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BY HOYT & CO. ANDERSON, S. C, THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 18T6._VOL. XI--NO. 40. RATHS OF SUSSCRIPTJOX-Two Dollars per annum, and One Dollar for six monthi. Subscriptions are not taken for a less period than six months. Liberal deductions made to clubs of ten or more subscribers. RATES OF ADVERTISTXG.?One Dollar per ?square ol one inch for the first Insertion,and Fifty < ents per square for subsequent insertlonsletisthau three months. No advertisement counted less than a square. Liberal contracts will be made with those wishing to advertise for three, six or twelve months. Ad? vertising by contract must be confined to the im? mediate business of the firm or individual contrac? ting. Obituary Notices exceeding nvo lines, Tributes of Respect, aud all personal communications or matters of individual interest, will be charged for at advertising rates. Announcements of marriages and deaths, and notices ofa religious character, are respectfully solicited, aud will be inserted gratis. OUR WASHINGTON LETTER. Washington, /). ('., April 13, 187G. FEARFUL RESULT OK GRANTISM. We have all become so accustomed to the vitiated political and social atmos? phere we have been inhaling since Grant has been at the head of government, that we have got to be indifferent to it. This is, perhaps, the most fearful symptom of the dangerous disease which now afflicts the American body politic. The time was when an officer of the U. S. Govern? ment could not hold his place a single day, in the face of imputations upon his honesty, unless they were met and dis? proved at once. And no man, in those days, would have dared to wantonly and loosely accuse an official of corruption. When Andrew Jackson became Presi? dent, it was discovered that Tobia Wat kins, 3rd Auditor of the Treasury for many years, had, by a systematic altera? tion of accounts, succeeded in embezzling $3,000 of Government money. He was at once arrested and sent to prison like any other man accused of felony. Instead of the power of the Government being used to defend him, it was used to con? vict him. To this mode of dealing with official criminals we must return. It is becoming more certain, every day, that the next Presidential contest will be fought solely on the issue of an honest Administration, and that the party which neglects to nominate a man unmistaka? bly identified with Administrative Re? form will be defeated. Nor can any man be elected who fails to carry the States of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. All over the country, the Democrats are discussing these questions with reference to their bearing on the presidential nom? ination, with great seriousness; involv? ing, as they (the questions) do, the aban? donment of all sectional differences in order to attain success. GRAXT OX THE RAGGED EDGE. The Washington organ of the White House Ring, the National Republican, is very much disgusted at the disclosures made by Col. Whitley, implicating Gen. Babcock in the safe burglary plot, by which an innocent man was to have been sent to State prison, and coolly remarks, this morning, that the investigations now going on are 'irksome and monotonous." It is to be hoped they will become more and more so for the scoundrels whom the Republican defends, until the investiga? tions get to be "really unbearable, you know." Grant is on the "ragged edge" now. These things arc getting a little too close; and it is rumored that he begins to fear impeachment, unless he takes steps to clear himself from all re? sponsibility for the conduct of Babcock and Porter. These two distinguished warriors and statesmen have literally run the government. It is a fact well known here that Grant is sometimes drunk, or stupefied with liquor, for days together, and that, at such times, it has been his habit to sign papers brought to him by Babcock or Porter, without knowing their contents, and to issue orders of which he did not know the purport, at the instigation of the above named worthies. It can be proven that persons here have been offered, for certain sums of money, appointments to various offices which it was understood were to be ob? tained in this way, and in this way only, from the President, while he was under the influence of liquor. senator mokton's Wilmington pil? grimage It has been published extensively that in compliance with a request from the ex-Union soldiers, and loyalists generally, residing at Wilmington, North Carolina, Senator Morton has consented to pro? nounce the oration there on decoration day, May 30th. This niistatement might as well be corrected at the outset. The invitation in question came from Gen. Allen Rutherford who was recently dis? missed from his position as Third Audi? tor of the Treasury, for gross carelessness, or something worse, in allowing a fraudu? lent claim. For some time past, Ruther? ford has been engaged in 'Vetting up the pins' for his Mercurial Highness, the Senator from Indiana, in order that the latter may obtain the vote of the South? ern delegates to the Cincinnati conven? tion, it does not appear, from Ruther? ford's letter, that lie writes in behalf of any body but himself. It simply states that ho, Gen. R., would be pleased if the Senator would consent to deliver the ora? tion on Decoration Day, but omits to mention that anyone else but himself lias expressed the same desire. It is almost unnecessary to say that the invitation was eagerly accepted, and that the Presi? dential aspirant from Indiana will deliver such an oration as will be calculated to intensify the affection which he imagines is borne him by the colored people of the South. lie will never have a better opportunity to air his famous blood besinared under garment than at Wil? mington, on the 30th prox.; and it is safe to predict that he will improve it. ABSENTEEISM IX CONGRESS, inspection of the various votes taken in Congress shows that, usually at least, one-third of the Representatives and Senators are absent from their seats. There arc 202 members of the House when every Congressional district is rep? resented; which is not the case at pres? ent, since several vacancies caused by death remain unfilled. It is safe to say, however, that at least 280 out of the 292 Representatives ought to be in their seats, prepared to vote on every measure before the House. The votes seldom aggregate over 220 ; leaving 60 absent, or not voting. In the Senate, a few days since, the vote on Senator Morion's bill to regulate the counting of tin; vote for President and Vice President aggregated onlv?x; fifteen members being absent, or not votinjr. On the ?Solution to admit Pinchback to a seat in the Senate, only fil Senators voted; showing the number of absentees to be 12. Again, only 46 Senators recorded their votes on the bill REDUCING THE SALARY OK THE PRESI? DENT after March 4 next; twenty-seven