New-York tribune., 1879-01-01

an ex-President has been assassinated, have the
events of the year been of pressing interest.
THE PLAGUE.
In the heart Of the Summer q great blight fell
upon the Southwest and made the Lower Missis-
sIppi O valley of the shadow Of DEATH The first
cases of yellow fever were imported from the Island
of st. Thomas. The disease got a loothOd in New
Orleans about the middle of July. and soon be-
came Epidemic. 1t was carried thence to
Vicksburg, Memphis, Grenada, Port Gibson,
Baton Rouge and six smaller towns; and
there were sporadic cases in many other
places. The President in his annual message esti-
mates the number Of cases at 100000, and the
mortality Mt 90, 900 but these figures are undoubt-
ediy too large. The plague was not so virulent as
that of 1888, when there were nearly 5000 fatal
cases in NewOrleans alone; whereas this year there
were only 1000 deaths In VIcksburg there were
1000 deaths; in Memphis over 5000. ana
the total mortality was about 1l,OOO within
ninety days. The contributions from the
North reached $1,500.O00 in money alone.
There were very few cases after the irosts and as
early as November the Board of Health in New
Orleans declared that 1t safe for fugtIves to re-
turn. JOINT action by the Houses of Congress has
already been taken with view to legislative meas
Ures TO prevent the recurrence and spread of this
pes thence. The National Quarantine Act, which
was signed April 30, was not IN full operation when
the ravages of the fever began.
FEW DISASTERS AND CRIMES.
The yellow fever has been the only misfortune OF
any magnitude that has bolallen The country.
While there have been the most terrible shlDwreckS
III the EGgllsh ChanDel-and III British waters
such rs the capsizng of the wooden frIgate EuTy-
dice the loss of the Gr6sser KuIfiirst, the collision
Of tbo
Bywell Castle, and the wreck of the Pommeranla-
and long series of dreadful collery accidents in
Great Britain. there have been comparatively few
railroad accidents and des ructve fires in the United
States, and still fewer disasters on tho seabOard
and ON inland waters. The country has been spared
such chlamities as the loss of the Huron in 1877
and the Brooklyn Theatre fire in 1876. While The
rcstlcssness of the working classes has found vent
in political agitation, there has been no renewal OF
the spirit of lawlessuess whlch famed out during
the rlots of 1917 In the Far West there have been
two Indian outbreaks, but the Bannacks and the
Northern Cheyennes were brought under subiecllon
within few weeks. The business life of the coun-
try has been exposed to less reproach than was the
case III 1877. There has been less of downright
fraud and perjury in life insurance. and less OF
strained finance in coal stocks; there have been
fewer betravals of trust and bank failures caused
by reckless mSlldDagcmtnI, IL HAS DecH " ih"iO
honest year. Even on the Pacific Coast. where min
ing speculation has run high, there have been few
reputaions wrecked by sudden collapses and start
ling revelations In the metropolis itself tucre have
been two glarng cnmeS-the pillaging of the Man
haitian Bank and the robbery Of milhonaIre's
mouldering remains
an HONEST NEW YEAR.
Preparations for the crowning act of public mo-
rality and national pOcy-the resumption OF specie
paymcnts-haye gone on apacc. Secretary Sherman
ISSUED in September several orders III relation to
silver one of which. if it had not been rescuded,
would have brought about partial resumption
IN silver at the option of the note-holdcrs.
The New-York Clear House subsequently
brough, itself INTO relations with the Secretary by
decIl e.. to make no discrimination between gold
ana cibacks ter January /, to discontinue
gold accounts ana receive silver dollars on dc-
post only under special contract to repay III kind
Practically the banks have decided to demone-
tie the metal which Congress remonetizcd last
Winter. The Philadelphia and Baltimore banks
have refused to follow the New-York Clearing
House so far as its action relates to silver but
otherwise the banks of the country are in
accord with those OF the metropolis Since
the reassembling of Congress December q the
silver men have introduced few ill-ad-
vised resolutions i'll relation to tho trade
dollar and the banks, but have not been able to
command twO-thirdS vote, and have reluctantly
admitted that resumption must be tried as an eX-
pertinent. The amount of legal-tendcrs now out
standing is 1916, ,6Sl ,0l6, and the com balance on
November 23 was $ll1, ,Nos, 100. The Secretary.
however, is empowered to sell bonds under the
Refunding act, and in emergencies can Teplenisb
the coin reserve whenever it is seriously depleted
in the process of redemption. He apprchends no
immediate embarrassment from the Silver bill nor
from the act torbiddng the contraction of the cur
rency. The prospects of resumption are unclouded
The Government will keep its pledge from this-the
first day of what will be for Americans an Honest
New Year.
CI OSE OE THE WAR