Year: 1874

Vice-President Wilson sees more clearly the
causes of Republican defeat. than other promi-
nent men who have spoken since the election.
He is right in saying that the need Of
tho Republican party is craftsmanship,
and in recognizing the losses it sustained
by the Cincinnati movement in 1879. His own
outspoken. definite opposition to the Third
Term indicates his estimate of it as factor
in politics.


Strikes at the present time can have little
chance of success. The efforts of one of the
Unions among the cOopers to start such
movement are not likely to be encouraged by
the fortunate workmen who are not out of
employ. The longshOremen who are threaten
ing strike in case of a reduction of wages,
think, no doubt, that their case is hard one;
but they can see for themselves that few OF
the steamships in our port are making money
for their owners "Half loaf is better than
"none," should be the workingman's motto
at this season.


In the annual report of the General OF the
Army the record of large amount OF labor
is compressed in a small space. Gen. Sher-
man thinks that our army is the hardest
worked body of men in this or any country.
The frequent acquisitions for troops in the
Southern States added much to the labOrs OF
the army and the embarrassments OF the Gen.
eral; there will probably be fewer of these
in the future. Gen. Sheridan points out the
absurdity of the notion that the whites on
the border are desirOus of Indian wars, the
fact being that as all their wealth is In cattle
grazing on the plains, they have. everything
TO lose and nothing to gain from hOstiiitles.


There is an estimate in the Post Office report
which seems rather extravagant; it regards
the loss to the Department by the use of
washed stamps as approaching S1,OOO,OOO per
annum. If there were really any such whole
sale fraud as this carried on, 1T would be an
organized business and could not be kept
secret. The instances where postage stamps
are washed and used second time. are prob
ably few and scattered, the profit being too
small to pay for the trouble and risk OF detec-
ton. Perhaps the prospective sale of cancel
ing materials to the Government may have
cOlOred the estimate.


A report that the insurance companies of
the National Board had decided to renew
risks in Chicago is pronounced premature.
No such decision is probable till the reforms
in that city, in respect to the fire department,
the water supply, and the building
laws, have advanced considerably beyond
their present position. Chicago has
had an arduous task in respect to these re-
forms, especially difficult because of the brief
time that elapsed between the suggestions of
the Board and the stoppage of insurance; but
there is good reason to hope that the difficult
ties will be overcome before the close of the
year.


If Mr.. Disraeli, in his speech at the banquet
of the Lord Mayor of London, had limited
himself to comparison of the liberties en-
ioyed by British subjects with those of
subjects of other monarchies, he might
have made an admirable statement. In repre-
senting the privileges of British wOrkmen
as superior to those of the nobility
of other lands, he sought to convey an
entirely erroneous impression. Ii the work.
man has no fear of arbitrary ministers he has
very good reason to fear the injustice of
country magistrates. Mr.. Disrael should have
referred to the relative advantages enjoyed by
the workmen and nobility in his own country
But this point he Of course cautiously avoided


Progress was made yesterday toward the
trial of the cases which are collectively known
as the Brooklyn scandal. Mr.. TiltOn's suit
against Mr.. Beecher was called The defend
ants counsel wished it postponed till the ap-
peal for bill of particulars should be decided;
Judge Reynolds ordered that the argument on
the appeal should be heard next Friday, and
the case itself be called on the following
Wednesday. In the civil case OF Proctor
against MOultOn, the defendant made long
and wordy answer, reiterating his former
statements, and charging that the occurrences
which he described were related as told to
him by Mr.. Beecher. 1t was fOreshadOwed
that the criminal suit of Proctor against
Moulton which is to come up to-day, may be
postponed on the ground that the civil suit
should take precedence. The proceedings were
on the whole disappointment to those of
Mr.. Beecher's friends who wish the criminal
suit of Proctor against MOulton decided be-
fore the other cases.


A few more returns of the balloting on the
Constitutional Amendments have been sifted
out, from which it appears that a very full
vote has been cast on them, and that outside
of New York and Brooklyn there is large
majority in favor of their adoption. The
Council of Political Reform have been fgur-
ing on the tickets cast in this city, and have
ascertaned that over one hundred thousand
votes were cast, and that the majority against
the Amendments Cancelled on the Tammany
ticket is only about two thousand. If this is
SO there can be no question of their ratifca-
ton by majority larger than that which
elected Mr.. Tilden. Meantime it il worth the