smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1871




It seems to be agreed that these are excep-
tionaly Hard Times. The Winter is rather
severe; some merchants and some spectators
have failed; debts are collected with difficulty !;
and most people seem to have less money than
they wish they had. So we agree that the
times are hard; and our agreement tends to
make them so.


On q superficial view, the cry would seem
ill-founded While Europe is convulsed with
actual and tremulous in view of threatened
war we are securely at peace; pestilence does
not decimate us and our crops for 1870 were
good. True, the East suffered from severe
drouth; but the East is not specially depressed /;
the Dairy product of this and other Middle
States brought fair prices; the South has a
large Cotton crop, and is selling at what used
TO be considered good prices, though less than
those of last year, and the South is not par
ticularly complaining. Oddly, we hear more
of Hard Times from the Mid-West-that is,
from the region between the Ohio and the
wssouri-whicb has large Corn crop, and
which is selling its Wheat, Pork, Lard, &c,
higher because of the French War than 1t
conId otherwise have done.


Why-considerng the above facts, and that
Human Labor is twice as effective for tho
Year: 1871

than they can accommodate with seats is not
likely to become law, and probably is not
expected TO. Such law would be great in
convenience to the public. 1t is O physical
impossibiity, with our streets as they now
are. to put cars enough on track to give
seats to all the passengers, at all hours Of the
day. The Third-aye. road, for instance.
would need so many cars, morning and even
ing, for that purpose, that there would be al
most continuous line Of them from the City
Hall to Sixty-ffth-st., and Chatham-st. and
the Bowery would be impossible. The cars
are sbamefully overcrowded, it is true; but
we see no remedy until we get some under
ground or other system Of quick transit that
will relieve the OvercrOwded th0roughfafes
then the evil Of overcrOwded ears VIII correct
itself. The truth is that the roads upon
which the discomfort Of passengers IS now
greatest are just those upon which the cars
are already as many as they can well be with
ont unduly obstructing the avenues. Give us
more avenues Of travel, and people viii refuse
to ride in overloaded convcyanccs.
Year: 1871

The Senate of the United States has con-
firlned David D. Porter as Admiral of the
Navy. We now know precisely what quail
ties they are which, in the opinion of our pa
trician lawgivers. entitle men to the highest
positions in the State. The young men of the
country are told to be vain and lbelous and
captious and servile-to abuse their comrades
behind their backs and fawn upon them be-
fore their faces; to use the currish wit of
Diogenes against their equals and copy the
abasement of an Odalisque before her master,
when a President frowns. Now let the Senate
change the Admirars uniform to one embrac-
ing lackey's shOulder-knot and yellow-plush
breeches, to indicate family that inward SER
Witty that passeth show. And let Gen. Grant
be on his guard against the unsated malice of
the man he has humiliated by a public par
don, and to whom the Senate has given the
opportunity to exercise his mean malignity
upon those officers of the Navy who still pre-
serve a little self-respect.
Year: 1871

ton in the land that the revenue operations
should thus end III bloOdshed. When the
story Of the mob comes to be told. it will ap-
pear that the officials of the Government and
those Of Brooklyn are jointly responsible for
the not. The Revenue officers make no effort
whatever 10 arrest and punish the offenders
except by destroying their property, and thus
lead them to believe that personally they are
beyond the reach of the law. During the raid
of yesterday the Brooklyn police guarded the
water hydrants and prevented the use OF
water and steam-engines in destroying the
captured material and in dispensing the mob
which followed threateningly at the heels OF
the soldiers and Revenue wOrhmen, and the
Water Commissioners, on being applied TO
for permission to attach hose to the hydrants,
refused it, Every man of the mob doubtless
construed this action to mean that the Brook
lyn officials sympathze with, and are disposed
to aid, the riotous dstillers as far as they
dare. Al this simply encourages the distlllerS
to riotous action, and mob and bloodshed
must eventually be the natural consequence.
Year: 1871

The House yesterday wisely refused to
strike out of the Omnibus bill the appropri-
alton for the Bureau of Education. A Dem
ocratc member from this city promised that
when his party came into power it would
regulate the Bureau of Education by abolishing
it. Unfortunately for the section of country
which the Bureau is intended to benefit, the
past policy of the Democratic party was to
keep its people in ignorance. But, for
tunatey for them, the threat of the injudicious
advocate of Democracy, though justified in
the past, is not likely to be made good in the
future, since there is little probability that the
party opposed to the diffusion of knowledge
will ever again come into power.
Year: 1871

