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HOTT & GO., Proprietors. ANDERSON 0. H., S. C, THURSDAY MORNING, JULY 2, 1874. VOLUME IX.?NO. 51. The Constitution of the Tax Unions In the State of South Carolina. 1. The objects of the Tax Unions are the reduction of taxation, and the honest appropri? ation and expenditure of the public funds. 2. There snail be in each county as many subordinate Tax Unions as may be deemed necessary, but not less than one such subordi? nate union for each township or ward. There shall be one County Tax Union for each coun? ty, and one State Tax Union for the State. 3. Each subordinate Tax Union shall have such name or designation a3 the members thereof may select, but each County Union shall be designated by the name of the county, and the State Union shall be styled "The Tax Union of the State of South Carolina." 4. All tax-payers in this State are eligible to membership of any one subordinate Tax Union in the county in which they live. 6. Application for membership must be made in writing and addressed to the-Tax Union of - county. Such application shall be signed by the applicant, or by his authority, and shall give the applicant's full name and address. The applications must be submitted to the executive committee of the Subordinate Union to which they are address? ed, which committee may report thereon at any meeting of the Union, and a majority of the votes of the members present shall be suf? ficient to elect. 6. The officers of each Subordinate Union shall be a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and an executive committee of five members, including the president and vice president who shall be members of such com? mittee, ex officio. 7. The Subordinate Unions shall hold regu? lar monthly meetings, and shall have authority to hold special meetings as may be necessary. 8. Each member of the Subordinate Union shall pay to the treasurer of such union an initiation fee of fifty cents; and, also, such uniform percentage, not exceeding two per cent., of the last tax laid upon him for general State and county purposes, as may be called for by the executive committee of such Union, with the approval of the Union; and such percentage shall be declared and collected be? fore the first day of September in each year. 9. The County Unions shall consist of two delegates from each subordinate Union, with one delegate additional for every twenty mem? bers beyond twenty in each Subordinate Union. 10. The County Unions shall meet at the respective courthouses on the first Monday in July, October, January and April in each year, with authority to hold special meetings upon the call of the executive committee of the County Union. 11. The officers of the County Unions shall be a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, who shall be elected at the first meet? ing, and shall hold office until the 1st Monday in July in the ensuing year, and until their successors shall be elected and shall qualify. 12. The executive committee of the County Unions shall consist of the chairman of the executive committees of the Subordinate Unions, who shall be ex officio members of the County Union together with the president of the County Union, which county executive committee shall have power to elect its own officers. 13. The State Union shall consist of three delegates from each County Union, and shall meet annually in Columbia on the fourth Tues? day in November, and at such other times and places as the State Executive Committee may appoint; provided that the first meeting of the State Union shall be held at such time as may be appointed by the executive committee of the Tax-Payers' Convention. 14. The officers of the State Union shall be a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, an executive committee, and such other officers as the union may determine to appoint. 15. The State executive committee shall con? sist of two members from each Congressional district, and the president of the State Union, The members of the Statj Union from the County Unions of the counties composing each Congressional district shall nominate the mem? bers of the State Executive Committee from that district. 16. The State Executive Committee shall elect its own officers, and shall meet at such times and places as the chairman, in his own discretion, or upon the written request of two members of the committee shall appoint. 17. The actual expenses of each member of the State Executive Committee, in attending meetings of the committee,{shall be paid, upon the order of the chairman of the State Execu? tive Committee, by the County Unions of the Congressional district which he represents. 18. The State Executive Committee shall make such assessment as they think necessary, upon the County Unions, which assessment snail be in proportion to the amount of the last tax laid for general State and county pur? poses in each county, and shall not exceed one and one-half per cent, of the amount of such tax; and the executive committees of the several County Unions, in order to meet such assessment and defray their other expenses, shall make and collect an assessment, in like proportion, upon the Subordinate Unions. 