Wilmington journal. [volume], October 18, 1866, Image 2

About Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895

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THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
WILMINGTON, N. C,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER IS. 1866.
Repudiation.
We had hoped that it would not become
necessarv for the nress of the State to dis
cuss or refer to the subject of Repudiation
during this canvass. We have entirely re
frai'n from discussincr the subject in
our columns, believing that its agitation,
while doing no good at home, w as calcula
ted to do us much injury abroad. If North
Carolina has a reputation for anything it is
for strict integrity and honesty. Her bonds,
previous to the war, always led the market
among the State securities, and since the
end of hostilities, the old confidence has
been renewed, and though she has already
failArl fn nrnvirlft for the interest of her
debt, the reason was appreciated and her
bonds, under the circumstances, have com-
Tnnn1ftf1 nrififts that are ilattermcr to our
State credit. While the insidious mutter
ings, here and there, that repudiation is
the only remedy commensurate with the
evil under which the people of the State
now labor, and candidates on that issue are
announced in a few counties, wc believe
the vote they will receive on Thursday, will
be so insignificant as not to alTect the crcd
it of our State.
That repudiation should find advocates
in the South, no one acauainted with the
financial condition of the people can bo
surprised. The manner in which the bank-
rnptcy and ruin of the Southern people was
brought about, as much as the universal in
solvency itself, bas suggested this resort.
The causes which followed the surrender of
the Confederate armies destroyed in an in
stant seven or eight hundred millions of
currency and as much property, after the
most destructive and exhausting war known
to history; the system of labor, upon which
all our prosperity and all immediate
hope of recuperation were based was anni
hilated; our people, impoverished and dis
heartened, found themselves called upon to
meet the onerous demands of the Federal
tax-gatherer for four or five years of arrears
of taxation, to provide for the payment of
a fund created for their own overthrow and
the destruction of their property.
These ills have been followed by an al
most universal failure of the crops, and a
political uncertainty and uneasiness, with
threats of confiscation that has paralyzed
the energies of the people and retarded the
efforts of the agriculturalists upon whose suc
cessful labors our material prosperity de
pends. These are a few of the desperate
causes which have made a remedy of such
acknowledged illegality and doubtful hones
ty readily welcomed by some.
The direct conflict of repudiation with
the clause of the Constitution of the United
States which declares that "no State shall
pass any law impairing the obligation of
contracts" is so palpable, and as every man
who is elected to the Legislature or to any
other office in this State, is compelled, as a
required qualification beforo entering upon
the discharge of his official duties, to take
an oath to support the said Constitution,
we are at a loss to understand how the can
didates for the General Assembly who ad
vocate the doctrine of repudiation are to
comply with the promises made their con
stituents and keep inviolate tho plain and
express obligations of their oaths.
The protection of debtors under the pe
culiar condition of affairs which has caused
them to be unablo to meet their obligations
has been, in our Legislature and Conven
tion, the subject of much careful legislation,
and doubtless will, as it should be, the most
important matter that will receive the at
tention of the ensuing General Assembly ;
but that repudiation will be seriously con
templated is as improbable as it is impossi
ble to be accomplished. For, independent
of the clause of the Federal Constitution to
which we have already referred, the Su
preme Court have decided this doctrine to be
in violation of the Constitution of the State.
In Barnes vs. Barnes 8 Jones, 3G6, Pear
son, C. J., in giving the opinion of the Court,
after discussing the inability of the State
to " impair the obligation of a contract," in
referring to tho jrinciples of free govern
ment as affirmed in section 12 of ' tho De.
claration of Eights' that "no free man ought
to be deprived of his life, liberty or prop,
erty, but by the law of the land ?' says,
"Manifestly, if a creditor is deprived of his
right to have judgment and execution for his
debt, he is thereby deprived of the right of
his debt, which consists in his right to en
force payment. The Legisla
ture cannot deprive a citizen of his vested
rights of property."
