Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-02-14
Notes and Comments.

pardon TO criminal, and IL will now be con-
sidered by the State Supreme Court
THE steamer Bavaria from New Orleans
to Liverpool was burned at sea February 9th.
The passengers and crew barely escaped
with their lives.
SENATOR CoNKLrNG says that he has had
letters informing him that the electoral law
was unconstitutional, the writers of which
spelt constitutional with ak"
CHARLES O'CoNoR went to President
Grant to confess himself backguard, and
to apologize therefor. In his speech before
the high commission, however, he assumed
his original character.
IT is said that Secretary Fish gave his
check for five thousand dollars to the person
who was to collect campaign fund last
autumn in the state department, and then
forbade any assessment on his assistants.
LIKE all Tombs lawyers, Field never deems
himself so manifcent as when bul-dozng
witness. He tried his hand on Wells but
while that gentleman may not be sufficiently
sanity to canonize, he doesn't brighten
worth a cent"
IT is suggestive that Hewitt teegraphed
to Oregon after the voting of the electoral
colleges, that Tiden has one hundred and
eighty-fve, including one from Oregon" In
this he gave up Florida, Louisiana and
South Carolina.
WASHINGTON letters say that no greater
energy is displayed by any set of men than
that manifested by the express lobby, whose
best men are at Washington endeavoring to
bull-doze Congress, through the most magnif-
cent dinners, into repeating the bill permit
ting the sending of merchandise through
the mails This great monopoly has so long
been dictator" that it Is exceedingly re-
luctant to give up an ounce of its "pound of
iiesh.' 1t is also limited that they secure fa-
vor from Senators, Members and journalists
by free passes for packages, etc. Look out,
gentlemen, the people are watching you
In Hdrper's Weekly for this week, besides
several characteristic cartoons of Mast we
find pictures showing the two houses of Con-
gress met in Joint Convention for counting
the electoral votes, and the Electoral Com
mission in session in the Supreme Court
room. There are also portraits of all the
members of the Commission. Mast repre-.
sents Judge David Davis, in his huge bodily
proportions, as having slipped off the Bench
into the political slough, where he sits with
dubious expression of face, as if he were
not as certain as he would like to be that
the Senate chamber.
THE business men of New York are
making determined effort to have the gen.
orally disregarded usury law modified so as
to be readily reconciable with common sense.
At present the punishment for accepting
higher rate of interest than seven per cent
is the forfeiture of both principal and inter
est, and even imprisonment. A petition
asking that the legal rate still be retained at
seven per cent, but that the punishment
shall be confined to a forfeiture of the excess
over that amount, has been signed by bust
ness men of all classes, representing over
five hundred million dollars of capital, and
has been presented to the legislature.
A SUIT on trial at Richmond, relative to
certain insurance losses at the time of the
attempted burning of the city, when it was
surrendered by the confederates, has brought
ont ha ;rt Al
mond insurance company, that the burning
was an act of war, the city having been fred
by order of General Ewell, in obedience to
statute of the confederate congress. The
facts as stated are admitted by the attorneys
of both sides, and relieve the Union troops
from the charge of having attempted to burn
the city. This important development will
incidentally increase the public confidence
in General Sherman's story of the burning
of Columbia, South Carolina, by order of
Wade Hampton.
THE democratic desperation at Washing
ton causes an exchange to remark q" Now
is the supreme moment of the party's exist
ence. As the leaders are fond of tell
ing followers, there are eighty thousand
offices to be struggled fora guerdon that
will stimulate every member to Guido all
his previous efforts in behalf of the party.
Everything depends upon one grander,
greater exertion than has ever been put forth
yet. Every resource is to be called into
play in this crucial instant. If they were
reckless as to means before they will not
hesitate at criminality now. If they per-
verted truth once, they will lie with brazen
audacity now. Every utterance of theirs
or procured by them must be regarded with
the great suspicion warranted by the present
circumstances of the case, and the previous
history of the party.