19. All funds received by the treasurer of the State Union shall be deposited by him in his name as treasurer, in a bank to be designated by the president of the State Union, and no money shall be drawn except upon the draft of the treasurer, countersigned by the chairman of the State Executive Committee, notice of which provision shall be given to the bank which shall be designated as the place of de? posit. 20. The State Executive Committee are au? thorized to pay the treasurer, as compensation for his services, if they shall deem it necessary, a commission not exceeding H per cent, on all money received by him, and H per cent, on all money paid out by him. 21. There shall be prepared by each Subor? dinate Union a full and correct roster of such Union, giving the name and residence of each member, and also a record of the names of the tax-payers within the township, ward or other district in which the said Union works. One copy of the roster and record shall be kept by the secretary of the Subordinate Union, open for the inspection of the members, and a du? plicate copy of such roster and record shall be sent to the executive committee of the County Union, who shall prepare therefrom a general l oster and record for the county. A duplicate copy of each county roster and record shall be forwarded by the county executive committee of the State Union, the Secretary of which committee shall prepare therefrom a general roster and record ior the State. 22. This constitution may be amended by the vote of two-thirds of the county unions, subject to the ratification of the State Union, or by a vote of the State Union, subject to the ratification of two-thirds of the county unions. James Chesnut, Chairman Executive Committee. ? The world is forgetful of its benefactors. Who knows the name of the man who invented chewing gum ? The Tax Unions. The most important duty entrusted to the Executive Committee of the Taxpayers' Con? vention was the preparation of a constitution for the Tax Unions, the bodies which, in the opinion of the Convention, would give to the taxpayers the unity and strength needed for put? ting an end to the organized robbery by the present government of the State. There were many difficulties in the way of forming a con? stitution which should be both sufficiently broad and sufficiently restrictive and which should provide for raising in an equitable manner the means for carrying on the work of the Tax Unions; but it is believed that the form of constitution officially promulgated to-day is open to no practical objection ; that it is simple and comprehensive, and that under it the Unions may be quickly and thoroughly rrgan ized in every county of the State. The Execu? tive Committee debated the matter for the greater part of two days, and the result of their labors is now before the public. It will be noticed that the objects of the Tax Unions are declared to be "the reduction of taxation and the honest appropriation and ex? penditure of the public funds.'* There is noth? ing, therefore, of a political character, in a party sense, in the scheme of the Tax Unions. They are not tied to any political party, but can and will act with the party which is most likely to give the people an honest and econom ical administration of the public affairs. The Unions can, also, take such other measures as may promise to be most effective in preventing the continuance of fraud in public offices and in the application of the public funds. No re? striction is placed upon the Tax Unions. Each Union is at liberty to do its appointed work in its own way. Every taxpayer is eligible to membership, and there are provisions for the scrutiny of all applications in order that the spies and emissaries of the Thieves' Ring may not obtain admission into the Unions. Among other things it is required that the Subordinate Unions shall keep a roster of the members, and shall prepare a roll or record of the names of the taxpayers in the township, ward or other district in which they work. From the reports of the Subordinate Unions the general returns for the County and State will be made up. Such returns will be of great value, especially as the rascally political Kings refuse to order a regis? tration of voters, which would place some check upon repeating and fraudulent voting. The County Unions consist of delegates from the Subordinate Unions, each of which has a number of delegates in proportion to its own membership. This will make the County Unions thoroughly representative bodies, and will enable them to direct the action of the counties intelligently and wisely. The State Union will consist of delegates from the County Unions, and will hold only one stated meeting in the year. The first meeting will be held as soon as the several counties shall have organized their Unions, and due notice of the time of meeting will be given by the Executive Com? mittee of the Taxpayers' Convention through its chairman. "Nothing can be done without money. Every member of a Tax Union is, therefore, required to pay an initiation fee of fifty cents, and is liable to an assessment not exceeding, in the aggregate, two per cent, on the amount of his last general State and County tax. This fixes and limits the liability of the members. A member who pays this year State and County taxes to the amount of one hundred dollars, may be called on to pay an assessment of two dollars in the the course of the year. In this way every member contributes