This lady died about two
years ago. 1t was more the. late kings
desire to have "frince Bili'' riarry his
sister than it was the formers wish to
espouse Victoria. 1t was hoped that such
an alliance would better perpctuate the
Kame,.aEleh:: d, nasty. Victoria w.,s anX-
iOus to capture the handsome bachelor.
who was her junior by several years and
did not allow
Commandment, like the worn, j. tie mrd.
Feed Upon her damaged cheeh,''
but laid siege to his heart by every art,
device, and Establishment known to the
female mind. The gallant prince, though
not rcciprOcating this ardent attachment
was still willing, for state reasons, to unite
with herin the bonds of IAatrimOny. The
preparations for the regal nuptials were
all complete ON more than one occasion.
4 liberal trousseau was imported from
Paris, the date was fixed, the marriage
feast spread, and everybody was ready for
the wedding except the bridegroom.
''Prince Bill'' got glorioltsly drunk on the
day fixed for the alliance. Instead of 60
ing OH his honeymoon he went on terri
BILE spree, and was transported to his
home on wheel barrow. to the intense cha
grin of his aflianced and the modification
and disgust OF all the chiefs and mobiles of
the little kingdom. Another day was
fixed for the marriage, with the same dis
astrous conclusion. 1t is said that after
this the princess became too partial to the
flowing bowl and drowned her vexations
in royal ''tanglefoot," seldom enjoying a
sober period. Mutual friends still, how
ever cndeavOred to bring about the union
of Lunalilo and Kamamalu, and might
have succeeded had it been possible to get
either of them sober enough to stand be-
fore the altar. When '.Bill'' was sober it
turned ott that "fic" tsas drunk, and
when ''Vic" was sober chip was drunk.
Finally the attempt to unite the two
branches of the family was abandoned,
and the poor princess, so the romance
runs, drank herself to Il premature grave.
The young king is therefore yet single,
and for the exclusive benefit of our unmar-
ried lady readers we will add that he is
said to be particularly ''swect" On Aiiicr-
lean ladies'. Here is magnificent chance
for some OF our bellies to capture royal
game, and only think of it-a king at
that.-EIchdHgs.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01

KILLED BY A FALSEHOOD.- -" He Is
dead said a friend of ours the other day,
in answer to all inquiry after the health of
mutual act.uainta,1ce. s'Dead you don't
say so. or what did he dief'' .'Of Gre
dulity,' was the reply che believed in a
patent medicine of which the chief ingre-
dent was forty-rod rum, and it proved
the death of him." This was true; the
unfortunate man had taken for liver COM
plant, a compound of fey alcohol and
root juice, and 1t had killed him. Now.
did that ;;I;srt.ided 'nea1id require tonic !!
He did; but not spirltuous eacitant.
The writer of this brief statement is conf
dent, from his own experience, that if the
to DH. NAtEt.'s VINEGAR BITTERs, in
stead OF to the poison isith medical aante
which proved fatal to him, he .*Ould to-
day Dc in the laid OF the living. The
Justly popular vegetable specific contains
no destructive element. 1t is a tonic that
does not excite, a cathartic that does not
weaken, an antiseptic that neutraliZcs the
seeds of disease in the blood and other
fluids of the body, and a general Alternative
which arrests diseased action in the sCcrc-
tive Oraaiis, and restores the functional
regularity Indispensable 10 health and Wig
or. We are no friend OF indscriminate
praise, and believe that MANY patent med
icines are merely poison, but the expert
encc of thousands has proved the VINE
GAR BITTERs to be all they claim.
A SAN Francisco widow keeps the
skull of her deceased husband in a glass
case. She once Remarked to Il friend who
was viewing the remains: ''Alas! how
often have | banged those bones with Il
broomStick. am sorry for it now"
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01
Choosing a Cabinet.

President Grant recently said to a per
son inpuiring about changes in the Cabinet
that he selected the members of his Cabi-
net himself, and did not leave that duty t"
be performed by the newspapers.
This is perfectly true. Nobody but
Grant is capable of making such Cabinet
as his. The newspapers had nothing to do
with it. And they have a right to congrat-
ulate themselves on the fact.
Out of the known editors of the country
there is not one who is so destitute of po-
litical sense, so ignorant of public affairs,
so blind to the needs of the country, or so
Indifferent to its dignity, that he could pos
sibly have composed such a Cabinet rs
Grant has had for the past four years and
will probably have for the four years to
come.
The Presidents remark was superllG-
ous. Everybody knew the fact before.
But it is perhaps well enough that he him
self should have done tho newspapers the
justice Of owning it,-N. II SM.