Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1883 — Page 3

CARNAGE.

Whole Towns In the Island of Ischia, Italy, Annihilated by an Earthquake* r— ——» J*> Appalling Slaughter of Human Beings at Casamicciola, a Famous Resort * ’ *4 ' ♦ thousands of Persons Crushed to Death Beneath the Falling Buildings. \ * [Cable Dispatch (July 30) from Naples,ltaly.] Three thousand Inhabitants of the island of Ischia were killed by an earthquake. The productive part of the island was ruined, and vineyards, farms, mines, baths and summer residences by the hundred were destroyed. About 9:30 o'clock Saturday night, soon after the majority of the inhabitants of the to wn of Casamicciola, a watering place of about 3,500 inhabitants, hacf retired to rest, shocks of earthquake began to be felt Many of the citizens of the upper classes were at the theater at the time. The first trembling of the buildings awoke those who were sleeping, and caused the theater-goers to be filled with alarm. In an instant a more violent shock came The people in the theater rushed wildly out of dobra The fourth shock leveled most of the houses of the town. Many of the citizens were resting in their beds These were buried under the toppling walla The Hotel Piccola Sentinella sank into the earth and burned with many of its inmates. Home of the inhabitants escaped to the sea at the first shock, and made their wav to Naples with the news of the calamity. The ground opened in many places, while in other places there was no movement Water gushed out of the springs. Several boilers in the bathing-houses burst The theater, a wooden structure, was literally torn open, allowing the audience to escape. A gentleman who was staying at the Hotel Piccola Sentinella, and who escaped with his life, relates that he only had time to secure some candles for use in the darkness and ruins before the collapse of the building occurred. A person who lived near the now ruined bathing establishment says he escaped from the place amid falling walls and balconies, terrified people shouting, “to the sea”

The shock came with irresistible violence, and was accompanied by a deafening noise; The confusion in the theater was fearful Lights were overthrown and set fire to the budding, and a dense cloud of dust filled the air. Cries of pain and terror were heard on all sides Gn hearing shouts of “to the sea,” a general rush was made toward the shore. Every boat and floating teing was taken by assault The whole Island is in a condition of intense terror, sufliering and helplessness. Although all the steam vessels within reach have been endeavoring to aid the people, and have removed many thousands of the injured to the main land, the thousands of injured cannot be estimated. The destruction was most complete at Casamicciola, the famous pleasure re ort, with its hot springs and bates, the Saratoga of Italy. Of its populace of 4,000, and its summer visitors to an equal number, few escaped death or injury, and the losses deeply affect every portion of Italy, as the guests were drawn from the wealthy and aristocratic districts of the entire kingdom. Several members of the National Assembly and the Senate a. e miss’ng and unaccounted for, while the earth .opened and buried forever a number of Roman families who had visited the island on a pleasure excursion. Many hundreds were killed at Ischia, the capital of the island and the seapdrt nearest to t*he mainland, among them being the prefect, Fiorentina As soon as the news reached Rome and Naples, assistance ol evqry available sort was forwarded. Among the first to leave for the scene was Admiral Acton, the Minister of Marine, and Signor Berti, the Minister of Trade, who were not content to issue their commands from Rome. Details or several hundred soldiers and marines, whose services could be utilized at sappers, or in the temporary hospital, or kindred work, were also taken to the island. They improvised stretchers and carried hundreds of the wounded to the steamers, which took them as well as numbers of the homeless, to Naples

OBITUARY.