to the common fund in proportion to his means, asshown by the amount of his taxes. A morejust and equita? ble scheme the committee could not devise, and it would have been manifestly improper to make a fixed and equal charge upon each mem? ber, in which case the wealthy taxpayer would have paid the same sum as the humbler citizen whose whole fortune is the tract of land which he cultivates himself or the modest house in which he lives. The delegations from the several counties in the Taxpayers' Convention of 1874 are request? ed to organize the Tax Unions without delay, and, of course, where Unions have already been formed their plan of working can be made con? formable to the constitution now promulgated. There is no time to lose, and we hope soon to hear the busy note of preparation in every part of the State. The Tax Unions will be perma? nent bodies. They will remain in existence as long as there are taxes to be collected and pub? lic funds to be spent. Month by month and year by year they should grow in numbers and in strength, until they bear on their rolls the name of every honest and discreet taxpayer. When properly organized and handled, they will prove resistless, and, before the Ides of No? vember, the thieves in office and out of office can be made to feel the power of a plundered people now, for the first time, organizing them? selves compactly and thoroughly against their oppressors.?Charleston News & Courier. The Next Campaign.?An important reac? tion in our political affairs has been taking place for some months past, not only in the man? ifestation of terrible uneasiness among the rob? ber band, but in the apparent determination of some of the more honest members of the Re? publican party to put a stop to the high-handed roguery and wilful plunder and spoliation of the property of our people. The effect of this action on the part of these men, has been to uncover dark deeds unrevealed, and it is not impossible that their action will have a tendency to good. It seems that the whole people of the State, regardless of political complexion?save those whose interests are closely connected with the "band"?are arousing to a true sense of the wrongs which have, for the past seven or eight yeare, been heaped in profusion upon our down-trodden people. The clamor of reform is not raised alone by the Conservatives, but every true and honest colored man knows full well the terrible responsibility which rests upon his shoulders in the coming campaign, and he, too, appears to have thrown off, in a great measure, the chains of slavery which have for so long a time bound him to the plundering ring. Now it remains for the conservatives to wake up; and, in case of a split in the party,? which is more than probable?they may prove a power by giving their support to the best ticket put forth. Who would be free themselves must Btrike the blow.?Kcrshaw Gasetie. ? A surgeon, after a sanguinary battle, was going his rounds, examining his patients. He came at length to a sergeant who bad been struck by a bullet in the left breast, directly over the region of the hefrt. The doctor, sur? prised at the narrow escape of the man, ex? claimed : "Why, my man) where in the name of goodness could your heart have been V "I guess it must have been in my mouth just then, octor," replied the poor fellow, with a faint smile. ? A gentleman has two canaries which ho calls "Wheeler" and "Wilson." His reason for these appellations is that neither of them are "Singers." Life on the Frontiers of Texas. The following sketch was read before a re? cent meeting of the Texas Historical Associa? tion, and recounts an authentic incident: I think the following facts, relative to a desperate encounter that took place last Au? gust (1873) between eight Texas "cow-boys" and a party of twenty Indians, are worthy of being preserved among the records of the As? sociation. It was certainly one of the severest and most obstinately contested affairs (though on a small scale) that ever occurred on the frontiers of Texas, and shows extraordinary bravery and determination on the part of the "boys," and, also, an unusual amount of both on the part of the Indians. The following statements I had from Mr. Moss, the leader of the little band of whites, and also from several others who had participated in the fight, a few hours after it occurred : On the morning of the 5th of August, 1873, the two Moss brothers, in company with six other "cow-boys," started out to prospect the country around for "Indian signs," having, from some cause, suspected that they were down in the settlements. Proceeding on their route but a short distance, they encountered a well-defined "trail," apparently only a few hours old. They followed this at once, as fast as their horses could carry them, over the broken and rocky country through which it led. For some minutes the trail bore off in a southeasterly direction, and the supposition was that the Indians were making for the set? tlements on Cypress Creek, but it suddenly turned to the left and led them in the direction of "Pack-Saddle Mountain," one of the high? est hills in all that regioH of country, and a noted camping-place and rendezvous for ma? rauding bands of Indians. Near the top of [ this mountain there is a comparatively level I plateau of land, sufficiently large to permit a number