smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT RETUR URNISG BOOKS


TO EUROPE THAT COME IL THE MAILs-A Vo-


LtTIoN OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS.


To the Editor OF The Tribune.


SIR: The nations of Western Europe with
that respect for letters which has usually
their policy have for many years adopted the principle
that books sent through the post Office should pass from
country country free Of duty The United States for
mally adopted the system by joining the Postal
Union, by treaty Not only this but the treaty by
mon consent, made OF peculiarly binding nature.
nation being allowed TO withdraw from it, alter
the terms of it, except with the consent of the rest


This treaty has hardly gone into force when the United
States Post Office undertakes only to disregard it,
but practically TO abrogate IT, by returning all books
liable to duty to the country from which they came
This is done under pretext that articles subject to duty
cannot be sent by mail


This is such obvious violation Of law by the Post
Office and the argument just mentioned is so absurd,
scarcely to deserve answer. But to put the matter
beyond cavil the following viii suffice:


II is cardinal principle of international law that
nation making treaty cannot thereafter make laws in
consistent with such treaty, and if any such laws
listed prior to the passage of the treaty they by the
treaty, ipso factO annuled so far as they conflict.


No nation has vigorously asserted this principle
than the United States When England, in answer TO
the demand the extraditlon of Wnsow for forgery
replied that such eItadltlon would be contrary to
existing statutes the United States made that
statutes had validity against treaty And all Amer
leans indignant at the bringing forward Of Opalry
And this is precisely the argument now
urged by our Post Office


-Quid rides Mutato nomne de te
Fabula uarratur


When the Canadian Reciprocity Treaty was ratified
many years ago. surprise felt that all the pro-
visions Of the tariff inconsistent with it invalid
Examination showed, however, that this was matter
of course and consequently our customary intercourse
with Canada, long as the treaty remained Ia force,
regulated, not by the tariff but by the treaty Mr.
Gushing, when Attorney General, delivered opinion
this point III 1854 declaring that treaty repealed all
legislation all law, written unwritteu that was IN
conflict with it, And the present AttOrneyGeneral IN
December last called the attention Of Congress TO the
fact the duty books could not be collected
those sent by bUOkposT without an infracton OF the
treaty.


Nevertheless the Post Office is daily in utter viola
tOn and contempt OF law sending back books that ar
rive by boOk-pOst 10 the countries from which they
came. That sooner later his highbanded proceeding
will be put stop to- there is no doubt, but meanwhile
serious wrong is beng done. HoRATIUs


Philadelphia, June Is, 1873.
Year: 1878

Many years ago the writer Of the poem


below was riding on the cars one Winter
morning, when the snow was falling quietly
In large feathery flakes, covering the ground
with soft. white deecy mantle. 1t could


not be called a snow storm, but just that
graceful fall that was itself poem. Ad-
miring it's beauty the writer kept saying to
herself beautiful snow beautiful snow p
never having heard at that time Of the
lovely poem of the same name written by
Watson, the author of the Vagsbonds. She
wrote the following poem while. her mind
was full of the thoughts thus suggested,
copied It In be, book of poems, and thought
no more bout 1t. A long time aftarward
it was published In Daughsdy's School
Visitor, not thought Of again, until she saw


an advertisement of select readings, among
the articles Beautiful Snow" She Won
Year: 1878

The development Of the commercial and
industrial possibilities Of the great and rich
region represented by the Empire Of Brazil
and the neighboring republics is out Of
the question until the necessary railroad
and river transportation is provided. I'm
mense rivers which can be opened for navi-
CATION afford the means of securing the
latter, but in creating the former the giant
forest trees must be felled, swamps must
be crossed and mountains turned by the
iron road. Brazil, and indeed all the
northern and central regions of the South
American continent, present to enterpris-
ing men temptations for energetic specula-
ton and work that cannot be surpassed on
any other continent. But there is no part
Of the world where the difficulties to be
overcome in accomplishing any really prac-
tical improvement at a reasonable cost are
so numerous and vexatious. To begin
with the financial questions involved.
it is undsputed that the credit of South
American countries is bad, and that capi-
talists demand exorbitant returns from
very moderate investments.


