Newspapers / The Weekly Raleigh Register … / Sept. 23, 1885, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
WEDNESDAY. .SEPTEMBER 23, 1885. THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. " It is noticeablo, " says the Anton Timet, f if not unaccountable, with what celerity the Raleigh Registeb rushes to the de fence of any branch of the Agricultural Department. We regrcF however to see our contemporary taking the strange posi tion; that the fertilizer tax is not paid by the. people. AH taxes, and profits, all tar iffs are paid by the consumer, and such a .proposition hardly needs argument. A 'shoe manufacturer at Lynn sells a pair of shoes to the Boston jobber for $1.75; the jobber sells them to the retailer for $3.00, and the retailer sells them to the con t sumer for $2.50. The consumer thus pays all the profits, which is a tax. So like- wise the farmer pays the tax put upon fer- tilizers, and we cannot see how any other conclusion can be drawn." There are many well-established max ims, that is to say .sententious sayings well enough established to be in men's mouths daily, that are very far from being true. To the particular maxim enunciated by the Timet as needing no argument to establish its truth, there are numberless exceptions. One, the Register may note as of general interest, is a tax in the tariff law. There is in the law a tax of 6 to 7 cents, specific, on every yard of imported shirting or calico, in ad dition to a tax of 15 to 20 per cent, on the value of the shirting or calico. Does this tax come out of the consumer! At one time it did, but it does not now and for some years has not come from the consumer. Hence, the lack of effect on the people's minds which surprises orator or newspaper inveighing bitterly against the really ini quitous tariff laws iwhen hearer or read er is told that the male biped wears a cot ton shirt taxed 7 cents a yard, and that his wife or(daughter is clad in a calico frock taxed 7 cents a yard,; and that in either case the tax of 7 cents a yard comes out of the pocket of the hard working poor man who listens to eloquent orator or reads learned statistical editorial. The man simply scratches his head and feels no indignation stirring his soul to rebellion against the wicked tax, because he remembers that the merchant who sold him the cloth for his shirt, or be guilcd his wife into buying the calico for her frock, must have been the loser, per haps an ass as well, in buying the cloth, paying the tax, paying the freight from New York to North Carolina, and sell ing it to him for 2 cents less than the tax the goods thrown in for good measure or neighborly kindness. The license tax on newspapers is another of similar working. Some years ago Con gress levied a very heavy tax on newspa pers, requiring each newspaper to pay be fore it could go on the market the postage theretofore paid by the subscribers. Did this tax come out of the subscriber, the consumer ? Each subscriber, each news paper, knows that it did not and does not. The newspapers, indeed, tried to collect it out of the subscribers, but they ignomin iously failed. The subscriber, instead of paying the tax, gets his newspaper at the same or a lower price, and saves from 10 cents to 50 cents a year of postage which is now paid by the newspaper manufac turer, h Somewhat of the same character is the fertilizer tax which yields the revenues of the Board of Agriculture. Gov. Vance and those who with him framed the law in 1876-'77 so intended, and the law has worked out results from the start exactly as they intended it should. The Times should not be surprised at the Reoibteb'b opinion.-for it is no new notion possibly if the Timet will examine its files, it will uuu me same notions advanced in them. It fell to the writer's lot in 1882, at the in stance of the Democratic Executive Com mittee, to,doagood deal of examination into the practical workings of sundry Democratic laws and to convev resnlu tn i . . pcopie. Among other laws looked as mcir request, was this fertilizer The charires then ... " - "J ivo- pnbhean speakers and papers were pretty much the same as those now preferred by some Democratic newspapers. Now, as then, it is alleged in substance or in terms that the work of the tfoard of Agriculture consists solely in "junketing" and analy sis of fertilizers ; that it costs the people of North Carolina $30,000 to $40,000 a year (the Board's revenue from the fertili zer tax), to analyze a few packages of fer tilizers; that the farmers are taxed that amount on their fertilizers; that the cost of fertilizers is largely increased by the tax; that, the increased price prevents many poor people from using them and breaks many more who do use them "V t . . wiese statements are true or the v are They are not matters about which meonze or argue. Arc the into law. Carolina can buy any fertilizer direct from the manufacturer, or from auy dealer, anywhere outside the State, and bring it into the State and use it, free of any tax whatever, on manufacturer, or dealer, or consumer; and every man would do it if the cost here were greater than elsewhere, if the tax were added to the price by the manufacturer licensed to sell in this State. That is the farmer's sure defence against increased price. That it is a sure defence the Register has had occasion to learn from farmers and dealers. From the transactions recorded on the books of the Raleigh dealers in fertilizers and the dealers' books in any town will show ex actly the same facts it has learned that The money price' of fertilizers in this market before the Board of Agriculture was established and the fertilizer tax was levied, was $50, $55, $60 a ton. The same brands that then sold for $50 in money now sell for $40, or less, in money. Do- crease in price, 20 per cent. That is to say, instead of the cost being increased, the price is at least $10 less per ton than it was before the Board was established The cotton price before the days of the Board and the tax, was for some brands 400 lbs. of cotton for a ton of fertilizer: for other brands 455 lbs. of cotton for a ton. The cotton price for the same brands is less now than then; and the price of cotton is not the same. In 1874. lolr . T. . . . ..... . oiu, ioib, me ion oi lerimzer tnat was paid for with 400 lbs. of cotton yielded the fertilizer-maker $53 to $64, the price of cotton ranging from- 13 to 16 cents a pound. In 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, the 400 lbs. of cotton that has been paid for a ton of fertilizer has yielded the fertilizer-maker $36 to $50, the price of cotton ranging from 9 to 12$ cents pound. So that the cotton price has been $16 to $24 a ton less since the estate lishment of the Board than before. Cot ton has gone down and