of horses to be "staked out" on the grass with which it is covered. Near this pla? teau a fine spring breaks out at the head of a ravine, and in the "chaparral," or scrubby timber adjoining, was the favorite camping ground of tho Indians. j When Moss and his companions reached the base of the mountain they were satisfied, from the appearance of the "sign," that the redskins would be found at the camping-ground above described, and they dismounted for a few mo? ments to put their arms in order for the expec? ted fray. Mounting their horses again, they silently and cautiously pursued the trail up the rugged side of "Pack-Saddle Mountain." As the boys had rightly supposed, they found the Indians encamped at their usual place, and evidently bent on having a jolly good time," as they had just barbecued about four bun- j dred pounds of a fat "maverick," which they had killed somewhere in the vicinity. The surprise would have been complete, had it not been for a young brave, who had taken his seat on the edge of the plateau above men? tioned, whieh overlooked the valley below, for the purpose of keeping a lookout for any ap? proaching foe, and also for the purpose of beautifying his naturally handsome phiz with splotches of red aud white paint, pieces of which he held in his right hand and a small J pocket looking-glass iu the other, in order to see how to put on the finishing touches with taste and discrimination. So engrossed was he in this operation that he did not observe the approach of the hoys until they were within forty or fifty yards of him. But at length his attention was attracted by the ringing of iron-shod hoofs upon the rocky trail, and giving one shrill whoop, he fled precipitately for the camp, the cow-boys following him as fast as possible. The moment they gained the elevation of the plateau, with the quick eye of frontiersmen in such matters, they saw that it was possible to get between tho Indians and their horses, and their first move was to do so, which proved successful. As soon as the Indians discovered the position of affairs, they made a determined charge upon the whites, and an almost hand-to-hand en? counter ensued, but the boys stood their ground with such dogged resolution and obstinacy that their assailants at length gave way and fell back to the protection of the chaparral in the vicinity of their camp. In this first encounter four of tho whites were wounded, three of them so severely that they were unable to take any part in the subsequent fighting; consequently*only five effective men were left to contend with fifteen or more In? dians. Three times subsequently the latter made desperate charges upon the boys, for the purpose of driving them back, and thus regain? ing possession of their horses, but, as one of them said to us afterward, "We did not drive worth a cent," and after a fourth fruitless at? tempt the Indians appeared to bo completely demoralized, and retired entirely out of view behind the chaparral. Thinking they had left the field for good, the boys laid down their guns and turned their attention to their wounded comrades. In a few moments, however, they perceived the Indian chief, who had made himself ccmspicuousin every charge by his reckless bravery, advancing toward them once more, closely followed by eight or ten warriors. The boys instantly sprang to their arms and waited the expected onset; but. when the In? dians discovered that the white were prepared and quietly awaiting their approach, their hearts failed them, and all except tho chief fell back again to the protection of the chapar? ral. Mr. Moss, who told mc of this incident, said that the chief turned toward his recreant followers and harangued them in a loud voice for some moments, and although Moss could not of course understand what was said, his gestures and manner spoke as plainly as words that the appeal was a most earnest one to make another charge ; but, if this were so, it seems that the power of eloquence had no effect upon [ his demoralized men, for he urged them in vain to renew the fight. They were too badly cowed to make another attempt upon those "Stonewall cow-boys." The chief at length appeared to be satisfied of this fact himself, and indignantly turn? ing from them he advanced at a slow and de? liberate walk, "solitary and alone," towards the boys, every now and then stopping a mo? ment to discharge his Winchester rifle. In this manner ho leisurely approached them, knowing, of course, that he was going to cer? tain death, until he was within thirty paces of the whites, when he fell dead, pierced with a half-dozen bullets. He had deliberately made up his mind to "die in harness" rather than go back in disgrace to his people. None of tho Indians (except those left dead upon the ground) were seen after the fall of their chief. The result of this fight was four of the whites wounded?none of them mortally, how? ever?one horse killed and several wounded. Three Indians were left dead on the ground, and two others were afterward found near by in the chaparral, where they had been hid by the survivors of this bloody fray. The spoils were twenty-five American horses, stolen by the Indians ; twenty saddles pud bridles?sev? eral of tho former handsomely ornamented with silver mountings; three or four Henry and Winchester rifles, half a dozen revolvers, and