Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1888 — Page 2

%ht Republican. Gxo. E. M awtoaix, Publisher. RJEKRSELAF.R, ~ INDIANA

Ths House of Congress has its appropriation! clothes on, and the way it is scattering the surplus in public buildings is a caution. Tariff bills in profusion will soon occupy the attention of the House. The Democratic measure reduces the tariff on sugar 20 to 25 per cent., and removes it entirely from wool. The full text of the measure appear in these coin ms as soon as it is perfected. .I.'W. 1 ' - ■ • It seems that the country has not been extremely liberal to the Mt. Vernon sufferers, although no small amount of cash has been contributed. One of the peculiarities of the original appeal for aid was the re quest that nothing but money be eent. The cause of this strange request will probably be surmised, although not given. To t his can probably be tracsd the comparatively ■mall contributions. If the appeal bad ... been for rid, in whatever form, no doubt the response would have been far more liberal.

Those who live outside the region in which there have been developments of natural gas, can not easily realize the revolution brought about by its discovery and introduction.' The displacement of coal by gas in one county of Pennsylvania per day is estimated at 20,000 tons, which is equivalent to .500,000,000 cubic feet of gas. One of the Philadelphia companies’ capsc.ty is 545,000,000 feet daily. Tbq effect on manufccmres, such as steel mills, ironpipe mills, blast furnaces, glass manufacture, brass wire, fire brick and e ther well known enterprises has been to increase production 100 to 300 per cent. The fact is that so enormous and startling has been the effect of preceding discoveries for the last fifty years that an industrial revolution may now go on almost unnoticed. The News and Courier, of Charleston, has a lively discussion of the free dog question that would read well in half the States in the Union. It seems that a proposition was before the South Carolina Legislature to tax all dogs SI, and it was defeated. “These vermin cost the State 53,000,000 a year, and we have no doubt a careful investigation will demonstrate this fact. But for these worthless animals South Carolina could, and probably would, soon become one of the leading wool producing States in the Union. The farmer saves $1 on each cur he has, and loses hundreds of dollars on the sheep and wool he has not, and cn the food and clothing he consequently has to buy.” Exactly. Where dogs are more thought of than sheep, there can be no wool industry. Ninety-nine dogs out of a hundred are a nuisance, a loss, a pest, a danger, and not worth a tax of fl a year.

Brazil’s Coffee Crop.

Rio Nevi. Five months of our coffee crop year have elapsed, and as we approach the end of the calendar year the position of Brazil’s great product becomes more interesting. For the five months the total clearances, foreign, do not reach 700,000 bags, and our stock on the 30th ult was 289,000 bags, On June 30 the stock was estimated to be 190,000 bags; considering this and adding receipts for the five months, or about 790,000 bags, we have only distributed including local consumption, about 660,000 bags for five monts, or an avers ge of very little over 130,000 bags per month. Tais is so very small that the statistical position of coffee must be considered favorable, and that consuming markets would appear to be using up their former accumulations of stock would seem clear, could any estimate be made as to the progress of adulteration and sub stitu'ion abroad. Lacking this, it is impossible to say what the real position is. Another feature of the market is that if the lowest estimate of the present crop be accepted there must have remained about 1,000,000 bags for shipment on the 30th of November, or an average supply of 140,000 bags per month for the remaining seven months of the crop year. We incline to believe this estimate is too low. and that we are to receive new coffees early in 1883 is generally accepted in the trade. We thus have our stock of 289,000 bags and from 1,000,000 to 1,250,000, or say a total supply of 1500,090 bags, for the supply of the world for about six months. This seems moderate also, but does not lead ' to a belief in anything like famine prices. The whole position strengthens our belief that prices abroad are justi fied by statistics, and that if advance is likely to be resisted by consumers any sharp decline will be followed by a considerable reaction.

A Fruitless Search.

Omaha World. ’ „ __ Chicago Philanthropist—What’s the matter, my poor man? \ Chicago Burglar (tearfully)—l was in that job the other night where a good citizen got kilted. It was an accident and I feel so bad over ft I want to give Tgysdfup and explain huw it happened. “Well, wby dont’t you do it?” “I can't find any of the police or detectives. They're all off workin’ on ChJWH. ' - .