The Committee which is inquiring into the
the affairs of the Methodist Book Concern
yesterday very sensibly concluded 1t wiser to
suffer from public exposure of their business
than to labor under the suspicion of secretly
conspiring to conceal the persons guilty OF its
mismanagement. SO they threw open their
doors to the reporters, and the charges and
answers were made public. They are published
in full elsewhere. The charges against DR..
Lanahan are not of very serious character,
and if his assertions, made in bis replies to
the specifications, are made good the Book
Agents and Committee will be proved to be
poor business managers, but not necessarily
dishonest men.
Year: 1871

The Ne,c- York Tablet, in its synopsis OF
Father Preston's lecture on the Temporal
Power of the Pope, gives the following ex-
cellent reason for Catholic unanimity in its
support:


"There Is no difference Of opinion among Catholics on
this subject for do not ali0W any difference on such
questions The DEGREES of the Church forbid it, The
reverend Father read from the Syllabus in support OF his
propositions Whoever maintains contrary opinions can
not be a Catholic This may be arbitrary, and is so.
Truth arbitrary, and this is truth No Catholic can
maintain opinion opposed to tho Temporal Power Of
the Popev
Year: 1871

RESOURCES OF ARKANsAs.-The
following is an extract from letter to
the Philadelphia Press, written by our
state geologist. Professor Roberts:


The light, free-burning anthracite
found to exist, though in thin strata, in
the eastern part of the Arkansas field,
gradually changesi into fat bituminous
coal in the western part, where veins
are exposed five to six feet thick. At
Spadra. on the Arkansas river, one
hundred and fifty miles above Little
Rock river navigation = the coal is
similar in appearance and structure TO
the Cumberland coal of Maryland, and
its quality, by analysis, is similar to
that famous article of fuel 1t is true
semi bituminous-an excellent steam
and manufacturing coal. In the up
per western part of the field is a good
gas coal, and the btuminous, in some
places in this part of the region, aT>
proaches the variety called camel
The anthracite obtained was equllly
pure in quality, and of as bright, clear
fracture as that of Pennsylvania, but
this was got flom the "outcrop" of a
small seam. Larger and workable
strata may yet be discovered, when
more attention than has been hereto
fore is given directed to the develop
ment of this, as well as other valuable
minerals which hitherto have been
neglected. in the state.
Year: 1871

p,n,cu, HI KLux.--A Washing
ton special to the Cincinnati Inquirer
states that republican organ at WASH
inpton i, authority for the stateme mt
that the republicans of the southern
states are organizing an association to
he known as the National Guard. The
same paper says that the object of the
association is to punish the ku-klux,
and to take the law into their own
hands for the purpose.


The real object Of this new move of
despairing and desperate radcaiism, is
TO provoke conflicts in the southern
states, so rs to afford pretext for
Gen. Grant to introduce his bayonets
in the south, and to furnish "outrage"
to be used as political capital in the
northern states. 1t is species Of po~
litical management which is ready to
jeoparjizo peace and good will to ac'
complish political success that further
frauds and corruption may be INDUCED
in under the guise of law.


We have information that tlis new
organization is soon to be introduced
into this Sta.e-that Senator Clayton
has learned, by heart, the terrible oath
which every member is required to
take = that he is to learn it to a few
others here, who are to organize such
of the whites and blacks as will agree
to 60 into it. Once in, they will be
bound by this oath SO tight that there
will be no such thing as Withdrawing,
We have copy Of the oath, which
will be furnished our readers in due
time. We warn the colorcd people to
have nothing to do with this unlawful
combination. 1t will lead them into
trouble--it will lead the state into
trouble, and if it should result in Il
conflict of arms, the colored man
should know that he would be unable
to protect himself against the united
opposition Of all good, law-abding
citizens in this state. Suppose by such
an unlawful combination they were to
succeed in overawing the people, aud
by fraud carry the next election? +?
Wherein would the colored people be
benefited? To array themselves against
law-against the rights and interests
of the people, they would receive the
cold shoulder from their taskmastcrs
after it was over. The colorcd people
should be very careful about joining


this new loaguc Of Senator Clayton.


