davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

THE REPUBLICAN TIcKET.-The Repub-
lican County Convention have at last placed
ticket in nomination The delay was .
dangerous one, but it could not be avoided
in view of the possibility of a coalition.
Only week remains for the local can
vass. but the ticket presented is q respect
able one, and will undoubtedly win votes
among those who look for good names when
selecting candidates for Office in our city
government General Dix is named as
the republican choice for Mayor, William
II. Gedney for Sheriff and Thomas
Murphy for County Clerk. With them
arc many good names for the minor
offices, and it is to DO hoped that, having
nominated straight ticket, the republicans
will show their strength and deserve victory
even If they do mot sttatn IL
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
State Prison Reform.

The proposed amendments to the State
constitution, which are submitted to the
people os New York at this election, are ex-
cellent, and should be voted for irrespec-
tive of party but that which is most i'm
portant we think to be the amendment
which abolishes tho Office of Inspector of
State Prisons and substitutes Superinten-
dent, appointed by the Governor and con-
frmed by tho Senate, who is to hold Office
for five years, and to appoint the warden.
physician and chaplain, the clerk being
chosen by the Comptroller. 1t is believed
by those who know best our prisons that
this change in the system will effect much
needed reform. New York has three great
prisons, which, year after year. have become
more corrupt, more expensive and moro in
efficient. The criminals Of the State prefer
Sing Sing and Albany to the local peniten-
tiaries because of the looseness of their dis
cipline and the opportunities afforded by
them for consultation and escape. The
present system encourages crime rather
than restrains it. Eleven years ago there
were 1885 convicts confined in our
State prisons last year there wcre 3, 755.
Crime has evidently increased But be-
sides this, the expense to the State is much
more than it should be. The cost of sup
porting each prisoner over his earnings was,
in 1865, only $50 Go; in 1876 the excess OF
cost over earnings was sl53 so. The total
annual cost of crime in New York amounts
to nearly $50, 600, COO When we add to this
pccuniary extravaganza and loss the fact
that ''our prisons are places where crime is
taught and organized, and new gangs are
formed for fresh depredations," IL is evident
that tho prison system needs reformation.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

THE WRATHER.-Two barometric depres-
sions, caused by the division Of the main
area of low pressure into two parts, as
explained in yesterdays HERALD, continue
to exist in the West and are separated
by the protruding portion Of the area
Of high pressure This causes steepness
Of the barometric gradients, and, conse-
quently. high winds. Scattered over the
northern sections of tho United States east
Of the Missouri rain areas moved
slowly eastward yesterday but the precipi-
tntion was very slight except at Leaven-
worth, whore it amounted TO sixty-four hum
dredths Of an inch. Warm weather gcner-
ally prevailed south Of the lakes, but will
probably be followed by sudden fall of
temperature and heavy frosts northward of
latitude thirty-five degrees. This change,
however, will not take place for some days
yet In New York to-day the weather will
be warm and partly cloudy or cloudy with,
possibly, light rain.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
General Di. ss- Mayer.

General Dix il distinguished citizSn 70
whose appearance in politics the people are
seldom Indifferent; man who has grown
old in the public service, who is widely and
deeply respected for his probity and his
capacity. and who may justly be said to
merit whatever honor it may please his fel-
low citizens to confer upon him But his
appearance as . candidate for Mayor win
surprise rather than inspire his ardent ad-
mirers- 1t rather upsets ordinary notions
as to pride of place to see the downward
scale SO freely taken. Only the other day
the General was esteemed in the number of
candidates for the Presidency as not by any
means the least likely figure; and for . gen.
tleman to indicate by his acts that he is will
ing to become the successor of Mayor Wick
ham il not wanted in the White House will
induce the sarcastic wits to recall the case
Of the man for whom no favors were too
small, and who. though he would have
liked to represent his country at foreign
court was prepared to accept an old
pair of pantaloons rather than leave tho
White House empty handed. There
are ill-natured people who accuse Gen.
eral Dix Of an undue readiness to be-
come candidate on any and every oc-
casion and it can scarcely be deemed that
their charge is scandalous when an ex-
Cabinet officer, an ex-foreign Minister an
Ex-Governor and an ex-candidate for the
Presidency is ready to disport himself in
the small pools of municipal politics. It is
true that the General only accepts
the candidacy, and will never be called
upon to accept the Office. His canvass is
utterly hopeless. He is named to an honor
that is not smaller than it is empty or if
there is any service in the case it is merely
that of making ticket to keep the voters
together. Perhaps it was this consideration
that induced the General to stand He knew
he need have no apprehension of being made
Mayor and was willing to risk his dignity to
help the ticket
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