fertilizers have gone down more than cotton. Naturally, the trade in fertilizers so use ful, so absolutely necessary, to our people, i . ii . uaa Bicauiijr increased, its progress may be briefly stated : Forty-two brands were sola in 1879; in 1884, eighty brands.' Sixty thousand tons were sold in 1879, eignty thousand in 1880,eighty-five thou sand in 1881, ninety-two thousand in 1882, ninety-five thousand in 1883, and as much in 1884. , In a matter of this sort, actual facts facts that can be ascertained by any man who wishes to know them are worth all the theories and arguments that could be conceived, written or printed between now and Christmas. And that the statements made above by the Register are the act ual facts, any one may ascertain by inqui ry or any dealer m this city or elsewhere oi any iarmer in Wake, or in any other county, who bought fertilizers before the tax and buys them now. inetrutn of this whole matter is just aoout this : The Board of Agriculture has existed for nine years. Its revenues for the nine years have amounted to $284,000, averaging some $30,000 a year. With that sum, paid by the fertilizer-makers fact as well as in theory, all the expendi tures of the Board have been paid ; a valu able real property, now owned by the State, has been bought and paid for, and each department under the Board's control equipped with the latest and best scientific apparatus for conducting the people's bus iness; a valuable exhibit was made of the btate s resources and products at Atlanta, a more valuable one at Boston, another in this city and another at New Orleans, costing, say, $40,000. During the present year the coal deposits of the State have been examined, and their value determined and the marl and phosphate beds of the Eastern counties have been explored. From the reports of these surveys, soon to go before the public, great good ought and it is thought will result to the peorile of the State. In short, the Register thinks that the Board of Agriculture has been the most efficient as it has been the cheapest of all the agencies employed by the Democratic party for the wonderful material develop- i. r , i i-.. ... in Mr. Patrick, even now almost a stranger to it. It is all a matter of public and party duty with the Register, and in North Car olina the party duty of a Democrat is his public duty. , - UNIVERSAL EDUCATIONS ' 4 The Prussian system, though adopted within the present century, in 1819, has, within the space of two-generations, borne the noblest fruits. It has produced a na tion of educated men. The system in eludes in its elementary course,, religious instruction, the language of the country, the elements of geometry, with the general principles of drawing ; practical arithmetic, the elements of physical philosophy, of geography, and of general history ; vocal music, writing, and gymnastic exercises. At the more advanced schools are taught religion and morals; reading, composition, exercisesr.in style, the study of the national classics; Latin under certain limitations; the elements of the higher mathematics, and an accurate and searching course of practical arithmetic ; physical philosophy ; geography and history combined ; tho prin ciples of drawing, singing, and gymnastic exercises. Such is the education which Prussia gives to all her children. Let it be borne in mind that this is not a mere theoretical scheme of education, but one actual, real, and thoroughly carried out. Every spark of intellect is, so to speak, carefully cherished, nurtured and devel oped." Thus trained, it is turned and di rected to the varied pursuits of life to the supply of the necessities, the comforts, the advancement of human society Can we wonder at what Prussia has be come almost within the compass of a sin gle life ? Her progress seems the natural result of carefully calculated forces. In agriculture, in the useful and ornamental arts, she has advanced to great perfection Her Universities are thronged with the graduates of Universities of other coun tries. She has become indeed the foun tain of erudition for the whole world. This careful mental and physical training has given to Prussia the undisputed leader ship of Germany, and with this consolida tion of power, she has become, in a mili tary point of view, well nigh irresistible When the collision between France and Germany came, it was a foregone conclu sion that the latter would snatch from the former the martiat crown which she had so proudly worn for two centuries and more. The brief campaign against Austria but fulfilled the universal expectation, when that hitherto great military power lay panting and exhausted beneath the victo rious arms of the German Empire. Secure in her military power, Germany reaches out and appropriates at pleasure fair prov inces and spacious harbors. She holds in her hand, and consciously so, the destinies of continental Europe. These are the fruits legitimate almost they are inevitable of universal education. It multiplies in an equal degree the military and civil re sources of a country. There is, however, no need that we should go to the old world to witness the triumphs of popular education: there are States in our own Union that speak most eloquently of its results. The common school system of Connecticut was established there in the year 1700. As to its efficiency up to a certain point em bracing some of the most essential elements of education we have testimony the most conclusive and unexceptionable. During a period of twenty-seven years that Chief Justice Reeve was in extensive practice in that btate as a lawver. he informs i, lished upon the subject, which, added to his personal knowledge based upon long experience, will form contributions rank ing with tho best ia the current papers of the country. Fish culture in the United States is new, and most that is published of value in regard to it is in State and Government reports, and aot within the reach of the public. If there Is any thing of a practical nature to be realized in fish culture fn ponds, the readers of the Regis ter may in Mr. Worth's writings look for , the best aid in securing the latest and most accurate information, which will "more quickly lead to paying results. AMONG THE PENWSTI.VANIANS. What iTIr. Peele Saw and Heard. ment of the years. State during the past nine they false. one need true? The whole expenditures of the Board of Agriculture are paid by the licentt tax collected from fertilizer manufacturers. - ..uuu, not to live or ten dol lar a ton as sometimes stated, but to less TV. CCBt8 a t0n- That to say, s were sold ,n North Carolina year, and the makers of them, eighty f ' u,wu of license fees- WhlOh la ratV. .. . , T 7 " . m lnan ty cente . fertilizer makers did their best wn. some years