The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-12-11

IFRou OUR REGULAR ooRREsPoNDEN1
New YORK, November "a, 1879.


1t is now announced that passage has
been secured for General Grant in the
steamer City Of Alexandria, for the
West Indies and Mexico. The steamer
is advertised TO sail from New York on
the 9th Of December. Mr.. John
Alexander, one Of the owners Of the
vessel, said last evening that the report
that General Grant was soon to start
for Cuba and New Mexico was founded
on the fact that his passage had been
engaged for those places by Drexel,
Morgan & Co., the bankers. The COM
pany marked on the passenger list the
two bridal chambers for the use of
Grant. The City Of Alexandria is an
almost entirely new vessel, having only
made three trips. The bridal chambers
in her are described as furnished in the
most sumptuous style, with satin and
silk hangings. Mr.. Alexander THINKS
that Mexico is to be General Grants
destination. He saw that country
during the Mexican war, and has fre-
quently expressed himself to his friends
as delighted with the climate he found
there.
The greatest farce Of the day is the
trial Of Captain Williams, the clubbing
policeman, whose acquittal on Thursday
last stamped official ruliianism with the
approval Of the authorities. Judge
Gildersleeve charged the Jury in such
fashion that they had no alternative
but to acquit and, when the verdict
was read, the court complimented the
distinguished clubber, and Informed
him that his conduct was observing of
praise" This precedent is a fine thing
for the city, so thoroughly now under
the tyrannical whims of blue-cOated
roughs, and it remains to be seen who
will try the efficacy of the opposing
opinion OF another judge, recently de-
livered, which emphatically declared
that a citizen had the right to resist a
policeman, unless the cause of arrest
was an obvious breach Of the peace.
I saw Johu Russell Young in front OF
the Herald office the other day. He
had been a guest at the Gilbert-Sullivan
J dinner given by the Lotus Club the
night before. He is somewhat stouter,
and looks more compact than when be
= first came to be one OF the best known
figures on Broadway. His volumiuous
? correspondence to the Herald during
= General Grants travels, written with
: the close observation, purity of style
: and unerring judgment which charac'
e terizes his newspaper work, have prob.
ably been more widely read than any
g thing that journal ever attempted il
e the Exclusively to the HerdId' line
I Il has always been harder matter t
Z pass" the United States custom house,
than those Of any other country but o
r late, owing to additional structures oil
n the part Of the New York officers
}. based, it is believed, upon special order
e from Washington, this has beeOm
e harder than ever. The passengers from
}, Europe, on their arrival at New YorB
t are subjected to a rigid Interrogation
IT and their baggage is searched with tn
n utmost thoroughness. They are frs
u obliged to make a written and swOrl
o statement as to the dutiable articles il
:, their possession, and then their person
o aud their trunks are searched narrowl.
/ to see If they have inadvertently or in
r tentiOnally committed perjury. Womel
searchers are provided to examine tn
2 dresses Of the lady passengers, and thes
a examinations, it is presumed, are con
4 Quoted with due delicacy and privacy
7 But as to the baggage, the examina
tions are made with entire publicity
5 aud often with extreme rudeness. Ther
$ is difference between the inspector:
. Of course. Some are polite and cousid
t crate, but many are rough and bruts
{ men, who act as if the passengers ar
! cOnvicts over whose actions and pos
# sessions they have absolute power an
who are to be looked upon as criminal
Of the most suspicious description
These remarks have no reference to th
question Of protection Uersus free trade
Allowing that the United States has
: perfect right to impose the severe re
strictions and the very heaviest dutie
upon whatever imported articles
, pleases to, the customs examination
should at least be made decently ant
d courteously. Because some traveller
undertake to smuggIe, it does not follow
a that all travellers should be treated a
r thieves, nor should a nation like tn
United States permit, for another singl
y day, the continuance of the indignitie
and insults which are regularly ofiere
4 to respectable travellers Of both sexes a
T New York, Boston, and other Easter
cities. The glaring publicity Of the ex
e aminatiOns is one bad feature. Th
trunks are opened and their content
i unpacBed on a public wharf, in ful
e view Of gaping crowd. Even if lad,
has nothing dutiable in her trunks, sh
e may not like to have all her privat
= property exhibited to a miscellaneou
Assem- blage in that way. Again, trunk
unpacked so summarily cannot be re
packed properly amid the hurry au,
n hustle Of the pier, and many valuabl
Il and fragile articles are thus sure to b
!. damaged. The examinations should b
s made in private rooms, and should b
! conducted with due deliberation AM
delicacv. Another bad system is tba