Litchfield enquirer., 1876-02-10

 ing the contributions of others attributed to them by assuming some signature, single letter being suh- eient -- 70 r.... --.f- ga In case of two communications relating to the event, the fullest will usually be published Hence eommunicatlons never come amlsS even arV pS give valuable additional information. .s simple satement of facts is all that necessary and hastily written communications will be corrected before publication. a-<a- Fs-...-- ,.-....
 The Beecher council hss been called. It is 0 very large one and includes many names of weight. It is composed mainly, if not entirely, of known friends of Mir. Beecher, and will probably deal only with the matters of Congregational polity in- volved in the dropping of Mrs. Moulton and others from the list of members of Plymouth church. ,
 ScRIBNER,s MONTHLY fl for 1876 opens with an unusual list of attractions. Brete Harte continues his Gabriel Conroy" and Rev. Edward Everett Hale commences new novel with the January number en- titled Philip Nolan's Friends" The magazine continues to be as fully and finely illustrated as ever and its great popularity seems to be fully sustained.
 Scribner & Co.,, New York; $4 year. See Enquirer clubbing rates.
 The report of an ,old-fashioned Demo cratic revenue tariff by the Ways and Means committee is refreshing novelty. It is said to add largely to the free list, to cut of items so high as to be prohibitory, and to restore the duties on tea and coffee Probably it would be an improvement on the existing tariff. but it has very slim chance of passing even the House, this session. It cannot be very satisfactory bill to Mr. Barnum or to Pennsylvania.
 We hear that the lecture of Theodore Hilton at Winsted drew very full house, crowds coming in on Winsted's tributary railroads. The lecture was an extremely able one, of course. and the speaker paid his respects to the editor of the Herald several times to the delight of the au. dience. ...f. ...+
 It seems pretty certain that the Repub- licans have working majority in the new French Senate. The elections to the lower House are coming off soon and they are looking confidentlaly to success there also. Gambetta has shown himself very shrewd politician, and will be great power in the next French legislature.
 
 At last Mir. Henry O. Bowen comes out with the statement that, in his opinion, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher is perju- Ter and an adulterer. He says that friends of his disclosed lmmoralities of the pastor of'Plymouth church long before the Hilton scandal arose. He declines to give any names, and therefore the charge rests solely on his own word. Had he taken decided stand in the beginning his evil opinion would have been serious injury to MT. Beecher, but now it is al. most too late to have much effect.
 Boss" Shepherd has found an advo1 cate; of late. in a correspondent of the New York World. and, last week, Mir. Sargent, of California, made powerful appeal in his behalf in the U. &. Senate. There is no doubt that very great public improvements were effected under his rule but we imagine there is little doubt also, that there was much iobbery and corruption, and if Mir. Allison was correct in his statement that the debt of Wash. ington exceeds one quarter of the cash value of the real estate in that city, it is pretty tough work making Shepherd seem like much of Q blessing. h. "se. -.
 Correspondents from Washington and Cornwall ask our opinion as regards mat ters relating to Temperance. We cannot but believe that the people of the former place will keep good the record they have made. The habits of that community are such,that prohibition can be enforced there. and we hope it will be enforced, Would it not be better. too, that the tenn psrance feeling still prevalent m that com munity be reinforced by some form of Temperance organization and work? 9th. erwise total abstiienceo may gradually cease to be practiced as thoroughly as it now is.. The breach of this great rule begins insidiously with cider drinking and the miider and apparently harmless forms ofelndnlgence. till, at last. the principle, sacrificed in small things, loses its. pro. tective power for great things. If total abstinence is the true principle. as we be- levs jG to be, it. should be carried ont thoroughly and eonscientiously in prac. tice. To our Cornwall correspondent we can only r'ply that We have no faith in Prohibition as a general law. Local Op. tion has tue great advantage of appealing directly to local sentiment. aud becomes Prohibition whenever that local sentiment will sustain the measure. Holding this view, we should be sorry to see the Re. publican party yield to the Prohibit,onists and advocate the passage of an impracti. cable law merely to get Temperance votes.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 1876.
 MR. EDroR:-We should like to call the attention of your Washington readers to town meeting which is called for Sat. urday. Feb. 18th, 1876 at2 o'clock p. m., atFarner's Hall. to take action on a pro posed new highway. beginning near the residence of Joha Mulcahy. thence run. ming in northerly direction up Walker Brook to apoint on the New Milford road near the residence of Russell Stone. ''' ].
 This is proposed highway that has been talked about good deal of late. We shall hope to see good turn out on that occasion. R