ago to rid them wto OI paying this tax. They tried to add the trir .r iL . .... iCTW.zcr.. They .earn ,i the Nm-th n ' ""mer, or uruuna mei that it could only come le manufacturer. whim: i ,u i" on oLTaerhthCfcOUntry' thU9 80mct imga home manufacturer, under cer am conditions of trade, to add the to he price of his own goods, or the deal r m imported goods to .a u . " ier Drofit on tK7i . .. . ",i ana a ... . the They failed. tax to the farmer, the merehnnt i j. . , i lit- uninix out of the pockets The tax is not like which he markets. " "L? -wiuie iree fertilizers. An. m : T trado in The Register cannot engage in the dis cussion or motives suggested by the open 0 oniric ironi me J anet, rt-pr.uteu aoove in full. The Register meddles with no man's motives these rest between each man and his Maker and it docs not choose to talk of its own. H"moq assigned to it by the Demo cratic party is sufficient reason for "celer uy in acquainting the people with all facts of public interest in regard to Demo cratic administration of State affairs, and ii is little concerned that its discharge of ieaus to impeachment of its mo tives by first one and then another grumb ling malcontent. Yesterday, it was the rauroaa legislation ;'the day before the university legislation or the public school administration; to-day. it is the conduct oi me democratic Board of Agriculture, uus ntue aoubt that each or tnc newspapers which has insinnnt an evil inrent as the moving cause of e ivwhstbr'b making haste to print the incts in regard to alleged malfeasance in the various departments, legislative, judi- and executive, of the State govern ment, u ere this heartily ashamed of the insinuated imputation. The Register has nothing to gain from any of the State offices, and is indebted to them not even for a year's subscription to the Register. They have no patronage to bestow, and if they had the Register would not seek it It is the Register's duty and its pleasure so far as it can, to keep the people in formed of the conduct of the people's ser vants, and to defend the Democratic ad ministration, by printing the facts, when unjustly assailed.; The Wadesboro Timet onrrhf t., l. the Register well enough to know that if the Board of Agriculture had fnA , expedient to select the editor of tK ?v to d.schargc the duties of one of its "junk eting officers-he would have found by this that the pay allows no "ib:f, and that the office is no sinecure the Reg ister would have been at le.,r defend him from unjust assault as it has ocento defend his neiffhW r, t irom unjust assault. Quicker in. sihln- ...... ' . V .!"- , UIU uesoi inendship with his people gave the Register an interest in the editor of the Timet, which it had not wjth I met with but one man who could not read and write. Let U8 glance at its material effects. Look at her beautiful cities, towns, and country seats to what onulence and taste do they testify; her institutions of learning, how solid and stately; her trade and commerce, how active and enterpris ing, yet upon how stable a basis: her agriculture, how . skillful; the yield how bountiful; the products of her fac tories and workshops how excellent in design and finish. These are all the results of educated thought without it, never to be realized. But there is another fact yet more striking in this connection. This system of schools i Connecticut, and the other States of New Eneland. pave to that section by means of the educated talent sent forth from those States, the practical control of the West for a ' long period. De Tocqueville informs us that "in 1830 thirty six of the members of Congress were born in the little State of Connecticut; the population of Connec ticut, which constitutes only one forty third part of that of the United States, thus furnishing one-eighth of the whole body of representatives. The State of Connecticut only sends five delegates, how ever, to Congress; and the thirty-one others sit for new Western States." Such are the effects of the common school system when properly conducted. The taste for learning acquired in the common school will be sure to lead every youth of talent to prosecute his education in the colleges and universities, if his means per mit; if not, by his own study. Wherever he may go the position of superiority will be accorded to him in everything in which mind can assert itself, and this inoh.An. the whole sphere of human affairs Ti, school system now in existence here is sub stantially that which produced such bene ficent effects in Connecticut. Shall we lis ten to those who seek to destroy it? Their efforts can only cripple, for the nhiif of the system is a thing impossible. Shall" we not rather, then, give to this system its fullest effect by complyinjr with.thp organic and statute laws of the State, which make plain the duties of every Board of county commissioners, and subject those who fail to indictment? This dutv nf maintaining the public schools for th. . riod found practicable in such a fitf ours, is the only duty for the non-perform- W1UC me state Constitution scribes a penalty. Talking with W. J. Pcele, Esq., who has just returned from the Cumberland Valley, Pa., where he went to see the Grangers' Fair, he said, "there is really a growing sentiment in our favor, coupled with a decided disposition in many in stances to come among us. They are a reading people up in Pennsylvania, and they took ragerly all the pamphlets and papers concerning North Carolina that were distributed." "How did the North Carolina exhibit take?" "Very well. The people asked a ereat many questions about the State, and were surprised at tho extent and variety of its productions. They expressed astonish ment and sometimes mcredulitv when told about the production of the 'bright leaf tobacco." "What were same of the nrinciral Ques tions they would ask you?" "lhey wanted to know how wheat and oats, and especially the grasses, would grow here. They did not know that Can adian oats and buckwheat would rrnw in this State. They were especially inter ested in how the grasses would grow here, and said often they could make anything where they could produce crass. Von on their principal way of fertilizing land is to turn under the green clover after hav ing heavily limed the land. They some times use as much as 150 bushels to the acre. But lime is six cents a bushel there, you know." "What else interested them?" "The variety of our woods and ti and our soils. Many of them thought we had mostly a sandy soil. Thev were sur prised too at the cheapness of our lands. They would hardly believe me when I told them that one year's Droduct of a sin gle acre in tobacco would very often be worth ten times as much as the land that grew it would sell for. In that country the value of the