Daily Republican., 1884-02-21
THE EVENTS OF TEE YEAR.

The year 1883 is one which will b
sadly remembered az o year Of sorro'
and calamity. Happily there was N
great war to destroy human life an
property but, on the other hand, Will
no country could boast of prosperity
even in an average degree, the disaster
OF the year weer numerous and great.
Great Britain has had the Irish prob
em before her, which Is yet unsOlved
The whole government tai progress of tn
nation is stopped while this obstruction
blocks the way. Such events as tn
murder of James Carey, the informer
an| heexplosiens In the underground
railway tunnels of London, are a re-
mipder Of the determination of Eng
land y secret.
Franco has changed her ministry
twice during the year. She has had
some trouble, but very little, with
Prince Napoleon Jerome, who is the
heir OF the B0napartist pretensions &c
the throne. And she Is engaged in
difficult and uppronising foreign
enterprises in Madagascar and Ton
quin.
In Germany nothing has occurred of
any Importance, nor are the affairs OF
Anstria-Hungary worthy of special
mention. Italy has distinguished her.
self by successful resumption OF
specie pay ments In gold, after very
long suspension. In Russia the
event of the year was the coronation Of
the Gar.
Spain has seen two changes of the
government. There has been one small
aud easily suppressed insurrection. The
most exciting event of the year was the
incident In Paris, on the return Of King
Alfonso from Germany, when he was
grossly iDsuted by French mob.
We should not omit to take note Of
revolution in the Republic of Ecuador,
of another in Hayti, of the numerous
crises in Bulgria andServiaa. of the coro-
nation Of King Kalakaua, of theHawa-
iian Islands of the rising of Egypt up-
der FL Mahdi, the false prophet, and
of the change of administration in Can
ada, where the Marquis of Lorne ended
his term AZ Governor.General, and
was Succeeded by the Marquis OF Lans.
dOwDe.
la our own country there has been
very little ofpoliticial interest 10 record.
The three most important changes IN
the laws of the country are those which
Introduce the civil service reform,
change the tariff, and reduce letter pos
tage to two cents.
But there are other matters deserving
notice, slch as the long aud vain trial
Di the star route COnspirators; the great
and unsuccessful telegraph strike; tn
of the Northern Pacific
Rdilroad =; the decision of the Supreme
Court that the Civil Rights Bill was
unconstitutional the transfer of the
of the army from Gen' Sher-
man to Geh'l Sheridan and the adop-
tlon OF the new standard time"
OF matters which concern the whole |
world, We may mention the general
celebration throughout ChristendOm OF
he four hundredth anniversary of the |
birth of Martin Luther. The crops of
he world have leen fair, but not abun-
!ant. No country has bee greatly def |
,ient, and not one has had great eX-
tsS.
Business has not been active and not
lie failures is a very long one, and the
lumber OF failures of great magnitude
y almost unparalleled. Strikes have
een very frequent, aud have affected
many countries and many trades.
Rarely has there been II year when
he elements, disease, and the careless
ess of men, have caused the loss of so
many lives as was the case in 1883.
here were earthquakes at Athens, in
Asia Minor, in lschia, where four thou.
and persons pcrished, and in Java,
here the loss of life was nearly one
undred thousand.
Tomatoes, in this and other cOuntries;
oods, as in India where hundreds of
ilages were submerged the cholera,
l India and Egypt; famine, in Asia
linor and Hayli the horrible affair
Sunderland, in England, where two
nDdred school children were crushed
} death the capsizing of the steam ,
mp Daphne, while lanching, with the
,ss Of one hundred and fifty lives; the
lti.Jewish riots in Hungary and Rus. !:
IA; such is a partial list Of the horrors {
+ the year.
The great men who have passed away .
re many. From the Royal circle are 4
Iissed the Comte de Chambord, who
most became king OF France, and
rince Frederick Charles, brother of
lr Kaiser William of Germany.
Gambetta, the greatest French Re-
ubltcan Gen. Chanzy, the hero of the
ar lS1 Gortschakotf, the great Rus
an chancellor; Lord Overstone, Who'll
ade the bank OF England what it isl
'.day ard Karl Marx, the founder ol
le revolutionary society known as the
INTERNATIONALLY have dropped from the
INKS Of ioreign ststesmen and politi-
ans.
Among American statesmen Who'll
ave died are no less than four eX-cahi.
ri ,iicers. -~J,ruiah >. Black, Lot NJ.
Orrlii, Marshall Jewell and Timothy
: Howe besides Alexander II. Steph-
~, Governor Of Georgia at the time Oe {
= death and ex-senator Edwin ID. |;
organ.
Nor must we forget William f.
odge and Peter Cooper, eminent phi t
Sojourner Truth, the col g
ed lecturess or "TOm Thumb" who, i
nall as he was, filled large placs in i
9 com muLity, a generation ago. s