The Forrest City times., 1894-05-11
CURRENT TOPICS.
important Events Attracting Public At- tention. and Discussed in Newspapers and Elsewhere.

... The widows of many famous men are making their home in Washington. Mrs. Stanley Matthews. widow of sx-Justice Matthews; Mrs. Hearst, widow of the California millionaire; Mrs. John A. Logan, Mrs. Phil Sheri- Ian, Mrs. Blaine, and soon Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Childs, widow of the noted Philadelphia editor, will make Wash. ington their home.
 NV. C. r. Breckinridge, the Ken lucky congressman. has made his promised plea before his constituents, there being an immense crowd at Lex ington on the occasion. Whatever may be said of BrecSinridge his voice has lost none of its ''silvery" tone. "Of what I have been guilty" said he. "I have made public acknowledgment under oath in the sight of God And now that exposure has come there is an element of gladness in it. 1 care not now for the closet door to be opened. There is no skeleton there, and l can go into the clear sunlight out of mysteries, and look up through the blue skies into the upper world with the feeling that there is no cloud" These are samples of his utterances. And further, it is said, he appeared before the meeting of the session of the church over which his father, Robert c. Breckinridge, presided in. years gone by, confessed his guilt. prayed for for giveness, which was granted, and he was taken into the church. This move, says a dispatch from Lexington, it is believed, will put Breckinridge in good standing with the church people again. The Louisville Courier-Jour- nal has come out in opposition to Breckinridge, and MT. Watterson. the editor, has thrown bonn mbshell into the Breckinridge camp. The fight is now on, fast and furious Breckin- ridge represents the Seventh district of Kentucky. He was elected in 1892 by 8 vote of 6,5sS to 9,433 for his repub- lican opponent. T. J. Hardin, and 73o cast for Johnstone, candidate of the peoples party.
 -. The general conference of the Methodist church, south, held at Mem phis, Tenn, has again called to the front the question of uniting the north
 
 church. It is we'll known that the church split on the slavery question, which was settled thirty years ago. The bodies of the men who gave their lives to settle that momentous issue have crumbled into dust; nature has effaced the scars on battle fields; men who were boys then are now grand fathers: the soldiers of the north and south fraternize at every opportunity; but still the ghost of slavery keeps the church apart, and when reunion is sug- gested loud and scornful protest is heard. Why is this? Surely it is not the love of the Master in whose foot steps both branches are following. Can it be-and the charge is not a new one that individual ambition is the divid- ing wall?
 .... Rev. John Snyder, of St. Louis, says the Commonweal movement will help emphasize the fact that we do not live under democracy, but under republic. The difference is vital, al- though many people slur it over. In republic, says Mir. Snyder, the people do not elect political measures, they elect men. In theory and practice, the people of this government have delegated political power to the pres ent governing bodies for specific term of years. In MT. Snyder's opinion the only real democratic government is the English government, and when parlia- ment meets the people of England meet. At any moment parliament may be dissolved and specific meas ure referred to the people.
 Hope Leo XIII. has not aban- doned the hope of closing his pontifi- cate with an act which will immortal ize his name in history. His pre-emi- nent desire. it is said, is to be able to guarantee peace all over Europe, and then dispense with the necessity of maintaining .he enormous armaments which now oppress all the powers. Such, it is understood, are the plans of the pope. who will devote all his energy and capacity to the task of securing their realization.
 -. Baron Blanc, Italian minister of foreign affairs, in a recent debate in the chambe of deputies, referring to the lynching of Italians in New Or leans several years ago, said: 'I be- lieve that the restoration of harmony will hare the effect of delivering Ital- ian cmigrants from local tyranny. and that it will direct them to new fields of agriculture and colonization, especial ly in the southern states of America, where Spanish is spoken, and where the climate is similar to that of Italy"
 =. Matthew Marshall, of New York, accepted authority on things financial. says: 'The prevailing depression in