davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
From the Farmer. Equal Representation.

MEssRs. EDIToRs:-EsCivis," the cores pendent of the Litchfeld Enquirer, makes some good points in the letter from which you quote; but at the same time he over looks tsco important facts.
 l. In the first place our present consti- tuition does not represent the toacns equal @. What would we think of the U. s. Senate if Delaware. Nevada and Oregon had two Senators apiece, while New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio had only one? But this is the case with our town repre- sentation. Bridgeport, town of at least 19, ,876 inhabitants, has one representative: while Norwich with 16,653 has two. Union, with 627 has two; while CoIumbia. town Tn the same county with S91 souls has only one to represent. To make our House then correspond to the U. s. Sen ate, each town should have just one rep resentative. The problem might be solved in this way, if at the same time the numbers of the Senate (which is now too smalD were largely increased.
 7. The second oversight is in the state ment that the Senate represents popula- tion. The present Senate certainly does not. So long as the 4th District sends a Senator for population of 54, 744 and the 2Oth District for 8,892, the equality is in- visible to the naked eye. The equaliza- tlon O. districts is quite impossible under the present Constitution, because it limits the Senate to 24 members, and guarantees each county at least tCo Senators. The leading men of the State are agreed in the opinion that the Senate should be in- creased to.at least forty or fifty members. Then fair apportionment would give.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
Woodbury.

MR.. EDIroR:-The following story was sent to. the "Waterbury Amsrican." be- cause so many of my townsmen take that sheet. wanted to reach as many ears as possible. But, az you are probably aware. that press waa. burned with part of it's last weeks issue. cannot say whether it's editor would have given it to it's readers or not; but am quite sure that our com munity needs such tale as this. more than it needs that endless controversy which is now waging. While my humble pen would gladly waken it to it's duty, and consequent glory. bat can do only harm. I know nothing of it, however. only by hearsay. AS usual. Ihave 8 tale of wrong; one, that, if the Editor of tho American be not Temperance man. should yet in terest him as belonging to our common humanity. Yours truly. s. T. A.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
ELECTION IN 1860

Let us show Republicans now easy 1t would be, under our present system, to put them in minority and give Demo- crats the power now yielded by them selves. A change of less than l, 800 votes would make the Democratic party ma- jority in New Hampshire. In Pennsyl- vania, last year, the Republican vote was was 307, ,274, the Democratic vote 290, ,096; a change of 8,587 votes would destroy the maiority-requiring only about one voter in every thousand of the whole voting population of the Ssate to change sides In Indiana, last year, the Republican vote was 169, ,601, the Democratic vote 155, ,399; change of 7,101 votes would have an1fihilated the Republican majority. In New York, the Republican vote was 366, ,315, the Democratic vote 352, ,536; 9 change of 6,aa5 votes would have given a Democratic maj jority. Connecticut, in the last election, went Democratic, and the same proportionate change in other States would give the Democrats the next President and House of Representatives without the help of the Southern States.
 Almost simultaneously with the perfect ing of MT. Hare's plan on paper, similar scheme had been devised and carried in- to effect by Danish statesman, and for eight years it was in operation in Den mark. The war with Prussia and Austria put an end to it's operation in the duchies; but SO strikingly were the antieipations concerning this scheme verified by actual results, that Mr. Lytton, the English Sec retary of Legation at Copenhagen, was induced to describe the system in re- port laid before Parliament in 1863. A mere accident prevent the adoption of the plan by the colony of New South Wales in 1862. It was proposed to change the Upper House from 8 nominated to an elective body, after the plan of Mir. Hare. After an exhaustive debate, the second reading of the bill passed the legislative assembly by twenty-four to twenty. The resignation of the ministry alone hindered the measure from being passed through it's final stages and becoming law. The subject was debated in 1863, in the Par lament of Victoria. The scheme has al- so, been exhaustively discussed in the Swiss Cantons, in the Frankfort Assemb- ly, and in several of the European Social Science Congresses.
 It will be for the coming New York State Convention to take this mattter into consideration. The writer of these lines intends to press the matter upon the at- tention of that body, and he asks the CO., operation of all citizens of the State who are willing at least to considers any scheme which aims to purify our legislatures and secure for the public service able and honest men.
 DAVID G. CRoLY.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
The Proposed Constitutional Con-
 Vention.

