New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-12
however, redecms the situation. John Y.
Foster is reelected Clerk, and tho Protestant
religion may be considered out of danger.


Young Americans on their way West should
get as far rs Samoa. Here is MIR. Griffin,
whom we sent ont as Consul, just returned as
Minister Plenirotentiary from the few thousand
dusky savages of that island. His principal
object appears to be to negotiate commercial
treaty, and thus secure "Our moral support
against German firm which has gone into the
government business, and is deriving nice
revenue from fines imposed arbitrarily on
the natives OF course, we shall be glad to
cultivate closer commercial and general rela-
tons with our Samoan brethren. But there
we must stop. If they need moral support"
which we surmise means war vessels, that Is
another matter. No SamOans need apply.
At the meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce yesterday q large proportion OF the
wealth and influence of our mercantile COM
munity was represented. 1t was not meet
ing of bankers exclusively, but of our most
prominent business men in general. They
were quite unanimous in carrying out the OBJ
iect of the meeting-to petition Congress and
the Legislature to relieve the banks from the
present excessive burden of taxes. The
speeches and resolutions set forth very plainly
how serious matter this has become. AL
ready twenty million dollars have been driven
out of the banking business by this taxation,
and the reduction of banking capital i'll this
city ia going on with an increasing ratio. 1t
is perfectly plain as to what must follow.
When business is ready to rise from its de-
preston, when the wheels of industry are be-
ginning again to turn, the banks will be una
bic to help, money will be wanting for all
legitimate enterprises, and the hard times will
hang over us for another year. What our
merchants are asking of Congress and the
Legislature is simply that New-IOrk shall not
be crushed.
Canada merchants have had bad time OF
it for several years back. The annual circular
of Dun. Wiman g. Co. of Montreal for 1876
shows that the two years just past have been
disastrous to them, more so in fact than 1873,
the year of the panic or the year after. In
1876, one man in every 80 doing business in
Canada failed, although in the United States
the ratio was only one in every Co. The cause
of this gloomy state of affairs Is reported to
be that Canada has too many merchants. In
flation of banking capital and imitation OF
credit have raised an army of business men
out of all proportion to the population, and
the trade will not sustain them. Then again
the crops north of the lakes failed this year.
and the Canadian farmer signs and refuses to
buy. The consequence is general discourage
ment. 1t is source of regret to discover that
our neighbOr has a serious attack OF the blues
lust at the time when we are getting over our
own, and are beginning to enjoy reviving pros
perity. 1t calls attention. however, to the
healthier conditions of trade in this country,
and the prospect that as soon as the Presidcn-
tial uncertainty is over there will be a genuine
revival of business.
A clear and forcible letter on another page
continues the statement made some weeks ago
by a Washington correspondent OF the few
things that may be considered settled with
reference to the counting of the electoral vote.
The things beyond doubt however, are soon
enumerated the things that are still in doubt
exhaust conjecture. But dispatches from
Washington give reason TO hope that the
Senate Committee has agreed upon some
method of governing the count While the
exact terms of the agreement cannot be
learned, they are understood to include the
TIL ee important propositions which falr-mlnded
men of both parties are now disposed
to concede-the necessity of concurrent
action of the two houses to reject the
vote of State, the right of Congress to de-
termne the validity of State vote, and the
need of q restriction on debate so that neither
party can steal the Presidency by filibustering
till the Fourth of March. If the Senate com
mittee has agreed upon these fundamental
points, without regard to party, long step
has been taken toward settlement of the con-
troversy Wise and moderate action on the
part of Democrats in the Senate will restrain
the Democrats of the House, and a just deci-
sion will be so much the easier.
The Washington Ring can claim TIE F:Astinc-
ton of having committed some OF the mean
est crimes of modern times. Perhaps the worst
of them was that conspiracy of q gang of cor
rupt politicians with certain professional burg
lars to commit burglary and then duplicate
in it Columbus Alexander citizen who
occupies much the same place in that COM
munlty as William f. Dodge or Peter Cooper
holds in this. But this was no viler than
the plot now exposed by the Washington Chief
of Police. This he asserts to have been the sug-
cestion of w. J. Murtagh of The Washington
RcpubLcan, and was simply that the disrep-
utobe resorts of that city should be
watched in the hope of finding there
Mr.. Whitthorne, Chairman OF the House
Committee on Naval Affairs, and that,
if necessary, he should be enticed thlthcr. All
this was to be done to break the force OF MIR.
Wbjtthorne's report to Secretary Robson.
Mr.. Mmtagh's act itself is beyond comment,
but its purpose will do more to harm Mr.. Robe