CONCERNING SONGS.

Dr. Talmage Preacher Ot a Song Concerning Hy Beloved. Lore Song* When Earth Shall Pan* Away - Th* Cradle Hymn-A Chorun Which Awoke th* Shepherd* on the I'laiu* of Bethlehem. Rev. Dr. Talmage preached at the Brooklyn tabernacle last Sunday. Subject: “A Song Concerning My Beloved.’’ Text: Isaiah v., 1: “Now will I.sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved.” He said: The most fascinating theme for a heart properly atuned is the Savior. There is something in the morning light suggest Him, and something in the evening shadow to'speaK His praise. The flower bret thes Him,the star shint-e Him, the cascade proclaims Hi»,all the voice of nature chant Him Whatever is grand, bright and beautiful, if you only listen to it, will speak his praise. When I come in the summer time and pluck a flower I think of Him who is “the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.” When I see in the fields a lamb, I sav, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” When, i.p very hot weather, I come under a projecting cliff, I say: “Rock of Ate*, Cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee I”

Over the old-fashioned pulpits there was a sounding boarc. The voice of the minister rose to the sounding board, and then was struck back again upon the ears of the people. And so the ten thousand voices of earth rising up find the heavens a sounding board which strikes back to the ear of all the nations the prifises of Christ. The heavens tell His glory and the earth shows hishandi work. The Bible thrills with one great story of redemption. Upon a blasted and faded paradise it poured the light of a glorious restoration. It looked upon Abraham from the ram caught in the thicket. It spoke in lhe bleating of the herds driven down to Jerusalem for sacrifice. It put infinite pathos into the speech of uncouth fishermen. It lifted Paul into the seventh heaven; and it broke upon the ear of St. John with the brazen trumpets and the doxology of the elders and the rushing wings of the seraphim. Instead of waiting until ou get sick and worn out before you speak the praise of Christ, while your heart is happiest, and your step is lightest, and your fortunes smile, and your pathway blossoms, and the overarching heavens drop upon you their benediction, speak the praises of Jesus. Taking the suggestion of the text, I Shall speak to you of Christ, our song. I remark, in the first place, that Christ ought to be jhe crad'e song. What our mothers sang to us when they put us to sleep is singing yet. We may have forgotten the words, but they went into the fiber of our soul, and will forever be a part of it. It is net so much what you formally teach your children as what you sing to them. A hymn has wings, and can fly every-whither. One hundred and fifty years after you are dead, and “Old Mortality” has worn out bis chisel in recutting your name on the tombstone, your great-grand-children willbe singing the song whicn this afternoon 'you sing to your little ones gather d about your There is a place in Switzerland where, if you distinctly utter your voice, there come back ten or, fifteen distinct echoes, and every Christian song sung by a mother in the ear of her child shall have ten thousand echoes coming back from all the gates of heaven. Oh, if mothers only knew the power of this sacred spell how much oftener the little ones would be gathered, and all our homes would chime with the songs of Jesus! We wantsome counteracting influence upon our children. The very moment your child steps into the street he steps into the path of temptation. There are foul-mouthed children who would like to betoil your little ones. It will not do to keen your boys and girls in the house and make them house plants; they must have fresh air and recreation. God save your children ftom the scathing, blasting, damning influence of the streets! I know of no counteracting influence but the power of Christian culture and example. Hold before your little ones the pure life of Jesus; let that name be the werd that shall exorcise evil from their hearts. Give to your instruction all the fascination of music, morning, noon and night; let; it, be Jejus. the cradle song. Tnis is important if your children grow up, but perhaps they may not. Their pathway may be short. Jesus may be wanting that child. Then there will be a soundless step in the dwelling, and the youthful pulse will begin to flutter, and little hands will he lifted for help You can not help. And a great agony will pinch at your heart, and the cradle will be c—aty, and the nursery will be empty, and the world will be empty, and your soul will be empty. No little feet standing on the stairs. No toys scattered on the carpet. No quick following from room to room. No strange and wonderful questions. No upturned face, with laughing blue eyes, comes for a kiss; butonly a grave, and a wreath of white blossoms on lhe top of it; and bitter desolation, and a sighing at nightfall, with no one to put to bed, and a a wet pillow and a grave and a wreath of wnite blossoms on the topof it. The heavenly Shepherd will take that lamb safely anyhow, whether you have been faithful or unfaithful; but would it not have been pleasanter if you could have heard from those lips praises of Christ? I never read anything more beautiful than this about a child’s departure. The account said: “She folded her hands, kissed her mother goodby, sang her hymn, turned: her face to the wall, said her little prayer, and then died.” Oh, if I could gather up in one paragraph the last words of the little ones who have gone out from all these Christian circles,and I could picture the calm looks and the folded hands and sweet departure, methinks it would be grand and beautiful as one of heaven’s great doxologiee! I next speak of Christ as the old man’s song. Quick music loses its eharm for the aged ear. The school girl asks for a schottisehe or a g’ee, hut her grandmother asks for “Balerma”or the Poituguess Hymn. 11 Fifty years of trouble have timed the spirit, and the keys of -the~“ music board -must have- a silent tread. Though the voice may be tremulous, so that grandfather will not trust it in church, still he has the Psalm book open before him, and he slugs with his soul. He hums his grandchild asleep

