Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 8, Number 3, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 14 July 1877 — Page 1

vrr-?

saw MR'

THE MAIL

A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.

SECOND EDITION.

ir

Town-Talk.

THE WAR ON WHISKY.

It's coming! T. T. refers to tbe red ribbon. It has been stated in the city papers that Kev. Darwood is in correspondence with Dr. Conway, of Philadelphia, a brilliant Murphyite, and the Express yesterday morning Btated that efforts aro being uiade to secure the services of Col. A. T. Whittlesy, of Indianapolis, to conduct the organization of a red ribbon club here, on his return from Evansvillo, where he is laboring at present. This new war on whisky has greatly interested T. T. of late, and he is glad to know that a movement is on foot to unmask batteries in this city. It is a queer fight which is going on, and in many respects, is unlike any preceding method of warfare waged against the common enemy. The first peculiarity is the absence of effort to secure legislation. It is, in general, af.er the old fashioned "moral suasion" plan, though in some places this is combined with an enforcement ol existing laws. The movement which is most prominent out west here is the Murphy. This movement adopts as its motto the famous words of the martyred President, "with charity lor all and malice toward none." It forbears all attacks upon liquor sellers, and treats them respectfully and kindly. Murphy himseir was formerly a hotel keeper, and so a liquor seller. In fact he probably owes his sad experience as a drunkard to this business. After reforming once, he tried the business again and fell. His plan, and that of hai followers, is to tell men of the evil influence of intemperance, and the advantages of temperance, and persuade them to quit dricking, and then to set all who do quit it to the work of persuading others to do the same. The movement baa been wonderfully effective in many places. In fact, probably no other man but Father Matthew ever persuaded so many men to sign the pledge.

Next in order comes what is called the "Gospel Temperanco movemont." This originated with Moody and Sankey in their rovival work. They have preached that "faith in Christ" would take away the appetite for strong drink. In New York, Chicago and Boston, in connection with their other religious work, there were regularly held meetings devoted exclusively to this work. The plan is to get men who have been saved in this way to give their testimony, and then gather drinking men into the Inquiry, rooms and perauade them to become Christians. Whatever may be the true philosophy of this movement, there have been many very remarkable cases of reformation. Those who know best, affirm that this work alone, as it has been prosecuted iu thftso large cities, would more than justify all the effort and expense which have been given to the revival meetings. Now other evangelists are adopting this feature, and persons are devoting themselves exclusively to the "gospel temperance" work.

The moat novel movement is that inaugurated in New York, by a class of men who do not advocate or believe in, or pretend to practice total abstinence. Believing that the admitted evils of intemperance are produced chiefly by the low drinking places, they have banded together for the purpose of shutting up, by legal means, all the unlicensed drinking saloons. They are prosecuting this work vigorously, and men who have been repelled by the other temperance movements because they were denounced as "moderate drinkers" and represented as being, if anything, worse than drunkards, are taking hold of it heartily, giving it their influenoe, money, and, in some Instances, their time and labor. Now T. T. thinks this is a pretty fight. And the respectable man who ainoerely laments the terrible evils of Intemperanoe, must be hard to suit, if bo cannot, among these movements, find one that raits him, mod to which be can give his support.

Thus far those engaged in these difterent movements have abstained from waging war against each other. The great bane and source of weakness in many preceding temperance movements

