Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-04-17
Dort Qobarro Gimes
PORT BACCO:
Friday Morning, April .............17, 1874
The Centennial.

Friday Morning, April ............17, 1874
The Centennial.
The recent attempt of the managers Of
the proposed celebration of the hundredth
anniversary Of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, to make it the occasion of an inter
national exposition or worlds fair may be
considered as having received its death,
blow, by the refusal of the U. s. Senate to
pass the bill appropriating ss,ooO.ooC
therefor. This scheme was, of course
heartily endorsed by Gen. Grant, who
thought proper to send special message
to Congress on the subject. His known
fondness for everything, except proper
discharge of the duties of his high office
was sufficient to secure his hearty concur
renee without the additional influence
which that old jobber, Simon Cameron
was able to exert over him. Had this bill
not been defeated it would have ultimate
ly resulted in the depletion of the National
Treasury to the extent of many millions
more, variously estimated at from twenty
to thirty. For the defeat of this scheme
which would not only have led to the
bleeding of the Treasury, but to National
disgrace before foreigners invited here to
witness it, we are mainly indebted to the
late distinguished Senator from Massachu-
sets.
Whilst we do not agree with much that
has been said by the panegyrists of Mr.
Sumner, yet we viii say that during his
whole Senatorial career, of twenty four
years, he was never suspected of venality
Indeed, his known hostility to anything
that savored of jobbery brought him in
conflict with his own party. Notably was
this the case in the Santo Domingo scheme
and it was this same spirit which impell-
ed him to oppose with all his power this
attempt to rob the Treasury and to make
the patriotic outpourings of the people the
opportunity for filching from them, and
from such friendly nations as might be in.
duced to participate, an amount that would
gladden. the hearts Of even the magnificent
disciples of addition, division and ST,
lence," who reign supreme in Philadelphia
Therefore, whatever may have been Mr.
Summers political course, land we do not
feel we can yet judge him with impartial
ity0 we are grateful to him for having de-
feated this gigantic swindle and having
protected from prostitution the small rem
nant Of National honor which jobbery and
corruption in high places have left US.
We are not opposed to centennial eel
ebration of the Nations birthday, nor are
we adverse to an International exposition
or worlds fair. But we do not want to
see gigantic swindle, co-extensive with
civilization itself, perpetrated in the name
of either, much less of both combined
Obloquy- and shame enough has already
been cast upon the American name, before
the nations of the earth, by the disgusting
venality of our Commissioners to the vi
emma Exposition, without handing it over
for further outrage at the hands of Penn
sylvania corruptionists. When the politi-
cal atmosphere has been purified of the
clouds which now overshadow the fair
fame of the Republic, then, but not till
then, do we want to sec a worlds fair.
But, in the meantime, and perhaps as a
means of bringing about such result, we
would be glad to see proper centennial
celebration of the 4th of July, 10. We
would not have it confined to Philadel-
phia, or any other particular locality, but
made the occasion of rejoicing in every
village and hamlet in the land. Wewould
have it day of jubilee, when each man
and each section, for the sake of our COM
mon country, would seek to bury in obi
WON past wrongs, real or fancied, and
sclasping hands across the bloody chasm,' y
say, with one voice, "peace on earth, and
good will to men," We would, for that
occasion at least, have all rancor, all ami
mostly, all sectionalism buried out ofsight.
We believe this can done if the effort is
sincerely made by the people. Politicians
will endeavor to keep alive the angry pas
sions of the past, for they hope to profit by
fomenting discord, but we believe the
great mass of the people would prefer that
the dead past should bury its dead, and
that throughout this broad land its inhab-
itants, already homogeneous, should live
a united and harmonious nation. What
ever may have been the wrongs-the errors
of the past-our duty is with the present,
our hope in the future. No true American,
whether he be from the North or the South,
can think of the days of re, 1.-The days that
tried mems souls,' without experiencing a
glow of patriotic pride at the recollection
of the deeds of the warrior sires of those
DAYS. Bad, indeed, must be the nature
which will not yield to impulses like these
and hard must be that heart which will
not respond to the exclamation of the
Scotch bard
"Breathes there man with soul so dead
Who meier to himself hath said
This is my own, my native land"
If there be one such, he is fit only for "trea-
son, stratagem and spoils.'
County Aid to Railroads..
The St. Mary's Beacon, in speaking OF
IL l.