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fflERN TBI SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1875. OX7J5 I2I2IED1A1E DANGER. Thus far in its history Cheboygan has providentially escaped from any very ., fis.- rp,. T V luaaauuua mwi jl i uc, iiieie uitvo uccil a few fires where the loss has been consid erable, but they have been far between, rand then confined to a single building or locality. There has been no general fire. This Tery freedom from great loss, has produced a general apathy 1 upon this subject that may in the end result in an Immense destruction of property where in all our people will be the sufferers to a greater or less extent. To prove that we do not over estimate this danger, we have only to look over the daily fire record of the state. A day does not pas3 but that the telegrams give accounts of numerous fires in different sections of .the, state; the greater proportional loss, however, being in the northern por tion : where tho buildinsrs are more generally of wood, and . the fire protection the least. There is probably no town of its size in the state where the loss from fires have been as small . as in this, yet there is no one but who will ad mit that we have all the facilities for a first-class conflagation. Can we always expect to escape in the future a3 we have In the past? Every candid man must answer, no. The history of every city stronger than words, gives the same answer. It is admitted on all hand3 that Che boygan has no adequate fire protection. True, the village possesses a fire engine, but to say the least it is sadly out of repair, and in case of fire, would, even were other things favorable, probably be en tirely useless. It i3 said by some that the engine is utterly worthless. This fact should at once bo ascertained by refer ence to competent authority. ' If the en jglne is worthless let it be positively inown, and have it thrown aside as useless. False security is worse than no security at all. If the engine can be re paired so as to be of some use, let that be done. What the citizens and property .holders of the place should know at once is the facts in the case. Then again it is said that even' if the engine was of some utility, the hose is deficient in quantity, and nearly worth less. This should be examined into, and if so, should be remedied by the purchase of new hose, and of sufficient quantity to cover any anticipated danger. The Tribune does not propose to dic tate upon this subject, but would fail in it3 duty as a public journal did it not call attention to the danger in which it would eeem this village is in. . It is an old adage that "In time of peace prepare for war." If it read, in time of fancied security prepare for danger, it would be particu- 1-t orrkHrvih1p tn rmr villflorp. J "11 o THE HARD TIMES. ' Almost every person has hi3 peculiar theory regarding the cause of the hard times which are now being felt through out the country, and having the theory of the cause, of course he has a still more definite theory of the cure. As with individuals, so with newspapers, which are in fact but exponents of individual 1f!fn "F!vr sinr.fi t.hft criLsh mmfi unon ns two years ago, the newspapers have been teeming with theories of the cause and cure. One would talk wisely about there being a scarcity of currency, and that an expansion would remedy si II the imaginary ills and place the couutry at once upon a basis of general prosperity. Another equally influential and well-informed journal would speak as wisely and profoundly, taking the ground that no lasting prosperity could take place until the business ol the country had reached a Doint where values were fixed upon a cold basis.' It i3 not surorisinsr that the o sentiment of the people i3 conflicting upon this point, with such contradictory teachings constantly before them. Po litical parties have tried to mnke plat form upon the currency question, but there has been such a difference of onin- .ioh among the leaders of the different parties that we have ihe platforms of the jsame party in different portions ol the country totally at variance upon the money question. While political oratora and political schemers, and the newspaper press have been laboring to educate the people of the country upon this important subject, and after two year3 labor have left them with opinions nearly a3 diversified as in the commencement, the natural resources .of the nationand people have been iowly but surely bringing the busine.-s of the icountry back to a legitimate and healthy basis. Whether our cominerml in'.er- x i l ,i. Akk i. esis luive.seeu uicir luvvcab uuuur nut, it i3 hard to say, but it would seem that the lower round of the ladder must be nearly touched, and that the ascending scale would soon be commenced. When this lime comes those who have successfully passed through the ordeal will no doubt enjoy an era of prosperity which will amply repay them for all the trials and perplexities of the past few years. Then it will be seen that not the learned dis cussions of journalist and politicians, but the great resources of a great coun try was what brought prosperity out of impending ruin, When this turn is taken we can look for a rapid improvement in jthis section of the State. The railroads will be pushed to completion that have