The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-01

by stationing gunboats upon the Rio Grande
and troops along the banks of that river, The
Indian country has been generally quiet The
incursious into the Black Hills territory
of miners in search of gold babe fair to provoke
the Sioux to hostilities, and the government at
tempted to purchase the territory but failed,
owing to the exorbitant price demanded by the
Indians. A commission has investigated charges
made by Prof Marsh against the Indian de-
partment, but in general they were not sus
tanned, though some instances of neglect on
the part of Commissioner Smith were proved.
Political.
The overshadowing question in our politics
the past year has been the subject of finance,
and those elections which have turned on this
question have excited the most interest. At
the beginning of the year the Republicans were
divided upon this subject as well as the Demo
Gratis. As the year progressed the sentiment of
the former was unified and the Republican
policy is now unmistakably in favor of speedy
return to specie payment, aud the necessary
legislation to effect this result. The Democrats
are still divided, those of the West, if not
openly advocating initiation, still opposing any
measures looking to contraction and bitterly
party in the East. The third term discussion
has held its own, Notwithstanding President
Grants letter written in May in which he de-
MED any intention of scheming for or ever ac.
cepting, if it were offered him, a third nomina-
ton. Though this question was forced into
our politics simply by the persistency of one
journal it has entrenched Itself so strongly that
nothing but a Presidential election can drive it
out. In some states the question of appropri-
ating public funds to the support of sectarian
schools has assumed considerable importance.
Public sentiment is unmstakably against such
appropriations, as was sufficiently demonstrated
in New Jersey we're a new constitution con-
tanning provision forbidding such appropria-
tions was adopted by an overwhelming ma
jority. number of secret organizations have
sprung up having for their object the preserva-
tion of our school system and the defeat of the
Vaccinations of the Romish church. The
question has occupied the attention of states
men, President Grant in a speech at Des
Moines characterizing it as one which was des-
tined to assume much Importance, and Mr.
Blaine attempting to solve itiin season to avert
any conflict by introducing into the House of
Representatives constitutional provision for
ever forbidding states to make appropriations
for the support of sectarian schools.
The elections in the Northern States have
resulted unmistakably in favor of Republican
ascendency. The earliest of the year were in
Connecticut and New Hampshire. There
were no very important issues at stake in either
state, and the results were not significant. The
Democrats carried Connecticut, which gave
them Democratic u S. Senator in place of
Mr.. Buckingham and they showed how sincere
their cry for reform has been by electing W.
W. Eaton, a bitter secessionistlduring the war,
and mar in many other ways untitled for the
high position which he was selected to fill. In
New Hampshire there was no election of gov
ried a majority of the legislature, which Sc
cured the election of their gubernatorial can
ddate. Rhode Islands election turned prin-
cipally upon the prohibition issue, and Henry
Lippitt, the candidate of the opponents of this
policy, was chosen. The hardest fought con-
test of the year was in Ohio. The issue was
made upon the financial policy, and if not
sharply defined in the platforms adopted by
the two parties at their nominating conventions
became SO as the canvass progressed. All over
the country the issue was recognized as be-
tween gold and rag money, the former en-
dorsed by the Republicans aud the latter by
the Democrats. Gold trumphed and the Re-
publican candidate, Gen. Eayes, vas elected.
Pennsylvania elected the Republican candidate
Gen. Hartranft; Wisconsin reversed her ver-
dict of the previous year by defeating the
Democratic Gov. Taylor, while Michigan,
Iowa, Minnesota. Massachusetts, New Jersey
and Nebraska gave Republican majorities. In
| New York both parties stood upon hard mon
ey platform and though Gov. Tilden, the Dem
ocratic candidate, was reelected, it was by
reduced majority. The Democrats carried their
old Southern strongholds and California and
Mississippi through Senator Morton's analysis
of the vote in the latter state seems to unmis-
takably show that such a result was accom-
plished by gross frauds at the polls.
During the year Senators have been elected
| as follows Newton Booth from California,
William W. Eaton from Connecticut, w. P.
Whyte and Robert E. Withers from Virginia,
r. X. Bruce from Mississippi A. e. Thurman
from Ohio S B. Maxey from Texas Geo. f.
Edmunds from Vermont, William w. Wallace
| from Pennsylvania. Francis Herman from New
| York, Theodore Randolph from New Jersey,
| III L. Dawes from Massachusetts, Thomas f.
| Bayard from Delaware, j. E. Mcdonald flom
| Indiana, It. M. Cockrell from NJ, ,ssouri, Hanui-
| bal Hamlin from Maine, William Sharon from
| Nevada, A. S. Paddock from Nebraska, An
| drew johnson from Tennessee, and at his
death David S. Key, L. p, Christlancy from
| Michigan, A. E. Burnside from Rhode Island,
| A No ID
MILAN from Minnesota.
Business and Labor.
Doubtless this year will be denominated both
| by capital and laeor hard one, and with good
! reason. Recovery from the disaster of 1873
| has been much retarded by the unsettled con-
dition of our financial policy which has rem
dered capital timid and consequently labor
unemployed. These results have been wit
messed the past year in the stagnation in busi-
ness which has prevailed and the army of
| trapps which has wandered from city to city
| out of money and out of work. Still the
amount of actual suffering has been small
| The crops have been abundant, no general
| closinglup of manufacturing establishments
has occurred, and no large rise in the price of
the necessaries of life been experienced. At
the opening of the year there was some
| suffering in the extreme West caused by the
| grasshopper ravages of the preceding year,
| and the governor Of Dakota was compelled
| to appeal for aid. In no other section of
| the country has any general distress occurred.
| Strikes have been infrequent, the laborers hav-
! ing learned wisdom from experience. In the
| spring the annual disturbances amongst the
miners in the coal regions in Pennsylvania
occurred; and the Chicago communists threat
ened an outbreak, but were promptly sup
| pressed by the authorities The operatiyes in