The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-01-02
The Record of the Year.


While not a few twelvemonths have
been more exciting-wtnessing, per-
haps, the rise, progress or conclusion of
some mighty war or the occurrence of
fearful earthquake or other con-
vulsion-the year which has just ended
has been exceptionally interesting.
While mercifully spared from an eX-
cess of horrors, the year of the three
Fights will long be remembered for the
variety of its noteworthy events and
for the general absence of great mis-
fortunes.
In our own land our people have once
more shown their ability to exercise
the rights of freemen, without falling
into the excess of license, by the peace
full election of president and other
national and state officers. The ses-
sions of congress have been more than
ordinarily important, since they in
cluded discussions of the tariff, the
Canadian fisheries and the exclusion
of Chinese laborers. The first of these
questions still remains unadjusted, as
far as any vital modification of the
present protective system is concerned;
the nation has taken strong ground on
the fisheries, and policy, perhaps too
rigid, has been inaugurated in regard
to the Celestials. Another blow has
been struck at Mormonism in deprv-
ing the church of the " Saints " of its
corporate rights; and San Domingo has
been called to order for too reckless in
reference with our commerce. An in
ternational copyright bill has long been
before congress, but there seems little
prospect of its immediate passage.
Yellow fever has ragged in some parts
of Florida, teaching the neglected les
son of the Importance of strict sanitary
measures to the health of semi-tropical
cities. The appointment of a new
chief justice, NJ. w. Fuller of Chicago,
has brought a new element into our
supreme court. The blizzard of March,
the gale of November and the warm
Christmas, with the cold and frequent
rains of the summer and fall, have
given the year meteorological prom
inence. Several frightful disasters on
railroads and on our western waters
have enforced the half-forgotten in
junction that modern Improvements
should only increase the watchfulness
of common carriers.
Abroad, while Europe has been
spared the eastern war so generally APP
pretended early in the year, Germany
has been agitated by the quick sue
ceeding deaths of two emperors, the
nonagenarian, William l., and his son,
Frederick III. William H., who now
reigns, has visited the pope, and as a
result of their unsatisfactory interview
the distinctively Protestant policy of
the empire may be regarded as strength
ened. The friendly relations of France
and Russia have been strengthened
through the liberal subscriptions to the
new Russian loan at the Paris Bourse,
and thus a strong barrier has been
erected against the alleged war-ike pro-
clivties of the young German Emperor.
News has been received of the STAN
ley expedition, so long unheard from.
1t is certain that the great explorer
was safe-as was also Emin Bey, for
whom he went in search-a few months
ago, and it is hoped that the Moslem
report of their subsequent capture by
the Mahdi will prove untrue. The
London Times appears to have suffered
a disastrous collapse in its charges of
completely on the part of Mr.. Parnell
with the Irish murderers of Phoenix
Park. The Irish problem, it may here
be said, is still perplexing English
statesmen. M. DeLesseps' Panama ca
nal scheme has fallen under a cloud,
and is believed by many to be ruinously
costly and practically impossible, but
within few days an earnest effort has
been made at Paris to put the enter
prise on its feet again. Germany,
England and France are busy in ex-
tending their colonies in Africa, and
just now Germany is fighting the