The Republican journal., 1883-03-01
One Year Ago-and Now.

apathy which prevails concerning il is in strlk-
ing contrast to the scenes and struggles of Il
year ago. Then one might have fancied that
the fate of the universe hung trembling III the
balance. Disciples of Dennis kearney invaded
the back districts and shouted themselves hoarse
in telling how the farmers and laborers were
ground down hy the ''bloatcd bondhoders'' of
Belfast. Half a dozen lawyers, each to the
neglect of large and lucrative practice. and
actuate1 solely by philanthropic and patriotic
motives became editors and distributed the
scntillation> of their intclects, gratis, from
door to door. Men who had been guilty of ac-
cumulatng money honestly and of using it in
business enterprises beneficial to the cOmlnun-
ity as well as to individuals, were soundly de-
nounced. The banks. the custodian> of the saw
ings of working men and women, and without
whose aid the business interests of the place
would be seriously crippled. were assailed in
the choicest legal phraSeology. But we will
not further recall the characteristics of that
long and exciting campaign. There was. how
ever, a brighter side, of which something may
be said 1t was revealed in the promises made
before the election. The railroad debt. which
had so long weighed upon us, was TO be dispos-
ed of, either by refunding on repudiation-the
latter having slightly the RECOMMENDATION
was to be reduced. and Reform with big r.
was to peryade every branch Of the city gov
eminent. 1t was big contract.
OF course everybody realizes now that the
contest of one year ago was in some degree Il
a tea he II of no
amateur editors are to be taken in Pickwickan
sense They really owe no i'll will to our banks
They did not believe that the preferred stock
holders in the railroad were all vile and Ncual
nor that rich men are necessarily Il curse to a
community. Perhaps some few may have been
mi>led at the time by the warmth of their Ian
guage, and by the energy with which they
hurled nvectyes; but the majority knew Ill
the time that these were but playful illusions,
with now and then AN inevitable ">lopping
over 1t was only 10 he expected that zeal
would occasionally outrun discretion; and 50
these transgressions are forgiven. The Tax
payer of year ago can now lie down with the
preferred stakeholder; and not. like the lion
and the lamb one inside of the other.
now drawing to Il close it cannot be said that
it has met with factiou> opposition from any
quarter When the election was over every
one expressed the wish that the victors might
accomplish the impossible things they We're
pledged TO perform. The new MayOr had, and
has. the confidence andrespect of the whole COM
munity: and it is to be regretted that rs much
cannot be said of all his associates. IT, as now
seems probable, there is to be no opposition to
the reelection Of the present government, there
ought at least to be some changes in the ticket.
If the men now in office have satisfied those who
elected them, there is no occasion for fault-tind-
ing. Those who opposed them did not believe
they could reduce taxation or refund the debt,
andh there is no accountability on either side.
There has been a slight reduction in taxation
from the previous year, but this is due to the fact
that there were no judgments against the city
to be paid this year, while 81 900 We're paid into
the Treasury by the Masonic Temple Associa-
ton. With the assistance of the banks about
$4,000 of the six per cent. bonds have been
refunded i'll the new four per cents. of which
S23,S00 represents called bonds. While this
may do for beginning, it does not prom
Use very speedy relief. Other Maine cities
have had no difficulty in disposing of four
per cent. bonds at premium-we noticed a
sale of Gardiner bonds the other day at one per
cent. premum-and it seems as though some
thing might be done to hasten the refundng
process here. 1t is Il question of Il good deal
more Importance to our citizens than tile one As
to who shall hold the city offices. and is 50 re-
garded, we believe, by the taxpayers general
ly. Now. what are they going to do about it !:
We have received from W. +. Stevens. of
Newport r. l., il copy of Il London daily paper,
The Star, of Sept. 3Oth. 1873. 1t is folio sheet
less than half the size of the journal, and the
price was siXpence half penny per copy-about
thirteen cents. There was at that time Il stamp
duty on newspapers. The first page and a por-
ton of the fourth contain advertisements, the
remaining portion is devoted to news. There
are brief editorial comments on the reported
evacuation of Dresden after several dreadful
battles" and on rumOr that "Bonaparte had
demanded an armistice, which had been refus-
ed" Under date Falmouth. Sept. 2Sth we read :
"Arrved this day the American ship Erie
Robinson, Master, as a flag of truce, from Ply
mouth for Boston, having on board the widow
of the late Joel Barlow-she will sail again to-
morrow morning. Mr.. Barlow was ambassa-
dor to France at the time of his death, and died
Oct, 1872, when on his way to conference
with the Emperor Napoleon at wilma. The war
of 1872 was in progress at this time. but the
Star contains no news concerning it save an
item from letter from New York via. Ber-
ida, about the defence of that city.