being absent, or prcfering not to vote. On Monday last, the Senate refused to con? sider its previous action, the vote stand? ing, yeas 25, nays 31; so that now the bill goes to the House, which will un? doubtedly pass it. The matter was not made a party question by the Senate. Senator Thurman voted in favor of the reduction, while Senator Bayard voted against it. When, subsequently, an ac=. quaintancc alluded to his vote, Senator Bayard said : "When the bill increasing the President's salary was before tho Senate, several years ago, I voted for it, honestly believing that ",$20,000 was in? adequate to the social requirements of the position. Since then, I have not changed my opinion; consequently, I voted against the reduction." There is nothing of the demagogue about Mr. Bayard; and, when it is remembered that he is a possible candidate for the Presidency, his action will appear all the more praiseworthy, as the honest convic? tion of an honest man. And, by the way, speaking of Mr. Bayard, who is al? ways calm and unimpassioned in his utterances, and who is studiously careful not to give an affront to his brother Sen tors, it was something of a surpise to his friends, when, goaded on by "Hole-in tbe-sky" Boutwell, the hot blood of in? dignation mounted to his face, and he hurled back, as wickedly false, the impu? tation that he had ever, in thought or deed, been untrue to his country. Under tbe circumstances, however, his indigna? tion was wholly justifiable, and was so regarded by the thronged galleries, which loudly applauded his response to the Massachusetts Senator. Plant Cotton. Plant plenty of cotton, of course; it always brings "the money, and with it you will be enabled to pay for your guano that valuable and indispensable article, without which it would be very foolish for any man to try to make a crop. It is more easily applied, and so much better than stable manure, and so little trouble to procure. A ride to town or the depot, and the simple signing of your name to a slip of paper will be the means of ob? taining for you all you may desire. Stable manure and cotton seed are too bulky, and require so much more labor to apply, that by many their use is utterly ignored, and the fashionable, cheap, valuable and concentrated guano has taken the place of these old-fashioned manures. Plant largely of cotton. It sounds big to talk about" your crop of cotton. It serves to make you interested in the money market and the price of the staple both in this country and in Europe. It seems to quicken the perceptive faculties, and cause you to calculate how much guano you can buy for so much cotton, for by many this is the purpose for which it is raised ; or, it not, it is the only pur? pose to which the money received for it cah be applied. Plant largely of cotton and neglect your corn crop, because if you make cot? ton you can purchase corn (on a credit, and meat, too) but if you raise corn and a plenty of it, you will have fat horses, fat cattle, fat hogs, and money in hand, and then you will be deprived of the exquisite pleasure of asking for credit, anil being sometimes refused. This luxury will have to be dispensed with. And do you not desire this?ofcousc not, for it. is such a delightful feeling to owe your factors, to be indebted to your met chants, to know that almost every man you meet has your note in his pocket, past due, and to be button-holed and dunned a dozen times a day; it adds so much to a man's popularity; it is so soothing to your nerves, so tranquilizing to your whole system; gives you such an excellent appetite,, and produces such quiet and refreshing slumbers, that you cannot afford to dispense with it. Being in debt is such a glorious feeling, so con? ducive to health and happiness, that you feel it to be your duty to yourself, to your family, and to your friends, to owe, and to do this plant plenty of cot? ton, for it will be sure to keep you in debt, and if this will make you con? tented, you will be happy indeed. You can, in your leisure moments, sympathize with your neighbor who has a smoke? house full of bacon, of his own raising; a corn-crib well rilled with large ears of the golden grain, who has plenty of money and is troubled about seeking a safe and secure investment for his surplus. Go and see him; you can relieve him of his trouble; your plantation lies adjoining his. and as a friend, assist him in invest? ing his money by borrowing it, and give him a mortgage on your place. What a satisfaction this will bo to you, to know you have done your neighbor good, and to know that in a few years he will have control of all your premises, and you be relieved entirely from the cares and responsibilities of ownership. What a joke it will be to tell how you have succeeded in making your neighbor with his corn and his meat pay the taxes now, formerly paid by you. But then he de? serves to be punished in this way, be? cause he never was much of a planter; he only made a few bales of cotton, and was hardly known out of his district; but you are a big planter?you make your hundred bags, and arc known in Savannah as a gentleman who is always in debt, whose cotton crop never realizes a sufficient amount to pay your expenses for the current year. This is your reputation ; do you enjoy it? If you do, plant largely of cotton. If you do not like the picture, change your course, and try to live at home; make your plantation self-sustaining; plant corn, raise meat, and let your cotton crop bo restricted to a surplus only, first rais? ing everything else you need in prefer? ence to the snowy staple. When you do I this, then a change will come; you will ! soon he your own master, and not be as j you are now, and as you have, been for | years?the slave of the cotton factor and the commission merchant. Take advice while there is time ; profit by the admo? nition before it is too late, and plant more com.?fiiwlrrxriffr. {flu.) Mc**rwjcr. ? A life insurance man dropped dead in Koch ester the either day. The worst of it was that he hadn't previously swapped policies with an agent of the other branch of the profession, absolutely going off without any fire insurance.? There is a big warning lor insurance men in this thing. ? Lighting struck a tree in Macon un? der which a colored man had taken ref? uge the other day, but the hitler escaped unhurt. It requires the tact and diplo? macy of an able bodied mule to catch up with a negro. From the Abbeville Medium. PEN PICTURES OF THE PRESS. SAMUEL W. MAURICE. Samuel W. Maurice is. perhaps, one of the most widely known men connected with the South Carolina Tress, and one of the most deserving. He was born in Williamsburg county, South Carolina, on October 29, 1833, and is now in the forty-third year of his age. He was the youngest of fourteen children on the paternal and of seven on tbe maternal .side, both father and mother having been twice married. At the time