already been commenced, and new pro jects will spring up. The tide of emigra tion will .turn northward, and people and money will come amongst us. Just at what time this will come to pas3 can not as yet be told ; but would it not be weu 10 anticipate sucn a result, ior as sure a3 business activity and prosperity comes to the country, this result must come and we can hasten it if we will. YVould we as a town reap the full ad vantages we mu3t prepare for it. This can be done only by giving the outside world full information regarding our advantages so that people will come here and bring inhabitants, business and money with them. Could this be done we M ould hear no more of hard times in Cheboy 'gan. ... M BUNE TALK. A floent'tengne may or may not be an advantage. It depends entirely upon how it is used. There is an occasinoal clamor against talk. It is said, and we regret lo say it is too often true, that we have too muc'i t ;lk. an 1 too little .worl. Certain it is we have too little honest work, and whether we have too much talk depends more upon the quality than the quantity. There is too much speech making simply for the sake of making speeches, too much talking in the way of creating sensations "or amusement or making money. There is too much talk from people who speak to' draw the at tention of the public to themselves. There is, however, much too little plain, straightforward talk In the way of really informing and helping the world. There is too little 'direct, sensible talk upon matters . that ? are intimately connected with the improvement and advancement of individuals and communities. We can have an illustration of this here, in Che boygan in any.enterprise of a public na ture ; the railroad for instance. There has been too much talk upon the subject, in the way of creating a temporary ex citement, raising the hopes of the people only to meet' disappointment, and too little talk which would have the effect of bringing the people generally up to the point of personal, practical and united ac tion. Talk that will have this influence i3 the only useful talk. N It requires a vast wealth of good, honest and pertinent words, repeated perhaps time and again to secure the general co-operation of the people in any work of improvement or reform. It is, however, only - when this point is reached that talk is an advantage; and all that has a tendency in this direc tion is useful, and there ' cannot be too much of it. There is never enough. Let us have talk and abundance of if, but let it be plain, simple and direct. MICHIGAN CENTENNIAL. Thi3 year many cities and States in the East have held, or will during the sea sou, hold local centennials. Massachu setts celebrated the battles of Concord and Lexington, which opened the revo lutionary war; Boston celebrated the bat tle of Bunker Hill, Vermont the capture of Ticonderoga, North Carolina the ex pulsion of the Colonial Governor, : Mar tin, New York the battle of Long Island, South Carolina the seizure of Ft. Moul trie. . Why ha3 Michigan nothing to celebrate?- She is .probably as old as any; and older than some of them. We do not remember in history any very notable event transpiring in Michigan in 1775, but there probably was if we only had record of it. Michigan was then a terri tory, held by several small garrisons of English soldiers, and peopled mostly by Indians, with a few French settlements, among which latter were several points on the straits, may be Cheboygan. Per haps some local event might be celebrat ed next season at Mackinaw in such a manner a3 would draw many people hither from the great celebration at Phil adelphia, especially during the month of August. If there is nothing else to cele brate, we would observe that about these times a century ago the Michigan In dians were employed by the British to harrass the frontier settlements in Ohio and Kentucky, in which expeditions the liulians were a number of times most beautifully whipped. Perhaps that event would do to celebrate in an emergency. OTHER RAILROAD Jl UMORS There are still numberless rumors in circulation regarding railroad matters. The effect of the recent election of di rectors of the Michigan Central Kail road upon the extension of the Jackson, Lans ing and Sairinaw road to this Dlace. does not as yet seem fully developed. It is now said that the withdrawal of the op position to the election of Mr. Joy as di rector and President of the road was only obtained after several consultations between the factions which brought about the displacement of Mr. Joy as a director of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. There are many and various rumors as to the changes that are to be made in the management of the road as a concession to the ODDosition which has heretofore fought Mr. Joy, but none of them have yet assumed defi nite enough shape to warrant an an nouncement of what changes will be made. Whatever concessions Mr. Joy may have made to the opposition, as we stated last week, we cannot think that he would go so far back upon his previous record as to enter into arrangement not to push to completion the northern ex tension of the road. To secure any ade quate returns for the money already ex pended upon this road, it must be pushed forward at least to Cheboygan. This Mr. Joy knows better thin any other person. THE r BUSINESS OUTLOOK. The Detroit Tribune gives the - follow ing statistics regarding the condition of the country gathered from the financial circular of Dunn, Barlow & Co., which gives the total number of business failures for the first six months of 1S75 as 3,377 with total liabilities of $74,940,S69. One-' half of the total number of failures for 1874 wa3 2,9155 of 1873, 2,591; and of 1872. 