v0ntlOn.
 To THE EDITOR OF THE LITCHFIELD EN- Qu1RER.-Sir: The early and manly stand which your. paper took in the support of this eminently just and wise measure, em- boldens me to address you on point which relates to the interests of the rural districts of the State. I am told that it has been rumored in some quarters that this movement for a convention is an ag- gressive one on the part of the cities against the country, and that unless the rural districts arouse, they will be stripped of their rights. A moments reflection will show any thoughtful man how false and foolish is such an idea The country towns have the control of the Legislature, and they certainly will not consent to any convention, the basis of which is injustice to the country and the concentration of power in the hands of the cities. The movement for convention Qike all pop ular movements) naturally begins in the large centers of population. It would do so if no question of representation were at all involved. No one dreams of hold ing national convention in little viii lage! But does any honest, sober-minded man suppose that such man as Gov. Jewell, ex-Gov. English, Gen. Hawley, the Rev. Dr. Bacon, Judge Waldo, Calvin G. Child, Judges Hovey and Bolles, the Hon. Lorenzo Blackstone, and many other eminent citizens, are banded together in deep and dark conspiracy to wrest from their fellow citizens in the country towns any of their vested rights? And yet these learned and experienced men with many others) give their hearty adhesion to the idea of the convention.
 We have in Bridgeport Constitution al Reform Association" to which our leading citizens of both political parties belong. We wish to see it extended, not only to other cities and large towns, but into every town and village in the State. We wish that during the present winter and coming spring, the honest and sincere men of all parties would form themselves into associations and clubs to discuss the merits and demerits of our present State Constitution, what changes are desirable, and how they can be best effected. We are far from supposing that cur represent atiye system is the only matter of impor- tance in the constitution. We want some fair and judicious plan of minority rep resentation;" less frequent elections; re- vision of our judiciary system; check on special legislation, and other matters. For such reforms the ENQUIRER has bat tied, and to bring them about, spe must haze eonVention. In such convention the question of representation must of course come up. Will our country friends then inthe mean time discuss the matter and decide what basis they will concede us? Would they be satisfied with the
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

plan suggested by ex-President Woolsey, that each town should have oae repre- sentative; towns over 5000 inhabitants, tUo: over 15.0 .0OO. three: and so on? Or, would they prefer to give each town. large aud small, one representative: and increase the Senate to 40 or 50 members. distrib- uted among the counties according to population? They have the power in their hands: We only ask them to be fair and generous towards us and coneede a very little; so that we can work together in peace and harmony to build up consti- tuition for the State worthy of the age and country in which we live.
 JOHN ANKETELL,
 Sec'y of the Bridg. Const. Ref. Asso.
 Bridgeport; Ct, Jan. 6, 1873.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
WooDBURY. Jan. 9th, 1873.