and if, in speaking of these incidents OF the
Southern republican canvass, he should
chance to repeat the phrase which he used
in January Of last year. "Here we have ma
tional gendarmerie instead of civil police
we imagine he may bring dismay to some OF
his audience. If he should warn his party
against these dangerous misuses of federal
soldiery and authority he could not do it
better than in the resolution to which he
spoke on that occasion. which asserted that
"Any use of the federal authority which
teaches the newly made black voters to be-
lieve that political problems can be solved
by arbitrary processes or displays Of physi-
cal force better or more readily than by
labor patience and conciliation, is an offence
against the national safety and welfare which
calls for the severest condemnation"
We may suppose, too, that he will urge
his party to reform of abuses in the civil
service; to the appointment hereafter Of
Southern men to Southern federal Offices |;
to the distribution of the lower offices for
the necessity of selecting the best
and most competent men for the
honorable places in the government !;
to the advisabilty of cutting adrift from the
adventures who in States like Louisiana
and South Carolina mis-ule in the name of
the republican party, and who have too long
been unworthy favorites at Washington.
But whatever he may say on these and other
heads, we shall be surprised if he does not
strongly urge good will, forgetfulness of the
past, fraternal concord between the sections,
and such policy within his party as shall
put o stop to the abuses which have been
favored by it in the South, and which
have there united the whole intelli-
gence and property of the States
against the republican party. and pre-
vented the operation of natural causes 70
put an end to SO injurious condition of
political society. This is our centennial,
and an appeal for peace and good will
by statesman like Mr. Evarts would reach
all honest hearts.
Finally, we must repeat that while we are
sorry the public credit has been dragged
into partisan discussions, as it is there we
rejoice that Mr.. Evarts has consented to give
as his opinion. Aside from the thousands
Of individuals interested in our national So
curities hundreds Of thousands of the labor
ing poor are interested in them through
savings banks and life and fire insurance COM
panies. If an impending and not impossible
event is likely to seriously impair the value
Of these securities tho sooner We know it the
better.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
All Hall0w Eve.

How All Hallow Eve originated is really
unknown, for, like many other customs. it
is prehistoric. The superstitions Of the Old
World become the holidays of the new, and
what was probably once q religious cere-
mony is now a festival AS May Day is dcd-
icated to flowers, SO Hallow Eve is conse-
Grated to fruits. 1t comes in the fall Of the
year, with apples, pears and nuts Of all
kinds. The squirrel celebrates it in the
woods, and man follows his example. The
Italian vender of nuts and apples blesses
the venerable event, for it increases his
sales. Who would not buy pint of pea
nuts to celebrate the ancient holiday
Perhaps it was on "Hallow Zen" that "a
sailors wife had chestnuts in her
lap, and mounch'd, and mounch'd,
and mounch'd- Poetry is full of ref
ercnce to the day, from Shakespeare
and Halleck to Robert Burns. It is pleas
ant when an old custom dcscends to as
in such friendly and sociable form. But
All Hallow Eve has one fault, and that was
expressed by Lazy Lawrence when he discon-
tentedly said, ''The worst of nuts is YOU
must crack 'em." But that is the moral of
the fruit, for there is nothing sweet or sound
in the world that is not secured by labor
The truest repose is that obtained through
toll, and the best nuts are those which have
the hardest shells. Thus there is a moral
in the nut as we'll as kernel. We trust the
good people who cracked their jokes and
nuts last night and drank their cider, ap-
preciated tho dignity of their performance.
Year after year the old customs fade and
lose their meaning, and it is well to preserve
as many holidays of the kind as we can.
Young ladies no more use charms on Hallow
Eve to discover their unknown husbands
to be, yet probably the counting goes on just
as we'll with boiled chestnuts or roasted ap-
pies by the fireside.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
Surveying the Isthmus