with the same tune he sang forty years ago in the old country meeting-house. Some day the choir sings a tune so old that the young people do not know it; but it starts the tears down the cheek of the seed man, for it reminds him pfthe revival scene in which he participated, and of the radiant faces that long since went to dust,and of the gray-haired minister leaning oyer the pulpit and sounding the good tidings of great, joy. J was one Thankegitfing day in my pulpit in Syracuse, New York, and Rsv. Daniel Waldo, at ninety-eight years of age. stood beside me. The choir sang a tune. I said: “I am sorry they sang that new tune; nobody seems to know it.” “Bless yb”, my son,” said the old man, “1 heard that sevent years ago!" There was asong to day that touched the life of the aged with holy fire and kindled a glory on their vision 1 bat our younger eye sight can not see. It was the song of salvation—Jesus, who fed them all their live along; Jesus, who wiped away their tears, Jeans, who stood by them when all else failed, Jesus, in whose name their marriage was conse •rated,and whose resurrection has poured, light upon the graves of their departed. Blessed the Bible in which spectacled old »gs reads the promise, “I will never leave you, never torsake you!” Blessed the staff on which the worn-out pilgrim trotters on toward the welcome of his Redeemer! Blessed the hymn book in which the faltering tongue and failing eyes find Jesus, the old man’s song. i speak to you again of Jesus as the night song. Job speaks of him who giveth songs in the night. John Welch, and.the old Scotch minister,used to puta there, plaid across his bed on cold nights, some one asked him why he put that He said: “Oh, sometimes in the night I want to sing the praise of Jesus and to get down and pray; then I just take that plaid and wrap it around me to keep myself from the cold.” Songs in the night! Night of trouble has come down upon many of you; commercial losses put out one star, slanderous abuse put out another star, domestic bereavement has put out a thousand lights,and gloom has been added to gloom, and chill to clill and string to string, and one midnight has seemed to borrow the fold from another mid night to wrap itself in more unbearable darkness; but Christ has spoken peace to your heart and you can sing: “Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly. Songs in the night! Songs in the night! For the sick, who have no one to turn tbe hot pillow, no one to put the taper on the stand, no one to put ice on the temple, or pour out the soothing anodyne, or utter one cheerful word—yet songs in the night! For the ‘ poor, who freeze in the winter’s cold, ajid swelter in the summer’s heat, and munch the hard urusts that bleed the sore gums, and shiver under blankets that cannot any longer be patched, and tremble because rent-day is come and they may be sent out on the sidewalk, and looking into the starved face of the child and seeing famine there and death there, coming home from the bakery, and Baying in the presence of the little famished ones. “Oh, my God, flour has gone up!” Yet songs in the night!; For the widow who goes to get the back pay of her husband, slain by the "sharpshooters,” and knows it is the last help she will have, moving out of a comfortable home in desolation, death turning back from the exhausting cough, and the pa’e cheek, and the lustertess—eye, and refusing all relief. Yet songs in the night! Sings in the night! For the soldier in the field hospital, no surgeon to bind up the gun-el ot fracture, no water for the hot lips, no kind hand to brush away the flies from the fresh wound, ho one to take the loving farewell, the groaning of others poured into his own groan, the blasphemy of others plowing up his own spirit, the condensed bitterness of dying away from heme among strangers. Yet songs in the night! Songs in the night! “Ab!” said one dying soldier, “Tell my mother thaflast night there was not one cloud between my soul and Jesus.” Songs in the night! Songs in the nighl! The Sabbath day has come. From the altars of ten thousand churches has smoked up the savor of sacrifice. Ministers of the Gospel are now preaching in plain English, in broad Scotch, in flowing Italian, in harsh Choctaw. God’s people have assembled in Hindoo Temple and Moravian church, and