MIR. ED1ToR:-A few weeks since, twelve young men q think that was the number) obtained liquor from one of our "better sort" of dealers, and went to the saloon of one of the Glover sort" to drink it. I mean, the saloon of one who used to be called the 'slower sort" of dealer; but who, not having money to pay for~the privilege of selling, is honest enough to deal only in cider. By the way. want to remark here, that our beautiful license law has not prevented unlicensed men from selling; on the contrary, there are such places, rented to such men, alas by my otherwise respected townsmen :! But, to return to my pretty story: These young men, each going by turns to get the liquor, very naturally all got drunk; but will take you home with only one. He is a smart young man. ''the only son of his mother, and she widow" one of our most tidy and industrious women. The son who ,0as comfort and help to her, died in that voracious army of ours. The sad and weary mother had gone to bed. but not to rest; for she expected him Late at night, she knew he had come into the outer shed, and fearing he might freeze, came down stairs, She found him on the floor senseless, and bleeding; his face cut, apparently from falling. He had evidently been helped home, by the companion who was seen. to start with him from the scene of their drunken revel He was senseless, and could only be mov- ed from his position by the help of good neighbor. They got him into chair. and fearing if she built a fire, the son would fall upon the stove, that heart broken mother had no alternative but to leave him there, and go back to get what rest she could on her sleepless couch. Towards morning hearing stir, she goes down, and taking him by the arm, suc- ceeds at the risk of falling with him, in getting him to his bed upstairs. Do you say, why does not that mother ask those rum-sellers not to sell to her son? Per- haps she has, by this time; but will man who can sell to so notorious drunk ards as some of these young men were, all in the face of law, be any less likely to sell at the request of lone widow? One more question. Which was the most re- specto6le? To sell the drink to them, or allow them to enjoy the same in ones house?
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

From these figures 1t will be seen that Ia few years exceptedl less than two thou sand votes have habitually determined the Connecticut election. Sometimes. a few hundred majority was all the win ming party could boast of, yet what an immense moral influence has been exert ed upon subsequent elections by this slight preponderance! The elections of 1863 and 1867 are notable instances in which the change of a very few hundred votes from one side to the other had an effect entirely out of proportion to the local value of the balloting.
 Voters in this country may be classified into three parties-say the Blue, the Green, and the Yellow. The mass of the voters belong either to the Blues or Greens, and not over one in ten to the Fellows; yet this last is the power-conferring partyl The bulk of stolid and prejudiced people are always Democrats or Republicans, but so, also, are the men of sincere convictions as well as all the really honest voters; but the Yellow, or balance-of-power party-a contemptible faction in point of numbers, and made up of the most questionable voting material-after all, controls the action of the conventions, md dictates the choice of executive and legislative officers. That IS to say, our system gives the con- trolling power to the exceptional, pur- chaseable and impressible minority vote.
 Such, then, are the disadvantages of our present electoral system. Two points, however, are here to be noted: first, that the evils complained of are obviously not peculiar to our republican form of govern ment, but are incident to all popular gov ernments; second, that these evils are per fectly susceptible of remedy. In England, indeed, the subject has been far more thoroughly discussed than in America: in England, also, have been originated the two most noteworthy of the reform meas ures-namely, the so-called cumulative vote" and the famous scheme of Mr. Hare. -24s9 s4-1 t.-'
 The reform ag1tation in Great Britain has again brought into notice Mfr. Hare's plan, and the strong endorsement of it by
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

ANECDoTR OF FARRAGUT.-CharlesD Dud- ley Warner, writing to the Hartford Cour- ant of Henry Howard Brownell, the poet, who died there a short time ago, relates the manner of Brownells acquaintance with Admiral Farragut, which led to lifelong attachment between the two. After the capture of New Orleans (and be- fore the "River Fight" was composed), Mr. Brownen amused himself by turning into verse the terse ''ganeral order" of the Admiral before the battle. It was an admirable piece of verse. and yet 1t was almost a literal transcript of the brave ''order." Being printed anonymously in the Hartford Evening Press, it met the Admiral's eye, and Mrs. Farragut wrote to the editor, saying that it touched her husband even to tears, and asking the fa- vor of the authors name. It was given, and a correspondence ensued, which soon led to a solicitation that MT. Brownen should go to sea with the admiral on his personal staff He accepted, and became one of the heroes of Mobile bay and the chronicler of ''The Bay Fight"
 A number of prominent democrats of New York city, including Congressman Roosevelt, John McKeon, Michael Con- no1ly and ex-Senator Dreamer, are engag- ed in an effort to unite the factions of that party, now split between Tammany and Apollo Halls, by an organization based upon proper representation, and so adjusted that every democrat i'll that city, whatever may have been his previ- ous affiliations, may have an equal voice in the councils of the party and in the selection of candidates for office.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