has been the jealousy or rather their intolerance of each other. Like the Philadelphia firemen o! former days, the different companies have been more noted for their fights among themselves than for their efficacy in putting out fires. All who claimed to desire to accomplish the same end, unless they oould agree in all matters relating to the method of doing the work, have been denounoed as rummies," wolves in sheep's clothing, and charged with doing more to hinder the cause of temperance than either drinkers or sellers of liquor. In fact the drunkard had the sympathy of the re formers, and some kind things would be said of the liquor sellers, but woe beHde the man who, though intemperate, or even practising total abstinence, doubted the doctrine that all drinking wasasiu per se, or that this or that form of legislation was best. There was no mercy for him. On the other hand, those who could not go to the extreme length of the reformers have taken no pains to conceal their disgust, and by implication, if not in words, have set these re formers down as fools or knaves. But it really looks as if the temperance millennium had come, not the time when all the evils of drinking are banished, but the time when, the temperanoe lion ahd lamb may lie down together, or rather when each may go peacefully its own way. The movement in New York among the so called "moderate drinkers," is led by an eminent clergyman of the Presbyterian church, a man of undoubted piety, learning and eloquence, and while many of his fellow churchmen differ from him most decidedly in opinion and practice—he does not pretend to abstain wholly from liquor—yet they generally treat him kindly. One happy tffoct of this movement ought to be to relieve other clergymen who agreo with him from unjust suspicion. Heretofore it has been almost at the risk of professional character, to differ from any popular temperance movement. And thus there has been a strong pressure brought to bear upon many men, who had the temperance cause at heart, to conceal their real sentiments. If the era of charity among those in sympathy with different organizations for promoting temperance, and among those holding different views on the temperance questions, has really come in, it is a strange sight under the sun, and as pleasant and promising of good results, as it is strange.

Husks and Nubbins.

No. 202.

THE HAYES POLICY."

There can be no doubt that whoever might have been elected as president Grant's successor would have met with opposition and dissatisfaction on the part of a largo body of people, and there is therefore nothing remarkable in the opposition which is now arraying itself against president Hayes—at least nothing unless it be the groundlessness of it. And yet the grumbling grows and increases. It is not confined any more to a few malcontents but embraces no small number of active and intelligent Republicans.

What is the trouble? Why all this complaining? What has the President done or what has he left undone? He has dose just what be promised, if elect ed, that he would do. His course has not been that of a narrow partisan, it is true, but nobody bad any business to suppose it would be. He gave clear notice of that in bis letter of acceptance, so clear that nobody could fail to understand it. Did they think the letter was only for show and that he would not stand by it? That seems to be a good part of the trouble. These strict partisans supposed the Presidont would p«~ as little attention to his promises as politicians usually do and that is what they wanted. But Mr. Hayes is not that kind of a politician. He is a partisan but a very broad one. His motto is that be serves his party best who serves bis country best—rather reversing th« popular form of it. He has acted on this rule. He has inaugurated a sweeping system of reform and purification in the various branohes of the government has knocked the "spoils" practice ruthlessly in the bead has pacified the South by restoring local self-government to the States has kept steadily in view, as a great statesman once did, "the honor and prosperity of the whole country." He has acted honestly, conscientiously and fearlessly in the discharge of bis duty, as it appeared to him. It would not seem that anyone oould doubt this. If he has made mistakes they have been mistakes of his bead, not of his heart. But what mistakes has be made Boiled down it all centers in the "Southern policy," which means his action in South Carolina and Louisiana. Poor Packard and poor Chamberlain, they are not Governors acd somebody else is! And that is about the beginning and the end of it, Mr. Chamberlain comes back to his old home in the North and sirs his personal grievances in a Fourth of July speech, under the thin pretense that it is the colored race and not him self that be is speaking for. The President, he says, went back on the noble freed men who elected him and stood

''v?T TAJiii'.) 1 .•**«#* --V-V*

,!•

J^.

2..r -^A".-

Vol. 8.—No. 3. TERRE HAUTE, IND., SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 14, 1877.

