The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-11-20


TIMELY TOPICS.
TIE Frecdman's Bank ut Washington
has commenced paying to dcpostors the
twenty per cent. dividend decided OIL
some weeks ago
GEN. GARFIELD says that he intends
to move a repeal Of the law increasing the
postage upon newspapers as soon as con
gress assemblies.
RUssIAs part in our exhibition next
year. may be comparatively small, but it
will be interesting all the same. 1t will
consist of products which cannot be du-
picatcd by any other country, for they
are to be confined to those which are pc
culiar to her soil and climate.
THEY have recently had the seventh
annual cat show III the Crystal Palace
London. The highest priced cat was val
ued by its owner at $50. 900. but itddn't
get the first prize. Tommy Dodd," aged
nine years, valued ut $500 was the win
ncr. There were over five hundred cats
exhibited.
TIE city of Berlin has but one steam
fire engine, the rest being old-fashioncd
hand machines and the water supply is
inadequate. Recently al immense new
hotel w:ls burned, and water was brought
i'll barrels and pumped fccbly to the sec
ond story where there was no fire. At
length heavy rain cxtinguished the
flames.
WASHINGTON dispatches assert that
the Commissioner Of Internal Revenue
will not recommend any increase of tax
alton this winter. The receipts on whis
ky, etc, during the last year have been
larger than in any year, except 1870,
since the taxes were first imposed, and ut
the increased rate they will be still
further augmented during the current
fiscal year
COFFEE drinkers will please remember
That the crop reports do not hold out anv
comforting assurances. A falling off has
been reported all around OF old Java
there is considerable falling off. Rio
shows still more marked diminution
though there is some coffee of the pre-
vious crop left over. The islands near
Java show a decrease Of about fifty per
cent. in production.
1T is a significant fact that the grain
trade of New York has fallen off this year
1S,772,0l9 bushels as compared with last
year, while the delivery at Baltimore is
greater than last last. Philadelphia also
shows gain. When our southern rail
way system is made what it ought to be,
Charleston, Port Royal and Savannah will
export more grain, -four and meat than
any other Atlantic cities.
PEOPLE who write letters will find in
structon in the facts shown in the report
OF the dead letter Office last wear. Some
o,o4o,197 letters went astray, mainly
through carclessncss in directing. There
was taken out of these letters the aston
lsn'ngly large sum of $4,000 600. All of
thls was returned to its owners with the
exception of s4OO, 200, which remains as
2 arrctit to the Post-office Department..
fITzRoY, believed to have been chief
III the organization Of the whiskey ring
at st. Louis, went into court Tuesday.
and, to the dismay Of his counsel, pleaded
guilty to all the counts in the Indictment
against himself. Thorpe, a late store
Keeper, also threw himself on the mercy
CT the court This action is considered
at st. Louis as the most significant chi
sodc in the downfall of the once formid |
able underground organization.
a COMPARATIVE analysis of the public
debt statement published shows a de-
rcasc iii legal tenders during the last
month of s705, 900, and in fractional cur
rency of 100000. The Treasury bal
'ance. increased nearly $11 ,0O0,OOO The
fivc-twenties of 1862 have disappeared
from the interest bearing debt, having
been absorbed by the new tives. The
sl0,000,000 of 1864 bonds called in. leave
but about si2,00oOO0sof the new fiyes
not taken. There are about $4,000, ,OOO)
of the new 'GAa still outstanding, and
they will be called i'll before the 18TH
inst.
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