of his birth his father was sixty and his mother thirty-nine years of age. Their posses? sions were small, and it required the greatest exercise of economy to "make both ends meet." Even in those old fashioned days, when there was a dignity about labor, when the cut and texture of a man's garments was not taken as an in? dication of merit, but when real worth was the most valuable stock in trade, it was something of a burden to fill the mouths and cover the backs of so nume? rous a progeny. The country was sparse? ly settled, the modes of travel primitive and burdensome, and the opportunities for education limited. School houses were located at wide distances apart, and it required the outlay of a greater amount of money than most families could afford to put the youthful mind un^er proper cultivation. The subject of this sketch was under the restraint common to all, and when fifteen years of age could bare? ly write his name ; but" "merit will mount," and making the most of his ad? vantages young Maurice studied hard, read everything he could get his hands on, and acquired a rich and varied fund of information. We may be pardoned just here for saying that, perhaps, the greatest benefit bestowed upon the world by the establishment of this "best gov? ernment the sun ever shone on" is the principle that every man is the architect of his own fortune, and that wealth, posi? tion and refinement do not depend upon any accident of birth or station. The freatest glory of this nation and her best critage to succeeding generations is the long list of self-made men who have risen out of poverty and obscurity, and given a quickening, undying impulse to American civilization. But we digress. When eighteen years of age, young Maurice assumed the role of pedagogue and wielded the birch with all the digni? ty and grace common to that period. He had a good school and taught with un? varying success. His manner of teach? ing was comprehensive and thorough, and under his control and guidance his pupils made rapid progress. After teach? ing for several years he relinquished his school, and gathering together his sav? ings, with a part of the money derived from the sale of the old family home? stead, he repaired to the University of Virginia, where he matriculated as a student of law, the means at his com? mand not allowing him to take the regu? lar collegiate course of study. This was in October, 1854. In July, 1855, after nine months of the most assiduous appli? cation, Mr. Maurice returned to his home, and in the fall of 1850 entered the law office of Messrs. DeSaussure & Son, (H. A. and Wilmot G.) in Charleston, S. C, to complete his study of the law, and to prepare himself for admission to practice. In May, 1857, he received a most flattering certificate to stand his ex? amination before the Court of Appeals. This examination came off in May, and through the whole of it Mr. Maurice passed with the greatest credit, without having seen the questions to he pro? pounded and without any private "gerry? mandering." Maxcy Gregg, at that time one of the foremost lawyers in this State, and afterwards one of the most gallant generals in the Confederate service, directed the examination on pleading and practice, which was rigid and exact? ing, and, although it required considera? ble nerve to stand before such a court as that, Maurice passed through the ordeal with flying colors, and was admitted to practice law in the courts of this State. Immediately after his admission to the bar, Mr. Maurice went to Kingstrce, the county seat of Williamsburg county, and there hung out his shingle. When he landed at Kingstrce his prospects were not particularly bright or encouraging. He was young and without experience. He found some eight or ten lawyers of established practice and reputation with whom to contend, and had to make good his claims to public favor before he could hope to achieve any lasting success in his chosen profession. Five dollars in money, a heart full of "futures" and an undying determination to succeed made up the foundation upon which he estab? lished himself. He took board at twenty dollars per month, and in less than a week got a ten dollar case, and thus began his career. In the management of this case the stronger points of his character were brought to the surface, his ability was made manifest and the hit so decidud that his office began to he filled with clients and his desk with briefs. In partnership with Wilmot G. DeSaussure, Esq., of Charleston, under the firm name of DeSaussure & Maurice, he practiced his profession until the breaking out of the war, when he threw aside the peace? ful toga of his profession and made com? mon cause with his country against the outrageous usurpations of the Feilend Government. He believed that the con? stitution of the fathers had been rudely trampled upon and violated, and with patriotic devotion sustained the action of ins State in her formal act of secession. On January 4, 1801, he entered the service of the State as first lieutenant of the "Wee Nee Volunteers," John G. Pressly captain commanding, under Col? onel Maxcy Crcgg at Sullivan's Island, in Charleston Harbor, lie took part in the siege of Fort Sumtcr, which was gar? risoned by a company of United States Regulars under command of Major Rob? ert Anderson. After the capture of this important fortification, Mr. Maurice re? turned to his home and organized a com? pany, of which he was unanimously elected captain. This company was known as the "Wee Nee Riflemen," and did duty at Georgetown with what was known as the Harllcc Legion. After the disorganization of this command Mr. .Maurice applied for an appointment in the Ordnance Department, and stood his examination at Mobile, Alabama.? There were fifty applications for appoint? ments in this Department at that lime, and of the fifty applicants only eight got through, and of this eight Mr. Maurice, who stood second on the list. He was assigned to duty at Mobile under Gen? eral Imckner, with the rank of captain, who assigned him to Colonel Smith at Fort Gaities in the Gulf of Mexico. After serving there for nine months (Jap tain Maurice was ordered to report to (ienerul I Jean regard at Charleston, who assigned him to duty with ("eiicral Clerg mati'oii Sullivan's Island, with whom he served for four or five months. At the j end of this time he was transferred to J General Kiplcy, and finally to General It. II. Robertson, at Green Pond, Adam's Knn, etc., with whom he served until tho capture of Charleston and close of the war. Captain Maurice was a good sol? dier ami devoted to duty. He obeyed all commands without complaining, and took infinite pride in serving his country in whatsoever capacity he was placed. He was calm and collected under fire, kind and considerate to his men, aud always at his post. After the surrender he settled down to j the prac tice of his profession to