The paper prepared at the request of tho
American Geographical Society by Com
modore Daniel Ammen, United States Navy,
touching the surveys and reconnoissances on
the American Isthmus for a transcontinental
ship canal is the best presentation of the
question which has yet been made. NJ Leon
Drouillet, French engineer Of eminence
cial geography lately formed under the
sanction Of the French Soci6te de Geogra-
phie declares, in pamphlet very widely
published, that the problem Of interoceanic
navigation is ut present incapable of solution
on account of the insuficiency of geo
,graphical data and of the contradictions
which exist in these data. It is in answer
to these assumptions that Commodore Am
mems paper is written. No one is better
fitted to speak on this question than Com
modore Ammen, and his opinions will be
regarded as q settlement Of the point rnised
by tho French engineer. The American sur
veys from the beginning have been in
measure under his supervision, and he
has made . more complete study of
the subject than any living savant. He
points out the work done by the Navy De-
partment, especially since 1870, under Cap
tain Schufeldt, Commander Selfridge, Com
mander Lull and Lieutenant Collins, and
makes the value of the information thus
obtained SO clear that even NJ. Drouillet
could scarcely overlook its Importance.
The Frenchman chose to put himself in a
queer attitude. He refused to regard the
surveys of the practicable routes as
worthy of his study, and yet COM
plains that those of the impractica-
BILE ones were not made more complete.
NJ Drouillet is hard to satisfy, but it is to
be hoped Commodore Ammcn's paper will
give him clearer views Of a subject upon
which he speaks with SO much confidence
and so little knowledge Besides showing
the absurdity of the French assumption
Commodore Ammen has done an important
work in putting together in compact form
the results of the American surveys, and
the extracts from his paper which we print
this morning will be read with much inter
est by oil who are curious on the subject or
desire to see a ship canal constructed across
the isthmus
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

PRESIDENTIAL Betting, excepting private
bets in rare instances, is Mt q standstill, a.
dispatches this morning. In the Southern
cities, where there is more confidence in the
result than in the North and West, the bety
are five hundred dollars ON Tilden ia
three hundred dollars on Hayes In mos
about even. but the betting mon arc holding
of for more certain indications Tho result
in this State generally finds moro taken
than the general result, the odds being in
favor of Tilden about 100 to go. All this in
dicates the betting interest to be decidedly
Tildenish, but the absence of operations
shows that nobody is confident of tho result
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
Indian Campaigning.

Sitting Bull has been overtaken q last,
and, II not very severely punished, he has
at least been forced to fy. with Miles bull
lets whizzing thickly about his ears. Our
dispatches, which afford MS this intelligence
this morning, give us no details of the FIGHT
but it seems pretty clear that Colonel Miles
force is in hot pursuit of the flying warriors
We trust the savages will be overtaken
and that the campaign viii be pressed until
complete success crowns the efforts of our
little army. 1t is the halts and delays which
allow the Indians to avoid the troops and
escape from their pursuit. and if proper
steps be taken by the military authorities
to enable the troops to keep up tho pursuit
without unnecessary delays the Indians will
be caught or compelled TO surrender.
There is little probability that any large
body win be encountered, but the bands Of
Sitting Bull can be beaten in detail The
policy of disarming the agency Indians
should be carried out vigorously. When it
has been accomplished the Indian question
will be In fair way to be solved. This is
apparent from the impudent proposition of
Sitting Bull touching a peace. That willy
warrior makes the sinews of war the basis OF
his negotiations; in his opinion powder and
bullets are indispensable to diplomacy. The
manner in which these were given to him by
Colonel Miles is the only way in which they
can be given with safety or effect 1t has
too long been the policy to arm tho Indian
previous to fighting him. Now we can only
make peace by continuing to fight him in
the hills and disarming him on the reserva-
tions. And next to the Indian we must
look after our Indian agents. These officials
usually do more to bring about war with the
tribes than the Indians themselves, and to-
day we have despatch relating the queer
conduct Of Mr.. Howard, lately the Indian
Agent at Spotted Tail In Mr.. Towards
opinion it is wrong for Indians to assist the
government in fighting Indians, and we
trust the agents will receive the same rig
orous treatment that is due to Sitting Bull
and the others.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

