The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-20

aBdinst TIC Souit1ry HWY uoucsty huu
efficiency in the carrying out Of the work ;
a fair. even liberal. appropriation. and there
is no danger that the people of New York
will have much cause to complain of dirty
streets. All this can be accomplished with
out thigh joint commission"
Austria and the Separate Peace.
In England some comfort seems to have
been drawn from the declaration made at
Constantinople by the Austrian Ambassa-
dor as to the attitude of his government
with regard to a separate peace between
Russia and Turkey. The effect of that
declaration was to encourage the Ottoman
ENJOYS to 60 ahead fearlessly and make any
peace that Russia might demand, in the full
confidence that the Objectionable features
would be thrown out when Europe at large
came to review the negotiation. But if the
Turks act on that hint by what process and
at whose motion and when and where is
Europe to come to the rescue of the Mos
lem in the revision of the treaty? Perhaps
it would be rs difficult for the Turks to get
that remedy as it has been for the Danes to
secure the enforcement Of the fifth article of
the Treaty OF Prague. In fact, the Austrian
declaration seems to be suspiciously in the
Russian interest It was made only in
Constantinople, and has not been made in
ST. Petersburg. where it would have been
made if Austria desired to inform Russia Of
any change in her opinion as to the obliga-
tions Of the triple alliance.
Mayor Ely and the Excise Board.
Mayor Ely announces his belief that Mr..
Arthur Leary, who was recently nominated
and confirmed as Excise Commissioner in
place of Owen Murphy, has finally con-
cluded not to accept the position, and
states that he shall "try to agree with the
Aldermen" upon another nominee before
Tuesday next But what steps has Mayor
Ely taken to bring the defalcation in the
Excise Board and the careless management
of the department to the attention of Gov
ernor Robinson, in whom the law vests the
power of investigation and removal?
While he is endeavoring to ''agree
with the Aldermen" as to who Mr..
Murphy's successor shall be has
he discharged the more important
duty of arraigning Mr.. Murphys associates
in the Board who are responsible to the
city and to the liquor dealers for the safe
keeping of the moneys paid for excise
licenses or deposited with the Board on the
filing OF an application for license?
A few days ago liquor dealer was ar
rested for selling liquor illegally and pro-
duced license signed, not by MI. Murphy
or any other Commissioner, but by the
chief clerk of the Excise Board. The
dealer had paid his money and received
this license from the Board, but the law
requires that licenses shall be signed by the
Commissioners themselves, and the dealer
was held to answer the charge of illegal
selling in consequence of the irregularity
or neglect of the Board. It was elected on
the trial that number Of these licenses,
signed only by the clerk, had been issued;
but when the book from which the licenses
had been taken, and on the stubs Of which
the names of those receiving them should
have been entered, was called Tor in Court,
it appeared that it had been slost" The
Commissioners of Accounts have been
now for several days examining
the books and papers Of the Ex-
else Department, and they find them
SO strangely mixed, confused and incom-
plete that they are unable to discover how
the finances of the department stand with
out endeavoring by tedious search to dis
cover who has paid money for licenses and
ON receipts or what has become of it. Ger
tainly even Mayor Ely ought to see the pro-
priety of notifying the Governor of these
facts in formal charges against all the men,
bers of the Board. Their neglect and inca
pacity are shown in the loss or destruction
of the records Of the offices and in the con-
fused condition of the accounts as we'll as in
the carelessness which enabled their asso-
ciate to abscond with the excise moneys.
The Question OF Eternal Damn alton.
Is there hell, and if so, what kind of a
place is it? We give large portion of our
space this morning to discussion of this
exceedingly interesting subject. First there
are in an extended form the views of Mr.
Beecher, who has unbosomed himself to one
of our representatives more fully than he
did to his congregation in his recent re-
markable sermon on the question, and,
second, we present condensation of large
number Of letters which have been sent us
in regard to the matter. Mr.. Beecher, it
will be seen, breaks clear away from
the redhot old Calvinistic faith of
his fathers and utterly repudiates the
birthstone and the bottomless pit and
the oceans of eternal flame. 1t has, he as
sures us, been subject of anxious inquiry
with him for years, and, while he believes
that there is a spiritual hell, the old-fash-
toned arrangement that the Calvinistic
divines SO wildly painted some hundreds
of years ago is all nonsense. This is pretty
bold ground for Congregationalist clergy