II we only look over the history of the
negotiations connected with the Madeira
and Mamore Railroad we will see how i'm
practicable it is to carry out such an enter
prise when the promoters stand between
the political uncertainty and bad credit Of
South American countries on the one hand,
and the cormorant appetites of European
capitalists on the other. Out of every loan
raised for internal improvements fully one
half the sum realized by sale of bonds at
great sacrifice is expended in paying
either the financial agents in Europe or
supplying some deficit in the national
treasury in South America. The balance is
rarely applicable directly to the object in
view, consequently everything costs double
and treble what it is worth and the money
supplies soon run short. Then contractors,
laborers and stockholders suffer. The mis-
take made by the contractors of the Madeira
and Mamore Railroad in sending white
labor to Brazil was a very grave one.
Plenty Of colored and acclimated labor
can be had from the West Indies for such
work. The history of the railroad project
in Brazil, which we printed yesterday,
shows how vast sums may be expended in
almost fruitless efforts to attain success,
and really meritorious enterprises bedev-
illed into utter failures by greed and mis-
management.
Year: 1878

The President is credited with saying
that the result of the election in the South
ern States would have been different had
some eminent Northern republican speakers
gone down there to take part in the cam
vass. This is very true, but respectable
and influential Northern republicans would
hardly 90 down to ask the Southern voters
to elect to Congress such men as many who
held the republican nominations there.
How, for instance, would Senator Conkling
or Senator Blaine have felt urging the
voters Of Louisiana to send Madison Wells
or TON" Anderson or Chief Justice Lude-
ling to Congress? Yet these were all republi-
can and greenback candidates. What effect
would have been produced had these three
worthless exchanged stumps with Mr.. Conk-
ling and General Hawley and gone through
New York and Connecticut advocating the
republican and greenback canse? Tire
Northern republican orators knew what
they we're about when they declined to
speak in the South for Southern republican
candidates they were not inclined to dirty
themselves with such COMPANY.
Year: 1878

Three independent democrats have been
elected in Georgia, and there is report
that one at least has succeeded in Virginia.
In South Carolina the nomination of inde-
pendents was prevented by the regular
democrats only with great difficulty, and in
some other Southern States, as in Alabama


there are independent movements. How
the independents now elected to Congress
will vote remains to be seen. They have
been very bitterly opposed and denounced
by the regular democrats, and may choose
in the House to be really independent of
party bonds, the more SO as they have sue
ceeded by the help Of many colored votes


the democratic majority in the Honse is so
Year: 1878

The solid South is not so solid at it was
if the republicans and the independents
elected are all counted. But it was more
solid last Tuesday than it will ever be
again. The republicans who are counting
on the solid South as a good issue in 1880
are mistaken. The color line is breaking
down very rapidly in all the Southern
States, and the following remarks in a re-
cent number Of the New Orleans Picayune
show the drift of political thought in the
South:-s.It is certain that there will always
be a party in Louisiana in opposition to the
democracy The conservative citizens
heretofore driven in one direction by out
side tyranny and therefore acting in
unison, now that the pressure is re-
moved may exercise more freedom. more
independence and more individualism.
For years it has been held unpatriotic for
any white Louisianian to attempt to defeat
the will Of the conservative party, and we'll
we know that those citizens Of the State
who gave aid and comfort to the radical
party before 1877 made themselves entirely
and permanently odious But the time is
coming when q new party may be expected
here, and when many white citizens will
not deem united action SO essential as to
override all party differences.