SroRxY VOYAGE was that of the United
States steamer Ossipee. in which she passed
through the centre of the great cyclone of the
Goth while on her way from Hampton Roads
20 New Orleans. The very graphic account of
tho escape of the good ship and her gallant
crow from the devouring waves which wc
print elsewhere will convey to the reader a
very clear idea of the awful power of these
terribie meteors known ms cyclones. To
the Ineteoroiogists the story Of our corre-
spondent will prove of great vnlne. as he
seems to have noted carefully most of the
pssnlisr phenomena attending the storm.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
Harmony Among tn. Democrats.


Nearly all the danger to the democratic
national and State tickets that was caused
by the division and warfare of the city demo-
Gratis has been put aside at one stroke by the
manly. politic and straightforward course of
Mr. O'Brien. He has acted boldly the part
which. as we have several times pointed out
to the democratic leaders, was the only
one that could save their national
ticket from the ruin that must certainly
follow the division of the democratic vote in
this CITY, He is the only one of those who,
justly dissatisfied with the control Of Tam
many and resolved to fight its abuses to the
last, has had the sagacity to perceive first
that in the present occasion Tammany has
yielded to public opinion in the choice of
candidates, and therefore has corrected for
itself its greatest abuse, and next, that
to continue the fight against Tam
peril the national ticket is simply to
burn down ones house in order to roast
chestnuts. That the anti -Tammany demo-
crats were in treaty with the republicans for
a combination on candidates which might
defeat the Tammany ticket by union of
republican and anti-Tammany democratic
votes is, Of course, we'll known. In ordi-
nary cnnvasses such course would be justi-
fable, because in such times the only prin-
ciple there is in our local elections is to beat
Tammany. But when behind Tammany
there is national canvass Of great
consequence, and when the national
ticket must be certainly injured by such
q combination Of discontented democrats
with the republicans. then the combination
becomes party treason This is the senti-
ment evidently involved in Mr.. OBrien's
declaration in favor of the support of Mr..
Smith Ely-a course which we fancy has
thoroughly broken the estate" as to hybrid
ticket. Mr. Morrlssey did not appear prom
inently in the proceedings, but as he cannot
possibly be party to any move against the
Presidential ticket he sympathizes, no doubt,
with the views expressed by O'Brien, and
gives them an effective support. The
failure to connect with the discontented
democrats compels the republicans to nomi-
nate full ticket Of their own--which is the
best they can do. II will not afford them
chance to carry the city. but it will help to
bring out their full vote.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

TuH SEnvfAN WAR AND THE AEMIsrrcE-
The reported ultimatnm Of Russia de-
clnring thnt the Sultan must accept tho
arrnistice in forty-eight hours, or that the
Rnw,ian AMBASSADOR will leave Constanti-
nople. has mado panic in Berlin and
shaken the market seriously in London.
This was, no doubt, precisely what the
story was invented for. Our own
special from Constantinople. published
yesterday, that tho Sultan had accepted
tho armistice, is inconsistent with the press
despatch that steps were taken which
assumed that he still hesitated, and our own
despatch is the more reliable. No doubt
the truth, as we published it, was also
known to others in Europe, who saw that
their last chance to strike tho market on
panicky war story was slipping away, and
who therefore resolved to improve the
shining hour. Instead of war being in
eyitnble, therefore, it results from our own
despatch, tho credibility of which hns not
been shaken, that the prospect for peace 10
vsxy favorable.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
A Good Nomination.