which he is devoted. He has had no partner in his legal business since the war, and by strict fidelity to the interests of his clients, a clear and comprehensive under? standing of tne law, ready and gifted eloquence, a firm adherence to the line of duty, he has secured a large, lucrative and extended practice. Of the eight or ten lawyers at the Kingstrec bar when Mr. Maurice first began practice, there is not now a single one left. Three law? yers, admitted to practice under the new regime, alone contest the ground with him, and it is a fact worthy of mention that iic has one side of almost every case that comes into court. He has been uni? formly successful in all of his business ventures, and has amassed quite a snug little fortune by his patient and perse? vering efforts. As an instance of the prosperity that has attended him, wc may mention that even before the war, when his profession was not paying any heavy dividends, he planned and built a house at a cost of four thousand dollars without aid from any one, and that with the subsequent improvements the same dwelling is now worth more than five thousand dollars. Although he has never held any civil office but that of Magistrate, Mr. Mau [ rice has taken a prominent part in the j politics of his county and State both be? fore and since the war. He has been and still is on the right side, and cher? ishes deadly enmity to that class of poli? ticians who have brought the people into such deep and dire distress. His views are strongly conservative, but his faith in the foundation principles of democ? racy none the less marked. He is op? posed to violence no less than fraud, has accepted the situation" superinduced by the war and its results, and is extremely anxious that the Government should be administered for the good of the whole people. He was a member of the con? vention of 1860 which met in Columbia, after the Charleston convention, which sent delegates to Baltimore to nominate candidates for President and Vice Presi? dent, which latter convention nominated Brcckcnridgc and Lane. He has also been a member of all the Taxpayers' conventions which have met in Columbia since the war, and in all their delibera? tions took an active and influential part. He is a member of the State Tax Union, and one of its executive committee He was appointed by the State Executive Democratic Committee at its late meet? ing in Columbia to organize the democ? racy in Williauisburg county, and has taken the work in hand with vigorous and zealous determination. His address to the people of that county and his earnest appeals through the columns of his newspaper must carry weight with them. Mr. Maurice has been a frequent con? tributor to the press of the State under fictitious names, and has always exhi? bited great fondness for such work. Of these fugitive compositions he has col? lected sufficient to make a volume of more than one thousand pages. His let? ters from Saratoga, Kingstrec and Co? lumbia, under the ?o? de plume of "S. A. M.," have always been very readable productions. His closer union with the press of the State occurred in October, 1S74, when he purchased the office and good will of the Kingstrec Shu; and as editor and sole proprietor of that paper has ever since been closely identified with the journalism of this State. He is a ready, graceful and polished writer, a fair critic, and devoted to the growth and expansion of country journalism. He readily supported the call for a State press convention last year, and at the organization of the State Press Associa? tion in May, 1875, was elected third Vice President of that body, which office he now fills with zeal and ability. Mr. Maurice is a married man. He was married to Miss Louisa I. Xclson, who was born in Charleston, raised in Kingstrec atid educated at Columbus, Mississippi, on January 20, 1860. The fruit of this marriage has been two chil? dren?a son born in July, 1861, who died in 1862, and a daughter born in 1863, who still lives. To sum tin, Mr. Maurice is a pleasant, perfect gentleman, of fully developed in? tellect, genial disposition and consuming love for country. In the social circle he is the attractive centre of many smiling groups?tantjKW el sans rcproche. Disappearance of Georgia Lakes. ?A third lake in Lowndes county has been emptied of its waters by subterra? nean passages during the last six months. What is the matter? The Times has several times alluded to the fact that Lowndes county had within its borders numbers of lakes from ten to five hundred (and several beyond a thousand) acres in size, and can it be that these lakes are all connected with a grand un? derground water course? it seems so.? In September last one dried up or run off, ami left bushels upon bushels of fish in holes of water about upon the bottom of the lake, in January another, about live miles from this, did the same thing; and now Grassy pond, a lake covering about five hundred acres, just between the two just mentioned, has left its mil? lions of fishes out of water. About three weeks ago it was reported that the waters of this lake were sinking below low water mark, and every day or two wc would hear that it was still going down. Last Friday a report spread all over the country like wildfire that Grassy pond was low enough to rake the fish out with nets, and by sun down more than one hundred people had collected at the place, some had dip nets, some cast nets, and there was one seine in the party. The. first haul with the seine caught enough trout, jack, beam and speckled perch to make a "mess" for every one present. During the night all the water disappeared and there were millions of fish left dead upon dry land. Saturday, next day, the planters hitched up their wagon and hauled load after load and scattered them in their fields for manure, and thousands were left at the mercy of buzzards, hogs and other creatures of prey. Such quantities of lish and such destruction has never been known in the history of Lowndes county. No one ever dreamed that there was half that quanti? ty offish in Grassy pond, though it was celebrated for its lino fishing grounds in the spring of the year. The other two lakes above mentioned did not run thus completely dry, and the fish that were not caught were saved by the water re? turning in a few days from its hidden retreat in the bosom of the carlh. Wc learn that Orassy pond is lilliiifr up j again, but it is loo late to save ihn fumy j tribe. These statements are not at all ' exaggerated, and can be testified to by I several hundred people living in this I county, though it is marvellous to all.? VnMaxin [da.) Time*. ? Rabbits have so increased in Ken? tucky that hunting them down has be? come an absolute necessity. Hod. Montgomery Blair's Loiter on the Presidency. Washington, March 18,187G. | Dea? Sin: I have your letter request- j ing for publication the views expressed j by me in a recent