loyal to him in peril of their lives. Mr. Chamberlain paints the President with his hand stained with innocent blood, but w^at are the faota What did he do? Simply withdrew the army of the United States from the capitals of thoso States, where there was no authority for them to be, and left the States to control their own affairs like the other States of the dnion. What else could or ought he to have done? The Packard and Chamberlain governments tottered and fell because they were too weak to stand alone. How are we, away up here at the North, going to say that they were the rightful governments and deserved to stand It is a great stretch of egotism aud impudence to dare to do it. We should think it was rather a weak argument to say tnat because a government is strong enough to maintain itself, therefore it is a usurping government. Prima lauie it would seem that the conclusion would be just the reverse. Two questions presented themselves to the President's mind: first, was it his duty to decide who were the lawfully elected officers in thoso States secondly, could he have reached any intelligent decesion on the subject if he had tried? He was compelled to answer both questions in the negative. He was neither authorized nor able to do it„ Oh, but the same votes that elected Chamberlain and Packard elected him, they say, and by abandoning these men he admits his own election to have been fraudulent. Well, ho never decided the matter of his own election It was not his duty to do so. That was a matter wholly boyond his jurisdiction. It was decided in a legal way by a competent and august tribunal. Ho hail nothing to do but wait and hear the verdict ol that imposing jury and abide by it. Until that verdict was rendered he was a simple citizen like any other citizen. It called him to preside over the nation and he was bound to heed the call. It was not his right to pass upmi that verdict and say whether or no- it was just to array his singie judgment in opposition to that of a carefully chosen council offlftoen distinguished men and pronounce their judgment wrong. So far as he was concerned, and so far as the country was concerned, the question was fully and finally decided. It remained for him to obey without question and that he did. Once in the Presidential chair, the whole case was altered. Then it became his duty to decide and act.

And surely simply because the electeral commission had found him elected he could not say that Packard and Chamberlain were legally elected and maintain them with the armyof the United States. He took an equitable view of the situation. He saw that the South needed peace that peace would most probably follow the withdrawal of the troops and prosperity and good order gradually returned to that distracted country. Better same personal disapointmeut, he thought, than public disaster.

And has not the result so far justified his course? Will anyone pretend to say that South Carolina and Louisana are not more peaceful and prosperous to-day than they have ever been since the close of the war? We know they are, notwithstanding the attempts in certain quarters to make It appear otherwise. Men are forgetting their political feuds and settling down to honest, hopeful work. Doubtless if the colored people were questioned concerning their present condition they would almost unanimously answer that it is far better than it was beforo "the Hayes policy" began. But the party is being divided and broken up.. Well, It's its own fault then and not the President's. If it can't stand an honest, faithful administration of public affairs the sooner it goes to the wall the better. But it need do nothing of the kind and if it does, the pesky little politicians who can't see an/thing but party and can't see that more than three feet before their noses, will have themselves to thank for it and nobody else.

IIKRK IS

a strong point In favor of

Hayes' policy and against those who wish to oontinue the ranoor and bad feeling against the south. It is from the New York H'erald. It says:

Finally, let us consider for a moment the effect of this republican opposition to the president upon the future of the republican party. In the first place, as the machine republicans oppose the southern policy, and thus plainly say to the south that if they get power again they will at all hazards reverso it, that certainly tends to continue a "solid democratic south." No doeent southern man, black or white, can be expected to look with favor upon a reopening of the southern question: and the threat implied in tnis republican opposition to Mr. Hayes's southern policy must not only compel every white voter to adhere to the democratic organisation, but will join to that party all the blaeks who own property or nave sense enough to see that their true interest lies in peace. Bat the effect must be similar in the north. No northern man who has anything to lose bv civil disturbance, or anything to gain by peace and good will between the sections, will support a party whose object seems to be to revive tbe southern disputes. In fact, if the "sorehead" republicans really control the party, as they assume to do, if they are the party, they are courting an overwhelming and disgraceful defeat for they are opposing themselves to the very reforms most urgently demanded by the country.

A Lofty Theme*

A SURVEY OF THE TOWN CLOCK AND EXPLORATION OF THE CHURCH STEEPLE.

By appointment, Tbe Mall's tramp one day this week went with Mr. Cal Thomas, the Wabash street jeweller, to look at tbe town clock, of whioh that gentleman la the guardian angel.