a wagon load of shields, bows, quivers, blankets, lariats, and such plunder. The In dians lost every thing except some of their guns and shot-pouches. Such, I believe, is a truthful account, in all essential points, of the fight on "Pack-Saddle Mountain"?certainly one of the most obsti? nately contested, both on the part of the white men and Indians, that ever occurred on the borders of Texas. A Den of Thieves. Some of the Administration papers are wak? ing up to the necessity of doing something for South Carolina. They have suddenly discov? ered (what all the independent and opposition journals have been dinning in the public ear for many months) that South Carolina presents the "worst government in the world," as we long ago called it in these columns. It is cheering to observe that editors who speak for the "powers that be" are willing no longer to cloak the unparalleled villanies of the South Carolina rulers ; but we cannot permit them to filch the honor of being the first to expose those crimes. That credit wholly belongs to others. From the administration and from its paid apologists hitherto we have only met scorn or frigid indifference when we have urged the need of saving poor South Carolina from the ruin now nearly complete. But better late than never I and to the dominant party shall be the glory of the reform, if it will now man? fully take hold and purge that afflicted State of its official perjurers, forgers and thieves. The tax-payers of South Carolina who visited Washington on a mission of relief, andjvcre only snubbed for their pains, pointed out the remedy in April last. They said that, as Con? gress imposed the present State constitution upon them, Congress should also, in logic and common justice, exercise the power of rectify? ing that wretched mistake. They asked for one of two things?either a system of cumula? tive voting which will give honesty a fair chance with the robbers, or else the establish? ment of an educational or property qualifica? tion for voters. Without some such measure of amelioration, South Carolina will become a viler place than ever was that old Texas border in its earlier days. For this decadence the Republican party will be responsible if it does not apply the correction, and this must be done very soon, before all the decent people have been driven from their homes by the black and white tyrants. Thanks to Providence, the State has not yet wholly gone to the dogs! Three or four thieving county commissioners and treasurers have been found guilty, and are now taking their first taste of hard work in prison. These are the only signs of light that break through the general gloom overhanging the State, but we cannot expect the integrity of judges and juries long to survive while the knaves and vagabonds hold the State by their great majority. This terrible shame and dis? grace?the foulest blot on the Republican 'scutcheon?should not be tolerated a week longer. Congress should act immediately, adopting one or both of the expedients recom? mended. If this cannot be done, Congress should at least appoint a cjmraittcc, made up of both parties, to investigate during the re? cess, and be ready to r.dopt their advice on re? assembling. Now that it has become apparent that the Republican party, and particularly the Administration, will sun'or seriously for their longer continued toleration of the mon? grel misrule in South Carolina, we may hope to see it abolished through Congressional aid. It would be pleasanter to feel that this were to bo done from a sense of justice, and not from motives of expediency ; but, whatever the im? pelling reasons, the country will be profoundly thankful for any remedy applied that will ex? tirpate the disease.?New York Journal of Commerce. Renovating Old Apple Trees. Mr. J. D. Cooper, of Greenville, S. C, writes as follows to the American Farmer concerning the causes of old apple trees dropping their fruit before maturity, and how it may be pre? vented : The rotting and dropping of apples has long been a great hindrance of fruit-growers in this country. One reason of fruit dropping before maturity, is its being pulled off before tho? roughly ripe, which causes the bark to grow more than the wood of the tree, and the hark of a tree becoming very thick it binds the tree so that it cannot grow, and the fruit drops. Another cause is the sapsuckers picking holes in the bark, and the wood lice and other in? sects sucking the sap of the tree. No doubt there are other causes, but I will not mention them in this communication, but proceed to give a remedy from my own expe? rience. For the past fourteen years I have tried it with great success. First, if I have an old tree that rots or drops its fruit, about the twenty-first or twenty-second day of June, the longest days in the year, I take a saw and saw off all the dead limbs close to the main truuk ; then I take my pocket-knife and cut through the bark to the sap wood all around the tree, just under the lowest limbs. Then I split the tree from that down to the ground ; thcu with the knife and my fingers, I commence to prize off the bark at the point where I commenced to split the tree down. As soon as I can get my fingers under the bark I give it a jerk which tears it down to the ground. Then I thrust my fingers under the bark and pull it all off to the