conversation with re- j spect to the pending Presidential contest. , Ihe sum of them was that we ought to continue the contest as we began in 1872, j when wc agreed to forego all other issues save that of reform in the administration of the government. The adversary then struggled and still strives, with the help of the Hon. Ben. Hill, to keep alive the issues of the war for the purpose of pro- j longing abuses which, however great, go unchecked while sectional strife holds the public mind. Wc did not carry the elec? tions in 1872, because wc were" not fully successful in making the issue of reform. Put we made such a beginning that the victory of our adversaries has proved a barren one. We so far succeeded that a show of investigation had to be made. The Credit Mobilicr fraud, which, though well known before to all public men, could not command public attention, now absorbs it. Spoliation was checked. Jay Coolcc Si Co., who had largely advanced the money to carry the elections, could not be reimbursed by Congressional in? dorsement of the Northern Pacific bonds, and therefore failed. The so-called in? vestigating committees, organized not to convict, were experts in finding out how not to do it, and the departments helped them assiduously; but the Independent Press did the work so effectually that a large Democratic majority was returned to the present House of Representatives. Unfortunately, this tide of success, which assured the reformers of the government, this year has been arrested and turned back by the intrusion into the canvass last fall of another issue, of which the Radicals have eagerly and successfully availed themselves. And their effort is to hold on to that issue, and make the Presidential election turn on the question of resumption, upon which they have won, instead of upon the question of re? form, upon which they have lost the day. If they succeed in this, the result will [ iuvariably be unfortunate for us. Our friends having been beaten on this issue hist fall in the States where anti-resump? tion was strongest, our vote in New York, even (without which success for us would be hopeless,) having been largely affected by the attitude of our friends in those States, no rational mind can fail to sec that such an issue would defeat us. It is plain, from this brief statement of the situation, that our success depends upon our ability to reinstate the issue of reform as the issue of the canvass; and it is equally plain that this is not to be done by resolution, but by such action as will not only proclaim it, but will of itself verify it as the issue to all men. The nomination of Tilden will of itself force this issue, and make the election turn upon it. The friends of other can? didates object to the nomination of a citizen of New York and claim the nom? ination for the West. Put Jackson was not selected because he was a citizen of Tennessee, or Jefferson because he was a citizen of Virginia, or Grant because he was for a short time in Illinois. Selec? tion on such ground has no political sig? nificance, and ignores altogether the only consideration upon which a candidate ought to be selected, viz.: as the repre? sentative of the idea sought to be ad? vanced. My preference for Tilden is only because his nomination would of itself force on the issue of reform, which is our sure card in the pending canvass. I do not doubt that the other gentlemen spoken of would prove vigorous reform? ers, and I have no personal preference for Tilden over any one of them; but neither of them is so identified with "reform" in the public mind as Tilden. They have either not had the opportuni? ty, or not availed themselves of it, to manifest the resolute purpose he has shown to purge the State of fraud and jobbing. They have not joined hands with political adversaries to overthrow and arraign and convict as criminals the master spirits of their own'party whilst they seemed to be imprcgnably intrench? ed in the control of its organization, and have not by such conduct been lifted into power by the support of large bodies of fiolitical opponents, even against a republ? ican whose integrity was not questioned, but who had not manifested the same zeal in the cause of reform. Nor have ! they, after reaching power, so signalized their administration by unsparing war on jobbery. Py this course Tilden has made him? self, more than any other man of our day, the representative man of the idea to which the Democratic party so em? phatically pledged itself in 1872, and his nomination would be accepted, not only by the Liberal Republicans, who then acted with us, but by thousands who then held back, as a sure guarantee that the pledge would be faithfully redeemed; and his war record and his financial views would effectually prevent diversion by false issues. The active enmity which Tilden has provoked in his own party serves only to attest his fitness for the occasion. No man ever drove more men out of the Democratic party than Jackson; but no man ever recruited it so rapidly from the true men in the ranks of his opponents at the same time. And this vitalizing process must be renewed. The curse of the Democratic party has been its Tweeds. The strength of its opponents, who use the government for class aggrandizement, is derived from vast expenditure, by cor? rupting the people in one form or another with their own money, and by misleading them with false issues. Mut Old Bullion never said anything more true than that "the Democratic party, to be strong, must be clean." Tilden is the type of the men who were honored by the party in the days of its strength ; and his nomination being a sure bond for a return to their policy, will insure its return to power. Yours truly, MONTGOMERY BLAIR. Samuki. M. Shaw, Editor FnrnniirtJour., Coojw*town, .V. )'. An Amusing Incimkxt.?A few days since a well known lawyer of this city was defending a client, charged with as? sault ami battery, in a Magistrate's Court. The lawyer contended that the accused on the occasion set forth in the affidavit was really acting as a peacemaker, and did not intend to violate the law. "May it please tin- Court," said he, "my client stands before you in the character of a peacemaker. God himself, amid the thunders and lightnings of Mount Sinai, has said, ''Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall see < 'od.' " Here someone remarked that Ihe quotation was wrong. It was, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called thechildreii of Hod.'' The speaker listened and then continued, j "Ye*, Your Honor, 1 was mistaken there. ('od thundered from Ml. Sinai, 'Blessed are peace-makers for they shall be called j the children of (!od.'" dust here some one else suggested that the words were ; i spoken by the Saviour in his sermon on i the Mount, and not from Mount Sinai to .Moses hundreds of years before. The lawyer was non-plussed for a moment, | but