We observe that many partisan journals
are already making up lists of the next
Presidential vote, and both sides have the
habit of counting all the Southern States
for the democratic party. Two years is a
long time. and at the rate at which events
are moving we suspect that there will be
neither solid South nor solid North in
1890
Year: 1878

Now that the elections are over the demo-
cratic journals are looking about to see
what hurt their party. Mr.. Purcell, chair
man of the democratic committee Of New
York, thinks it was the cipher dispatches;
the Rochester Union thinks it was the third
party movement; the Connecticut demo-
Gratis acknowledge that they were beaten
because they silently submitted to their
greenback platform, which their leaders
did not believe in. They are all right; for
it was all of these things which defeated
the democrats The absurdity of the fraud
cry in the face of the cipher de-
spatches did something; but the timidity
and hypocrisy of democratic leaders did
much more. Governor Hubbard, of Con-
necticut, for instance, was defeated on q
greenback platform, and he must feel in his
heart that the people served him right, for
he knew better. The democrats who swal-
lowed their principles in silence, like Gov
ernor Hubbard, and the democrats who
swallowed them and pretended that they
never had any, like Senator Thurman, de-
feated their party. When Mr.. Thurman
said, in 1874, 'sNever have l spoken in favor
of that imitation Of the currency which
shall be any resumption at all. And that
is precisely what this imitation means. 1t
means demonetizing gold and silver in per-
petuity and substituting currency OF ire
deemabls paper, based wholly and en-
tirely upon government credit and depend.
ing upon the opinions and interests of
members of Congress and their hopes OF
popularity whether the volume Of it shall
be large or whether it shall be small-that
is what imitation means. Sir, have never
said anything in favor of that 1 am too
old fashioned democrat for that have
heard and preached too many hard money
lessons to advocate such theory as
that" and when he said, in 1875,
s.You, my fellow democrats, are what are
called hard money men, and am hard
money man. That is. to-day, we do not
believe in an irredeemable paper currency ;
we believe that such a currency must neces-
sarily fuctuate in value, lead to specula-
ton and extravagance, and benefit no one
but money loaners and spectators We
believe that our currency should consist OF
gold and silver, and for convenience, paper
convertible at par into gold and silver at
the will Of the holder. In this we concur
with the uniform teachings of the demo-
cratic party, with the opinion of every really
eminent political economist the world over,
with the lessons Of experience found in the
history of every commercial nation and
with the views OF almost the entire body Of
the business men Of America"-when he
spoke thus he was on sound and tenable
ground, and it was only when he and other
democrats left that ground to be occupied
by their opponents that they were deserv-
edly beaten. The American people are
honest and respectable, and they like
courage and principle in their public men,
1t is because the men who assumed to lead
the democratic party this year had neither
courage nor principle that they were left in
the lurch--so greatly to their surprise.
Year: 1878

The search for the body of Alexander T.
Stewart and the thieves who desecrated his
grave still continues, but the police give no
sign of any decided progress toward success.
Briefly summed up, the case stands pre-
cisely as it did on Saturday. The route
taken by the thieves in leaving the ceme-
terry has baen ascertained, but at the point
where they reached the pavement in Tenth
street the trail stops short and all is a
blank beyond. The clew about which the
Thirteenth precinct police made SO much
mystery on Saturday turns out to be no
clew at all, and so another 'theory," what
ever it may have been, disappears. While
we are disposed to give the police authori-
ties due credit for energy in their search
we cannot refrain from calling attention to
the fact that none Of the actors in the
startling crimes lately committed in this
city have been apprehended, and the
Board Of Police should clearly understand
that the people are already dissatisfied.
Banks arc gutted in open daylight. men
are stabbed in public places, stores are
robbed in the glare Of gaslight and graves
are despoiled in the very heart of the city,
and yet no arrests are made. 1t is about
time this state of affairs was changed.