THE Losr ARrs.-Mr. Wendell Phillips recently delivered, in New-York, for the how-many- -hUndredth time, his famous lecture on this subject, and the Tribune reported 1t in full. It is, of course, in- teresting; but it strangely confounds leg end and fact; and ignores some plain and elementary distinctions For instance, Mir. Phillips takes pains to argue from the mlnuteness of ancient gem-carving that the microscope IS not so modern as we think. Does he not know the radical differ ence between the magnifying glass and the microscope? From an alleged ring with gem in 1t, through which Nero looked at the gladiators, he infers that Nero had an opera-glass. This repeats the error we have pointed out. The knowl- edge of the magnifying glass among the anclents Is not at all surprising, and need not be so ingeniously inferred. There is a description of burning-glass in the Nu6es of Aristophanes; any drop of water could have given the idea; and it is scarce ly possible to manufacture glass without obtaining portions of it in forms that will magnify objects. But the invention of the microscope is very different affair, and came to pass only after the discovery of the camera obscur0. The story of the way in which Solomon's temple Cor some other ancient edifce) was protected with spear-heads, which the sentinels touched, to ascertain the electrical condition of af- fairs, if currectly reported, seems to indi- cate that the ancients knew as much about as MT. Phillips. The fact is, that the 'lost al Is" are very few, and mostly not worth the finding. Outside of the glass business, which is the strong est point in their favor, the achievements of the ancients were principally accom- plished by individual patience and man. ual dexterity on the one hand, or by mass es of men, under despotic direction, on the other An element in both cases was the small value of labor. The art which they had, and we have comparatively lost, is the art of wasting time.- Gtristian U,1- ion
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
Sawed Shingles.

which have been selling this season. I buy them direct from the manufacturer and am au- thorized to warrant them free from knots. shakes sap and tapers. RIFED PINE and CEDAR SHINGLES always on hand. have also, large stock of BEVELLED SIDING, made from six inch dry strips, bought lat July, and for quality and price will guarantee it unsur- passed. also offer full line of seasoned inch and II inch SPRUCE, WHITE PINE and SOUTHERN PINE FLOORING, narrow and wide; dry inch Surfaced and Rough Cutting-up Lumber; la, F, 3 and 8 inch good Lumber, well seasoned; Ceiling in every variety, ASH, MHITEWO0D, CHERRY and BLACK VAL NUT boards and plank. I have the largest and best stock of Hemlock Boards and Dressed Pine Sheathing in this section of this State.
 All lumber delivered on the cars free of charge ana special contracts made for delivery by rail or teams. Orders by mail will be promptly attend
 E.J. HILL, Norwalk, Conn.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
B ER.
BANGOR HATH.

Barn 30 ards s. I have to offer one-half million feet of Ottawa Stocks, 10 and F inches wide, 12 1S, If. and 16 feet in length. It is an admitted fact that the Ottawa Boards are the best known to the trade, being remarkable for their freedom from the presence of the large black knots so common in surfaced one side, edges tongued and grooved. dressed full width or narrow, and the quality of the dressing guaranteed I would cal special attention to the brand of 18 inch
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

These might be elected by districts, or, better still, by county ticket by cumu- lative voting. "Civis" can help us to an improved Constitution based on his own principles if he will contend for one rep- resentative from each town and largely increased Senate, fairly distributed.
 CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM. Bridgeport, Jan. 6.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

One of the reforms that should receive the attention of the Constitutional Con- vention if it is called should be the adop- tion of means to do away with so much special legislation. This accomplished, Q provision should be inserted in the re- vised constitution paying the members of the legislature 8 certain fixed salary for the session and forbidding any Legis- lature to increase it's own pay or that of it's officers. Special legislation, much of which can be covered by general laws or be intrusted to the courts or to boards of County Commissioners, is the prolific source of evil and must be diminished. = Bril0eD0rt Farmer.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

