Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1874 — STATE GOSSIP. [ARTICLE]

STATE GOSSIP.

The Supreme Court of Indiana has decided as unconstitutional, because it Is not itself in the title of the bill, that section of the temperance law which provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to get intoxicated; that a person found in astute of Intoxication shall upon conviction thereof, be fined in the sum of $5, and he com-i-elled to testify where he got his liquor. This decisioivdestroys about nil there was of value in the law, and intemperate men may now wag their heads and exclaim, Where is thy victory. t> Bh\ter; and where thy sting O Temperance! The confirmation of Hon. Caleb Cushing as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is not likely to be made. Among the state papers of the rebel Confederacy a letter has been found which was written by Mr. Cushing in Match, 1881, to his “dear friend’' Jefferson Davis, recommending one Abraham Powers as worthy of confidence and an official.pqsttioii iu the Confederate service. Mr. Jesse D. Bright was expelled from tire Senate for aprecisely similar offense, and it would not be very consistent for that body to confirm Mr, Cushing to a more responsible position. What docs tne President mean by making such unfoituimte nominations? It will be a matter for congratulation to all people who believe that members of Congress should obey the wishes of their constituents, to know that Congress has passed a bill repealing tbe increase of salaries of national officers, excepting that of the President and of the Justices of the Supreme Court. This was done day before yesterday, and the bill only waits the President’s signature to be in force. By its provisions the salaries of all government officers, except the President and Justices of die Supreme Court, are piuced as they were he fore March 3d, 1873. Senators and Members of the House are to reeei ve $5,000 a year and mileage.

Laporto county farmers are fearful that wheat plants are badly winter killed. The sum of $341,348.17 was the total amount of school revenue recently distributed among the several counties of Indiana. About four hundred teachers attended the 20th annual session of the Indiana Educational Association, which was recently held at Indianapolis. Anew furniture company, with a capital stock of SIO,OOO, has been organized at South Bend. It is named “The Cabinet Maker’s Uniou of Northern Indiana.” During 1873, 469 lake vessels arrived at the harbor of Michigan City, and 457 departed. The imports* were 36,667,000 feet of lumber, 42,238,000 packages of shingles, 6,824,000 lath, 622,000 feet of square timber, 7,112 tons of iron ore and pig iron, and 598 cords of stone. Tlie Michigan City Enterprise says the increase of business in two years, is about eighty per cent.