Smyrna times., 1877-06-27
What " Freedom Of City" Means.

says:
The presentation to Gen. Grant, of "thc
freedom of the City of London, in gold
box" is announced by cable. Although it
is common enough in our country, where
the "freedom of the city has no meaning,
for city authorities to extend that empty
complement, in London it has meaning,
and is no common hackneyed courtesy.
"The City" is a municipality within the |
metropolis of London, ruled for the most |
part by its own government, whilst the |
rest of London is governed mainly under |
authority of Parliament. The Lord Mayor |
has privileges which put him face to face
with the Sovereign, and within the city
limits he takes precedence of all the Royal
family. In fact, by custom, the Sovereign
cannot enter the city without the Lord
Mayors formal permission. The Corpora
ton of the City of London cling to their
ancient right and privileges, and the profer
Of the warrant of their franchise is regarded
by them as tender Of the most precious
thing they posses. 1t is a proffer made
only to such eminent personagesas they
specially desire to honor. Among those to
whom the "freedom of the city, has been
extended, are General Blucher, Monsieur
Thiers, and the Emperors Of France, Russia,
Persia and Turkey. 1t is always regarded
as the highest complement that can be
paid by London to a distinguished man
and his country. Certain British peers
hold the right by Inheritance. The cerc-
monial attending the presentation of the
, franchise is simple and impressive. The
citizens of the City of London, meeting at
Guildhall, vote to bestow their warrant,
and, after notifying General Grant, he will
: upon some convenient occasion, appear
, before the City Chamberlain to receive it.
i His name will be enrolled in the book
with the name Of the clerk and officers of
t the City Chamber as his "compurgators, p
: who make themselves responsible for his
f good citizenship. The Chamberlain then
!, administered the oath of fidelity, shakes
/ hands with him, and gives him in a gold
!, box, a parchment slip warranting to him
G and to his children dwelling within seven
\ miles of the city, "the franchise of a Free
man of London" This carries with it
y various rights and privileges. He may
i carry on any retail trade in the city with
S out being taxed for the goods he brings in.
If he elects to live within the city he will
f be free from tolls and customs "througout
@ all England and ports of the sea-" His
O children being left orphans, will have the
# right to become wards of the city, and put
G their property for safe keeping into the
h City Chamber. lie also has the right to
j hunt within the county Of Middlesex,
r though possibly he may not find any game.
e He is also-and this is a very good thing
/. for an American, more appreciated formerly
q than now-he is also exempted from COM
:. pulsory service in the British army or navy
O 1t is quite probable that banquet at the
r Guild hall will mark the presentation-for
"a Englishmen do nothing without u banquet
a just as Americans can do little without
!. oratory, although the latter rather take tc
E. banquets too-but conceding the round o.
h dinners our ex.President is undergoing, he
it will probably by that time be seasoned tC
# his succession of feastings.
" The statistics of crime, so far as derived
y from criminals themselves, are not always
II of the most trustworthy character.
special degree of doubt attaches to the fig
Is ures which the sincere but sometimes sim
W ple-minded temperance reforms are in tn,
A. habit of compiling relative to State Prison
&c convicts and the causes which led to thei
50 incarceration and ruin. The motive of tn,
u compilers is a worthy one of course, the in
y tent being to show the evil effects of intem
VI perance in such light as to deter mel
~ ~ from forming drinking habits. But the
w. are not strict at all in their scrutiny O
testimony nor particular as to the charaC
Ie ter of their witnesses, and the consequence
ba is that they are frequently imposed upon
no The other day, in the Connecticut Stat
at Prison, the warden put the question to tn
od convicts under his charge, "How many
nm you attribute your incarceration to liquor ?
no and of the l64 prisoners all but ten raise
=, their hands. Had the warden been a con
a piler of statistics in the interest of tempel
% ance reform, he would have taken the resuI
70. without question and from it made his d.
y, ductions and delivered his sermon. And n
,lv doubt the deduction would have been in tn
main truth and the sermon proftabl,
he But the warden, being practical maj
oil inquired further, and made up his min
that not more than one.quarter of them ha
me- ever been moderate drinkers, and that the
do laid their fall to rum because it was til
be fashion, and seemed to be sort of extel
,lic uating circumstance. Rum does lots
N. mischief in this world, but it isn't the onl
,ns vice or the only source of crime. Perha,
ate by and by society will begin to find o,
ION that drunkenness must be dealt with per
,ob as an offense and not made the stalkir
ont horse for all other crimes. So long as
or namby-pamby sentimentalsm gushes
ON sympathy over the "unfortunate victim
aen intemperance" we shall have not only
,ney constant increase of drunkenness, but q
sorts of criminals attributinp To rim, ri