sap wood. I am very careful not to bruise this, nor to wipe off the sap, as every bruise will make a scar. If there is any prob? ability of rain in a few hours, I do not skin, as there is danger of the sap washing off before it forms a new bark. In a few days you will see that you have a nice new bark forming on the tree, and if there are apples ou the tree they will be improved. When I find a tree that will not skin at the time of the year named, I know it is very near spent, and 1 have found the bark of some trees one-half an inch thick. I have skinned some of my oldest trees twice in fourteen years, and they now have a nicer and smoother bark than a very young tree. Of all the trees I have skinned I have only lost one, and the sap of it was wiped off with a blanket the day it was skinned. Your neighbors will, some of them, perhaps, think, when they see your trees skinned, that you have lost your senses, but they will find out better in a few years. Funny but not Pleasant.?An amusing incident occurred on a train in New York State recently. A newly-married couple en? tered the car and took a seat. The husband wanting to smoke, left his wife and went into the smoking car. The bride began to doze, and while she slept a stranger entered the car, and, as it was crowded, quietly took a seat beside the young wife. Shortly she began to nod, and doubtless imagining that her husband was still in the seat, gently reclined toward the stranger, and soon her head fondly nestled on his breast. At this juncture the husband re? turned. He stood in mute astonishment in the aisle until the lady awoke, and, realizing the situation, drew back in amazement, suf? fuse! with blushes. Stranger explained, hus? band was satisfied, and wife tried hard the ap? pear unconcerned. Tho Drunkard's Wife. All agree that home happiness is mainly de? pendent on the character and conduct of the woman who is the wife and the mother. If she be patient, unselfish, loving, and true, she can alleviate the distresses and heighten the joys of the household, past all calculation. If these characteristics be wanting in her, no skill on the part of the other members of the family, no comforts which wealth purchases, can make the household a happy family. The wife is the pivot on which all turns. These admitted facts ought to make every husband and child do every possible thing to sweeten the temper of the wife and mother, to relieve her as far as practicable of the burdens which press her, to remove all obstacles from her way, and surround her with an atmosphere sweet, wholesome, and exhilarating. When we men and boys have done all we can for her who is wife and mother, her lot is a hard one. Coarse natures undervalue womanhood, and its great privations and sufferings. Coarse men and boys think that they have the hard side of life, while "the women," which means wife, mother, and sister, are only recipients of the re? sult of the labors of "the men," which means these great husbands, fathers, and brothers. It is time for us to learn better. Let Young America know that his sisters can do much bet? ter without him than he can without them, although each sex is necessary to the comple? tion of the other. Men are much more help? less beings than women. It is the women who make the atmosphere of home. But they are very dependent on the men. Agood husband helps agood woman to be a good wife. A bad hus? band may cause a good woman to become a bad wife. If a sister disturbs her brother's life, may it not he because he has embittered hers? We steep bitter herbs in a fountain, and then com? plain that waters thereof are not sweet. Think of woman's lot. She has to endure all things and keep still. Reflect upon what a drunkard's wife must endure. She has to attend to all domestic duties, and live without the support and love of her husband. In addition, she must bear the mortification which falls to the lot of one whose mate is the slave of a besotting vice. Then she is in constant trepidation lest her husband commit some disgraceful and destruc? tive crime while he is in a state of inebriation. She knows that he cannot succeed in business, and cannot rise in his profession, as a drunk? ard cannot be trusted, however honest his na? ture. She knows that it is a downhill course. It may be slower or faster, but it is a constant descent. She must increase her exertions to make and to save, as he increasingly squanders. Amid all self-sacrifice, and most strenuous effort to keep the family together, and to main? tain decency of appearance, she knows that all her ingenuities, sacrifices, painstakings, must go without the reward of appreciation. It is .always well for a man to set for himself the rule of doing right, because it is right, and without regard to any rewards it may se? cure or may miss; yet God has so made us that we desire our virtuous efforts to be appreciated. Every husband knows how he is sustained and cheered in his work by the reflection thai his wife appreciates all his labor in behalf of herself and the family. Women seem to need love's appreciation more than :ncu do. It is only the worst portion of their sex to whom admiration seems more desirable than love. The whole world may be ignorant of what a good wife is doing. If her husband only knows it, and admires it, aud praises her for it, she is content. How long