Little Rock Gazctie.
Year: 1871

A statement going the rounds Of the
press that vote is to be taken this
year in Texas, on division of the
State into four States is an error.
The bill for that purpose passed the
Texas llou.e Of Representatives, but
not the Senate.
Year: 1871

Many a true heart that would have
come back, like the dove to the ark,
after its first transgression, has been
frightened beyond recall by the savage
charity of an uniorgiving spirit.
Year: 1871

The Boston Herald gives an account OF q lecture
delivered by Rev. J. L. Hatch on the g 'Bttcr-Sweet
Experiences OF the Liberal Tract Distributor He
said he had not made tract distributing money
making business but the hours he had spent In this
avocaton had been free gift TO the good cause He
said he did not believe In forcing ones views on
person reluctant TO listen. but he considered that
Offering them tracts IN quiet, gentlemanly way
could not justly be considered offensive. Tract dis
tributing he had no doubt had been made sometimes
offensive by ringing peoples door bells ana calling
them from their work, and this he aid not believe
IN. Mr.. Hatch here gave brier historical sketch "
tne tract movement, which originated In the last
century among the liberals VI Europe, He said II
Year: 1871

what contrast must these two ecclesiastical bodes
present TO the mind OF the venerable observer The
generation passed away were men presenting all the
symptoms, physical and Intellectual, of having been
poisoned, muscular power lessencd, animal
heat diminished. digestive organs deranged.
Their minds-we, our temperance apostle mas not
much to say about the psychological effects OF the
temperate use OF lntoxicants. This was unneces-
sary. The prohibitory law Of God which they VIC.
we have only to remember the medical maxim,
''naens sdna Ga corpore sano" to know that their
minds must have been terribly impaired.


Il would be very preposterous thing to say that
look AT some OF our cold water men hasty Judg-
ment might lead us to this conclusion. We might
refer to Or. Cuyler himself for proof He finds it
necessary to 90 every year to Saratoga and drink
gallons Of nauseous mineral water to wash out some
Kind OF poison from his system. We Will venture to
say that he has during the last five years taken
more purges and tones OF this kind than old beer
and wine drinking Emperor william has used
In the course OF his life; and yet the Old war
nor, with his seventy-four years, could probably
take our little apostle OF temperance by the slack or
MS pants and pitch him over o rail- fence How
did the Brooklyn divine get the poison into him
Not by drinking cold water, we are sure, but by
some vicious naDit equally condemned by science
and the Bible. or course we do not know and IL
might seem imperncnt TO inquire. We are writing
on temperance, indeed, but we have no right TO
make our dissertation personal, otherwise we might
ask whether our clerical friend, so carenl to observe
SolOmons advice, ''LOok not on the wine when
II Is redn &C. is equally mindful OF another injunc-
ton OF the wise man, "Put knife to thy throat II
tnou be q man gwen to appetite" There Is some-
thing suspicious IN the fact that Dr. Cuyler has
never been known TO preach from this latter text,
and that this form OF inlemperance never comes
under the cognizance OF the National Temperance
Society the temperance men IN our Saviours
timc-the Essenes-agalnst whose false creed OF as
cetlcsm the Great Reformer set His face like mint,
were not guilty OF s Inconsistency. They directed
their attacks against gluttony as wen as drunken
ness, aud wien Jesus refused 10 limit himself
with them TO back bread aud broth aud cold
Year: 1871

all these gentlemen are present IN the city or are
within easy call OF the Chief Justice. with the eX-
ception OF Judge Loew, who Is now on his way from
Italy, having been summoned hither by his asso-
cates Even with all decent haste that can be made
1t possible that the trial can proceed before
two or three weeks. There will be some delay IN
getting ready articles OF impeachment and It Is not
to be supposed out that the men who hold the spOs
Will make a desperate fight to hold what they have
got. They Will make hundred excuses and VIII
have the best legal talent IN the city employed IN
order To secure an extension OF time. Should the
worst come there are seven or eight lines OF ocean
steamers plvlng between this port and Europe, and
no DOUBT some OF the bold, bad men will get away
unless vigilance committees are formed to prevent
their escane.
Year: 1871

mttee 70 change their original intention, and from
Deputy COMPTROLLER Storrs last evening it was
learned that the committee will make tue examina-
ton OF papers IN tue Comptroller's once IN person
each day and then adjourn elsewhere TO deliberate.
The Committee on CITY ana County Debts will
examine the bonds aud mortgages on Tuesday to
which time they have adjourned. and their report,
to be submitted tomorrow, will relate merely to
the debt
Year: 1871