Our despatch from Washington shows
that the police authorities there entertain
suspicion that the man who endeavored to
obtain the preserving fluid and who pur-
chased the shovel is one George N. Christian,
a notorious resurrectionist OF that city, who
seems to have done thriving trade in rob-
bing graves. If the description given Of his
visitor by the Bond street undertaken is really
that recorded Of Christian in Washington
the fact can easily be determined, for the
photograph will settle that question. With
this clew in their possession we presume
the detectives will follow it up until its
value is decided one way or the other. 1t
is exceedingly probable that a man like
Christian would engage in such a nefarious
transaction, for it is well known that the
thieves who stole Mr.. Stewards body must
have been accustomed to handling corpses.
Year: 1878

We are glad that the Secretary of State says
he will not insist on this point if the
British government dispute it, but we wish
he had omitted it. case is always weak
ened by arguments which the adversary
can easily refute to the satisfaction of others
as well as himself Having freed its mind,
We trust our government will pay the
award-"like q gentleman" to use Lord
Dufferin's expression.
Year: 1878

THE PORTRAIT OF GENERAL BUTLER which
New England clergymen painted yesterday is
certainly not hattering one. II suggests the
old proverb about the picture OF another dis
tngushcd character whose name will readily
suuprSt itself
Year: 1878

THE SUMMER GLoRIEs have faded from noun
tain and river. but it will be seen from our
studio notes and notices that artists have
succeeded in fastening not few OF them on
the canvas.
Year: 1878

The question that now rests upon the
mind of the true citizen Of the United States
with peculiar emphasis is-have we Con-
stitution, laws, and u Government that can
protect him in all his rights? In view OF
history that is made in the United States
daily, at this peculiar era, this becomes
very serious problem, and one that no ono
except the Chief Magistrate of the nation
can solve. There are no less thu three
States in the Union that at the present
time are acting in open violation of the Con-
stitution and the laws of the United States
relating to the rights Of citizenship, under
the auspices of the several State Executives,
i. e., with their approval, consent, and en-
enlargement. These State governments are
Democratic. They act under the instga-
tion of the Democratic party and perform
its behcsts in what they do. They defy the
laws, contcmn the Government of the
United States, and set its authority at def
anCe,


In view of this clearly established fact
there is much to alarm the true patriot and
awaken hirl to q sense of impending dan
ger, for there is great danger to the national
welfare when more or less States assume an
attitude of defiance to the laws and author
ity of the United States Government. There
is but ono short step between such posi-
ton and open and armed rebellion. 1t Is
but the part of duty, therefore, that the
field should be surveyed calmly and care
fully to see what power the Government ha!
to vindicate its own authority. The Demo
cratic party seems to fancy that II disarmec
the Executive and left the laws without th'
power of enforcement when 1t passed wha
is known as the posse c0mitdfuS bill
for several States of the South openly dis.
regard the requirements of the Constitution
and Statutes of the United States, and a
openly defy the Federal authority This
done under the instigation of the Demo
cratic leaders North and South, as we hnv
reason to believe, from the fact that 1t !
not rebuked either by the Democratic pres
or the orators who represent that party Il
the hustings.


Now, let us, as American citizens, as lover
of our country, as admirers OF the old Has
as believers in the Constitution and tn
majesty of the laws rs our national safe
guard, and who have confidence that jus
GoD will aid the loyal men of the natio
In again saving the Union If placed inperi
examine the anchor Of our hope. The FOL
Year: 1878

THE wlitcwashing of young ACKLEN'
by the committee Of Republicans which in
vcstigated his case in New Orleans will no
doubt keep him in the field as candidate
for reelection, despite the decision
of the Democratic committee to the
contrary. Young Bon" HERBERT, the in
dependent candidate, who is also running
on the Republican ticket, will not shed
more than two buckets of tears over this
complication.
Year: 1878

THE imbecility of the administration of
JAMES BUCHANAN lad no little to do with
permitting the Southern rebels to make al


requisite preparations for the secession war
outside of the Union. Just now n similar
policy would enable WADE HAMPTON and
his fellow Nulliers to make all requisite
preparations for successful defiance Of
United States authority within the Union.
Year: 1878

LET the noodles who are now clamoring
for new election in Iowa for members of
Congress in November read the following
laws in relation thereto and then scratch
the soft spot on their heads:
Year: 1878

MuRAr HAIsrrAD is preaching a hot
crusade against ice water. The man Is
consistent, too. We have been in his
sanctum when ID was very hot, but II
was not ice water that we drank from
that ancient tin cup.
Year: 1878

sent to allow the drain from the water
closets of the Jail and court house to ter
inmate on his premises. This, l pre-.
sumo, will necessitate the advertising for
Rew proposals for putting down the
drain, which is unfortunate, as the build
ing is about ready for occupancy.