she will work at a pair of slippers, or a smoking-jacket, or a foot-rest, feeding her heart on the delightful expectatiou of seeing the gratification of her husband when he discovers what she has been doing for him. A drunkard's wife has none of this. He is growing more and more besotted. Less and less he perceives the beauty of her character and behavior, as his sensibilities become blunter and bluuter; what is it to him how things are about his house, if he be not able to see what is visible or hear what is said ??Rev. Dr. Deems, in " Young America." The New Bankrupt Law.?The new bank? rupt law iust passed by Congress allows forty days to elapse before a merchant or trader who fails to pay his commercial paper is liable tobe thrown into bankruptcy, and also requires the assent of one-fourth in number and one-third in value of the creditors to throw a debtor into bankruptcy. Proceedings may be discontinued whenever the debtor pays those secured debts which were the ground of throwing him into bankruptcy, or whenever with the consent of the court, he and a majority of the creditors shall ask foradiscontinuauccof the proceedings. When a loan is made to a bankrupt in good faith, and security taken, with the intention of aiding him to puil through, it shall be consid? ered as having actual value, aud the security shall not be invalidated by proceedings in bankruptcy. A voluntary bankrupt may have his discharge if his estate pays thirty per cent, of his debts; or provided he obtains the assent of the same number of his Creditors as is neces? sary to throw him into bankruptcy. An in? voluntary bankrupt can get his discharge if his conduct is free from all fraud, and he is innocent of any violation or infringement of the bank? rupt act. Compromises by creditors may be made with the assent of the debtor, provided a ma? jority of the creditors join, where approved by the court, for the release and discharge of the debt. Circumstances Alter Cases.?Deacon W? was a boss carpenter, very pious, in ''good and reg'lar staudin" in Home, Oncida county, N. Y. more than forty years ago. One day, while he was working with his men on the third staging of a new Baptist church which he had contracted to build, he heard one of the hands utter an oath, and he at once began a sermon on the sin of swearing. Just as he ar? rived at the most impressive part of the dis? course the platform on which they were stand? ing gave way. The deacon threw up his arms and, gazing heavenward, exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy I" The staging settled straight downward, struck the second platform, and that, too, trembled a moment and then gave way. Again the deacon looked skyward and repeated, "Lord have mercy!" Then as the combined weight of the two platforms, inclu? ding the deacon and his four men, reached the last staging, and that tottered an instant and went down, the deacon, thinking his doom was at hand fairly shouted, "Lord have mercy!" But when the entire mass struck the solid ground with a final crash, and nobody was hurt, the deacon glanced at the wreck, and angrily jerked out, "Damn the stage !" Moral?Never trust to a death-bed repen? tance. It won't stand prosperity. ? A few days ago a rural couple drove into an Indiana city just as the village undertaker was moving his stock of coffins into aud old church he had rented. For a few minutes the old man looked at the transfer of the coffins to the church, and then, turning to his wife, exclaimed: "Sarv, by golly, it's cholera! Let's git !" A Tennessee Horror. A passenger who came down on the Tellico Narrow Guage Railroad a few days ago, tells a story almost too horrible for belief. It seems that an illicit distiller named Jones, who lived with his family near the lower bench of the big Smoky Mountain, had been annoyed a good deal by the revenue officers last Fall, and de? termined to change his location and business to a more secluded spot. To carry out this purpose, he selected the head of a deep gorge some four miles distant, walled in with cliffs, where, during the winter, assisted by some friends, he erected a small log building. As soon as the cold weather was over and Spring fairly opened, the still and other things neces? sary were moved to the place, and the work of violating the revenue laws was resumed. Several "runs" were made, and Jones b'jgan to congratulate himself that he had at last found a haven of safety, a refuge beyond the prying eyes of the Government hirelings, where he could pursue his avocation in peace, with none to molest or make him afraid. Eut, alas! how little we know even of the immediate future, and how often do the very steps which the transgressor takes to insure safety, lead to his swift and certain destruction ! The stili-house being some distance from where his family lived, Jones rarely visited them more than once a fortnight, generally selecting Saturday night for the purpose. Everything went on well enough until about four weeks ago, when he failed to make his appearance at the accus? tomed time. Nothing was thought of this for a day or two, but when another week passed without the return of Jones, the family became alarm? ed, and thought perhaps he had been captured by the revenue jay-hawks and carried to Knox ville, or elsewhere where violators of the law are occasionally convicted and