Death of Montgomery Blair, Lincoln’s Postmaster General. His Career as a Politician and Barrister — The Later Years of His Life. The Hon. Montgomery Blair, of Maryland, died recently at his residence near Silver Springs, Montgomery County, Md. He was aeon of Francis Preston Blair, Sr., and a brother of Gen. Frank P. Blair, who ran on the Democratic National ticket with Seymour in 1868. His father was born at Abingdon, Va, in 1790. He resided for some years in Kentucky, and in 1830 began to edit the Washington Globe, and became the friend and confidential adviser of Jackson. His mother was the daughter of Nathaniel Gist, a companion of Washington on the Duquesne expedition. Montgomery Blair was born in Franklin county, Ky., May 10, 1813, and was educated at West Point, graduating in 1835. He served in the artillery in Florida during the Seminole war, and resigned his commission in the army May 29, 1836. He began the practice of law at St Louis, ana soon attained prominence there. In 1839 he was apf*ointed United States District Attorney or Missouri, and from 1843 to 1849 he was a Judge of the St Louis Court of Common Pleas In 1852 he removed to Montgomery county, Md. In 1855 he Was appointed Solicitor of the United States in the Court of Claims Previous to the report of the Missouri Compromise he acted with the Democratic party. Afterward he became a Republican, ana was, .in consequence, removed from his office by President Buchanan in 1855. In 1857 he acted as dounsel for the plaintiff in the celebrated Dred Scott case. In 1860 he presided over the Republican Convention of Maryland. Appointed by Lincoln as Postmaster General in 1861, Biair remained in office until 1864, when he resigned, having become dissatisfied with the policy of the party in power. His prominence in the effort made to set aside as fraudulent the election of Mr. Hayes, brought him conspicuously before the public in 1878. His father, Francis Preston Blair, was a well-known politician, at one time a friend of Henry Clay, and one of the organizers of the Republican party. The Postmaster-General ordered, as a mark of respect to the deceased, that the Postoffice Department building be draped in mourning for a period of thirty days; that the flag on the building in Washington be placed at half-mast until after the burial, and that the department be closed Monday. P. T. Barnum, the greatest, eta, is 76 years old.

TWENTY-TWO LIVES LOST.

Terrible Wreck on a New York Railroad. Pleasure-Seekers Meeting Sudden and Violent Deaths. [Albion (N. Y.) Telegram.] Ex-Mayor Thomas Hoyne, of Chicago, and nineteen other persons were killed in a railway wreck near Carly on station. A freightcar had been blown upon the main track of the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg railway by the fierce wind. At 9:40 o’clock the steamboat express, running to the Thousand Isles, dashed at full speed into the freight car. The train was going twenty miles an hour, Tne head engineer saw the obstruction as it passed the station, whistled for brakes, and jumped from the train. The forward engine jumped the track to the south, and the second to tne north. Both turned over on their sides, and were broken to pieces The two baggage cars, day-coaches, and four sleepers were ditched and demolished. Conductor E. Garrison jumped and saved himself The passengers were thrown headlong into a heap of crushed timbers From the wreck moans and groans went up, mingled with cries for help. As soon as lights could be procured, work was begun removing the debris and rescuing the dead and wounded. From the ruins of the cars white hands of ladies and limbs, of children protruded in such a manner as to make the bravest turn pale. Fortunately, none of the cars caught fire. Fireman Frances, of the second engine, was found crushed beneath the heavy iron. His engineer, McCarthy, was horribly scalded, but Uvea until noon yesterday. As fast as the bodies of the dead and the wounded were recovered from the debris, they were taken to the station, from whence ail but eleven dead bodies were taken to their homea It is impossible to determine the number of the wounded, for several who were slightly hurt left for their homes or to continue their journey. Those of the dead who have been identified are: Hon. Thomas Hoyne, of Chicago; Mrs. Jane Carl, of Lansing, Mich.; Prof. C. W. Stone, Battle Creek, Mich.; Lute J. Frances, Oswego, N. Y.; Willie Lefevre, Bay City, Mich.; Ashley Tyler, Camden, N. Y.; Thomas Stalls, Wasertown, N. Y.; Mrs. Lefevre, Bay City, Mich. • J. B. Schenck, Cleveland, Ohio; Thomas Dixon, Cleveland, Ohio; two ladies, one of them thought to be Mrs Booth, of Bay City, Mich.; J. J. Worthey, Saline, Mich.; Henry McCormick, Benton, Mich.; L. J. Booth, Bay City, Mich.; Eizabeth J. Cere. Meriden, Mich.; Mrs. mis J. Boos, Philadelphia; Louis J. Boos, Philadelphia; Mrs. Brooks, Philadelphia; the colored porter, name unknown; Archibald Taylor, baggageman, Watertown, N. Y. Miss Troop said that she was on her way to Montreal with her grandfather, who was killed. They were in a sleeper. She was thrown into the aisle, an,d escaped from the wreck comparatively uninjured. Alexander Tower said that he was sitting in a coach facing his sister, Mrs Elizabeth J. Corl, who was crushed under a seat As soon as he recovered from the shock of the accident he undertook to extricate her, but found her lifeless. . The wife of the Rev. E. S. Gould, of Carthage, Mo., thus describes her impressions of the casualty: “The first I knew I felt a sudden shock that shivered the globes of the lamps. The lights went out, leaving the car in total darkness. J grasped the seat with both hands and lowered my head to avoid flying missiles, some of which had already hit me. I did not lose consciousness, and when the crash ended found myself in the middle of a heap of rubbish. As soon as I could get out J found that my husband had been thrown half through a broken window; He was unconscious. I pulled him out and had him carried to a neighboring house. Four ladies opposite me escaped comparatively unhurt. I Of the others in the coach I know nothing.*