Quaker meeting house, and sailors’ betijfel. and King’s chapel and hightowered cathedral. They Bang, and the song floated off’ amid the spice groves, or struck the icebergs, or floated off into the Western pines, or was drowned in the clamor of the great cities. Lumbermen sang it, and factory girls, and the childrenin the Sabbathclass, and the trained choirs in great assemblages-. Trappers, with the same voice with which they shouted yesterday in the staghunt, and mariners, with throats tliatonly a few days ago sounded in the hoarse blast of the sea hurricane, they eang it. One theme for the sermons. One burden for the.Bocg. Jesus for theinvccition. Jesus for the Scripture lesson. Jesus for the baptismal font. Jesus for the sacramental cup. Jesus for the benediction. But the day will go by. It will roll away on swift wheels of light and love. Again the churches will be lighted. Tides of people again setting down the streets. Whole families coming up the church aisle. We must have one more Sermon, two prayers, three songs one benediction. What shall we preach to-night? What shall we read? What shall it be, children? Aged men and women, what shall it be? Young men and maidens, what shall it be? If you dared to break the silence of this auditory there would come up thousands of quick and jubilant voices, crying out 1 “Let it be Jesus! Jesus!”

We sing His birth—the bam that sheltered Him, the mother that nursed Him, the cattle that fed beside him, the angels that woke up the shepherds, shaking light overthe ipidnight hills. We sing His ministry—the tears He wiped away from tbeeyes of the orphans; the lame men that forgot their crutches; the damsel who from the bier bounded out into the sunlight, her Kicks shaking do wn over the flushed cheek; the hungry thousand who broke the bread as it blossomed into larger loves—that miracle by which a boy with five loaves and two fishes became, the sutler for. a whole army. We sing His sorrows—his stonebrui’sed feet, His aching heart, His mountain loneliness, His desert hunger, His Storm-pelted body, the eternity of juigniah that shot through His lent moments and the immeaaureable ocean of torment that heaved up against His I cross in one foaming wrathful, onmrpo- | tent surge, the eun dashed out, and the dead, shroud-wrapped, breaking open

their sepulchers, rind rushing out to tee what was the matter. We sing His reeurreetjon—the guard that could not keep Him; the sorrow of His desciples; the clouds piling up on either side in pillard splendors as He went through, treading the pathless air, higher and higher, until he came to the foot of the throne, and all heaven kept jubilee at the return of the conqueror. I say once more, Christ is -the everlasting song. The very beet singers sometimes get tired; the strongest shroats sometimes get weary, and many who sang very sweetly do not sing now; but I hope by the grace of God we will, after a while, go up and sing the praises of Christ where we will never be weary. You know there are some songs that are especial!v appropriate to the home circle. They stir thesoul, they start the tears, thev turn the heart in on itself and keep Bounding after the tune lies stopped like some cathedral bell, which, long after the tap of the brazen tongue has ceased, keeps throbbing on tt e air. Well, it will be a home song in htaven, all the sweeter because those who sang with us in the domestic circle on earth shall join that great harmony. Qn earth we sang harvest songs as the wheat came into the barn, ana the barracks were rilled. You know there is np time on a larm as when they get tnOrops in; and so in heaven, it will be harvest songs on the part of those who on earth sowed in tears and reaped in joy. Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates, and let the sheaves come in! Angels shout all through the heavens, ana multitudes come down the hills crying. “Harvest home! harvest harvest home!”