quickly replied, "Well, I knew it! was spoken somewhere." Wanted to be an Editor. "Have yon had any experience in the business ?" wc asked of a verdant looking youth who applied for an editorial posi? tion the other day. "Havn't I though?" he replied as he shoved one foot under his chair to hide the unskillful patching of a backswoods cobbler. "I should say I'd had some ex? perience?havn't I corresponded for six weeks with the Pvmpkbiville Screamer f Hain't that experience enough ?" "That will do very well," we replied, "but when we take young men on our editorial staff, we generally put them through an examination. How much arc twelve limes one?" "Twelve ! why anv little boy ought to an-" "Hold on, please?don't be too fast? who discovered America?" "Kulumbus! Pshaw, them questions are just as easy as?" "Who was the first man?" "Adam ! why Mister, I know all?" "What was his other name?" "His other name? why he didn't have none." "Yes, he did. You see that's where we've got you. His other name was Eb enezcr?Ebenezer Adam, Esq., late of Paradise. Nobody knows this but editors, and see to it that you don't tell anybody ?" He said he wouldn't. "How many bones arc there in the human body?" "Well, I forgot now, but I did know wunst." "What! don't you kuowthat? Why there's 7,482,921,444 bones in an ordinary man. A man that snores has one bone more than other people." "What bone is that?" "The trombone. It is situated some? where in the nose. You won't forget that, will you?" He said he wouldn't. "How long would it take a mudturtle to cross the desert of Sahara with a small orphan boy to touch him up behind with a red-hot poker?" "Well, look here, Mister, if I had a slate and pencil I could figger that out, but dog my skin if I'm much on mental rithmctic." "Slate and pencil! Did you ever see a slate and pencil about a sanctum? Well, we'll let that question slip. Have vou got a good constitution ?" "Putty tolerable." "How long do you suppose you could live on raw corn and faith, and do the work of a domesticated elephant?" "Lord! I don't believe I could live mor'n a week." "Well, that's about as long as you'd want to live if you got an editorial posi? tion on this paper. You appear to be pretty well posted ; wc shall ask you one more question, and if you prove equal to it you can take off vour coat aud sail in." "Let's have 'crs'quire. I didn't cor? respond for the Pumpiiucilfe So earner six weeks for nothin'. Let'cr come?I'm ou deck, I am." "Well, sir, if two diametrical circles with octagonal peripheries should collide with a centrifugal idiosyncrasy, or, to put it plainer, we'll say a disenfranchised nonentity, what effect would the catastro? phe exert on a crystalized cod fish sus? pended by the tail from the homogeneous rafters of the empyrean ?" As the full force of this ponderous problem broke upon his bewildered brain, he slowly dragged his inartistically cobbled shoe from under his chair, and started from the room. We heard him descend the stairs, go out, and close the door. We then placidly resumed our duties, regretting that so promising a youth should have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.?Franklin Patriot. The Rabun Gap Railroad. Ever since 1836 meetings have been held, companies organized and subscrip? tions for stock started to build a railroad from Kuoxville to the sea via llabun Gap. And yet the road is unbuilt. But the agitation has never ceased, aud such per? sistency is sure to win in the lung run.? Only last week a Convention, composed of Delegates from the four interested Slates was held at Anderson in South Carolina, to devise means for building the much-needed road. The first Con? vention of the present series was held last January in Kuoxville. It adjourned to meet in March at Anderson, and now it is to meet at Charleston May 25. The object of the next Convention is to arouse the low country to the importance of aiding the project. The Anderson Convention was well attended, South Carolina and Tennessee being strongly represented. Rabun county in this State sent Messrs. Cannon, Blccklcy, Duncan and R. A. Cannon. Business reports from each State were read, and a telegram was received from the Kuoxville and Charleston railroad company to the effect that they would commence the survey of their road to the Stale line this month, and would surely complete it if they could have a guaran? tee of a connection at the Tennessee line. All depends upon what Charleston and Charleston's railroad companies arc wil? ling lo do towards promoting the enter? prise. Charleston and East Tennessee are to be the chief beneficiaries. The first wants cheap freights to and fro n the Northwest. She wants to tap the mountain regions of Tennessee, that ex? port just what the low country has to import. East Tennessee wants a new market fur her surplus agricultural pro? ducts and a competing through line to the sea. These two sections must build the road, if it is built at all, and both seem to be fully awake to the importance of pushing it to completion. While they have slumbered three routes have been built through or around the Blue Ridge, and Charleston at least begins to sec that she must build the fourth or lag iu the race for commercial supremacy. Georgia is also interested in the con? struction of the Blue Ridge road, al? though not to the extent that Tennessee or South Carolina is. Its construction would make the extension of the North? eastern road to Clayton a necessity, and an easy probability. This would give us another route to kuoxville, to the coal fields, ami to the mineral and agricultu? ral wealth of a section that would deal largely with us if an iron track were the convenient connecting link.?Atlanta (bn*fifntion. ? Thev were sitting together, he and she, and he was arduously thinking what In say. finally he burst out with : "In this iaud of noble achievements aud un? living glory, why is it that women do nut come more to Ilm front : why is it they do not climb the ladder of lame?" "I suppose." said she, pulling her linger in her mouth, "it is all on account of their piillbacks." And then she sighed aud lie sighed side by side. ? Wo hope the next President of the United States will have very few rela? tives. In fact, if he should happen to! be a man who was picked upon a doorstep it would be a tremendous point in his favor. About Beds. As we snuggle between the sheets, and lay our heads on a soft pillow some cold winter's night, it sometimes seems as if nothing but a luxurious couch of this sort could be worth calling a bed. Yet a large part of the world enjoy no such ar? rangements for sleeping and could not enjoy it if they had it. Our own ances? tors reposed in much less luxurious fash? ion. In Eastern countries people com? monly spread a net on the flat roof of their house, and make that their bed.? In Russia the lop of the stove is the bed? stead. In both cases the sleepers do not