And, speaking of the power of the Legis
lature even to restrain the Courts from the
collection of debts, not absolutely, but
merely "until otherwise provided by law,
he says : " If the Legislature has the power
to impose this restraint on the Courts un
til otherwise provided by law, it has the
power to do so without the permission to
remove the restraint when we have better
times, and it shall be easier for men to pay
their debts. A power to suspend
or to abolish the administration of justice
cannot exist in a free government. With
out law and tribunals to administer it, there
can be no government ; it is anarchy, which
is worse than despotism. Upon
the whole, we are satisfied that without re
ference to the Constitution of the United
States, our State Constitution gives ample
protection to its citizens against all en
croachments on the part of the Legislature,
upon the rights of property. No
government can be free unless the Consti
tution provides for the protection of pro
perty, the due administration of the law
and the independence of the supreme judi
cial department' "
It is thus manifestly seen that no relief
can be obtained through this doctrine of
repudiation, and it is useless and foolish to
attempt to deceive the people by holding
out such false lights, and will only revert
back upon its advocates. Nay, it is some
thing more than useless and foolish ; it is
disreputable and dishonorable. While we
sympathize with the people in their pros
tration and ruin , we feel pride in their
honesty and integrity, and would not see
relief as great a boon M & & purchased at
the cost of reputation and honor.
ltepuaiation, were it practical, we
would regard as the worst evil which
could possibly befall a community. If we
have any chance of recuperation and re
newed prosperity, this doctrine, successfully
carried out, would destroy it. Without mu
tual confidence, trade would languish, noth
ing would prosper, and untold misery would
result, and after reputation was lost in tho
dishonorable attempt to save property, the
disreputable savings would be freely given
up to wipe out the damnable stain.
In speaking of the repudiation, the Pe
tersburg Indcv forcibly and beautifully says :
"Thank Clod ! it ia a new word in Virginia and
North Carolina. It needs explanation. Let ub
see what it means. It means that no man sh all
pay his brother his just debt. It means that we
ehall not pay 'or the pork we hare eaten, for the
clothes wo have worn, for the education we have
given our children, for the farms we till, for the
houses wc loaaou, lor tne lactones we are run
ning, for our necet-aaries or our luxuries. It means
that wo fchall lay the foundation of our fortunes in
the eto'en property of our neighbor; that our
daughters shall wear clothes bought with stolen
money; that our Hons shall commence business on
the proceeds of robbery. It means that the hon
est obligations due the widows and orphans of our
immortal deaa shall be paid, not by money, but
by an act of Assembly. It means that the man
who kept us from starvation during the long fam
ine of war, bhall have no claim upon us ; that the
poor who shared their scanty store, as well as the
rich who gave of their abundance, shall
never more have claim upon us. It
means that he Jplebs children, whose fathers trust
ed in us, shall be turned hungry from our doors.
It means contempt at home and discredit abroad.
It means dishonor in life and inextinguishable
heritage of infamy to our children after death.
This is repudiation. This is the banquet to which
the people of the South are invited by their own
kindred. "We are asked to violate law, to violate
morality, to stifle gratitude, to silence conscience,
to blur honor, to blast our fair name all that sur
vives to us of value to wrong tho dead, and de
fraud the living, that we may save our dismantled
houses and our desolated lands. Better far that
wc should pro down to paupers' graves, and that
our eons should begin as our sires began, to braid
up from the lowest foundation stone, the edifice of
honorable fortune.
"Surely there is courage.and principle. and pride,
and Christianity enough still left in Virginia to
stifle this serpent in its very cradle."
The Election.
There isso little excitement in regard to
the election on Thursday that we feel it to
bo our duty to call the attention of our
people to its importance. When political
excitement and personal interest are want-
.i - i i - n m l '
ing, the vote is ape to De smaii. xms is
especially true in a business community
pke ours. Every requisite to call out a full
vote is wanting in the present canvass.
Governor Worth has discharged his du
ties so acceptably to the people of North
Carolina that almost by common consent he
runs through without open or acknowledged
opposition. A few discontented politi
cians, who would divide and distract our
people by party feuds and dissensions, and
who have sold themselves, dearly too, for
the hope, and, may be, promise of a valua
ble consideration at the hands of the suc
cessful lladicals, made a feeble and ridicu
lous attempt at opposition by tickling the
vanity of an ambitious old gentleman,
hoping, doubtless, at the small sacrifice of
political aspirations that have long since
"fallen into the sere and yellow leaf," to
advance their own, which have taken fresh
hope from the utter prostration and help
lessness of our people.