How a KISS MADE y PAINTER.-The
great artist, Banjamin West, said:


"A kiss from my mother made me Il
painter" We will give the anecdote re-
ferred to;


"A little boy named Benjamin West,
baby asleep in a cradle. He looked at it
kindly, and felt pleased to see it smile in
its sleep. He wished that he could draw
picture of the baby; and seeing a piece of
paper on the table, with pen and ink, lie
tried what he could do. When his moth
er came in he begged her not to he angry
with him for touching the pen, ink and
paper and then he showed her the picture
he had made. His mother saw baby's
likeness, and was 50 much pleased that
she kissed her little boy. Then he said if
some flowers she held in her hand and so
he went on from that time, trying to do
better and better until he became one of
the best painters in the world"


In after life he said it was this kiss from
his mother that made him an artist.
Year: 1871

The second volume of Lord Brougham's
Autobiography will appear shortly In it
the narrative will be brought down to the
passing of the Catholic Emancipation bill
IN 1879, and large portion of the book will
he taken up with the affairs of Queen Car
Oline and her trial.
Year: 1871

The ONLY IssUE-All other ques>
tions that have hitherto divided the
American people disappear before this
one: Can public corruption be stops
pedi Can public robbery be put down?
Can political frauds be suppressed and
prevented? Can bribery and presents
taking be banished from political af-
fairs?


Ten years ago the great question
was slavery. 1t was settled through
the war of the rebellion, with its inn
mense losses of life and treasure, and
its gigantic heritage of public debt.
Since then other questions growing out
of the war have arisen. Fortunately,
they are now all ended and cleared
away; and there is no other subject 10
distract the attention OF the people
from this one supreme issue Can rob-
bers, thieves, bribe-givers, bribe-takers,
present>takers. and official blackmail-
ers Re driven from power and honest
men put in their place? Can the fatal
system of corr upton now so universal
be brought to a close, and system of
honesty, frugality, and purity be SUBJ
stituted in its place?


If our public affairs continue for five
years longer upon the same downward
course as they have done for the five
years since the close of the rebellion,
we shall no longer have a country to
be proud of; and the great American
experiment of selfgovernment, in
which the hopes of all humanity were
bound up, will end in rottenness and
shame.


| This is not matter to be disposed
of by either of the existing parties
Both of them are alike In a state Of
putrefaction, and no spirit of life ant
of safety can come forth from either
If the Republics is to be saved at all
, the work must be done in the natioI
as it was done in this city on Tuesday
Upright and patriotic men of all par
ties must combine for this exclusiy,
purpose. Democrats and Republican,
must forget their old quarrels, anC
strike hands in one united effort
| What are the differences of opinion
and of policy that have hitherto sep
paratcd them, compared with this on,
all-embracing, all-absorbing danger
And of what use will it be to them tc
continue to call themselves Republi,
cans or Democrats if all that is worth
living for in our free institutions i.
destroyed by robbers like Tweed, OF
| by present-takers and corrupters of the
public conscience like Grant?-Er.
Year: 1871

1t is worthy of remark that Boss
Tweed, Of New York, amassed a very
handsome competence in a very few
years through politics. We wouldn't
like to swear that when man makes
ten million dollars in politics in ten
years that he does it honestly. We
never lost any sleep troubling about
MIR, Tweed, but we do know of gen.
tleman who went into politics about ten
years ago bankrupt who is now worth
a million of dollars. One hundred
thousand dollars a year, without the
investment of any capital whatever, is
rather unfavorable. The name of this
young man is Grant. His father re-
sides in Covington. If any body is
inclined to doubt what we say they can
ask the oldgentle man. n.-Cincinnati En-
qiirer.
Year: 1871