ABLE LIES AND LIARS.

Danielsville, Ga, boasts of a three-eared ! PigI Crawfordsville, Ga.. claims to have a I chicken with two well-developed heads. Tom Ochiltree, th’e Texas Congressman* i astonishing the Londoners with his whop- : pers about life in the Southwest A Chicago woman, according to the Tribune, of this city, astonished her neighbors, startled the medical fraternity, and unnerved her husband by giving birth to two healthy children—an interval of eleven days separating the advent of the youthful strangers. In answering a correspondeilt the St Louis Post-Dispatch says: The real name of “Eli Perkins” is Melville D. Landon. He has been connected with various journals in the East He writes alleged humorous articles and delivers alleged funny leetures. He is celebrated chiefly for his penuriousness when dealing out facts. • On reaching the top of Mount Washington the other day, Barnum telegraphed that the spectacle was “the second-greatest show on earth." When he heard of the death of Tom Thumb, the great showman telegraphed to the widow: “Death is as much a part of the divine plan as birth The Heavenly Father finally overcomes all evil with good. ” Centerville, Md., has entered the lists against the Thomasville (Ga) man. The following is the story: Three mules out of a team of six were killed by lightning. The : mules were attached to a tmber wagon, 1 geared tandem, and the lightning struck the ! leader, missed the next, struck the third, ■ missed the fourth and fifth, and struck the I breech mule, killing three. A Savannah negro hooked a shark about ’ seven feet in length As soon as the old seadog found himself fast he went for the boat ana soon had it bottom side up and the occupant floundering and praying for dear life The hook ana rope interfered with the shark's movements considerably, but as it was he punctured the negro's legs in a numi ber of places with its sharp teeth The darky succeeded in getting ashore, but his catch had bitten the line in two and skipped. ' A turtle was picked up on the premises of George Thompson, West Islip, L I, on Saturday last, upon whose back were the initials “N. & ” and the date 1717. Mr. j Youngs recently saw a turtle in the same I locality marked “R W., 1830.” The initials ' of Judge Jonathan Thompson and an almost ' Illegible date, supposed to have been carved I eighty-five years ago, were found upon the I shell of another turt e about tfyear since in j the same locality. These old residents have i been confined within a limited area by two j streams of water. Goetz Bachket’s back yard in Norwich appeared to be a meeting place for rodents, and a steel trap, baited with stale cheese,* was set for their reception. The Bulletin says: Several persons were watching the trap, when a large rat put in an appear- ! ance and walked toward the trap. He was ‘ within a few feet of it when Mr. Bachert’s favorite cat clambered over the fence into the yard. The rat stopped. So did the cat. They seemed to recognize each other. After looking at one ano her for a moment the distance between them was lessened. i Finally they were nose to nose, and actually kissed each other. They remained together ! a few minutes, when the rat took a glance i at the trap and walked away in the opposite direction.

DEATH IN THE DARK.