In the counties, generally, little or such
insignificant opposition to regular candi
dates exist, that but small interest is mani
fested. Our people have been so dis
couraged in their earnest and honest at
tempts to discharge all their political duties,
with hearts devoted to the welfare of the
country, that they shrink from anything
that has a political tendency. They forget,
so useless are theirvotes in national matters,
that it is all powerful in State affairs.
We arc yet permitted to be governed by the
laws of our State and Judges of our own
selection still administer them. The time
was when wo believed and urged the success
of party as compatible with the true inter,
ests of the country, but now, when all good
men have thrown aside party and are de
voting themselves assiduously to the great
work of restoring the prosperity of the
State, care should be taken to select men
of tried experience, ripe judgment and ap
proved patriotism to represent us. We
had better far support candidates who will
zealously and intelligently address them
selves to tho proper and legitimate legisla
tion necessary to furnish relief to the peo
ple through a just appreciation of, and a
conscientious sympathy for, their wants,
than by a heedless chase after an ideal
71 i'l-ir ith-tke-wisp be led into greater diffi
culties in a senseless and improper attempt
to rid ourselves of them.
The very unanimity of our people for the
re-election of Governor Worth, and which
is the principal cause of such entire want of
excitement, furnishes the best reason why
there should bo a full vote given to him.-
The treneral approbation with which his
administration is regarded has been won
by untiring industry, great judgment, con
scientious devotion to tho public welfare,
and an incorruptible and inflexible dis
charge of most important and delicate du
ties. So quietly and unostentatiously has
he discharged the functions of his office,
that few can appreciate the difficulties un
der which he has labored, or the jealousy
with which he has guarded the interests of
the State. The entire absence of exciting
and injurious conflicts with Federal author
ity, the respect we feel for, and the confi
dence we have in, our State Government,
are the surest evidences of Gov. Worth's
success, and are the proud rewards offered
to a faithful public servant.
We owe it to ourselves and to him to give
on Thursday that endorsement at the ballot-box
we feel in our hearts. Let U3 go to
the polls, then, and show by our votes that
we appreciate the efforts he has made in
our behalf, and reciprocate, to some ex-
tent, tho good will he has displayed towards
the people of North Carolina. Every in
dividual in the State should feel under per
sonal obligation to this faithful officer and
give him that encouragement which is ever
grateful to those who have labored faith
fully in behalf of their fellow-citizens.
Many and important subjects of legisla
tion will occupy the attention of the Gen
eral Assembly, and we should have a care
who are to represent our interests in that
body. In spite of the unpropitious aspect
of national politics, North Carolina has
much earnest and important work before
her, made more difficult and delicate on
this very account. The people were never
so much in need of just and judicious legis
lation, and the State requires the asstanpe
of her best and most prudent oea in this
crisis. If we are led astray by side issues
and attempt to rid ourselves of real
troubles that weigh heavily upon us by em
bracing such chimerical remedies as is pre
sented by the advocates of repudiation, we
may add to our other misfortunes the loss
of reputation and the merited contempt
of mankind. We should, therefore, send
such men to the Legislature, who, knowing
the wants and sufferings of the people, will
devote themselves to their relief with assi
duity, intelligence and honesty.
Ex-P resident Davl.
There is nothing published concerning
the distinguished ex-President of the Con
federate States which our people do not
take the greatest interest in, and so much
has been written concerning him, and he
has himself maintained such strict reserve,
that his friends have, in some instances,
been misled by statements altogether void
of truth, so frequently and persistently
have they been repeated by itinerant news
paper correspondents. Mr. Davis has nev
er, in the whole course of his eventful pub
lic life, given such indubitable evidence of
great intellect, indomitable will and Chris
tian fortitude as he has since his incarce
ration, now extended to eighteen mouths,
and seems yet to bo lengthened for an in
definite period.
We have been disposed heretofore to
doubt all and everything which purported
to come from him, and many of the state
ments and reported conversations of Dr.
Craven have never been regarded by us as
entirely reliable; in fact, we believe that in
several important points, they have been
denied by Mr. Davis.