On Tuesday evening the sman of destiny
George Francis Manufactured in Omaha,
and in the course Of his remarks referred to
the sensation regarding his connection with
the Chicago fire, of which mention was made
by telegraph few days ago. The Omaha
Tribune and Rspubticanthus reports him


Most of those present were very anxious to
have the startling news explained that came
by telegraph this morning, of his connection
with the Chicago fire; and yiehling to the re-
peated calls, he said he could not imagine
where such vile SANDER OH him and the In
ternationale originated, except that it was
concocted by the confederates OF Bismarck,
Thiers and the ruling powers OF the old
world to strike death blow at him and the
International. All he had to say was that II
they attributed such mighty power 70 him
as the destruction of such a great city as Chi
cago in so short time, he would be greater
than the Almighty God who ruled over the
fearful storm that ragged at that time; that
| would be a great blasphemy. The members
that compose the Commune arc purer and
holer men than the canting hypocrites that
| SANDER them.
Year: 1871

The following is from financial articie u
the New York Journal of Comspaerce;


ePeople, who sit neryoasly IN counting
houses. or behind their goods, waiting fef
customers to take them by storm, and max
ing no;efforts to let the world know the par
gains they have to offer, will find the season
neutrality-suspicious.. Many of those who nave
spent large sums in hiring drummers aha
having for other welEknown appliances OF
trade, have effected large sales, but swallowed
too large 4. share of the receipts in such enofs
nous attendant expenses. The best rema-
neration have been found by those who have
returned to mere legitimate, old-fashloned
methods of pushing their business. We say
it. not simply because we are interested IN
this line of expenditure, but as our best adj
vice to all who wish to be enterprising are.sto
secure larger custom, there is nothing now


so effecting to this end as judicious adyer-
tising. A little advertising may be like
gentle touch of the whip to poor Doebin's
horse "a mercy thrown away;" but hberat


outlay is almost certain to bring 1t in a large


return, and this will last even beyond the


current season. We do not believe that any
one who has valuable service or desirable


property to offer can fail of rich harvest by
continuous advertising Oh a large scale. "
Year: 1871

A manufacturer and vender of quack medi-
cines for rheumatism and the growth Of hair
combined, frequently wrote to friend for a
recommendation of his (the manufacturers
s.balsam'' In very few days he received
the following. which we call pretty strong:


.sDear Sir: The land composing this farm
has hitherto been so poor that Chinaman
could not get living off it, and so stony that
we had to slice our potatoes, and plant them
edgeways but hearing Of your balsam, put
some on the corner of ten-acre field sur
rounded by rail fence. and in the morning
found the stones had entirely disappeared,
and a neat wall encircled the field; the rails
were split into fire wood, and piled up syui-
metrically in my back yard. put half an
ounce in the middle of huckleberry swamp;
two days saw it cleared off, planted with corn
and pumpkins, and row of peach trees in
full blossom through the middle. AS an evi-
dence of it's tremendous strength, | would
say it drew striking likeness of my eldest
son out Of mill pond, drew blister all over
his stomach, drew load of potatoes tour
miles to market, drew grease otit of flint
and eventually drew . prize Of S97 ont Of I
defunct lottery.
Year: 1871

BOTTLED SUNIIGHT.-A Professor IN q
French college is said to have discovered
method whereby the heat and light OF the
suns rays may be bottled up, by means OF a
vase made for that purpose, which is exposed
to the sun for several hours and then sealed
alright. Through small cork Inserted in
the vase is perforation. IT, after tlsr vase
is charged, this hole is opened and alens is
held before it, heat sufficient to light a cafi-
die or intlame paper is evolved. The Pro-
fessor believes that he can thus collect and
preserve light enough to illuminate rooms
with daylight for several hours of the nights


Such an invention would have great value
but not to be compared with that of a pro-
cess by which the power exercised by the
heat OF the sun can be gathered up held in
reserTe, rendered portable and made apple
cable as a motor for machinery. The snnat
so degrees, shining upon an area OF one
acre OF ground, exerts an expansive power
which, if transported into lifting power,
would raise Il ton of iron several inches from
the ground. The atmosphere is at all times
full of such dynastie elements. 1t remains
for the inventive philosopher to turn them to
usefal account.