undress themselves. In ancient Egypt?as still in China and Japan?wooden pillows were in vogue, hollowed out to fit the shape of the head. But the ancient Egyptians, while, on account of the heat and ver? min, they preferred hard pillows, and are said to have considered their comfort at night in the invention of spring mat? tresses. They were made of slips of bamboo crossed over each other, and must have been as cool, if not quite as soft and yielding, as the webbing of twine stretched over a frame, on which the na? tives of India rest. The Israelites used sheep and goat? skins stuffed for pillows, and in early times the same for bedding, but their bedsteads at a later period, at least, must have been very costly. The prophet Amos speaks of couches of ivory. Among the Assyrians, and afterwards among the Romans, couches of gold and silver were possessed by the rich. The reason for this splendor was partly that the beds were not kept in separate rooms, but in the same room occupied by day, and were used for sitting on, and reclining on at meals. At Roman feasts the guests all reclined, and sometimes each person occupied a separate couch. The Anglo Saxon ancestors were not at all refined in their sleeping arrange? ments. Their beds consisted of wooden boxes, filled with a bag of straw. In an old illustrated manuscript there is a pic? ture of a king going to bed. He has a crown on his head (a very uncomfortable night cap,) but has no nightdress. King Henry VIII, of England, is said to have slept upon a straw-bed, while his servants lay upon rushes strewn on the floor of the royal kitchen. The king's bed was not what we should call luxu? rious; but so much ceremony was used in going to it that seven chamberlains were employed in undressing the royal personage, turning down the bed clothes, etc., etc. One indispensable practice was to thrust a sword into the straw to see that no person was concealed in it. When feather beds came into use in England they were regarded as articles of great value, and it seems comical to us to find them so often mentioned in wills. The person to whom a feather-bed was bequeathed did not usually receive any? thing else; his comfort by night was provided for, if not his welfare by day. It may be mentioned in conclusion with beds, that a strange superstition was once common in the South of Eng? land, in a belief that a person cannot die while lying on pigeon's feathers. A dy? ing person has often been removed from a feather-bed to the bare floor, under the notion that the death-struggle was pro? longed owing to the presence in the bed of a few pigeon feathers. In England it is still customary to surround the bed with curtains. Americans have adopted the more sensible French fashion of" al? lowing a free circulation of air about the sleeper.?Baltimore Sunday Telegraph. True Love Gone out of Fashion. ?The country never possessed so many beautiful marriageable young women as it docs at the present time. And why do we not have more marriages? Wc answer, because marriage for love is the exception and not the rule. The young people of this age have gone fashion ana money mad. It the dandy bank clerk who pays one half of his income for board and the" other half for clothes cannot im? prove his condition he will not marry. The shop girl who earns good wages and can? not be distinguished by her dress from the banker's daughter certainly will not plunge into matrimony unless she can belter her condition in life. If a man is fortunate enough to possess money, it matters not how old or ugly he may be, hundreds of intelligent, handsome young women can be found only too willing to become his wife. Love is an after con? sideration. They marry to be supported and dressed extravagantly. How often do wc hear the remark. "Better to be an old man's darling than a poor man's slave." Alas! too many of them are not satisfied to be darlings. They will per? sist in loving other men after they arc married. It cannot be denied that a great num? ber of the unmarried men ?ve adventu? rers looking for wives who can keep them without working for a living. The peace and contentmcut of a happy home are not taken into consideration. They are willing to suffer a hell upon earth if they can be kept in idleness. If our young people do not abandon this extravagance of dress and greed for money our coun? try will be filled with old bachelors and old maids. Wc must have more genuine courtships and marriages to have pros? perity and happiness in this world. Too many marry for money only to be disap? pointed and unhappy the rest of their I i ves. ?. 1 Iban y.! rgm. Too Muni Noise fok the Size.? After a most ridiculous and extrava? gant plea by a young lawyer, in a trivial case, an older lawyer, who had a way of saying quaint thiugs, remarked, in open? ing the opposing side of the case, that this young friend's elaborate plea reminded him of the experience of a neighbor of his who was once engaged in breaking a colt, and the story lie told of it was in substance like this: The colt breaker made, his young son hide in the bush, while he himself wasto mount the animal and put him at his top speed to the hiding place, and then the boy was to rush suddenly out and shout "Boo !" the idea being to prove how well the colt would stand the scare. Everything was done according to pru gramtue, but the result was altogether too much of a scare for the colt, who kicked up his heels and put down his head and the old man was thrown over it far into the road on his head. Clearing the dust from his loosened teeth he made for the boy with the switch he had cut to drive the colt, and with rage began to dress the astonished young man down, shouting. "What did you do that for? What did vou do that for?" '"But, father," said the crying boy, "you told me to holler "boo !' " "Ves,'' said the old man. "but. dang it, il was altogether too big a 'boo' for so small a coll."' It was in a New Jersey Sunday school. The Superintendent approached a youth of color who was present for the first time, and inquired his name for the purpose of placing it on the roll. The LEGAL ADVERTISING.?We are romp.-Ur.i 10 require. ca.ih payments for advertising ordered by Kxceutors, Administrators ami otln-r fiduciaries, and herewith a|>|H'inl the rates for tlip nrdlnaqr notiees, which will only bo inserted wh<;n ihi? money comes with Iii? onl<-r: citations, two Insertion?, - >:;.<h) Kstate Notices, three insertions, - - -j.oo Kinal Settlements, five inM*rtious - - :;n0 TO fVRRESPONHENTS.-In order lo rweire attention, communications must lie accompanied by the true name and aildre?* of ihn writer. Re? jected manuscripts will no) !?? returned, unless ihr. necessary stamps are furnished to repay th" postage thereon. We are not rvsjionsHile f->r the views and opinions "f onr iiirn-s|nnideiiis. All communications should I?? addri-ssed t>. UVA it?