2,037. ; One-half of the total liabilities of 1874 was $77,619,000; of 1873, $114,218,000; and of 1872, $00,528,000. It will be seen by this comparison that though the total number of failures i3 considerably larger than at corresponding periods in 1874 and 1873, the amount involved in them shows a slight reduction from 1874 and a very decided one as compared with the year before that. Thi3 would seem to indicate that the hard times, though they still con tinue, are causing the most distress among the smaller films, the large establishments having felt their first stress and having passed through the worst. The total number of failures in Michigan during these six months has been 81, with total liabilities of $749,111. In the same time Canada, with but little more than three times the population of this State, has had 800 failures, with liabilities amounting to over $12,000,000. The financial outlook for the future does not seem immediately brilliant, but we may reasonably conclude that the worst is over, and that we shall in the future, if the management of our national finances is wise, see a gradual re turn to prosperity, , EDITORIAL NOTES. The electors of ihe Fourth Congress ional District of Maine will have an op portunity on the 13th of September to choose a Congressman to fill the vacancy occasioned by tho death of Hon. Samuel F. Ilersey. Onio and Connecticut both have laws which provide that when tramps apply for-alms and refuse work offered to them they may be committed to prison. It would ., be well for the other States to pass similar law3 or they will be g-com- pelled to support the tramps of the two States mentioned. ... It has not been discovered as yet what prices were paid to the Supervisors of Internal Revenue in the West to insure their blindness to the whisky frauds, but the "going price" in New Orleans seems to have been $2,000 a month. Such at least was the offer made to Supervisor Hunt, and it was accompanied by the statement that his predecessor had ac cepted it. J "' Mr. J. F. Peavt, a merchant of Pe catonica, Ills., recently- committed sui cide because he concluded that as he had made of himself a hopeless drunkard his family would be benetfited by his death. He left a letter to hi3 wife in which he said, "I die for your good. You will be better off without me." What he stated was doubtless true. Knowing that he lived in the world only to blight and burden his family his tak ing of himself off showed a degree of sense which is very rare among men of his class.. ' The famous.case of Jarndyce vs. Jarn dyce has a parallel .in Kentucky, where there is a lawsuit almost as old as the State, which was begun in 1815. The subject matter of the suit is a tract of 19,000 acres of land. The original plain tiff was Joseph Blackwell, and the de fendants were ninety-nine. The plaintiff died thirty years ago, and. now it is be lieved that not one of the original par ties or of the attorneys originally em ployed survives. The suit descends from father to son as much a? a prized family possession. Robert Dale Owen is insane. He was an author of consideraple repute, and a statesman, haviug occupied many positions of honor and trust under the government. His insanity is another painful illustration of the blighting in fluence of the delusion known as spiritu alism. Mr.' Owen was a man of power ful intellect and broad culture. But in the course of a few years of "investiga tion " his mind- has been crushed like an egg shell, and he has become little better than a gibbering idiot. Even believers in spiritualism begin to realize the fact that the man who resigns himelf to it is lost. , And now comes the cheering news that the chink of. the dime, the quarter and the half dollar will again be heard at no distant day. Dr. Linderman, of the United States mint, thinks that this sil ver resumption can be reached this fall if the crops are abundant and a revival of business occurs. The government has purchased at Carson City a large amount of silver bullion at the cheapest rates ever known $1.07 per ounce. It is cal culated that by the time. mentioned- the srovernment - will liave purchase I and coined so much as to admit of the sub stitution of silver in place of fractional currency. A mode of swindling, which few peo ple have heard of before, has just been exposed in New York. There is no va riation in the modus operandi. It is this: An advertisement appears in a paper for a clerk, offering say $10 or $12 per week. A young man applies for the position, is asked all about his "honesty " and capa bility, and is told that "he'll do." The next step is to inform him that there are certain valuables in the store which he would be obliged to take home every night for safe keeping, and that $100 must .be put down as security. This done, the $100 goes with the employer, and neither are seen again by the too honest and confiding clerk. The Supreme Court