First climbing into a pair of last year's pants, and getting under an old hat, in order to preserve from taa dust of the steeple the elegant and fashionable attire in which he is usually dressed, The Mail man announoed himself ready. Mr. Thomas then accompanied bTm to the Congregational church, on Sixth street. They ascended the steps, and the double doors were unlocked by means of a brass key as big as a pair of tailors' shears. Ascending the next flight of steps brought them Into tha main audience room. From there they went up into the arched semi-circular elovation formerly devoted to the choir, in the west end of the building, directly under the tower. Here the explorers left their coats, as Mr. Thomas predicted that they would get into a warm place. Then they stepped through a small door, and found themselves in an irregular dusty apartment, very narrow, bounded on one side by the laths of the choir loft, and on the other by the high narrow windows, through whoso colored panes the light came in red and variegated tints. Looking up, it seemed to the Tramp that he had come into an inverted cave, which lead upward into darkness. A long ladder of twenty-two rounds stretched upward into the gloom. This he asoended, following Mr. Thomas slowly and carefully up past the curved timbers of the choir-lol'c which meet at the top like the sections of a groined arch. Passing through another floor, he found himself in a high room, dimly lighted, being an apartment midway up in the tower. Its walls are of solid brick-work, aud ropes passing back and forth through pullies remind the visitor of the,cordage on a lake schooner. The next ladder was one of nineteen rounds, and led into a third room, not so high as the others, but as dark as a closet, except for a few rays of half chokei light coming through the trap door above. Going up after his guide, on a ladder he could feel rather than see, the Tramp at last found himself in the highest part of the square tower, just where the four brick walls take the shape of an octagon and run up in a pyramidal dizzy spire to the peak.

Almost the moment the explorers had set foot in the place, its single inhabitant, the Genius of the Tower, set up a great clanging and bellowing, as if it were a giant warning them against intrusionin to the solitude of his lofty aerie. The sound was made by an iron arm, reaching up in the darkness and smiting the great bell. The visitor counted eleven deafening strokes. He had arrived just in time to hear the clock strike eleven.

Away up overhead stretched the eight blank walls, narrowing gradually toward each other, and enclosing perpetual darkness. In the center, near him, was a board closet, containing the town clock. West of it hangs the bell, so near the floor that its great iron clapper almost scrapes the planks and whose growling reverberations, dying slowly away as if the spire were too small to let the Bound out fast enough, recalls tbe lines of Pee:

Hear the tolling of the bellslion bells! What a world of solema thought thefririonody compels!

In tho silence of the aight, How we shiver with attrlght At

THE MCLHNCHOLY

menace of Uielr ton* I

Kor every sound that floats From the rust within their throats Is a groan. On the north, east, south and west sides bfthe tower are tbe four high, narrow, gabled windows. A pigeon crawled down fnom the spire and launched itself out of one of them. Stepping to tbe east window, out of which the lattice work has been blown by some bowling storm of past years, there burst upon the sight of the visitor a scene whose beauty no pencil can describe, no brush reproduce —a landscape stretching in every direction. To the east lay the long wooded range of the "sand hills to the west, the bills beyond tbe river, with the irregular spots of silver water between. On every side were the distant lines of trees, bounding the horizon with a profusion of verdure whose green luxuriance looked dark and cool in the streaming sunlight. Not much of the city oould be sees, but the Tramp knew that beneath tbe long waves of clustered foliage lay tbe happy homes of Torre Haute. Glimmering specks sbone out here and there among tbe masses of trees, indicating roofe but to tbe southward especially, beyond tbe high business blocks, scarcely a house oould be seen. Northward, tbe more regular arrangement of tbe trees indicated tbe streets. Far away, exactly in the north, is tbe abrupt hill where tbe Wabash skirts tbe high land of Fayette township. Hie white arms of the sycamores showed the meanderlngs of the river. Streaks of dancing smoke intruded here and there. Near by, tho wide mass of the Normal School building on one ride