The uncomplaining and dignified man
ner in which the distinguished prisoner has
borne the illegal and cruel punishment the
Government has visited upon him, has won
the admiration and sympathy of mankind,
and the United States has suffered more in
the estimation of the civilized world by the
outrageous conduct towards him than any
other fact connected with its history. We
are glad to see that the President is no
longer willing to wink at this matter, but
is officially calling it to tho attention of
the law-officers of the Government. Be
tween the political aspirations of the Chief
Justice and the ignorant malice of Justice
Underwood, the disgraceful subterfuges re
sorted to in order to delay the trial of ex
President Davis has become a blot upon
the judicial ermine, and a scandal to the
whole country. We hope President John
son's efforts will force the judiciary to act
in this matter, and end a protracted im
prisonment as cruel as it is illegal.
We are glad to be able to publish some
thing that may be regarded as authentic in
reference to one whose condition is the sub
ject of much anxious thought to our peo
ple, and whose fate is the burden of many
heartfelt prayers. Below we give, from the
New York Watchman, an account of the re
cent interview between ex-President Davis
and Bishop Green, of Mississippi. As the
statements are given upon the authority of
this venerable prelate, we may rely on their
correctness. Ihey will be found interest
ing and differing in many essentials from
the commonly received accounts of several
incidents in connection with the distin
guished ex-President :
BISHOP C-KEEN AND MK. IAVXS.
The Right Iter. Bishop Green, of Mississippi,
recently spent a day vith his friend Jefferson Da
vis at Fortress Monroe. As erroneous state tnents
of what passed at that interview have been
given in some papers, we are permitted by the bis
hop to etate that, hile at lortress Monroe, he
was introduced to a gentleman by Mr. Davie, and
informed that bo was a man of great learning, and
worthy of the confidence cf all who knew him. If
that gentleman entertained any design of going
to Washington to intercede for "the release of Mr.
Davis, the bishop does not recollect that anything
of the kind was ever hinted at during the fe w mo
ments in which they were Jogethtr. Much less
did the bishop think of going himself on such an
errand ; for although willing to make any sacri
fice for the good of one whom he so h'ghly es
teems as Mr. Davis, he had not the vanity to sup
pose that any request, howe ver feelingly "urged by
him, would be of the least avail whore the prayers
of thousands had been tet aside. He would also
have been deterred from such a step by his own
strong conviction that President Johnson is of
himself, and without further solicitation, disposed
to deal in ail fairness and magnanimity toward his
noble prisoner. Bishop Green was pleased to
learn that no unpleasant personal relations exis
ted between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Davis at the
commencement of the war. An occasional spar
ring had taken place between them in the Senate,
but not of a nature to interrupt their intercourse.
Mr. Davis is not disposed to say much about his
health. Ha is ery fjeble, his appetite much im-
aired, and his frame greatly emaciated. Mrs.
'avis seems convinced that he cannot live three
months longer if he remains in his present con
finement. He attributes his comparative health,
if not life itself, to the presence of his wife and his
little Varina, a prattler of two years old. Bishop
Green is also pleased to unite his acknowledg
ments with those of his imprisoned friend to Gen
eral H. H. Burton, now in command at Fortress
Monroe, for his kind and gentlemanly treatment
of his prisoner. Whilst faithfully carrying out the
duties of his office, he seeks to abate every annoy
ance which would increase the discomfort of Mr.
Davis, without adding anything to the safe keep
ing of his person. Mr. Davia is especially indeb
ted to him fcr the removal of the light which has
so long disturbed his rest, and for spreading a
thick matting on three sides of his prison-chamber,
to deaden the night-long tramp of his guards.
It is enough to excite a smile to see all this cau
tion against the prisoner's escape, when every one
knows that if the gates of that magnificent fort
ress were leit wide opn, and every soldier put to
sleep, ho would make no effort to leave the place
on any terms but such as would bo in keeping
with his past reputation.
At sunrise his prison-door is thrown open, and
ho rejoins his wife in the comfortable quarters
within the fortress which she is permitted to occu
py. During the day he is allowed the range of the
fortress for exercise, and returns to his prison at
sundown. Several hours a day are spent in read
ing, of which his Bible always forms a part. He
; permitted n receive and read the newspapers
without restriction.
xi w a yi-aoure to tho bishop to take by the
hand again one whom he is proud to call his
friend, but it was particularly gratifying to see
the truly Christian spirit in which Mr." Davis looks
upon both the past and the present. His belie
in a Divine Providence remains unshaken by the
events of the last few years, and he cheerfully
trusts to the same protection and guidance the
future of his country. So far as human instru
mentality can contribute to the happiness of that
future, he thinks it must come from an honest
and zealous maintenance of the Constitution.