land's product in a single year is not often worth as much as the land." What docs fanninc nav there on the capital invested?" I do not know, but not more thnn three or four per cent.. I was verv oftn told by intelligent men and farmers." "What is the value of 1 for farming purposes in the Cumberland Valley?" "From $100 to $250 per acre. The ten. ants or 'croppers' there ha ve tn nir nno. half of all they make, instead of one-fourth as tney do here. Sometimes, ton ihv have to haul their fire-wood six and sevwn miles, that being the distance to the wood land in the mountains." "What class of men are most disr.nee1 to come here?" ine younjr tenant farmers Tkfnnw f them have already accumulated several hundred and some several thnnnnl hi lars' worth of personal property; but they cannot buy any land at its enormous prices. These have been troinir West in great numbers, and they make the best class of immigrants as they can best adapt themselves to circumstances. Thev . young and thrifty, and have a little money. These are the men who hav- built n ti, great West." r "What arc the chief difficulties in the way of immigration to this State?" "Well, the sectional feeling is not all dead yet, but its influence is rapidly les sening over the class of men wc want here. Then, too, we have to come into competition with immigration agents of the great western railroads. An immi grant or prospector can go to almost any of the Western States and Territories and return for half-cent a mile. The agent himself can go free, and is paid too The negro race is also another difficulty at present. The average Northern man can not deal or live with the negro as we can, ana he is not cominir in I where the negro abounds. When the tide sets this way (which it will do in the not distant future) the Piedmont, Western and central districts of the State will be for the most part occupied first, and then -Z mProceea Eastward. Among other difficulties it might be mentioned also that those people believe that manual em ployments are not so dignified here as with them. I had a hint of this several times, and more than once from the ladies jnany of the best of whom do their own work. There is also some lingering op position to immigration in this State, and it finds expression in Tarious ways This of course, does harm. For my own part' I am in favor of it, and believe that this is our only practical method of solving the race question." THE YACHT RACE. A Buhy New Yorker's Holiday Notes I had never seen a yacht race and felt no need of seeing one; 1ut the morning mail seeming to permit absence from my desk, and having a strong inclination to unbend, I almost frightened myself by uddenly running for the irom steamer "Sinus" at picrNo.l, Irwas in time, and in a few minutes was sailing down the bay thinking how manv thine T THE " SCIENTIFIC FELLERS" About to be Reformed. New York-Herald Telegram. There have been for some vears a nnm. ber of scientific men carried on the rolls of uc-oiogicai survey. Some of them during that time have never been in Wash ington, and are engaged as professors in well known colleges. It is difficult to ascer- uuu1 ey nave done for the govern ment in return for their salaries. Their uiisner to an such questions is that they are engaged on scientific researches of a character that ordinary people do not and cannot understand. It is alleged by un scientific people that the principal reason that they received these sinecure appoint ments was so that they could influence the Congressmen from their States and thus secure larger appropriations for the Geo logical Survey. Auditor Chenowith is now engaged in an investigation of the ac counts of the Geologicar Survey Bureau and he has given out that if these scientific people cannot show that they have per formed real work and of a character that ordinary people can understand, they will not be allowed to continue to draw their salaries. Theret has been a great deal of looseness in the way these so-called scien tific bureaus of the government -have been carried on for years, and there is much nervousness now notimnhie m i owh are directly interested. cuilt for funning away. It was a fine day, and with tho excitement ahead I gradually got rid of -the worry of business and began a new experience of life. On the wav from the Narrows", past Sandy- Hook, and out to the Scotland Light Ship, everything " ""gin auu tun ui auspicious promise for a day of unusual enjoyment. Here, dancing and sliding upon the waters in a Kind oi ocean skating rink fashion, were nine tugs, small and great excursion steamers, and sail-yachts without number. including the two vessels that were in a iew nours to decide the fate of two great nations, and determine whether the "cup" should remain in America or bo taken back-to England. The American yacht, Puritan, and the English cutter, Genesta, the two representatives of aqua tic sportsmen, seemed to know that some most extraordinary effort was about to be required or them, and with nervous and uneasy movement they continued to waltz urouna ine judges" boat, waiting for the signal. The first signalwas given and men lor hve minutes they prepared for the start by getting into position to cross ine starting ime an imaginary line from me uigai amp to the judge's boat. When me wora was given they came dofn to their work and walked away before the wjnd while thousands of eves rested nnon them with an interest that has perhaps Merer iMjen equaieo on any other like occa sion. Indeed thev were a snlendirl They put on their full robes of white can vass, and it seemed as if the chariots that ride in the blue sky had come down to sail upon the blue waters, so noiselessly uu so Deauuiuiiy did they glide upon their course. The Englishman had the start and kept it for a time, but the Yankee was soon in the lead. It looked as if success in the course out to sea, twenty miles away, was to crown the efforts of the Puritan. But the Uenestn, perhaps by her superior qual ities for sailing before the wind, or a bet ter judgment as to the handling of sails, came to the stake buoy and rounded it grandly from two to three minutes ahead. Then came the' test of sailing against the wind. To regain the starting point by the Light Ship, frenty miles back, the yachts had to sail over nearly double the actual distance. It was on the second and third tacks that most of the sailing was done, and during this time it was the finest, cleanest and most beautiful sport I ever witnessed. The Genesta hav ing rounded the buoy first was making fine headway before the Puritan came to the stake. But on the northerly tack the latter gained. The sea was rough, and for most of the time the wind blew at 35 to 40 miles an hour. The top of the Eng lishman's mast for most of