Ay, it will be the children’s song You know very well that the vast majority of bur race die in infancy, and it is es timated that 18,000,000,000 of the little ones are standing before God. When they shall rise up about the throne to sing the millions and the millions of the little ones—ah! that will be music for yon! These played in the streets of Babylon and Thebes; these plucked lilies from the foot of Olivet while Christ was preaching about them; these waded in Siloam; these were victims of Herod’s mass ere; these were thrown to crocodiles or into the fire; these came up from Christian homes, and these were foundlings on the city commonschildren everywhere in all that land; children in the towers, children on the seas of glass, children on the battle ments. Ah. if you do not like children do not go there. They.are in vast majority, and wnat a song when they lift it around about the throne!

The Christian singers and composers of all ages will be there to join in that song. Thomas Hastings will he there, Lowell Masonwill be there. Bradbury will be there. Beethoven and Mozart will be there. They who sounded the cymbals and the trumpets in theancient temples will be there. The forty thoueana harpers that stood at the dedication will be there. The two hundred singers that assisted on that hay will be there. Patriarchs who lived amid threshing-floors, shepherds who watched amid Chaldean hills, prophets who walked, - with long beards ana coarse apparel, pronouncing woe against ancient abominations, will meet the more recent martyrs who went up with leaping cohorts of fire; and pome will speak of the Jesus of whom they prophesied, and others of the Jesu3 for whom they died. Oh, what a songl It came to John upon Patmos; it came to Calvin in the prison; it droppedtoJohn Knox In the fire, arid sometimes that song has come to your ear, perhaps, for I really do think it sometimes breaks over the battlements of heaven. I wonder will you sing that song? Will I sing it? Not unless our sins are pardoned, and we learn now to sing the praise of Christ, will we ever sing it there.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.

Chicago only has three clergymen who have been settled there for twenty years or more. A Russian law forbids the use of exclamation points in newspaper articles in that country. The man who is always “putting in his oar” when other people are talking generally gets into a row. No theater in Madrid will be allowed to open its doors next winter unless it shall be lighted by electricity. The great deer range of tne country is in Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota. The Indians slaughter great numbers of them, but the deer continue numerous. Rev. Dr. Emil G. Hirsh has been elected rabbi of his congregation on Fifth avenue, New York, for a term of ten years, at a salary of $12,000 per annum, free house rental, and a life insurance policy of $20,000. He is certainly the best paid rabbi in the world. At a College Dinner.—Benevolent bld alumnus to stiff-marfnered young man beside him in a white choker— Areyou

attending Andover Theological Seminary, or studying hero in the city? Stiffmannered young man—Neither, sir. I’m in the fertilizer business. Horace Greeley’s birthplace is to be sold for taxes. It is a little, low-studed farmhouse, with small windows and low-pitched roof, situated in Amherst, N. H. With the 129 acres of land about it, the house now belongs to Fred. Colton. It is somewhat remarkable that Greeley’s father, Zaccheus, also lost, the place through the sheriff’s aid. A Pittsburg dispatch to the New York Herald says: The trip of Dr. David Hostetter, vice president of the projected South Penn Railroad, to California, in a desperate effort to regain lost health, is being anxiously watched by life insurance companies all over the country. He is the most heavily insured man in the United States, and his death would be a big financial loss to them. The aggregate of the policies held by Dr. Hostetter is SBOO,OOO. He intended to add J200.0C0 more to this to make the sum $1,000,000 but his prolonged illness has prevented any further steps in that direction.- This vast amount of insurance is divided among the principal companies of the world, some being given sums as low as SIO,OOO. - -——- - - - •

THE ENGINEERS’ STRIKE.