Collapse of an Old Pier at a Maryland Excursion Resort A Crowd of Excursionists Instantly Hurled Into the Waters Below. Between Seventy and Eighty Persons, Mostly Women, Drowned. Near the City of Baltimore, Md., a rotten pier at a picnic resort gave way under the weight of a large number of people. They crowded together with a view of securing a sure passage by a barge which waa making her last trip for the night Out of 200 people who were thrown into the water, between seventy and eighty were drowned. Baltimore dispatches give the following details of the horror:

In point of horror and fatality combined, no catastrophe has ever been written in the annals of Baltimore that will compare with the awful loss of life in the night-covered waters of the Patapsco at Tivoli last evening. A crowd of pleasure-seekers, weary after the sports of the day, were gathered on the wharf as the barge that was to bear them to their homes approached. No thought of danger was in th&r minds. With scarce a moment’s warning, the structure gave way; and the immense mass of humanity was plunged into the waters, where the darkness shut them out of sight In hundreds of homes last night anxious wives, husbands and parents were awaiting the arrival of the excursionists, and the anxiety became Intense as the email hours of the morning came on At 2:30 o’clock the barge reached Henderson's wharf, bringing its awful tale of woe, and freighted with the forms of twenty-eight drowned men. women, and children The anxiety of the parents gave place to horror and grief, and the friends of the missing grew wild with terror. , * Almost half of the excursionists passed the night around the blazing fires on the, shore, where those who had been rescued from the waves were seeking to dry their dripping clothing. The scenes on tne grounds during the night were indescribable and awful. The noisy cries of children and the hoarse shouts of men and the piercing notes of grief of the women were as nothing to the terrible silence of the four, hours that preceded the dawn, when noth* ing was heard but an occasional dull moan or the call of one of those who were watching by the shore for the bodies of the dead. From what could be gleaned from the remarks of individual witnesses of the terrible accident it appears that the disaster occurred a very few minutes after l(*>0 o’clock. The wharf did not break; the piles spread The crowd stood in a bunch in the center of the wharf which was but poorly supported underneath by logs and consequently the jarring of the barge when she struck the wharf gave the shock which caused the piles to spread and let down the center of the wharf with its crowd of living beings into the water. The planks were of course unable to support the heavy weight and so snapped short off, thus giving rise to the supposition that they had broken. The Itev. W. E. Sterr, pastor of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, was an eye witness of the disaster, and gives a graphic account of it “There is a long wharf at Tivoli,” said ■ he, “running put from the shore perhaps 1,020 feet Near the shore end there are large gates, which are generally closed upon the arrival of the boats. Last night a number of persons, fatigued, and desiring to obtain advantageous positions on the boat, strolled out upon the wharf before the arrival of the barge, so that at the time she came in sight there were probably between 200 and 300 persons on the wharf between the gates. I, myself, together with some few others, had gained the extreme end of the wharf beyond the boat-gate where thdbarge made fast. Meanwhile both gates had been closed, and the keeper of the one toward myself and the boat-gate would not allow any one to pass, evidently thinkin’g, poor fellow, they were safer on the outsida The people near the boat were just walking over the gang-plank when I heard a crash behied me, and saw a dark hole in the wharf and a mass of human beings struggling in the water beneath, while others on the wharf were pushing and jostling each other in frantic endeavor to reach a place of safety. Men and women were shrieking and yelling and children crying, while from the dark abyss below the most heart-rending cries were heard, only to end in gurgling sounds as the helpless beings succumbed to the cruel waters. Then ensued a scene of indescribable confusion. Stools, piles of plank everything available, were thrown into the .water in the midst of the struggling mass, until it became evident that some who might be saved from death by drowning vtould become victims of the heediessness of those who, with the best intentions, but very poor judgment, were casting the heavy articles into the water. I,‘ myself, stepped on a parallel wharf, on which there is-a small track, and made my way back to the scene of the disaster. I endeavored to calm'the tumult, but as well might I have tried to stop the earth from revolving on its axis. Those who were safe had suddenly conceived the idea that the boat was unsafe, and refused to go on board. I reasoned and persuaded, but only a few followed my advice. I told them that their friends in’the city, as soon as they learned of the accident, would mourn them as among the victims, but my efforts proved fruitless, and when we did start for Baltimore, more than half were left down there.”