the home stretch pointed to a place in the sky half way between the zenith and the horizon, and his lee rail and part of the deck were buried in the sea. The Yankee, though bending under the gale, seemed to care less ior it, and stood up like a tower and snot lorward like a spectre. On the north erly tack the Puritan gained and Amcri can siock was above par. But after the uencsta turned and pointed westward to her goal the Puritan kept on her course, tin, when she did turn, she seemed to have thrown away time and distance without compensation. It was from this point out that the great excitement of the race prevailed. Very many were now sure that the English cutter was to win. There was the Yankee sloop far away to the windward, and behind, while the former was seemingly headed directly for the Light Ship and bound for it on the short leg of a triangle. She was plowing the waves too with an energy that made the waters foam and fly. After a time it was discovered that the Puritan was brino-ing her course nearer to that of the Genesta and was gaining. This became more and more evident until the two yachts were abreast and not over a hundred yards apart. Then was the struggle for supremacy. If ever ship upon the sea thought and felt and was instinct with life it was then. These two winged champions of American and English models were here followed by a new oi steamers and watched with excit ing'anxiety by thousands of eyes. But the Yankee sloop was surely going to pass the English cutter. "She'll sail across the Genesta s bows; you see if she doesn't " was said here and there by those most ex- peneucea l rue enough. In a trice the Puritan did shoot before and ahead of the Genesta as easily and as handsomely as , onauuw pnm Disrespects to the ga ble of your barn. Then followed a general lrora me multitude that told us that mi uoudi ot the result had vanished, and when a few minutes later the American sloop crossed the line less than two min utes ahead of the English cutter, you should have heard the din and roar. Every steam whistle tooted and screamed ; every gun on yacht or steamer cleared its throat, and every man and his wife (and there were many) joined in the general hurrah with its inevitable tiger. Thu Genesta had been under full sail from the start. The Puri tan had hauled down her topsail before rounding the buoy, and had made her course home with main sheet and jib It was one of the most remarkable contests ever seen, resulting in a victory of less than two minutes in a race of 40 miles and yet it was a triumph that filled New York and her newspapers like a Presiden tial election. "Landsman." tions arc not closely observed, there is still usually some question of local impor tancc on which public opinion can be influ enced by discussion.'. Out of the news papers and the political meetings, the speeches,' 'the caricatures, the processions, barbecues', the "ordinary American1 gets a good deal of pleasure He wants the truth and means to have it, but tlje lies that circulate he understands too. ; - He recognizes in them in part at least a hu morous exaggeration, a tendency to which is a characteristic of the humor of his country. All the time he is learning something; he sits as a juror, to hear opposing argu ments, he is picking out the chaff from the wheat, and using and increasing his stock of shrewdness and of political knowledge. He may give hours or only a few minutes a day to politics, but he is thoughtful about it and enjoys it, and the hotter the fight the more he enjoys it. It would be a great loss to him to have elections only at long intervals. The preparations for elec tions, the time between nominations and elections, stir him up and prevent his be coming sluggish. But however much he may be stirred up by an election, he soon subsides after it is past, hurrahs a little if nc hcks, ano laughs if he is licked, and men goes aoout his ordinary business. Decidedly, frequent elections are a good thing, and bustling campaigns are a great VIRGINIA POLITICS Interpreted by Richmond to New York. New York World. There are a good many points of semblance between the two opposing can didates for the Virginia Governorship, Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and John S. Wise. THE BITERS BIT. The New York Broker Know It Chic go Inter-Ocean. A pretty eirl entered a lawverV offi She was young, neat, and in her eyes was roguery, one was a swindler. Shecarri ed a bunch of printed tickets for th raf fle of a watch; und she said that in order to help her poor, dear, sick mother over a sudden financial strait she had resolved to sacrifice her own golden time-piece by lot tery. r ouiu me gentleman please buy . . At n ... . . - uanucB at i apiece f au tuis was prec ious nonsense. She was a clever little rascal, who utilized her cood looks and glib tongue to get dollars from susceptible ujcii. jxu Huept in nattery, she had learn ed now to kafoozle the kind old fellows who imagine they are the deuce and all with girls. Ihree inmates of the office which she now invaded were adamant tn her assault. But it chanced that she inter rupted a discussion of Russell Sage's disposition. 'I will bet $10." said one. "thatthia girl can wheedle Sage out of some money. And she shall have half the stake if she wins. He is an old fool in the hands of a pretty and audacious artist." "1 11 tell you what TH do." was the re ply. "You risk your money on the n-irl. I will put the same amount on the beggar down there in the street," pointing to the man against Trinity fence. "If he mt from Sage more cents than she does dol- ars,thenl win; if the contrary, I lose. Is t a go? One of his clerks is an intimt friend of mine, and from him we will get an exact account of what happens." The scheme was carried out, and I think that the conditions of it arc illustrative of phases in New York life. As to Sa?e. the outcome was greatly to his crvdit. The beggar in tatters was first sent in: Sarrf. gazed at him critically, and said: "If you are as oadlyoH as you say. you ought to be in bed. I will send a rWt with Roosevelt Hospital, with an nrlr tn charge the necessary expenses to mc, and x uuu I. uouot mat you can be cured." mere was no more the matter with the man man he wished to preserve intact i i : . i , . . . y iuu in- wiiiiurew nastily. The girl next tried, bhe did her tremulous RneaWinrr her shy glancing, and her covert flatterine n j o uc couiu in aoout sixteen seconds, ln.cn the millionaire interrupted iictmcsee, young woman," he said; "what was your errand the last time you tame arounu neref uh, yes; I remember. You had been accidentally left behind in the departure of vour fainilv for rh;Mmi and you wanted to borrow money enough to buy a ticket to follow them. Ah, you're . . -3 Tt. i Till 