Progress of the Great C- B. & Q. R. R. Contest. 1 ’ !■■ II ‘‘ill. Probabilities of a General Strike on Connecting Railroads—The Brotherhood Recognize thia aa a Life arid Death Straggle—Fact* arid Kainora. New Yobe, March s.—The Herald has the following special from Chicago: “This is a fight of life and death,” said Chief Arthur to your correspondent. “We must win this fight. The men of the Brotherhood are pledged to each other.” The tenor of hia talk was that if it was necessary to the winning of the strike every road in the United States will be tied up and the traffic of the entire country suspended. This is the first time Chief Arthur has talked so plainly. “The Brotherhood will notcompromise,” said the Chief, “bat will dig the ditch in which it proposes to die in case it cannot win.”

The desperation of the head of the Brotherhood has never been made so manifest before. The organization stakes its existence upon this fight, and Mr. Arthur well knows that to lose it means the extinction of the order, as well as his own official death. It is believed he has imbued the order with his own spirit, and that the Brotherhood men will follow him to victory or defeat. Chicago, March s—Referring to the possibility of a general strike being ordered on the western railroads by the engineers and firemen, a local paper says: It is probable that the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Milwausee A St. Paul, the Chicago & Alton, the Wisconsin Central, Illinois Central, the Wabash, the Chicago, Bt. Paul & Kansas City, and all of the branch and leased lines of the above named railroads would be involved. Roughly estimated, this will embrace about 23;000 miles of road, and will completely close the channels of communication between Chicago and the West. It will lay a complete embargo on the Northwest, cut off communication to Council Bluffs, Omaha and upper Missouri River points,except by circuitous routes, and to a partial degree, the same thing to the Southwest. It will destroy the express business, paralyze trade, suspend the operation of all mining and manufacturing industries, and trans form busy hives of industry to .centers of idleness and stagnation, and this is a territory over a thousand miles square. When it is remembered that roads penetrate to the Canadian boundry on the north, to the Rocky Mountains on the west and to the Indian Territory on the south, the scope of the operations and the magnitude of the interests they serve can be better comprehended. More than this, it would cut off the great northern and middle transcontinental routes, reducing them to local roads at once, the consequence being that the great interior basin from Utah to Oregon would suffer eqnally with the Mississip-' pi River Valley. It, is not only trade and commerce which would suffer. Labor, both skilled and common, would feel the effects, and most disastrously. The general managers of the railroads named freely state that in case of a strike upon their lines there is but one course for them to pursue—shut down the shops and the freight houses, discharge workers and await the end. Cessation of operations would mean the immediate discharge of four-fifths of the number. This would throw out of work 92(100 men and according to the average of wages paid entail upon th«m a dsily loss of over $200,000. This is the direct result. Beyond that comes ‘ the stoppage of manufactories, the suspension es mines, the cessation of lumber operations, etc., which must follow any shutting down of the railroads mentioned, and it is a conseivative Btstement to estimate this great outside army employed in the named-industriesat 1,600,000 men.

Chicago, March.—The buHefin board at the U cion Depot this morning announces the Denver express, the Kansas City express, tke Galeaburg express. Through trains, have all been abandoned, and all others have been running on time.' Through trains expected to arrive this morning are four hours late. The abandonment of the trains is accounted for by the fact that several imported engineers returned East, claiming that the situation had b'een misrepresented. '

A dispatchjrom Omaha, Neb., says: “Twelve of the hew Burlington engineers left, Sunday, for the East, saying thev had been brought out by the Burlington, under false representations. A freight train arrived from the east and one was sent ■west, Sunday. A conference was held to day between the chairmen of the grievance committees of the various Western divisions, and it was unanimously decided to stand by the strike, the committee agreeing to give it all the moral and financial support in their power. Chief Arthur announced that there would be a favorable ending of the strike in a very brief time, but refused to divulge his plans to the public. The railroad company appears to be in better shape than at any time since the strike organized. The Bnrlln<ton & Northernlnvolved. Chica«o, March s.—Vice President G. B. Harris,of the Burlington & Northern, was served with a - notice last night, the result of the meeting of the engineers and firemen, held at La Crosse. The notice was substantially that if the Burlington & Northern did not cease interchanging traffic with the Burlington & Quincy before 7 p. m., Monday, the engine men would strike in a body. A ice Tresident HArriß refused to be interviewed regard! QR the situation, but rent word to an Associated . Press reporter ■ that the interchange of traffic would not

cease. “The company,” the' message from Mr. Harris added, “propose to run the Burlington A Northern Road themselves.” All over the country the local lodges of the Brotherhood have met and adopted greetings to their officers and brethren in Chicago, urging them to stand firm. The New York lodge advises a general strike on all railroads in the country, if necessary to carry their point.

