, 1881-03-25
ID. o. Mills has resigned a directorship
n the Western Union

| IL. ". MlIlS mas resigned ulFecLOrSIilp
| the Western Union.
Louis c. Ross, contracting agent for the
Wabash railroad, committee suicide on
the 9Th with pistol; cause, nervous de-
preston.
At an inquest held over the body OF
Harry Frieburn, an engineer of the Bal
timore and Patomac Railroad Co., who
died from injuries received at the recent
! collision near Severn, among the wit
nesses was John Roy. conductor of the
! extra train. During the examination he
! said "Frleburn and l had orders read
over to us twice by the dispatcher in
| Baltimore, and the accident was due TO
our careiessness. Harry is dead now, and
l alone am responsible" The jury found
| that Frieburn came TO his death by col
| iision which occurred through the negli-
gence ofsaid Frieburn, engineer, and John
Roy. conductor of the south bound train.
| The democratic caucus assigned sena-
! tors Farley, Grover, Slater and Fair to
| committee positions as follows: Farley il
TO be chairman of the committee on mines
and mining, and retains his present posi-
| ton on the committee on commerce,
| poStOftice and naval affairs. Slater is
| given the chairmanship of the committee
on agriculture, is made member of the
pensions committee, and remains in the
committee on Indian affairs and terrific
| rIes. Grover, by promotion, becomes
chairman of the military committee and
remains in the committee on public lands,
| railroads and manufactures. Fair is pro-
| yIded for by assignment to the committee
on mines and mining, public lands and
| railroads.
The appointments of Messrs. Everett,
Thurman and Howe, as the United States
| commissioners to the international mon
etary conference, appears to give univer-
sal satisfaction, especially that of Judge
Thurman, which aside from it's being
graceful compliment is notably suitable
| alike, by reason of his familiarity with
the subject involved and his fluent COM
mand of the French language. Thurman
and Howe were among the first members
of the senate to follow Jones of Nevada,
IN his pronounced advocacy of bimetal-
ism and the re-establishment ofa double
| standard i'll this country, and Everett, al
though not quite SO far advanced in his
position on this subject, sequaly earnest
in his desire to made the coming confer
| ence complete success. Senators and
| representatives from mining states are
greatly pleased that provision has been
made for American partici patton in this
important council and are very sanSuine
that the result will be highly beneficial to
our mineral interests. Senators Jones, of
Nevada, and Hill, of Colorado, both 'ex-
press the beliefthat with an international
acceptance of the rates of l59 to /, as the
| standard equation of the two precious
metals, silver will at once advance in price
| from % TO so per ounce and maintain that
| value for many years. The effect ofthig
ofcourse would be to give agreat impetus
| to silver mining and especially tend 10
make profitable the working of low grade
ores. The Colorado papers have been
| quite earnest in urging the appointment
| OF Senator Jones as member of the con-
ference, but in view of his already hold
ing an office he could NOT be appointed
| legally, even If willing to serve.
The rapid appreciation of rents in
Chicago is getting to be a serious matter
with tenants. They find themselves con-
| fronted with a double dilemma of very
much higher prices for their present To-
cation, and an impossibility of doing bet
ter by moving, while many who have
thrown up leases because of the rapacity
of landlords find themselves unable to
secure any new quarters whatever. The
condition of affairs arises, according 10
real estate men, not from paucity of build
ing operations during the past gear, for
very many large and eommodious build
| lngs have been erected, but from the rush
toward the city of new business firms
What is true of rents in the business
section OF the city Is also true of residence
rents, and the first of May will witness
such a scramble for houses as was never
seen here before. Ii now looks as though
many people would be entirely homeless,
although, according to building statistics
recently telegraphed, over five thousand
residences We're erected during 1880 in
Chicago. Homes which two years ago
rented for $50 to $50 per month are now
bringing $50 to S125 and even higher pro-
portionate rates are being fixed in some
cases. In the business portion the ad-
vance ranges from II to 90 per cent. One
case is known in which the furniture fl. m
which last year paid $4,000 was asked to
pay $4,000 for three years lease, and
after casting about and finding no other
building available, was compelled to nc
cede to the terms. In another instance
a wholesale firm on State street whose
rent has been S25O0 will pay $500 the
coming year. Agents as well as renters
and owners consider this genuine rise in
rents, not an engineered scare, and it may
be stated that the busnes prosperity and
growing activity in every branch of in.
dustry is further warrant FOR the ad-
vance