'AU'l "A.v vf

and tbe Opera House and the various business blocks on auother, shut oat part of tbe view. Further out was the handsome Polytechnic, its stripes of Milwaukee brick lending their imposing effect. Tbe belching smoke stacks of the water works- building, rolling mill, wheel factory, railroad shops, car works, and the various mills and manufacturing establishments rose to level with tbe position of tbe delighted admirer. Southeast, the vigilant Vigo Cyclops—the blast furnace—blazed with its eye of flre. Beyond sll these stretched the fields, dotted with wheat shocks, or sprinkled with cattle, or waving with corn, or alternating with groves, and with a freight train moving in this or that direction. People on the pavements looked quite small. The disking of mallets came faintly up from the croquet ground where Col. Edwards was holding a tournament with Mr. Freeman. Men were at work on the block to the south, replacing tbe tin roof recently blown off. Everything was at tractive, and served to explain the enchantment which high altitudes have forballooifists, charming them into continuing their dangerous calling.

But though the beautiful scenery of Harrison Prairie was expected as one of tho attractions, the principal object of the Tramp in his exploration was to examine the town clock and see what it looked like. He was disappointed. He found no collossal machinery or intriuut? maze of wheels and gim-cracks, but a simple and not very large time keeper, the principal part of which occupies a box three feet high and about eighteen inches square. Here are two cast iron frames, between which operate five wheels and an eccentric. These are tbe clock proper. On one side hangs the pendulum, forever swinging, away up there, measuring out the time for thirty thousand people. The rod, which is made of wood to prevent contraction or expansion by heat,issix feet four inches from point of suspension to center of oscillation—the ball. It is three feet foil, inches from the point of impulse to the center of oscillation. The ball is of iron, about eight inches in diameter and two inches thick. The frame work of the clock is eight inches wide. Being exactly in the center of the tower, and about six feet below the level of the dials outside, the dock turns a wheel connected with an upright rod. Climbing up to a little platform overhead, the visitor was shown a horizontal "contracting wheel," in which are set four bevel wheels, from each of which radiates a wooden red ten feet long, to one of the four dials. Holding to tbe edge of tho east window add bending backward outside, he could look up and see the dial above him. It is painted white. The hands are of wood, the minute hand two feet long. The figures on the dial, which from the ground appear BO small, are really seven or eight luches long.

Going down to the dark cellar, as The Mail's Tramp thinks it might appropriately be called, though the place is ninety feet above the ground, he was shown the striking apparatus. The eccentrio befbre mentioned is connected by a wire to a set of ingenious wheels attached to windlass, and constituting the striking apparatus. The striker is a big iron hammer on a crooked bar four feet long. The bell is three feet two inches across the mouth. It was cast at Cincinnati in 1850.' It is of oourse the same bell used for announdng to tbe congregation the proper hours of worship. A toothed wheel regulates the number of strokes, like that in small docks. A set of tin fans, called the governors, fly around like a small wind mill, and by the resistance of the air govern tbe time between the strokes. There are two weights. The one called the running weight is filled with gravel, and weighs about one hundred pounds. Tbe striking weight is a huge affair weighing one thousand pounds, or half a ton. Fifteen minutes are required to wind it, since it runs down the whole way to tbe ground. It hung by a rope three quarters of an inch thick, from a windlass, weund by a crank and ratchet wheel. The latter forms a lever, without which it would require more than the lorce of an average man to wind it. This is done once a week.

Tbe machinery of the town dock was placed there twenty years ago, having been previously In use at a town in Kentucky. Yet Mr. Thomas considers it as good as when first used. It is easily regulated, and at the time of Tbe Mail man's visit it had varied only Un seconds in four months. On being asked how it bad acquired its former bad reputation, he said be thought the persons in charge of it bad not set it by reliable time pieces. Also, they had intrusted the winding, which is considerable labor, to incompetent persons. One who does not understand it can make the clock lose the three minutes consumed in winding the smaller weight, as it will stop runcing that long without proper "tension" or "maintainanoe" of power. There are also two or three other ways in which the clock may vary in correct time, which must be properly understood to be avoided.