Willis Nelson and Lsvi Hupp, Gov
eminent prisoners from Arkansas, were
discharged from the prison yesterday,
and Sylvester Carle and Robert Chestern,
the latter colored, from the same State,
60 out to-day. They each served one
year sentence.


WHO Is HEP


Mr.. Garden while on his way to the
penitentiary this morning about FIVE
o'clock, as he was turning the corner at
Purdy's mill came in contact with q man
minus everything in the way of wearing
apparel except shirt and drawers. After
Mr.. Garden had sufficiently recovered
frem his scare to articulate, he asked the
fellow "where he was going9"
The answer in a gruH, angry
manner was "no place" In
answer to the question, Where are you
from2" his reply was "Ohio county"
Repeated inquiry could only bring out
the reply that he was "from Ohio
county.


MIss CANS CONCERT


At School Hall, last night. was a COM
plete success In every particular. There
was an audience Of something near four
hundred persons present. Every one
who participated in the concert in any
way performed their several parts in q
manner most creditsble TO them, and
whilst l do not wish to discriminate,
still l cannot refrain from mentioning in
u special manner Miss Annie Grsy's rem
derlng of the song, "Tbe Burning Ship
at Sea-" Miss Gray certainly possesses
q voice of remarkable power, psthos and
sweetness, a blending of all the elements
essential to constitute successful public
singer. Notwithstanding the large num-
Der OF school children and young folks
present, the attention was such during
her singing that every word spoken was
distinctly heard IN every part of the hall.
The entertainment was indeed far
superior to anything OF the
kind ever listened to by q
Moundsville audience, and one that
might successfully invite the criticism of
a more metropolitan audience. Unfor-
storm threatening about nine
o'clock caused portion Of tie audience
to prepare to leave the hall. This created
8 feeling of unessiness among those
present, as our people have not yet gotten
over the impression founded upon the
circumstance Of some person starting q
report some time ago during perform
snce in the hall which resulted in panic
among those present. A committee
wa, appointed at the time, who examined
into the condition of the building and
some precautionary measures,
which were adopted, which rendered it
in their opinion perfectly safe.


1t is hoped that Miss Cans can be pre-
vailed upon to repeat the entertainment
some time soon under more favorable
as only portion of the
owing to the above circum-
stances, was gone through with.
Year: 1878

1t is well known that the CITIZEN
has always been sound on the State
debt question, and now some of its
readers think we should support the
Republican party because they think
it is sounder than the Democracy
on that question. If this were the
only question at issue, and there
was any confidence whatever to be
placed in the republican utterances
on that subject, there might be
some sense in the suggestion. But
what do we see? In the first place
the difference in the two platforms
is only the difference between
tweedlednm and tweedledee. But
admitting that the late republican
platform is perfectly sound, the par
ty makes itself and its utterances
both absurd by turning round and
nominating an avowed reputation
ist, who for five years has done
every thing in his power to impair
the state credit and TO prevent the
liquidation of its bonds. Then as
we have before said there are other
and higher considerations which
should prompt every democrat in
the land to support the democracy.
1t is the only party that can and
will give us speedy relief by the
enactment of those grand financial
reforms so much needed.
Year: 1878

Cleveland Banner; The want Of
confidence has more to do with the
present scarcity of money than
anything else. A few years ago a
punctual man could go to his neigh
Dor and borrow five hundred dol
lars on dis own account. But now
let him try it, and he will have to
give the very best security, or
mortgage his real estate for its pay
ment. Whenever we become more
honest and punctual then times
will get better.