1 ... . J """'' ut in qo something for you i u pay. ine lee lor your entrance to the iiome ior fallen Girls, and I think you uugui, to go uieir. "And I think," the girl exploded, "that you ought to go to the devil, you old cnumpi" What tho two beggars could get from Sage was so difficult to appraise that the dci was declared off. POLITICS OCR RCSINES. Freqaent Election a Good Thine New York Sun. Some political theorizers who look down upon the common people, are pleased to lament the frequency of elections in the United States. They fear that among so many elections the electors will lose their interest m some, and, besides, the eternal uln of nnlitito i a ,1 1 i . . , ,0 nglccsule lo mcir ears. Popular government is too popular for them and frequent changes almost as un desirable m elective as in non-electivo offices They would like to sec longer terms for the former as well as a life term for the latter. With these gentlemen it is unnecessary to argue, for their difficulty is a profound distrust of people and much personal dis comfort in democratic government. But even if frequent elections, National, State Ann Ins a I r.A J COWS LICK THEIR CALVES And Schoolmaatera did LIek the Bora. fNew York Journal of Commerce.! An editor wrote to a young lady to send him hn Z . - uu uioi impressions oi a performance she was to renort. description, and he would " lick it into shape." She asks if the quoted phrase is not "the worst form of slang." She is evidently a little piqued en account of the liberties taken with her own subsequent vuTUO,uuu, mm somewnat anxious to score a point against the editor. The phrase instead of being slang is actually ..oo.vo.. n sii oiu tradition of super- " tnc cubs of bears were born wnouy without shape, and were moulded into the proper form by the tongue of the mother. Ovid's Metamorphoses, Bookxv., Fable xxxiii., has a heading which reads in English, "Bears Bring Forth a Lump of Flesh, and by Licking Reduce it to a xroper 6hapc,"and the classical Latin de serines the process. Pope writes: So watchful Bruin forms with plastic care fcacn growing lump, and brings it to a bear. Dunclad i.. 101. And the immortal Shakespeare writes: Uen Lee has fifteen years the start of his opponent, but both are comparatively young men. Both belong to the sttng pur of Virginia social life, and arc born Brah mins of the Brahmins. Both arc open air men, whose code is simple: to ficrht. to ride and to speak the truth. Both fought gallantly on the same side through a long and bloody struggle; Lee a dashing young cavalry officer at the head of his column ; Wise, a slender blue-eyed cadet, who with 200 of his boy comrades was march ed un der the Rev. Gen. Pendleton from the Virginia Military Institute to the battle of New Market, and fr6m that daf till the surrender at Appomatox followed the flag of the Confederacy. Gen. Lec, accoutred and caparisoned in all the glory of a gray Confederate uni form, a black plume in his wide-brimmed hat and curbing a fiery steed, inspires a crowd, as at the last inauguration, with great enthusiasm. Added to this, the very whisper of his magic name is as the sound of the battle-cry to an old war horse, and no crowd of Virginia soldiers but must break out in loud huzzas when it is spoken. In citizen's dress and he is not fastidious as to his tailor, but, as on all. the occasion of Gen. Grant's funeral, fre quently appears in garments of strange fashion and the worse for wear Gen. Lee is a homely, stout Virginia farmer, plain in speech, fond of anecdote and with a loud and jovial lausrh that fills tho town with a breath of plantation life and tells me ciud men two squares off that "Fitz Lee "has come. It is in his courtly and deferential manner to women, whom he treats with a reverent courtesy that is par ticularly winning and engaging, that he appears socially at his best. Gen. Leo is not an orator, but even Virginia people, who arc of all people most given over to the traditions, are beginning to realize that this is a lost art, and one that does not properly belong to a highly civilized community, which has other ways of in forming itself than through the silver ac cents of a popular speaker. His rough clothes, his rough-and-ready speech, his unaffected interest in county fairs, in stock breeding, and even a country tournament, where the pretty girls in the neighbor hood all assemble, give him a popularity with the masses which a more eloouent and even a more able man would fail to excite. " The truth is." said a Virginia gentleman, sitting on the unpainted veranda attached to the house of hi eighth great-granfather. "Fitz Lee's a gentleman; we all know him and his stock; he married a Virginia girl, a beau tiful creature, Nelly Fowle: we all know her stock; nice plantation ; knows a good horse when he sees one, good soldier, and besides, his name's Lee, and we'll all go to the polls and give him u handsome major- ty. Ao debt question or neero's nlaee in equity there." Mr. Vise :s also a ircntleman of birth and breeding, an excellent lawyer, a good friend and the best raconteur of his day. His handsome, bull-dog, clean-shaven face contrasts well with the fragile beauty of his golden-haired wife and his tall young ouus, uj nuuui ue is always surrounded. By a combination of circumstances which begun as far back as '75, when his perso nal enemy, Gen. Bradley T. Johnson, now of Baltimore, then of Richmond. ed the scat in the Virginia Senate with Mr. Wm. C. Knight, of Richmond, Mr. Wise bolted from his party and became an independent. Under that name the battle was fought a long, hard time. "For a hatred and aji implacable hatred," says George Eliot, "commend mc to the ha tred of the blood relation." When "Johnny Wise," as every man and woman in Richmond dubbed him, went over to the Republican party through the ranks of Rcadjusterism, with Mahone for a leader, a cry went up all over the land. And why should it not have arisen? When Mahone saw that the only possible chance for the success of his ambition was the securing of the oue white man's vote in ten, which" added to the negro vote, might overcome the rightful Democratic majority, and con ceived the scheme of repudiation glossed over under the sugary title of readjust ment, was it to be for one moment sup posed that men of integrity and intelli gence such as John S. Wise was thought to be, would enlist under such a banner borne by such a leader? The Westmoreland Club, the most ex clusive and conservative rendezvous for gentlemen in Richmond, saw fit by black balling to intimate that Mr. Wise was no longer welcome in their society. Rightly, then, did the pretty house on Main street,' which had been the scene of many a cay company, become shut and silent. The Richmond German Club issued its invita