Connecticut western news., 1878-02-28

That Drunken Senate The article in another column entitled "The Senate on a Drunk" is one of the saddest pictures ever portrayed In the annals of our country. The highest assembly or court Tn the land drunk absolutely drunk, is an inexpressi- bly, sad commentary upon human nature. What an example for the rising generation If United States senators drink with jmpu- nltY, and become drunken, why cannot IT? can consistently be asked by those who oc- cupy lower strata of existence. Tempe rance meetings in every village and hamlet, with their blue ribbon pledges attached to every coat, and the great United States Senate, with it's incoherent babblngs, wal lowing in its etupor of drunkenness, enact ing the most important laws that can come before the legislative body of any country. It is indeed Q sad picture. but it is Q con- fort to know that although large number were drunk on the occasion of the passage of the silver bill, as stated in the article al luded to, aH were not drunk, and among the number who refused to surrender to the giddY god, Bacchus, on that occasion, we feel sure we are right in saying, was th' Hon. Wm. H. Barnum. for whatever els. may have been said against him in his pub lie life. we have never yet heard of his once being drunk.
 Salisbury. past week has been largely devoted to the cause of temperance in our midst. and blue ribbons now fl, unt from the button holes of scores of recent converts to total abstinence princi- pies. Messrs. Hill and Bradford, the Mur- phY workers, who have held meetings on alternate nights in the Congregational church in this village, have met with won derful success in obtaining signatures to the pledge. Over 700 names are enrolled upon their books as the result of their ef- forts thus far in this town. Mir. Hill is a keen, quick-witted Irishman, who tells a capital story, and proves an effective advo- cate of temperance as he relates his own experience with intemperance. MT. Brad 1 ford is a fine elocutioniat who has few su- periors as public reader. Ills selections are chiefly temperance pieces, which, by bis rendering become powerful arguments in favor of the cause. The meeting on Saturday evening was addressed by several of our citizens, which resulted in effecting 8 permanent organization to be called ''An Auxiliary Branch of the National Christian Temperance Unlon." The following tenn porarY officers were chosen: President, Daniel Pratt; Vice-presidents, George E Bowers, Thomas l.. Norton Secretary, James R. Harrison Treasurer, William E. Cutting, It was voted to meet in Academy Hall on Saturday evening, March 2, fol the purpose of perfecting the organization The business outlook for the spring promises favorably. With the new Town hall, and the Washinee factory in process of construction, our mechanics will doubt. less find plenty of employment at home.
 K
 Afraid of our Popularity. Oh no. it is no trouble at all to run 8 newspaper and make 1t success, not only financially but in pleasing everybody. So we fiud it in talking dog. This (Monday) forenoon, one of our good and reliable citizens called up on us and said that so many sheep had been killed by dogs, that the farmers had been obliged to almost entirely abandon theil practice of keeping sheep. "There a-c not, says he, lover a hundred. sheep in the probably many more tran 6 hundred dogs and wish" he continued, ''you would mol be so afraid of your popularity, and would take off your coat and go for the dogs Now then. readers, what do you think of this :? For more than year we have ham, mered and pelted the dogs, and until every dog owner in the country is vexed at us, and for no purpose and motive but for the good of the human race. being fully persua ded that there were altogether too many dogs for the needs of the people, and es pecally is this true in view of the preva- lence of hydrophobia, aud also for the req son of which our good friend complains, the great slaughter of sheep; and now we are persecuted because we are afraid of oul popularity. and dare not write a vigorous article on the dog question. Anyway, well venture to say word, and as Gen. Jackson used to say, we'll ''take the responsibility
 There IS certainly no greater truth, than that the dogs have driven the sheep from al least this section of the country. A few years ago every farmer had his large drove of sheep. which he could profitably raise and maintain, but now the business is redu- ced to almost nothing, for the reason that he cannot turn them into pasture without the almost certainty that they will have dogs among them, and not only more or less ot them killed, but the rest of his drove thor oughly frightened and demoralzed. A re- port from forty seven towns in this state shows that $4,373 were paid for sheep kill ed by dogs the past year, s64 sheep being killed in these towns alone. A week or two since at 8 meeting of the New Haven Coun ty farmers, the question of sheep killing by dogs was introduced, and from amongst much else said against the ravages of dogs, we quote the brief remarks of two or three, which will give correct idea of the drif, of the discussion. They spoke as follows Edwin o. Davis of Guiltord said that in a his town there were hundreds of acres of B land that were lying at waste because the farmers had retrained from keeping sheep while if they could keep sheep the land could be made valuable.
 g ]. w. Yale of Meridep. said he would suggest that the farmers lands be properly manured by the dogs Of the land. He was of the opinion that thoroughbred dogs were ss bad as mongrel CUTS, so far as his expe 2 rience went,