MR. BLAINE’S LETTER.

Developments Tending to Prove That it Was Written bast Autumn. Albany letter to Indianapolis Journal. . Several weeks before Mr. Blaine’s letter declining to allow hia name to be presented to the Republican national convention was published in the newspapers, the fact of its existence was known to the leading Republican politicians of this State, lhe date of the letter as printed is January 25, and the place of writing is given as Florence, The letter was written some time before January 25. It was known by many leading Republicans and discussed in January, which would not hwe been possible if the letter had not been written earlier than January 25, as the distance by mail from Florenca is more than six days, and even if the etter had been cabled over the knowledge of it could not have bfcime as widespread within six days as it was. It is doubtful whether the letter was written at .Florence at all, and there isno lack of certain proof that the letter was seen by ma n y Republican leaders before it was printed, and that it would not have been printed if the wishes of many of Mr. Blaine's friends had been heeded by him.

The story of the letter has come to me from various soutcss,which coincide on various points, though varying in detail. Mr. Blaine decided last year not to be a candidate before the convention unless the fall elections should give promise of a decided Republican victory Notwithstanding all the encouraging bulletins that have been sent out about him his health is not good, and he and his wife are worried about it. On Mrs. Blaine more than on her husband has fallen the pain of the assaults against his character and political methods. She does not want him to be candidate again and she has earnestly entreated him to that effect. After the elections were held Mr. Blaine came to the conclusion that the presidential battle would be hard fought and that the strain would be more than he could bear. He yielded to his wife’s desires, and wrote the letter of declination and withdrawal that was published a week ago. This letter was put in charge of his friends, to be published, and, one story goefi, as soon as the results of the election were madeTtndwh ancTbefdre-Congresß assembled. A large part of his friends, when the fact of the letter became known to them, protested against its publication as being injurious to the party and unwarranted. They wanted Mr. Blaine to etay in the field and to accept the nomination, which they believed was sure to come to him. By thejr request (he letter was withheld for the time being; then Congress convened and the President sent in his annua! message and drew the issue of revenue reform and a lower tariff in opposition to the protective tariff doctrines. Mr. Blaine at once met the President on this issue in his cabled interview, and his friends hoped that the letter would be withdrawn. Its withdrawal was urged by leading Republicans in Congress in New York city. Sr strong were these efforts that at one time it was reported that the letter had been withdrawn. The news of it was becoming more and more spread. It had either to be withdrawn or given to the public in an unauthorised way. Mr. Blaine decided by cabling to have the letter published. There are many interesting facts in connection with this letter, and they are just beginning to be made known, and one of these facts is that the letter is much oldtr than its date. —,

POLITICAL.

Connecticut is for Hawley. W. R. Morrison, of Illinois, says that if Indiana, which ou’ht to have the place, does not present a candidate for Vi> e Pre Bident, he wants the place. Judge Patterson, Friday, granted Rev. Dr. McGlynn a permanent injunction restraining Henry George and his followers from incorporating the AntiPoverty Society. Charles A. Dana, of the New .York Sun, has written a letter to John G. Priest, St. Louis, saying that if the unit rule is enforced in the Democratic Convention, David B. Hill will have the New York delegation. On February 15, Colonel A. W. Wills, of Nashville, sent a letter to Hon. John Sherman, strongly indorsing him for the presidency, and stating that the people of Tennessee understood him better since his Nashville speech. He also said that he believed that Hherman had no wish or intention to institute a reactionary policy in Southern affairs. In reply, made public on the 3a, Senator Sherman says that his Nashville speech was entirely sincere; hedoes not wish to revive the animosities of the war,but deairreafnll and frank diacussion of live issues, especially the tariff, and full protection to every citizen in his right to vote and have his vote counted as east.