Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-08

period in 1879. At that rate during the yea, l we should have at it's close over :, 1900 miles O. l new road laid but the fact is that much lar | ger amount than that is contemplated, worl not commencing in earnest till more favorable weather. Some idea of the increased busi- ness of the railroads of the country may bs | gained from the reports, published in the
 same journal, of the aggregate earnings oi l four of the great roads for the month of Janu. ary. These roads are the Grand Trunk, Great Western, New York Central and Pennsylva mia. The earnings of these roads in January 1879, were $5, ,563, 655; for the same month fn 1880 $6, 758, ,475, gain of 1,194, ,s2O foI the month.
 The evidence in the case of J. Wallace
 White, accused of attempting to bribe fusion
 members of the Maine Legislature, does not
 make his innocence as plain as is desirable.
 On the one side the accusers persist in their accusation, and swear positively to ell the de- tails of the attempt to seduce them from
 what they profess to have thought to be their duty, and those members of their own party in whom they confided swear that these men told them that they had consented to be bribed, and afterward that they had accepted the bribes. On the other hand MT. White swears that he did not give. nor offer, nor suggest in any form the offer of money to either of his accusers, but did in private con versation try to persuade them that they ought to desert the cause of the fusionists, which was manifestly based upon fraud, and would certainly be dismal failure. Other persons testify that these men had admitted to them that their party leaders were engaged in bad and disreputable business, and they wished they were well out of it. The direct evidence upon each side is about equally bal anced. But, as the Worcester Spy we'll says, ''It seems violently improbable that at this time, when the success of his party by hon. orable means was assured, any Republican could have been idiotic enough, even if he were base enough, to do what MT. White is accused of doing, while to an interruptions fusionist it might naturally have seemed the best thing possible for the party to bring the Republicans into disrepute and odium by lay ing plot to convict them of bribery
 The opinion of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia affirming the constitu- tionality of the acts of Congress intended to prevent the postal facilities of the country be- ing used for fraudulent lotteries aud other swindling concerns is interesting. The case was brought against Postmaster General Key by Maximilian A. Dauphin of New Orleans. The former had issued an order reciting that Dauphin was engaged Fin conducting a scheme or device for obtaining money through the mails by means of fraudulent pretenses, and promises" and directing the postmaster at New Orleans not to pay any money orders drawn in favor of Dauphin, nor to deliver to him any registered letters. | Dauphins counsel denied the right of Con gress to pass the law in question, and asked for an injunction against the execution of the | Postmaster Generals order. The court cites | the clause of the Constit ution which author izes Congress to establish postofices and post | roads, and says that there are no constitution | al Limitations on the exercise of this authority. Congress may exercise or refuse to exercise | the power. Postal facilities are not among | the rights and privileges of citizenship. The | whole postal system is 8 mere business accom- | modation for the people. In answer to the |
 
 CT, it cannot discriminate among persons or classes, but must legisIate for all alike, the | court holds that this principal of equality is | not asserted in the Constitution, and does not | apply in this case, whatever force it may have in other cases. The franking privilege was a | in favor of the class benetted d, | but it was not unconstitutional The uncon- ditional application of the principle that | there shall bs no discrimination among the persons by whom, or the purposes for which, the mails are used would open the postal faci!- ities of the country to the most corrupt uses aud make the Postofice department an agency of crime and tool of criminals. Congress has full power to prevent the mails being used against the welfare and morals of the country and to exclude from them whatever is openly used for corrupt, criminal unlaw ful purposes. The suit of Dauphin was there fore dismissed.