Mr. Davis expressed much gratification at the
visit of any minister, and particularly of "his
bishop," from whom he requested some religious
service before they parted.
As many and very false representations have
gone forth on the subject of his capture, it will
be gratifying to the friends of Mr. Davis to learn,
in this way, that no attempt whatever was made
by him to escape at the time he was taken, and
that the only outer garment that covered him
was his dressing-gown, which he threw around
him as he sprang from his bed to meet his cap
tors at the door of his tent. The whole amount
of gold, too, which he had with him at the time
was seven dollars and fifty cents, a part of the
proceeds of the sale of Mrs. Davis's wardrobe and
jewelry.
we aeem it aue 10 jtsisnop ureen to add, that
the above statement is given with no little reluc
tance, as it may look like an exposure of what
came to his knowledge in a social and unreserved
interview with Mr. Davis. He would never, of his
own accord, have placed this statement before
the eyes of a greedy public. But seeintr that cer
tain newspaper correspondents have undertaken
to say for him things which he has never said, he
desires the above to go forth as a matter of self
defense, and wishes all other statements on this
subject which are imputed to him. to be consid
ered unworthy of credit.
A woman's soft sighs may fan a man's
Ufdpnt,
Tournament at Fayette-rillc.
Our neighbor of the Dispatch has been
enjoying himself among the young people
of Fayetteville, and by giving an account
thereof, making his less unfortunate friends
envious of his enjoyments and pleasures.
We learn from the editorial correspondence
of the Dispatch, that the Tournament at
Fayetteville," which occurred on tho 11th
inst.. was most successful and brillant. His
Honor, A. McLean, Mayor of Fayetteville,
acted as Chief Marshal on the occasion, as
sisted by Cols. H. McKethau and J. A. Pem
berton, and Captains John H. Robinson
and George H. Haigh. Major Jas. C. Mc
Rae delivered thu rhargc U the Knights,
which is spoken of in the highest terms.
Mr. John A. Williams, Knight of the
Rosy Cross, was the successful Knight.
Messrs. Thos. C. Lutterloh, Knight of Myr
tle Hill ; Pembroke Woodward, Knight of
the Greene Plume, and Wm. F. Campbell,
Knight of Southern Chivalry, were the next
most successful in the order in which they
are named.
At night the Coronation Ball took place,
which is described as being most Magnifi
cent. Miss Kate Shepherd was crowned
Queen of Love and Beauty. Misses Julia
Glover, Maggie Mathews and Maggie Shep
herd were selected respectively as the Maids
of Honor. Air. Jas. C. Dobbin, in behalf
of tho successful Knight, presented the
Crown, and his effort is spoken of as sur.
passing the many successful addresses of
this eloquent gentleman. The festivities of
the occasion ended with the ball.
Edgecombe and Wilson Counties.
We announce elsewhere, ex-Governor II.
T. Clark, as a candidate for the Senate from
the district composed of the counties of
Edgecombe and Wilson, and Dr. Joseph H.
Baker, of Edgecombe, and James S. Wood
ward, of Wilson, as candidates for the
House of Commons. A long personal ac
quaintance with these gentlemen enables
us to congratulate the people of those coun
ties upon being able to secure the consent
of these gentlemen to become candidates.
Should the people elect this ticket, we are
confident the interest of the counties will
be well taken care of in the important leg
islation which will claim the attention of
the next Legislature.
The Cash System. We assure our patrons that
we pay cash for all labor and materials, and it
becomes necessary for us to demand cash of them.
Our charges are based on the cash system, and we
are compelled to require prompt payment in order
to carry on successfully our business, which re
quires a very heavy cash outlay.
All bills on our books aro now being made out-
and will soon be presented, and it is most desira
ble that they bo paid on presentation. We are
contemplating improvements in ourofiice that will
require a large outlay of money, and it becomes
absolutely necessary that our outstanding accounts
be paid. By this means we will be enabled to do
ju-ticc to our patrons and friends, and ourselves.
Hereafter accounts will be presented to our reg
ular patrons at certain stated times, and their
prompt settlement will be expected.
Chamber of Commence. The first regular meet
ing of the Chamber of Commerce of this city, was
held in the City Hail on Friday evening last. The
att. ntion of the meeting was first directed to tho
election of officers, with the following resnlt :
J'resider.t,
Vol. W. L. DeRosset.