>r> [utelligciiirrr," and all chirks. ?Irans, niouey orders, should he mad.' lavahle lothoonlcr of jioyt a en.. Anderson, s. c. Earn Your Own Living:. There was a time not so long ago when it was considered a disgrace lor one who had the feelings and culture of a gentle? man to earn his own living. Hut a new spirit has arisen. Prophets have spoken their words of praise in honor of work, and their voices have abashed into silence and flippant scorn. "The modern majes? ty consists in work," says Mr. Carlylc. "What a man can do is his highest orna? ment, and he always consults his dignity by doing it." No doubt in the hard stress of duty it is difficult to believe that labor is both honorable, and, in every good sense, help? ful. When wc see people born into lux? ury and case, commanding, by a word, advantages, which, after life long efforts, we cannot compass, it is not surprising if a feeling of dissatisfaction should, un? consciously, creep into the heart, and a dim conviction spring up that somcliow justice is at fault. Yet, if we took a larger view wc should speedily perceive that all the advantages arc not on their side. In a complaining mood wc may speak of our "unfortunate lot," which compels us to drudge on through the dreary days, never spending a penny which we had not first earned: but a wiser outlook would often teach us con? tentment. Now in laboring even in the humblest occupations, we are not only obeying a Divine law, and adding to the welfare of the world, but we arc increas? ing our own capacity as men and women, developing qualities that are born by a wrestling with hardship. It is true that some persons- in spite of their wealth and circumstances of comfort, do display a nobility of spirit, a strength of virtuous manhood and womanhood unsurpassed in any sphere of life; but it is because they are not content to remain idle, but throw their energies into some service for hu? manity which evokes and trains those very qualities which distinguish them, and* that always does enlist the admira? tion of the world. All honor to such! Yet the temptation is to many, should I be uncharitable if I said to most, all the other way? To be satisfied with those surroundings in which they are born, to let themselves be ministered unto and do no ministering, to put forth no particular exertion for any desired object, every one can see what will become of a life like that. It cannot be developed into any? thing true and noble, 'it must remain dwarfed, stunted and selfish. But those who are cast upon their resources, those who have to think, to labor with hands or brains, or both, or those who find every step onwjrd a conflict, and every step "backward a loss, are in a position to acquire some of the grandest virtues that can adorn human character. Independ? ence, self-sacrifice, calm endurance, pa? tient waiting?these arc the natural fruits of a life of labor, and they are worth more than all the wealth on which men's hearts set their ambition. Remember, too, that it is not the kind of work that a man does that is honorable, but the spirit which he carries into it, the way in which he docs it. It is not the work that makes the man honorable or not, but the man that imparts character to the work. The day laborer carrying his hod honestly and industriously, giving a fair day's work for his wages, has a more honorable occupation than the stock exchange swindler, who "bears" the market and speculates to the people's ruin. The worker is everything, not, may be, in the estimation of society, but in an essential reality of things which exist behind these temporary arrangements and condition of human affairs. Ax Essay ox Fish.?Fish, according to the Detroit Free Press, may be divided into classes?codfish and fresh fish. The propriety of dividing them into classes will be at once appareut when wc reflect that they are usually fouud in schools. The mackerel is not exactly a codfish, but he comes so much nearer being a cod? fish than a fresh fish, that he is for the present classed with the former. The jelly fish is, perhaps, the best un? derstood of all the finny tribe, because, being translucent, it is easy to see through him. The greatest number of fish arc eaten on Friday, and the next greatest number on Saturday, because those that arc left over are warmed up for Saturday's break? fast. The herring is not absolutely a fish; he is a suggestion of departed fish. But the strongest suggestions of departed fish are smelt. The herring sustains the same relation to the finny tribe as the Egyptian mummy to the humau race. Fish are caught by measure and sold by weight?that is, tbey are caught by the gill and sold by the pound. But they are sometimes caught by weight?wait till you get a bite. The mermaid and fishwoman may also be mentioned in this connection. The former is a good illustration of what is meant by the ideal, and the latter as fitly represents the real. Many land animals are reproduced in the sea. Thus we have the dog-fish, the cat-fish, sea-lions and sea-horses, but no sea-mules. None of the above have hind logs, and any manner of mule without hind legs would be a :onspicuous failure. The codfish is the great source of all salt. The saline qualities of codfish permeate and percolate the vasty deep, and make the ocean as salt as himself. Weighed in his own scales he is found wanting?wauting considerable freshen? ing. He is by nature quite social, his principal recreation being balls?fish balls. The codfish was worshipped by the Greeks; but he is only half as well treat? ed by the inhabitants of Cape Cod?he is simply shipped. Hence the difference between the Greeks and the inhabitants of Cape Cod. There are many interesting rumors about fish which might be mentioned, but the foregoing facts maybe considered as oT-fish-al. A Most Singular Centennial year.?This Centennial year has been phenomenal in many remarkable partic? ulars. The season lias been of the most unusual character. The warmest winter known for a century. The most terrific stormsof wind, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons, in all quarters of the globe. The most wonderful rain falls within the memory of living man ; causing the over? flow of rivers throughout all Kurope, at? tended by the destruction of even whole cities along the Danube, and immense loss of human life. And now comes a snow storm of unexampled extent, covering nearly all of both the American and Eu? ropean continents, involving indeed near? ly all the northern hemisphere, in its white winding sheet; and which, if sudden thaw ensues, must again swell the rivers of the globe to dangerous dimen? sions. What yet remains for the year lo bring forth beyond our great Centennial exposition and the Presidential election time alone can reveal.?CinriuMrfi Sfar. ? Somebody wants to know who in? vented whiskey. Mis name appears to have been forgotten. This country is prone to neglect some of its brightest and greatest men.