The Portland daily press., 1874-07-17
Current Notes.

Inc washington RepUOlcUn is attempting
to ridicule Congressman Wilson of Indiana,
who as instigatorin the House of the investi-
CATION into the lately deceased government of
the District of Columbia, and as chairman OF
the committee on its part, so faithfully dis
charged his duty as to deserve the thanks OF
the country. Mr.. Wills on can stand that sort
of thing.
The venerable Freeman Smith of Connec-
ticut, in letter to Senator Brownlow, pub
lished in the New York Tribune, objects to
the civil rights bill as unnecessary and harm
full. He holds that the irrational and I'M
christian prejudice against color cannot be
put down by law, but must be left to time
and the softening influences of civilization.
Mr.. Smith thinks that legislation of this
character would trengthen the party, COM
posed of theNorthern Democracy and the I'M
repentant rebel Democracy OF the South, in
their allied attempt to obtain possession Of
the government in 1916.
The Rockland Free Press cannot believe
that there is any just reason for complaint
that the officers at tue granite works in that
vicinity are devoting their time improperly to
politics. and ventures TO add that ''those gen.
tiemen have apparently been as attentive to
business as usual" This may be true; new
ertheless the whereabouts and apparent mis-
sion of a number of these gentlemen were re-
ported to us few weeks since. They were
not measuring stone.
The indianapolis journal thinks the re-
nomination OF General Grant would be s'in-
voluntary suicide" Involuntary suicide"
is good.
The Washington correspondent of the Chi
cago Times, after showing that of all men
who wintered in Washington Speaker Blaine
built himself no enemies, and made troops OF
friends, writes: IL have an abiding faith in
James G. Baines ability to harvest any
thing he desires; senatorial grapes or the
residential pippin.'
The Tribune now concludes that the cur
rency act will cause a decided expansion of
the currency instead of the contraction of
S117,000,000 which its correspondent predict
ed some time since. The amount of contrac-
ton which has already taken place is not yet
indicated by the gold barometer.
The United States has its army of idlers,
men and women, to MAINTAIN, which is quite
as costly as that of Continental nations. This
is the real reason why our national promise
to pay a dollar is rated at ninety cents in
com. We have been expanding immense
sums for articles of luxury 1--WE now call them
comrnodities), most of which have been drawn
rom abroad. We have kept English and
other factories driven TO supply our demands
tor fnery and Eickuacks-not strictly neces-
sary. This is the lesson of last years revul-
on.-Stockhotder.
The enormous saving" to the Post Office
Department in consequence of the repeal OF
the Thanking privilege, is good for that depart
'nent but little hard ON the others. Thus
the Post Office Department ''saves" some
two or three hundrel thousand dollars in the
postage OF the mail matter of the Treasury
Department, but the expenses of the Treas
ury Department have been increased by Just
hat sum; so of fifty thousand dollars in the
Department OF State, aud like amounts in the
other executive departments. One branch of
the government pays another, leaving the ag
gre9ate appropriation about the same.-Pr0U-
ldence journal.
The New York Evening Post does not like
Mr.. Blaine letter but admires Mr.. Titcomb's
etter of acceptance on the free trade ques-
ton. The Post is an excellent paper, bat
has an idea that it is better to buy goods than
make them that the province of this coun-
Try is 10 raise raw materials and furnish food
for Europe.
The Hartford eoratst thinks that-if it had
been possible, the Democratic legislature of
that state would have removed judges OF pro-
bate, sheriffs, etc., as did the New Hampshire
body, for everv Republican police judge, the
only officers it could reach, have been turned
out to make room for utterly unfit men.