The clock is quite simple, and bad not

**J

VT I

I I

Price Five Cents

so much attraction for tbe visitor as the "buena vista" outside. He sat gazing out of tbe window a long time, from his breezy elevation. A banging roar startled him. The clock was striking twelve.

NOTE.—On the evening of the very same day on which the above was writ* ten, the larger of tbe weights fell to the ground with a grand crash and smash, in consequence of several screws pulling loose from tbe windlass. Of course the rope was unwound faster than a line attached to a runaway whale, and when it was all out the staple was Jerked loose. The weight consisted of a wooden box ten feet long, closed at the bottom, and filled with broken scrap iron. When it struck tbe bottom of the slide hi the basement of tbe church, the sides bulged out and scattered loose iron and splinters about plentifully in that basement. Mr. Thomas and a carpenter were hard at work two days, repairing he damage. The machinery of tho clook was not injured, and it kept on recording the time without striking until the rope and weight were replaced.

Our Mail Box.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

CORRESPONDENTS

DRIVKR.—You complain against being forced to pay for broken shafts, caused by the horse of your employer stepping upon them. The best way to avoid further difficulty of that kind is to give the. horse no ohance to step on the shafts. Pursue tbe following plan: J*ake in your right hand the end of the hitching strap, with the horse facing the buggy, so that he cau see its position. Hold up with your left hand as high as you can the "near" shaft. Start up the horse, gently drawing bim toward you. With two or three trials almost any horse will thus learn to walk under the shafts, which are then let down and inserted into the straps. This is very ilmple, avoids waste of time in backing the horse, and prevents broken shafts. Besides, many a good animal is rendered splteftil and restive by tbe impatience of the groom, who expects bim to back straight between the shafts, though he wear blinds and can not see where be should stand.

UNEMPLOYED.—We

1

must have their in­

quiries at this office by Wednesday of each week to expect an answer in next edition. Questions not plainly wi ttten with Ink will go to the basket.

TOURIST.—You are right in supposing that very pleasant and decidedly delightful tours can be made at cheap rates within our own State at moderate distances. Among tbe localities offering inducements to those desiring recreation of a few weeks may be mentioned the wild gorges and grand scenery along Sugar Creek, north-west of Waveland and south-west of Crawfordsville the forests surrounding the town of Cataract, named from the falls in the neighborhood, in Owen eounty tbe lakes in the northern part oi tbe State Wyandotte cave and its vicinity, in southern Indiana the "knobs," several hundred feet high, in Floyd county the heights of Brown county, and the natural springs and rocky scenery in Martin and Orange counties. In all these localities, except tbe last, summer boarding can be obtained at rates lower than the average in this city. The upper- Wabash is also a continuous succession of beautiful scenery though not BO picturesque as that along the Ohio, the country there is less thickly settled and more healthful.

would notenoour-

age your idea of going to the larger dties in hope of finding work. They are already overcrowded. You have more hope of employment in Terre Haute than in any larger dty. It is better to look to the country than to St. Louis or Indianapolis for subsistence, and especially for cheap living.

JOKX D.—If she refused your company "merely because you did not wear a clean shirt," she was right. Probably she did not mean that you should dress ornamentally, but she is not to blame for objecting to an escort with a soiled bosom.

SUBSCRIBER.—You ask whether to pay your honest debts, or save tbe money to go on one of tbe excursions and have some fun as other folks do. We are astonished that a man of sense should ask such a question.

MJLRY

L.—Yes. there is a seminary at

Evanston, near Chicago, but tbe college at Ann Arbor, Micb., which receives females, offers you the beet chance for a thorough education. You can do no better by going east.

TURNIP SMKD.—You inquire who personated the Granger in tbe Fourth of July procession. We are not certain, but thought the faoe looked something like that of Mr. John Haney.

THIRD BASK.—Don't try it you will not be likely to succeed, and if you do you are liable to sprain your thumb.

JAKE,—Not correct.

A CONUNDRUM. {Harrisburg Patriot.]

How are tbe people to sttend to tbefr political affairs without tbe aid of tbe officeholder.

•YM