of Ohio has de cided that where public officers expeud more money than is appropriated by law for building, repairing or other public improvements, they are individually lia ble, and not the municipality or State. It would be well if this could be declared the law in Michigan. It would make public officers and boards more careful than they now are about exceeding their authority for, expenditures. There are many places in the State which would perhaps owe a smaller debt for school houses aud bridges, or have more to show for their money. In the Ohio case the Board of Improvements of Cincinnati was held individually liable for the wages of laborers they had employed beyond what the funds would pay. An insurance fraud has been brought to light in Chicago which appears to startle even the citizens of that some what fast locality. In 1S65 the "Home Mutual Fire Insurance Company " was organized, and took through its agents a large number of applications " for insur ance among small property holders. To some, policies were issued, and some who signed applications never received any policies. The applications were signed in two places, for what purpose the sign ers did not know, but supposed all was right. In 1868 this company was merged into the Chicago Fire Insurance Com pany, $ which became bankrupt after the great fire, and S. K. Murphy, the secre tary was appointed assiguee,who within the last two weeks has issued notices to numerous parties that he held their notes for various amounts given to the Mutual, whose assets were turned into the Chi cago. The notes range from $30 to $500, and explains the reason of the two signa tures, and why one of them was above a blank space in the paper. Murphy is said to have admitted that the notes are . a fraud, but that he holds them as assignee, and is ordered by the United Ctates Court to collect them. A meeting has been called to appoint committees and employ lawyers to investigate the frauds and de fend suits, - Mc Arthur, Smith C Co. IT IS THAT M ARE THE "Wholesale and Retail Dealers IN ALL KINDS OF General Merchandis e5 IN CHEBOYGAJST. Their Stock consists of Dry Goods, Carpets, Groceries, : Provisions, Clothing, Boots and Shoes, Hats and Caps, Wall Paper, Flour and Feed, - Together NOTIONS AND SUNDRIES, Such as can be found only in first class stores. Their goods and prices Will Always Speak for Themselves In a manner that can only effect their business favorably. :o: Ttie A-ttention Is called to the fact that we have Summer Dress Goods ! Which in quality or style cannot be surpassed, together with a general assortment of Ladies Furnishing SHAWLS IN GREAT VARIETY. Mc Arthur, Smith & Co., Have also received fresh lots of CHOICE . -. FAMILTY GEO CEE.IE S, For the summer trade, which were selected with great care, and includes Teas, Coffee, Sugars, Syrups,. Canned Goods, CHOICE MEATS, SPICES, &c. Farmers' Produce Always on Hand, And for which the highest prices will be paid. A General Variety No matter what kind of head gear you E1ADY-MAS1 QLQTHI In all the fashionable styles. A very large stock of BOOTS AND SHOES For Children, Misses and Boys, Ladies and Gentlemen, and of styles to fit every kind of business. The Largest and Freshest Stock of Wall Papers, Ever in Cheboygan, just received, and are now open for inspection. They Include every grade, from the cheapest to the expensive Gilt Parlor Papers. All who expect to do papering, will do well to examine them. Also A General Assortment of Carpets. -:o:- The only place" in town where STOVE, STEAMBOAT McAjrtlmi?j Smith. & Co. Are the proprietors of the Flouring Mills, and manufacture their own Which can always be found fresh at the mllL . The highest price in cash j)aid for all kinds. of grain.- V - , McAKTHUR, SMITH & CO. EOltf . - - ' , A FACT .& eo., LARGEST Crockery and Glassware, Hardware. with of tlie Ladies just put in store a very large stock of Goods and Notions. of Hats and Caps. desire, they cannot fail to satisfy you -o can be found a fall assortment of BLACKSMITHS' COAL SMITH O IT K To Publish A weekly Journal, devoted to the Interest of Generally, and Cheboygan and vicinity particulate. tt u the ibmi f mukAthA KiiTnvpv fp.tn.Vt r.?e intention of tho THE LEAIIISfGK ; PAPER Of this section of the state. Haying had many years experience in the bu&lnes xn hare no hesitation in ay in g that the Tkibuxji will ill a Want Long Pelt As a ramUy newspaper the Tbibunb will week, in The Local and be filled with fresh and The Northern BE A NON-POLITICAX FAHEB, Devoting the space usually occupied in disenssing party questions to subjects which will look towards the advancement of the local and business interests of the place. r INo Family Should be "Without It. The Northern Tribune will represent this will pay to send copies ' The Improvement Should remember this. TIO DOLLARS A TEAR' SUBSCRIBE . ' ffd'W And receive the paper Address all commtuueations to the NORTHERN AIM: a Hewsgapsr. V ... 1. .: manager to mMZTHERN mGEIGAN. rot be excelled ty ary. . Its colvxnns win, 4ach j addition to - ' - General News, interesting miscellany. ,1.: Txibums will s.i . ........ part of the countrj in sucn a manner thai ti abroad. Tnose interested in ?; n r :) of the jGJountry 1. ff from the commencement. rr.. mm. CHEBOYGAN MIOHIGAIsr. Oflos ca Third etrett, wect tl Ucrr