tions, out the names of Hon and Mr John 8. Wise were absent from the list of laoy and gentlemen patrons. It was all society could do, but there is nothing so relentless. It tabooed the Senator from the Richmond District and his lovely young wife. But recently a reaction has tniren place. "Let us have peace " has a glim- lucuiuug even to that en lirhtnprl jury of American citizens we call societv U'hn qhi ffi a " .3 r . I ? . u a tciuiui oi guilty to a wo- every count. wns as sinful and as lucrative as the or,,; val of 1885. Last year the bills of m "r talitjt in Montreal were not swollen above the average by pestilence. Perhaps th, hotel! keepers and the livery men 'vaih-,1 for some sign of the divine wrath at w), ,t most!people regarded as innocent mirth Not (observing such n sign thev may h lv' inferred that it was safe to organize u, other carnival. The Abbe will find, kivt ' ficull; to reconcile the good health of Mm, treal during the summer of 1884 with hi diagnosis of the epidemic of 188") n will frot do for him to say that he does not knovv why judgment for the evil thin- w.w delayed. A gentleman so peculiarly int'i mate, with the divine counsels is bound t , know all about it. When he underfiki's to assert eternal providence and justify ways; of God to men he must reconcile i the apparent discrepancies, and he cum", ', take refuge, as humbler and more modt persons can do, in the confession of l '; own fignorance. in lact, it is in this impudent and rageous affectation of an out aeimnint with. the decrees of Provid.-n blasphemy of this Montreal clerEym,, consists. If he had taken the gVnen" ground that the appearance of the small pox admonished everybody in dan-r of becoming a victim tait to mend his ways he might not have done much good hut he would have been secure from doing anv mischief. Now he has done mischief pre cisely so far as his words have any effect It is (to be feared that they will have some effect. The existence of a man capable of talking this drivel from the pulpit implies the existence of a considerable number of persons in the pews more ignorant and more superstitious than the preacher The effect upon such people must be vcrv ' bad . J It Is in vain for physicians and boards of health to urge the truth about small pox lupon people whose heads have d ready been tilled with fantastic and bias pheiuous untruths about it which they regard as inspired wisdom. Small-pox is perfectly well known to be a tilth dis ease, 'finding its aliment among precisely the kind of people who accept Father Filialtraut's diagnosis as the true one The disease cannot originate except through filth,rand it is preventable by vaccination What use is there in telling these things to djirty people who have a prejudice against vaccination, when they have been authoritatively told that the disease is sent upoii them as a punishment for their sins. In that case it behooves them to accept the chastisement humbly, instead of blasphe mously trying to nullify the decrees of Providence. Prayer, fasting, and humilia- uou ure ine remedies "indicated " bv L)r rinatraut's diagnosis. To abandon th enpp?fira tr n .. . . n n .1 .. i - -" oyjay uu water ana ior vac cination, or even to combine the remedies of the two schools, would be to rely upon the arm of flesh and to invite still further punishment. It:is by precisely such appeals to their superstitious fears that the Italians and Spaniards have been prevented from tak ing any precautions against the spread of the cholera. From belicvinir thnt f..,i. demies of filth diseases are punishments for other sins than dirtiness to forrihlv re sisting the enforcement of sanitary nieas- ures; and mobbing doctors is not a very lcngj step. If there are manv persons foolish as Abbe Filiatraut "among the French Canadian priesthood, it would not be siaprising to see this step taken by their congregations. But however difficult it mayjbe, the administration of carnal vac cination and secular soap and water shou3d be persisted in by the Canadian authorities upon both priests and people. A man is not at liberty to make himself a centre of infection because he believes that; he himself deserves to catch the small-pox. iiese HOW FOREIGN ITIISSIONS Strike the minds of Arkauiaw Folk. T TArkansaw Traveler. It, is a difficult matter to impress upon the siind of the rural man of Arkansaw the necessity of paying immediate atten tion! to the heathen. During a camp meeting in Saline County, a preacher from Little Rock made an eloquent. appeal for the poor wretch who eats harmless mis sionary instead of eating hurtful bulk pork. When the preacher had concluded, an old cxhorter arose and said : "Bretheren, I've been might'ly interest ed in this 'lectioneerin' for the heathen an' I would now like to know something about him." Then addressing tho minister who had justiaken his seat, the exhorter said : "Brother, I would like to ask you a few questions. The boys all say that they are waifiin' to see what stand I take; so you won't object to a few questions, will you?" "ftertainlv not To disproportion me in every part, ikj 10 a cnaos or an unHcked bear-whelp. . iiuj,irajU use me aam. prc- OXIR FISHERY INTERESTS. After this date there will High Priced Revivals. rCPUl.irlr fir. tnn in V. T J ' r wxv ivbojumb such notes upon fish culture as are deemed valuable to persons who have engaged in the growing of fish in ponds. Mr. Worth, who has been Fish Commissioner of the State so many years is capable of ministering to many of the practical wants of such persons, and has sources of information which.; will enable him to produce much that is recently pub- , rLonisvllle Post. J Why don't wo have the Rev. Samuel Jones in Louisville?" I asked of a promi nent revival manager the other day. His terms are too high," replied the ?r,Vao " You can,t touch hj r less than $200 a week, and we can't afford to pay that much." What sort of an age is this we are liv- Da!dln2nhan howJlaS evangelist must be paid f200 a week and engaged like anv ordinary rl,n ..8T "PJ a 1 . V "ri;tion to preach the Gospel? i . recent speech at Eminence, y., I understand that Jones began his sermon wthi. way: MIf you fool people h" "ht.J " won't .peak I "I , Jmi to-night." And yet there and looul VPM n ' . , uu ucissm-y unocr our American system, it would still Iks desira ble to have them. It is sometimes said mat life in a new community like the United States must be dull ; but how dull it would be, at least to men, without poli tics, and a good deal of politics? Wo men seem generally deaf to the charm of politics but perhaps the women suffrage adVOCatM mnv trot l . l o -j wuven me sex. jo mostmen who are as yet irenuinelv and unaffected American, politic, is nit merely a business of momentous -imnor-tanco to