In meantime, efforts to rescue the drowning persons were beipg made by a few brave young men, and quite a number of ladies and others, who were well nigh dead, had been brought up and lay dripping on the wharf. When the Cockade City arrived on her second trip, about 9 this morning, she brought with her thirty-five additional bodies, and the remainder of the excursionists who had remained over night at Tivoli searching for their filenda Many were crying bitterly, while the haggard, tear-begnmed faces of the others showed the intense suffering they undergone. AR had lost friends or relatives, many of them more than one. There were parents leading children, sobbing as if their hearts would break As soon as the barge arrived, at 9 o'clock, the bodies were hurried into an empty building on Hendersons wharf, ana laid out on the floor, awaiting identification, which was not long coming, as none of the bodies had been in the water long enough to suffer any disfiguration, and were conseqently easily recognizable. The news of the accident had brought to the scene nearly every one who had friends on the excursion. Every few minutes, as the crowd passed slowly in and out of the room viewing the bodies, a piercing shriek and ejaculation of “Oh, my Godi” would announce that some unfortunate one had been recognized. Young girls and strong men sobbed and cried like children. Many men and women were hurrying from one person to another, asking if such and such person had been found. The bodies already brought to this city number sixty-six It is now thought that the loss may reach 100. » The picnic grounds where the terrible calamity occurred is on a small bay about two miles from North Point lighthouse. It was formerly known as Holly Grove, was first fitted up about fifteen years ago, and was the most popular report at that time and for several years afterward.

DROWNED.

Foolhardy Attempt of Capt. Webb to ** Shoot n the Rapids at Niagara Falls. , The Athlete Drawn Into the Dreaded Whirlpool and Hurried Along to Death. [Buffalo (N. Y.) Telegram.) In 1861 the little steamer Miid of the Mist with three persons on board, ran the rapids of the Niagara passed through the whirlpool itself, and glided into the quiet water beyond. Of the three on board two survived Mie trip, the only persons who ever wont through this fearful channel alive. On July 28 Capt Webb, without other means of safety than nature had provided him, attempted to swim through the war of waters but failed. His body has not yet been found. For threequarters of a mile below the Suspension Bridge, runs the whirlpool, the wildest, most tumultuous and dangerous portion of the river. The tremendous power of the current cannot be realized. Webb could not attempt to swim it—it was simply a question of endurance, whether ho could live in the tumultuous watea He was rushed onward with resistless force, and perished in his mad attempt No effort was made to advertise the undertaking beyond sending circulars to the newspapers Not a dozen people in the Falls knew that the effort was to be made. There was no advertising dodgehbout it The great swimmer was confident that he could make the trip in safety. He carefully looked over the ground, but he had failed to realize the immensity of the undertaking, and so deliberately commit ted suicide. Cant Webb arrived in Buffalo last night, and stopped at the Genesee. His coming was unheralded, and the fact of his being here was known to but few. Been by a reporter last night, he said he would surely make the attempt Nothing but a desire for notoriety moved him. Last June he proposed to swim the rapids, and tried to get the railroads and hotels to make it an object They refused, but the papers kept talking about it, so he determined to make the trial No one accompanied him save his English manager, Mr. Kyle. Capt Webb did not leave for the falls until noqn. Arrived at Niagara he proceeded at once to the Clifton House, where several reporters and ethers were in waiting. He chatted pleasantly and expressed great confidence tn his powers The hour fixed was 4 o'clock, and about 3 the crowd ba<je him good by and hastened to secure good positions fqr viewing the foolhardy experiment At no point could a view of the whole length df the rapids be had. At a few minutes before! o’clock Webb appeared at the foot of the bank on the Canadian side, where a skiff was in waiting with the veteran guide, Jack Cenway, at the oars. He entered the boat and was pulled into the stream The Captain was entirely nude save for a, small breech clout Oouway pulled as far dowu as tire Maid of the Mist landing, but did not dare to proceed further. “All right ” the Captain, “this will do us. ” “I don't expect ever to see you again," said Conway. “O yes you will,” was the pleasant reply. “You don’t know me. I am an Englishman " After a few more words Capt Webb stood up in the bow of the boat and dived head first into the water. Then began the great struggle fer life. It was just 4:20 when the Captain entered the water. A few vigorous strokes and lie was fairly in the rapids, going breast on, his form a mere speck, as seen from the great blulf above. He went like an arrow shot from a bow. The first great wave he struck he wept under, but in a second appeared Way beyond His efforts to strike out in swimming form were Weaker than an infant’s against the seething waters The great waves seethed over him occasionally, but he always seemed ready to meet them. His great chest was boldly pushed forward, and occasionally half of the magnificent phvsique of the reckless adventurer was lifted from the water, but he bravely kept his position through it all and seemed perfectly collected and at home. In a second more the voyager was lost to view behind a projecting bank. So the mad journey went on safely through the upper rapids He passed then through the lower ones There the waves dash higher, the water is confined in a narrower space, and the trip is in every way more perilous How far he went alive no one will ever know. He was seen by many while passing through this awful sea, but ere then he may have been dead. His bedywas borne enward, now rising above, sinking beneath, the white-capped waves. It was Keen to enter the whirlpool. The life of the Captain was gone, and not even his body has yet been found! The maelstrom sometimes gives up its dead in a day, sometimes It holds them In its embrace a week, until all semblance pf a human being is crushed but in the revolving waters Capt Webb looked upon it as a pleasant undertaking. 'Those who saw him start looked upon it as certain death.