Mr.. /. p. Morton, of the house of Morton.
Bliss d Co., is the republican candidate for
Congress in the Eleventh district, and his
election would insure to that district q capa-
Bile representative and to Congress men,
Der eminently fitted to be useful in its most
serious deliberations. Mr.. Morton has been
a merchant in this city for many years and
is acquainted with the whole fabric Of our
commercial interests, while there is GER
tainly no man in Congress better fitted
to give a practical direction to financial
legislation than the head of house which
has had leading relation with all financ ncial
events of any consequence since the war.
In other parts of the country--in tho minor
cities and the little towns-wherc tho con-
troll of conventions is in the hands Of the
people, they send their leading bankers and
merchants to Congress. Here we send, with
very rare exceptions, mere politicians.
Hence it follows that the metropolis is COM
monty Of no consequence in Congress- and
any little town outweighs it where practical
knowledge is called for {; but If the example
set in the Eleventh district should be sue
cessful at the polls and should be followed
the city might cut different figure in its
influence on legislation.
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
The Con neumnc1ous Newsmen.

We continue to receive letters of COM
plant against those recalcitrant newsdealers
who either charge their patrons more than
the legitimate price for the HERALD or do
not supply them at all. In both cases we
shall see that the remedy is applied and
that the increasing demand is met promptly
by an ample supply of papers at the low
price. Meanwhile it is creditable to tho
body Of small dealers that they are attend
ing to business and profting by larger
sales of HkRAIps instead of wasting
their time in useless protests. "By SELL
ing q hundred additional HERALDs," Z"
said . shrewd Newark dealer, II get
the other trade of those hundred GUS
toners" This principle is not confined
to any particular branch of business.
Every grocer knows that refined sugars are
necessary to the completeness of his stock
in trade, notwithstanding the fact that they
are sold Mt such . trifing advance over
refners' prices that the profit is merely
nominal, and that there are often times
when slight fluctuation in the sugar mar
ket compels the grocer to sell his stock at
loss Yet no grocer would think of refusing
to sell refined sugars, or much less of
charging more than the market rate for them.
He knows that if his customer cannot get
them Of him he will go elsewhere, and he
deems it to his interest to keep the Gus
TONER'S trade ''My father stopped taking
HERALps when the price was put down, said
the child in charge of one of the Harlem
news stands as reported elsewhere, ''but SO
many people called for em he had to put
'em on again." This states the whole argu-
ment with the veracity proverbially accred-
tied to fools and children. The dealer found
it o business necessity to supply his GUS
omers with the HERALD. He did not reason
further than this immediate necessity, but
like many others is finding by experience
that increased sales are not only helping
other trade, but gradually bringing back
the former profits on the sale OF HERALDs
Those who learn the lesson first will soonest
reap the benefit. "'Tis the early bird catches
<ba uyoryu
The New York herald., 1876-11-01

We must not only protect tho treasury, but
society. The Prison Association of New
York believes that system of discipline and
economy can be secured by the oonstitu-
nonal amendment now before tho people.
IL Is designed to withdraw the prison admin
istration from political influence and mako
~ independent of parties We urge every
democrat or republican who wishes to re-
iorm tho evils of the present prison manage
ment to cast his vote for this important
amendment
The New York herald., 1876-11-01
Only tho Subordinate

It is to be regretted that the very serious
Centennial Guard by the French Commits
sioner to the Philadelphia Exhibition did
not receive more attention from the authori-
ties Of the national show. The free citizens of
this great Republic are so much accustomed
to be treated with inciviity and rudeness by
minor officials that we would not think Of
complaining about trifing annoyances, such
as have ruffied the good temper of some Of
our visitors. We take these things as q
matter Of course and put up with them
philosophcally. It is evident our French
friends have not yet been educated quite up
to our standard, and look for something like
the Difference and respect to which they arc
accustomed in their own country. The men,
bers of the Centennial Guard evidently for.
got the difference between . guest and the
mere American publican oversight that
grieves us considerably. A little considera-
ton for the good name Of their fellow citi-
zens might have induced the subordinate
officials at Philadelphia to strain point in
favor of the foreigners, even if they were
to treat the natives with q little additional
incivility as some compensation for thei1
sacrifice of official dignity. Il Is some con-
ISOLATION to know that tho higher authorities
at Philadelphia have shown every desire to
treat our visitors with all due consideration,
and that rudeness and want of civilfty wers
confined to those who wore ''only subordi-
mates"