the country, but also a considera ble interest and amusement. An election a to be considered seriously as far as To" ting goes, but before the voting is had ST,.?!8 WrtMitie. of etcitement umcss we election be -sf narticn lartv onn-.irlo . Ljii. panicu mainly intellectual. M Henry tri., Act 8. sc. 2. I here could be no better authority for the use of the expression, and it was liter ally true that the crudities of the reporter in. mio ine proper shape. The Umbrella Fraud Foiled. New York World. Wife What makes you so late to night dear? ' Husband (with indignation) I've been Wife Arrested? TT 1 T . auwana-ies. i bought an umbrella lo-uay ana marked on it "stolen from H. j me hrst policeman I met arrest- i ioia mm my name was Smith uut ne woman t believe me. Tl.o nar. I ... ...... uiueii lusri;. uuu nere Ann them n nery politician or a strong nartisan nrn like the Richmond Whig, makes the can vass a personal one, but it is really lacking in bitterness. Virginians remember Gcni Robert V. Lee, their chieftain and hero, and will vntA the Democratic ticket nnrl r,; , i. Planter prophesied, "Fitz Lee" a hand some majority. But there are old-timers who will also recall the fierv-and eloquent Henry A. Wise, who in his day was also a power in the land, and there are mpn vuhn wore the cadet uniform .it Kp have not forgotten the fifteen-year-old boy in the ranks, who was a soldier even then, and of good stuff to the core. On one thincr the Virginia Anin mo,. be congratulated. There will be, after an interregnum of ten years for Gov. Came ron has never entertained a mistress at the Government House. is elected, a chrminrr nd lWiHfitf,Gffia - o uvn-oo wno wm open the loner-closed make a social centre of th h for so long has been the gloomiest and the most forlorn in all Virginia. Certainly not. "Thankee. Wall, how is politeness ir the heathen's country? " "He knows nothing of politeness." "Ah, hah! Wall, how's the miestion o capital an' labor? " "There is no capital no labor." "o strikes?" "No." "Got no canderdates? " "No candidates." "Don't have to wear no clothes, if I un derstand the situation?" "They have no clothes." "No lawyers there, I reckon ? " "No lawyers." "Wall, parson, that's the country I'm lookin' fur, an' ef a emmergration agent wasto come here he'd ketch every sensible man in Saline County. Boys, I don't think we ken give Mr. Heathen anything. It woufa be as foolish as hauling water an' pourin' it in the river. ODDS AND ENDS you're going Society Ways Catefa Colored Polk.. New York Herald. wentleman I understand 10 marry an heiress, 'Rastus. nasius ics, Sah. Miss Johnsing am reported to have fo'ty-seben dollahs in de uaiiK, emn. uenueman la it a love match on her Hal l, xwisius f 'Rastus I doau 'suecta liitU Sol. T a well 'stablished fac' dat my grau'mudder wah a nu f , G Washington, Sah. So I marries Miss Johnsing fo' her money and she marries me fo' my blood. . are truly good people who will insist 7Z STY ,ntj'TML V- TWniggltf tf po him. J2?2&?r ebat. ?nd even in ideal elections, wher larly one-sided n&U. ly off " year. Moreover, th tl i 'uggl 6r po ind acrltaVaious lMflaa 1 it sometime, happens that partj 7Z Woman Knows Trade Tricks. TNew York Sun.J Clerk to proprietor) What is the sell-ICl-f tliat now ,ot of black silk knowf ming Mrs. 8. wants to ProprietorMrs. S. is a nuisance. She always complains about the price of good, yet never buy.. Tell her I dollar and a half a yard. It cost two dollars. Clerk (to Mrs. S.)-One dollar and a half a yard, madam. w8-J,e,iD.of the "ilk)-It aeems bm oi, uouar ana a hair. However may cut me off 22 yards. ' you DISEASE AND SUPERSTITION. White Foils Tarred wltli Colored Stick. New York Times.J It is painful to observe th nf t lir cio mA imbecile superstition that has nullified every effort to deal scientifically and ef fectively with cholera in the Spanish and Italian peninsulas is brought into play to prevent any organized reaiatnnno t th- spread of -small-pox in Canada. The Abbe Filiatraut, in a sermon preached at Montreal on Sunday, informed his enn or ro gation that Montreal was affl small-pox this summer because the Mon treal people had a carnival last ;nt "feasting the flesh." "It is to punish us for our pride, continued the preacher, " that God sent us small pox." It would, perhaps, be doing the preach er an injustice if we should call this stuff blasphemy, for th nffsnm mv, resides in tho intention. It would have been blasphemy, undoubtedly, if it had been uttered by an inielligent and respon sible being who weighed his words before uttering them. In order to maintain this diagnosis it is necessary for the preacher to explain how it wag that the! Almighty failed to express His displeasure immedi ately after the carnival of 1884, which Lst summer we often admired the kind andjgenteel manner with which one of the socifcty young men of Crested Butte at tended the footsteps of a certain fair dam sel. How anxious he was to help her over everjy muddy spot or rough place! But now; we see her jump the ditch, splash through the mud. and climb over nilcs of lumber, while he has plenty to do to hunt a dry crossing for himself. Thev are mar ried now. Gothic (Col.) Silcer iltcord. "iioungMan lam willing to lend von twenty dollars, Gus. but vou mustn't sav anything to anybody about it. If it should become known that I had lent vou mom v I wauld be importuned to death. Uus (pocketincr the money) 1 hanks. I pledge you mv word that I will never spcak of it to a soul. Young Mau All right. About when will,' you return me the money, Gus? Gjus 'Sh! Muni's the word, old boy. -lYem York Sun. "Jt's a terrible thing to owe money," said Smith. " To be compelled to dodye around this corner and that to avoid meeting a creditor on the street. It takes the : manhood out of one, and he soon lose, all self-respect. I am glad to say that; I no longer owe a dollar.'" "Then those old debts that have both ered! you so long are all squared up, are they?" "iYes, thank heaven! The last one he camp outlawed yesterday." Ntic Yurk World. A;young man with a gun, at Sonors, St. Mary's, was testing his maiksmanship by firinK at a crow. Miss Ella Hewitt, pass ing on the highway at the time, felt a sud den (crashing in her mouth. The bullet ViaA iflnu-n mi A ft nf ita marlf find ft.lSSCd linu .uvnuinti'V vrubtA ini . .... between Miss Hewitt's slightly parted hps, cutting both slightly and erasing the enamel of her two upper front teeth. Miss Hewitt thus literally escapes "by the skin of her teeth;" and, saving fright and swollen lips, is none the worse for her nar row Fcscape, a narrower than which can hardly be imagined. Pictou (Nora Scotft) Newt.
The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 23, 1885, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75