A party of drunken fellows in Wadena. Iowa, last Thursday night, put one of their number on horse and tied him there. The animal travelled about the town for gome time, and the man when found was frozen dead.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

At CORNWALL, on Christmas eve., there were exercises in the Congregational Church and Christmas tree, we'll loaded with gifts, for the Sunday School, each of the scholars belonging to the school re- ceiving gift. The Rev. Mir. Prince was presented with a handsome study lamp and other presents. The brass band was in attendance and discoursed very appro- priate music for the occasion.-The Rev. N. A. Prince was to read on Tuesday evening of this week.-On Fri day evening, Dec. 27th, George VolmillGr gave party to his numerous friends, in honor of his fftieth birthday. Sentinel
 The wedding at Dr. Sanford's on Tues day morning of last week was quiet but very select affair. The ceremony took place at precisely nine o'clock, after which congratulations and refreshments were in order, both of which were bountiful. The newly married took the early train for New York.-It has been clearly demon strated to us that wide guage railroad is best adapted to the wants of foot pas sengers.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

The Delaware peach growers reckon their last years receipts at $75 an acre.
Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

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Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

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Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16
Sac EitrbhelS Gllquirsr, U + HEAOI. Elitsr < Proprietor
 uTcaHaD, CONN.
TERMS:

Saase<SSsaon. per annum.
Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-11-08
Buffers Rule in New Orleans
TIE GENERAL ~ COURT IN NEW yoRK-A
CLAIM FOR PRRr OF HIS FORTUNE.

The long pending suit of William A. Brit
ton against Benz F. Butler was tried las,
week in the United States Court before judge
Woodruff The plaintiff is the senior mem
Der CT tue banking house of B. i,ton & Kountz
Nathez, Miss While Natchez wa. under
the dominion of the Confederate. Mr.. Bri,ton's
'ank gave customer two drafts upon their
-'ew Orleans correspondents for SlJUDj
gold. The holder Of the drafts was captured
"hiie attempting to pass the Confederate
lines and put himself under the protection Of
me Union flag, which was then floating in
New Orleans. On the person of the refugee
were found the two drafts. and they were
taken from him and carried before Gen. But
Ter, commanding the Department of the Gulf
Inc General, acco ding to the complaint of
the plaintiffs forced the honorng of the drafts.
without endorsement OF the payce. upon the
correspondents of Britlon x Knuntz-Mcssrs
Jndson Co. Of New Orleans-and subs,-
iuently used the money To his own purposes
Piainiiiis further aver that Gen Butler has at
tempted to make the United States Govern
ment responsible for his spoliation bv tepre-
sensations to the War Department that he had
expended the proceeds OF the draft, for pub
lic purposes, such as feeding the sick and des-
tituie in New Orleans during his stay there,
but tina, the Department. after due examina-
ton, had repudiatrd his clairls. saving that
he acted IN this case without even the color of
authority, and RENTING the c 'anants TO the
properly seized to their remedy at law against
zen. Butler as private citizen.
on the part o. The defence it was urged
that the defendant had the authority of the
general Government for his seizure of the
drafts and for compelling the payment, til:
they were contraband of war, and were turn
ed over by the General in fact il not in prop.
er form. United States District Attorney
Bliss appeared for the defendant, and was as
SISTED by Mr.. Devlin, the defendants counsel
IN most OF his numerous cases of this nature
Zen. Butler, testiiying in his own behalf
swore that he seized the drafts as rebel prop
erty, and had made proper return of the facts
OF the seizure to the Government through his
subordnates. He denied That he had used
the money for his own purposes, asserting tina,
he had expended the amour in feeding the
poor OF New Orleans, strengthening the Mis-.
sissippi levees, and defraying the expenses of
his secret service force. BY agreement Judge
w oodruff heard the case without a Jury. His
findings of fact and Of law are reserved.