OUR MUSEUM OF CURIOSITIES.

A snow-white squirrel was killed at Brazos Bend, Texas. Mb. Robert C. Gilmer, of Columbia, Ky., found a guinea's nest on bls farm containing sixty-three eggs. Mbs. Mart Tanner, of Walton county, Ga., wove seven yards of cloth In one day, made it Into two shirts, and went to tea at a neighbor’s five miles away. Mrs. Arthub Fobte. of Wrightsville, Ga, has a hen and partridge sitting on the same nest The partridge is as gentle as the hen and has seventeen eggs, while the hen has only eleven. Da D. P. Homjoway, of Sumpter, Ga, has a pair of woolen gloves made by his sister from wool out from the horse he rode during the war. The hone is now 27 years old, and, the doctor says, is quite wooly. Angela Cabdelia, of Nevada, a native of Italy and 38 years old, claims to be the strongest man in the world He plapes the middle finger of his right hand under ttye foot of a person weighing 200 pounds and lifts him*tp a table four feet hign. Capt. John Flush, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., has a pet toad that he has learned to catch files,and the little creature will come to him when he whistles and submit to being placed on a table where some attraction has been placed for files. This done, ft will amuse an audience by the expert and swift manner It will dispose of these winged pests, jumping at times several feet high and protruding its tongue almost an inch in efforts to reach its prey. As William Collins was passing over a piece of land he was cultivating on the site of old Fort Hardy, at Schuylerville, N. Y., his attention was attracted by a guttering object on the ground It proved to be a Spanish coin of 1747. It bore on the obverse the inscription of Ferdinand VL, and on the reverse the motto: “ Vlra aue together with the “pillars of Hercules," bearing the inscription: u Ne plun ultra. ” It was undoubtedly dropped at the spot during the French and Indian war preceding the Revolution

DEMOCRATIC PRETENSES OF REFORM.

The Democrats of Ohio at their recent convention passed the following buncombe declaration among others equally hollow and insincere: We reaffirm the resolutions of the State Conventions of Ohio in 1880, 1811, and of the Democratic National Convention of 1872, ISiti, and 1880. demanding thorough reform and purification of the civil service, and charge that the Republican party has violated everv pledge it has heretofore given for the reform thereof, eta When the reverses of last fall over* took the Republicans, and the Bbnrbons saw a prospect of recovering pqs* session of the Federal offices from which they had been shut out sb long, they at once set up the clamor for reform to blind the eyes of voters to their real purpose. How far Western Democrats are sincere in their advocacy of it, and it should be remembered Democrats are Democrats wherever found, may be judged by the following extract from the Cincinnati Enquirer: There is a remarkable unanimity of sentiment among Democratic editors of Indiana touching civil-service reform. At a recent* meeting of these gent emeu at Logansport, where, it is said, every Democratic paper in the State was represented, there was but one editor out of th j several hundred present who favored the alleged reform. This solitary man was the edi or of the Logansport rharox. It is charitably belie vej) that a .rush of job-work has prevented him from giving the subject proper study, and his brethren express the hope tuat he will presently come over to their side and make the thing unanimous. VV hat do the reformers think of this showing:

This is a fair sample of Democratic sentiment everywhere. It is not oonttned to Indiana. It is shared by the very men who passed the Ohio resolution quoted above. They have sneered at Mr. Pendleton and his effort to reform the civil-service from the beginning, and they have no other purpose in view than to restore the Jacksonian spoils system, and all the Reform resolutions they may pass fj’om this time on will not blind the peob)e of this country to their real purpose. There may f>e changes in other policies; there may be dissensions, even divisions, on the tariff or other questions, but on civil service there can be no change. A party in one year could not so completely revolutionize the whole habit of its lifetime, even if it would.' To attempt it Kould be the destruction of the party. Civil-service, reform with the Democratic party means the removal of every Republican holding any office, however small, and the substitution of Democratic blowers aud strikers in their places. It means not only that the Democrats shall have the larger offices to which they may be elected or appointed, but that all the clerical and subordinate officials shall be swept out and their places given to bummers and scalawags as a reward for partisan services. It means that what little has been accomplished by the civil-service reform shall be uprooted and destroyed. As the New York Sun says, the slogan of the Democracy will be “turn the rascals out,,” but by the rascals it means the 75,000 minor officeholders, trained, drilled, experienced, disciplined, honest men, who are thoroughly acquainted with their duties and are giving satisfaction, whose places are to be filled with Democratic ignoramuses and bummers as a reward for their dirty work. Mr. George W. Curtis, in the current number of Harper’s Weekly, accurately measures and exposes the contemptible pretensions set forth in the Ohio platform and other pronunciamentos in the following words:

There is probably no intelligent person in the Union so wild as to assert that a Democratic administration would honestly respect the beginnings of reforms that have been already made ahd parry them forward. Whatever some Democrats might desire, the party action weuld conform to the general demand of the party. Even the Democrats who are loudest in insisting that the campaign cry shall be “reform,” are very careful to say that by reform they mean a general turning out and uprooting of the civil service. They sneer at the Reform bill and the system which it provides for introducing a genuine reform as trivial and contemptible. Their purpose is to overthrow it, and to restore the infamous spoils system complete and unchecked. The general conviction of this purpose, founded not upon the declarations of Democratic conventions, but upon experience of Democratic conduct, no platform will be able to shake, and the just apprehension of the consequences of such a causeless disturbance no sneering at at civil-service reform will allay. —Chicago Tribune,

Political Notes.

That great monopoly, the Standard Oil Company, will feel still stronger il it can elect the Democratic candidate for Governor of Ohio, John M. Palmer is sitting behind hu political tombstone, out in Illinois, waiting to see if the resurrection will come next year.— Philadelphia Times. Leading Democrats in Ohio brag that over $200,000 in cash have been contributed by the mossback, rag-baby, Bourbon and fire-in-the-rear alliance of that State. There is more unadulterated fight in the Republican party than in any other which ever existed in our country. When things look blackest we begin to pull ourselves together and “whoop her up,” and the first thing the Democrats know they are flat on their backs as usual, and the Republicans in for four years more.— Anderson (Iowa) Herald. Voters have no faith in the party that tries to get office by tricks and dodges, evasions and concealments. They reason, and, rightly; that such a party is either a mere conspiracy of greedy spoils-grabbprs, or that it has dark designs which it does not dare to avow. Probably half *a million voters will vote against the Democratic party for no other reason than this, that it brands itself as unworthy of confidence by the tricks and evasions to which it reßorts.— New York Tribune.