punished. The alarm was given among the sparsely settled neighborhood. A small number of men gath? ered, and accompanied by Mrs. Jones and her son, a boy of ten or twelve years of age, they started up the gorge in the direction of the still-house. On reaching the building they found the door closed and fastened, and no signs of Jones or any one else could be seen. Mrs. J. called the name of her husband several times; no response, however, came back to relieve her anxiety. The stillness of death pervaded the gloomy spot. But upon attempting to force an entrance, they were greeted with those pe? culiar notes of warning which the ear of the East Tennessee mountaineer never fails to re? cognize. The door was at once broken down, and a sight met them that caused all to start with fright and horror. The form of the distiller lay upon the floor, with eyes starting from their sockets, the fea? tures horribly distorted, and body swollen to twice its usual proportions, while the whole interior of the building was alive with rattle? snakes, some iu coil and ready for battle, but the larger proportion stupid and inert as though they had been imbibiug liberally in the illicit fruit of the still. The mother and son fled hor? ror-stricken from the place. A consultation was had, and as it was impossible to rescue the body of poor Jones without incurring fearful risk, it was determined to re-close the entrance and other apertures, and fire the building, which was done. The party stayed until the house was entirely consumed, and nothing re? mained but the now useless still and the cal? cined bones of the miserable distiller. It is supposed that Jones had built his man? ufactory close upon a den of the deadly rep? tiles iu the overhanging cliff, and that, attract? ed by the heat, or possibly the fumes of whis? key, they found their way into the building in large numbers after he had closed the door and laid down to sleep. His horrible fate has cre? ated a profound sensation among the people of the hill country, and it is likely to be some time before another illicit rum mill is erected in that rauge.?Athens [Term.) Post. The Advent of Old Age. There is a certain period in life when the human body, as well as mind, reaches its maxi? mum point of development, and from that point to the grave is the season of decay. This idea is far more forcibly expressed by Shakspeare, who niakei Jacques, in "As You Like It," say: "And so from hour to hour weripoandripo, And then from hour to hour wo rot and rot, And thoreby hangs a tale." At what age are we to look for this change? The Psalmist says the days of men are three? score years and ten, and some of our readers, perhaps, will remember a pretty little poem of Willis, written on his thirty-fifth birth-day, beginning: "I'm half way home." But poets are not very reliable authority in matters of science. A distinguished French physiologist writing upon the subject says: "I propose the following natural divisions and natural dura? tion for the whole life of man. The first ten years of life are iufancy, the second ten boyhood, the third ten first youth, the fourth ten second youth, from forty to forty-five first manhood, and from fifty-five to seventy is second man? hood; and this period of manhood is the age of strength, the manly period of human life. From seventy to eighty-five first old age, from eighty-five to one hundred second old age." These deductions are made from a careful study of the question, with all the aids deriva? ble from a thorough knowlenge of the sciences of anatomy and physiology. It is not claimed but what these divisions will vary in different individuals, overleap each other in the same one; but that they are as correct as such a gen? eral truth can be stated we verily believe. These limits are not so arbitrary as they may seem at first sight. At ten years of age the second toothing is completed and infancy ought to end; at twenty the bones no longer increase in length and* boyhood naturally ends; at forty the body ceases to increase in size, and youth ends and so on. After forty whatever increase there may be of the body is in fat; and, instead of increasing strength and activity, this latter growth weakens the body and retards its motions. When the growth ceases absolutely the body rests, rallies and be? comes invigorated. This period of internal in vigoratiou is the period of the first manhood, and lasts fifteen years, when the period of old age begins; aud this period begins when we have no longer any reserve of strengh to draw upon, and when the natural strength is barely sufficient for the daily work, and when any thing unusual fatigues, and extraordinary efforts impair the general health. When this condi? tion of things arrive, old age has fairly begun, and this period is at seventy years of age. Buffon, the distinguished naturalist, says "that the man who does not die by accident or disease lives to ninety or one hundred years." That he is eminent authority no one will dis? pute. It is very true, however, that compara? tively few men live to be ninety or a hundred years old, but that affords no argument against the truth of our proposition. Most men die of disease?only a few of old age. The death record of any place will show, however quite a respectable number of people who live to be eighty and one hundred years.