Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1889 — Struck Gas. [ARTICLE]

Struck Gas.

AN A abauia fedeial court ha* dis(barged an Attache * ho had abominably mistreated an Indian girl on the Mount Vernon reservation. The reason assigned was that t-h* was not a competent witness becaus- ehe had never had any religious ttaehiugs. Aid yet this is nearly the close of the nineteenth century! v ■ Juno* Barkktt’s decision that the Sugar Trust is a conspiracy against the public, and that the companies which have entered into it have forfeited their eorporate rights, will probably be sustained by the higher court . The “combines’; generally will undoubtedly soon make common cause against the public in the courts, but they will have to go all the same. Three or four.hundred sugar, coal, petroleum and other sorts of monopolists will not be permitted to oppress the other 65,000,000 people of the country, at least not for any long period of time. Tbk Eastern States are agitating the question of the popular election, or at least selection, of pos masters. It is urged that the appointment is rarely judicious, and for the best interest of the people. As a mere matter of party machinery the post office in country districts is far from being of as great importance as formerly. The salary is too small in the majority of cases to be generally and widely attractive. Frequently the work is done by clerks who have some ability, while the postmaster himself is unable to manage affairs of the office intelligently. Good business m?u do not Beek the place. This discussion is confined mainly to the country to» ns, but it is widespread. It would be au improvement on the present system if the people should select three candidates, leaving the appointment of one of them to the authorities at Washington.

Wi seem not yet to have nearly got at the fall resources of this continent. Attention is now drawn to that enormous tract of the Northwest known as Mackenzie River Basin. It reaches from the arctic regions to the Saskatchewan, including about one million and a third of square miles. It is found that half of all this vast area is fitted for the growth of potatoes, and much more of if for barley, wheat,oats, buckwheat and other food products. The climate is no more severe north of Great Slave Lake than at Minneapolis and Ottawa. There are forests es trees averaging ICO feet high; and there are mines of extraordinary value, including npt only precious metals, but salt and sulphur. Petroleum deposits underlie the whole district of the greatest value almost inexhaustible. This will afford one more great reservoir for the great Westward pushing tides of the hnman race. It is one of the richest tracts of the Westera continent.

Thebe were thirty Par)amentary elections in Great Britain hut year, resalting in a net gain of two seats for the Home Rule party. At this rate of progress, the fall term of the Parliament elected in 1886 can be rounded out without the overthrow of the Un ; onist Government With two va ant seats the actual majority of the Unionists is ninety-four in a full House. While the, by-elections have disclosed, with few exceptions, Home Rule gains, the relative strength of the parties m the Commons has undergone little change since the last appeal to the people. With the Chief Secretary for Ireland at liberty to prosecute and imprison Nationalist members, such slight advantage as has been secured at the by-elections of two years has not made any appreciable difference in the divisions The Home Rule party has a protracted and discouraging struggle before it

Jakes Paxton’B list oi defeated Presidential candidates, and his review of them, makes interesting reading. William Wirt had the vote of Vermont alone. Peter Cooper and James G. Birney carried no States, but stood for principles. Henry considers a great escape for us, because his brain was always suffused with alcohol —“a Sublime blackguard,” as Marshall oalled him. Some recent revelations of Seward’s policy makes us less regret his disappointment. Horace Greeley; “half baby, half philosopher,” we all will forever feel sorry for, bbt not for the country that missed having him for President. Then there was McClellan, whose glory had a bad habit of steadily fading; and Clinton, and Scott, and' Hancock, and Blaine, and Tiiden, and Douglass, and Cass, and Calhoun, and Crawford, and Fremont, and Bt. John, and Belva Lockwood. Probably in«the jrhole list not half a dozen were great losses tp the country as possible Executives—most of them no loss at aIL v

Briggr “Let me congratulate you,old fellow/’ Quimby (surprised): “ tVhy?” Briggs: “Oh, I heard about your good luck.” Quimbf (more surprised): “Good luck! What good luck?” Briggs: “Oh, you pretend it’s nothing. I heard you’d struck gas.” Quimby (sadly): “Oh, you must have misunderstood. 1 only hit a St. Louis drummer in ths mouth.” L "K. '