Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-08-31
A CATHOLIC SCANDAL.

BLACo1 W ouLAhC NAAO ms -
refused to do on the score that he was not
a good catholic, and was not entitled to
absolution. Mrs. Gregory implored, and
finally after many interviews, the priest
did go and confess him and give him full
absolution. Priest Viver was indiscreet
enough afterward to say that he now had
means to pay off the debt on his church,
as valuable piece of land had been devils
ed to him; and Mrs. Gregory, now that
her husband was safely through Purgatory,
dropped hints that it had cost her more
than she licked to get it accomplished.
An inquiry was set on foot, and 1t was
made known that the dying man and his
wife had decided the Newark property to
the priest, besides giving him 800 in mon
ey, in short, all they had, before he would
absolve him. 1t has made much feeling
in Vineland, and has created bitter feel
ing against the Church there.
A SERIOUS DEMOCRATIC TROUBLE.
Congressman Adrian Muller, of the first
district in this city, had vacancy in
West Point to fill, and to avoid the respon-
sibility of making selection, advertised
that competitive examination would take
place, and the boy making the best aver
age would be appointed. Probably Mr..
Muller would not have done this had he
had the faintestidea of the result, for be-
hold you, 'fnigger" named Charles a.
Minnie, came out ahead, and Muller was
compelled to appoint him. There were ali
hundred applicants, but Minnie had
clear majority of points, and there was no
mistake about it. There is loud swearing
among the Democracy of the first, at the
''dirthy nagur'' who had the audacitY to
stand first among the youth of that dis
trict. John Morrisey is astute enough to
turn this little draught of gall to advan-
tage. There is very large negro vote in
that district, and the gallant John no
sooner heard of it than he sent his cheque
for $500 to Minnie, with which he may
provide himself with a proper outfit.
Thisis a shrewd stroke. 1t will be con-
venient thing for John to have at his back
in future political contests some hun
dreds of the negroes of that section, for
they are looming into political Importance
every day, and even the enmity of the
Irish cannot keep them out. Minnie is a
very bright boy, and has been more than
two-thirds educated at home, and has done
the most of it himself. In the examination
the maximum was an hundred, and he
stood 9915. He understands fully what is
before him at West Point, but he is deter
mined to go through it like man, and do
something for his race as well as himself.
THE GREAT TELEGRAPH CONSOLIDATION.
There is no more competition in tele-
graphing, and the public is as entirely at
the mercy of a monopoly as it was before
the Atlantic & Pacific was started to give
US relief from the monstrous exactions of
the Western Union. With healthy COM
petion rates had got down to point that
enabled the people to use the telegraph
freely. A message from New York to Chi
cago only cost 25 cents, and rates for
shorter distances were even lower. This
did not satisfy the grasping managers, and
so this week they got together and consol-
idated the two companies, and up go the
rates just as high as the patience of an
abused public will permit. 1t will result
in the Government taking the telegraph
ic system of the country under its wing. at
least, it ought to. The people are idiots if
they permit a company of grasping spec
ulators to hold in its hand the power to
oppress them. The rate from New York
to Chicago will go up to dollar again, and
so on in proportion. OF course that little
Jay Gould, is at the bot
tom of it, as he is of all the deviltry being
done. feYery man, woman and child in
the United States doesn't petition Con-
gress to take the telegraph lines an oper-
ate them as it does the mail system service,
they will deserve all the swindles that can
be imposed upon them. And, by the way,
while they are about it, they ought to take
4 dig at the express business. There is no
reason under Heaven why small parcels |
should not be carried through the mails, at |
/ very low rate Of postage. The express
business is as miserable a monopoly as
S the telegraph, and needs reform
ng as much. To get dress from Boston
% Omaha costs almost as much as the
lress, and to some points a great deal
more. There is no reason why the mails |
ihould not be used for the transportation
# certain matter; if the people are wise
hey will pay some attention to these mat
ers this winter.
THE BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
There is no longer any question, there
S an improvement in business. The
crops of this season are burden
ng the lines of transportation, both by
vater and land, money is being sent out
f the city by the million to move the
rop, and that money, distributed at once,
5 putting life into trade, and very vigor-
'us life. 1t is a fact that the wheat crop
u the year will average more than twenty
I've bushels to the acre, taking the coun-
ry together which is something never
nown before, and the corn crop will be
'qually large; and this enormous Weld
omes when the country is bare of grain,
nd when a great war in Europe takes
way all the competition we have ever had
n supplying breadstuffs, keeping the
rice up to good round figure. Add to
his the fact of an absolute settlement of
ur internal troubles by the wise policy of
Dppsilant Havoc Al L. |