The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-09-18
Current Comment.

Gen. Butler has discovered another indi-
cation of business prostration. He has been
studying up our vital statistics and declares
that the times are so hard in his State that
sinfant children cannot afford to come into
it"-and that accounts for the diminishing
number of births.
Over million dollars day are being
eagerly loaned to the United States Govern
ment at four per cent. annual interest. The
last Democratic government that this coun-
try had couldn't borrow money at less than
II per cent, and had hard time to get it at
that Which party appears to maintain the
credit OF the nation ?-Burlingt0n Houkeye
Political prophesying is always risky bdsi-
ness, and the industrious persons who are
now so sure that the Maine election has
s'killed off Blaine'' should reflect upon the
possibility of reaction in favor of honest
money within year. They will perhaps be
able to see that such reaction would not
put MIR. Blaine in the worst position in the
WORLDLY. Y. Tribune.
When this man Murch who has beaten
Eugene Hale in the fifth Maine district was
nominated for Congress, he boasted that he
had not been in schoolhouse since early
boyhood, and that he had never saved dol.
lar of his earnings. He is a stone cutter,
but has latterly found it easier to be secretary
OF the Maine stone cutters, union at good
salary than to work at his trade. The stone
cutters at Vinalhaven lost $25 900 in wages
last spring by striking at his direction aud
then went to work at the old wages. No
very statesmanlike legislation will proceed
from Murch or fellows like him who use hon.
yun nD1O oc hal alr,ar t~x \
power.-SprinaJfeld Union.
The Earl OF Dufferin has been selected by
the Marquis of Salisbury to take part in the
labors of the European commission contem-
plated by the Berlin treaty, and will have
special duty assigned him in connection with
carrying out reforms in Asia Minor. Lord
Dufferin leaves Canada next week, and Gen.
Sir Patrick McDougall will become acting
governor general in virtue of his office of
commander-in-chief of the Queens troops.
The Marquis OF Lorne and the Princess Louise
leave England for Canada in the first week
OF October. Lord Dufferin has held office in
the East before and lis, in official circles re-
garded as the probable successor of Lord
Lytton in the governor generalshp of India.
Chairman Quay of the Republican State
Committee of Pennsylvania, is cheered
rather than disheartened by the news from
Maine. He thinks General Hoyt's election
is assured by a plurality of at least 100000.
The law of Pennsylvania says that plurality
elects, and Mr.. Quay reasons from the way
that the Greenbackers absorbed the Demo-
cratic votes in Maine, that the Republicans
IN Pennsylvania have now a sure prospect of
success. The Democratic press of the State
gives strength to this claim by making ap-
peals to the Democrats not to vote the Green
back ticket, because every vote of that kind
will help Hoyt. As Mr.. Quay says, the
Greenback movement is annihilating the
Democracy, aud the further it goes in that
direction in Pennsylvania the larger will be
Hoyt's plurality.
The Board of Education of New Haven
consists OF nine members, three of whom
are elected each year. The Board last wear.
it will be recollected, voted to abolish devo-
tional exercises in the public schools. The
question was made the issue in the election
yesterday, and aroused great deal of inter-
est. The pulpits, Sunday, took up the mat
ter, and sermons, bearing upon the exclusion
of the Bible from the schools were delivered
by the Rev. DIR. Dennen aud others, and
printed in the newspapers. 1t is remarkable
IN this connection that Roman Catholic
pastor, the Rev. Mr.. Fitzpatrick, OF St. Pat
rick's Church, addressed his congregation in
favor OF the restoration of the former rule
requiring devotional exercises at the opening
of the schools. The election was held yes
terday, and the ticket pledged to the restora.
tion of the Bible was elected by majority
OF 26O0. This result. in city like New Ha-
ven, indicates that any attempt to tamper
with the public school system in Difference to
the supposed wishes of the Catholics or any
other religious body, will provoke an emphatic
rebuke, not only from the old New England
sentiment, but from the more reasonable
portion of the Catholics themselves. 1t is
gratifying to see Catholics and Protestants
working together to accomplish an end so
entirely consistent with the accepted theory
of our common schools. Jour-
nal.