Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-04-19
NEW YORK LETTER.

observed this year than usual, and
Easter is brighter and more joyous.
The past winter has been remark
able for its abundance of rain,
snow and wind.
The st. Nicholas hotel, we'll
known to Southern visitors, is being
torn down. Business houses will
be erected upon its site.
The expedition to the Polar re-
gions in search of the Greedy ex-
plorers is rapidly preparing for
departure. The steamer "Alert,"
presented by England to the United
States for the express purpose of
taking part in the rescuing squad
ron, Is momentarily expected to
arrive.
The opera season is closing. Both
of the great companies have suffer
ed, financially. Col. Mapleson. of
Her Majesty's Opera, has lately
returned from Western tour,
considerably recouped from his loss
es, and Mr.. Abbey, of the Metro
politan Opera House, has realized
over $50, 900 from the sale of seats
for his personal benefit on the 21st.
1t is generally understood that Mr..
Gye, of London, probably the
greatest operate manager in the
world, will take charge of the Met
ropolitan for the next season.
The rottenness of the Depart
ments of the City Government is
being brought to light by the legis-
latiVe committees of the state. One
Mr.. Roosevelt, young man of high
social standing in the city, having
been elected to the State Senate,
has infused into his associates a
Juror of reform, and things are
being Investigated very lively about
the municipal buildings. His first
grand success was the passage of
bill divesting the Board of Alder
men of their confirming power
over all appointees, making many
of these appointments elective,
and comforting the rest of the power,
and the responsibility, upon the
Mayor. This is a move toward
autocracy; but little good, whole
some autocracy is what the people
of New York want. They have
long been governed by crowd of
Tammany "heelers" and whisky
dealers.
OLD SOLDIERS.
On the evening of April 9th in
stant,-the nineteenth anniversary
of the surrender at Appomattox
Court House, Virginia, there was
public meeting in the Cooper Union
Hall which should greatly interest
Southerners. 1t was held in res
ponse to a call for aid which had
been published in the city papers,
and its object was to raise funds for
the building of a Home in Rich
mond, Va, for disabled executed
crate soldiers. This movement is
under the auspices of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and they
have already made considerable
progress. The speakers of the &C.
casion were Generals O'Beirne and
George A. Sheridan, Corporal Tan
ner of Brooklyn, and Judge Albion
w. Tourgee, ex-Federals, and Gen
erals ]. B. Gordon of Georgia,
Floyd King of Louisiana, and
Major Quincy of Richmond, ex-
Confederates. General Gordon, by
the way, is now an honored citizen
of New York. Letters of regret
were read from many prominent
men, among them Generals Grant
and Hancock, promising efficient
aid to the enterprise.
The tone of fine meeting was one
of hearty good-fellowship with the
South, and all of the Northern
speakers accorded it more glory in,
and love for, the Union since the
war than we perhaps deserve. AS
the meeting opened, the band play
ed "Marching through Georgia"
which was received in utter silence;
but when they struck up "Dixie"
Immediately after, there was a
storm of applause and rounds Of
hearty cheering.
The above, taken from y chance
crowd of New Workers, consisting
chiefly of men who had casually
dropped in, attracted by the open
hall, and perhaps containing few
more ex-Federal soldiers than
ual,-is a correct evidence of the
feeling in this part of the North
toward the South.
cannot conceive how any South
erner could be present at this meet
ing, and listen to all the proceed
ings, without feeling a burning
blush of shame for the action of the
South in this matter-or rather, the
absence of action.
According to Southern public
men of integrity and knowledge,
and according to Southern newspa-
pers, the South is now in a more
prosperous condition than it was
before the war. Is it probable that
the South, as it was before the war,
would have asked aid from the
North in such matter? Possibly
it would have been too proud even
to accept it. Yet the ability of the
South to provide harbOr for its
own old soldiers was not mentioned
by any of the speakers. That is
one reason for an honest feeling of
shame for the South, and another is
the fact that a chance gathering of
Southerners, with liberal proper
ton of ex-soldiers, would not be
likely to listen in silence to "Dixie,"
and give rafting round of cheers
in salute to marching through