First Vice President,
A. E. Hat.l.
Second Vice President,
J. 13. Russell.
Secretary and Treasurer,
J. D. CUMMIXG.
Standing Committees on Arbitration, Append
and 1'rawti'orlation were appointed.
A Committee to secure a Hall for the use of the
Board was also appointed, and appropriations
made for the accomplishment of their object.
After some other proceedings, whicn are of an
unimportant charac ter, the meetirg adjourned to
assemble again on Monday evening next, the 15th
inst.
Mits. Ransom's Seminary. Vie had the pleasure
of visiting this Institute yesterday and were much
pleased therewith. Everything is newly finished
and complete. The rooms are neatly and taste
fully furnished, and the young lady boarders will
possess all the comforts of home. The arrange
ments for study of text books and practice of
music are such that the one will not interrupt tho
other, while the corps of teachers in tho various
departments are puch as to give good promise for
efficiency in all.
Vic are glad to learn that the prospects of the
Seminary are flattering, as we- have no doubt the
accomplished Principal is determined to establish
iu our city a first class institution. There are ac
commodations for twenty boarders, and we trust,
ere tho session is much further advanced, that
there will be no spare rooms. The education of
our young people having been so long neglected,
on account of the war, parents will not be dilatory
in searching out aud patronizing schools conduc
ted on a liberal scale.
Another Case of 11k e Stealing. We are in
formed by Constable Sellars, that information
reached him on Sunday last, that some negroes on
their way to this city in a flat boat, stopped at the
Rice plantation which is being cultivated bj
Messrs. Mallett Sr. Wickeraham, and appropriated
(?) some two or threo " hacks " ot Kice. They
were detected and arrested by some of the negroes
employed on the plantation, and held until Con
stable Sellars arrived with a guard of United States
soldiers obtained for him by Major Wickersham,
when they were carried to Wilmington, and lodged
in jail to await the action of the civil authorities.
Important to Maimed Soldiers of Ntw
Hanover.
Messrs. Engelhard & Price :
Gents: You will confer a favor by publishing
the following letter received from the Superinten
dent of the " Artificial Limb Department."
It will be necessary for the applicants to call at
the Court House, in order that the County Court
Clerk, or myself may furnish them with the neces
sary certificates for procuring the limbs, transpor
tation, Ac, Ac.
Very respectfully
Your ob't serv't,
SAM'L B. BUNTING, Sheriff,
per B. S. Badcliff, D. S.
State of North Carolina. )
Artificial Limb Department, r ,
Raleigh, Oct. 15, 186(5. )
Sheriff New Hanover Co., I
Wilmington, N. C, J
Sib : Please send the maimed of your County
here the 22d of this month, to be provided with
limbs. Those of them who have lost legs will be
provided free of charge ; those who have lost arms
at $50 each. Tell them to bring blankets that they
may occupy with comfort the house here fitted up
for them.
It is of importance that the men be here at the
appointed time.
Most respectfully,
S. G. Btan, Srp'T.
Why will you persist in wearing another
woman's hair on your head ? " asked Acid
of his wife. She retorted, ' Why will you
persist in wearing another sheep's wool on
your back ? "
"Mother and intant," receptions are now
in vague in New York. Young wives invite
their acquaintances to see their young ba
bies. The toilettes of mother, child and
visitors are in the height of fashion.
Like cures like. Sulphur comes from
Vesuvius ; therefore it is good for eruptions.
Southern Teachers for tho South
There is no fact relating to the present
condition of the South, and . having the
most important bearing upon our future,
more striking or gratifying than the gener
al interest manifested on the subject of
nodular reduction. At no time heretofore
have there been so many announcements of
schools, academies, and colleges through
the press of the South as at the present
moment. There may not be, in fact,
greater number of these institutions, but
the advertisements of tnem are more nu
merous. The almost universal interruption
suffered by these interests the last few years
has awakened a general and eager anxiety
for their restoration which is positive and
imperious. The same spirit is shared by
tho f reedmeu at all our centres of popula
tion to a certain degree, and will gradually
diffuse itself among the negroes to the re
motest districts. If the desire for knowl
edge is not innate with him, it will be im
pressed upon them by artificial forces.
To improve and mould and render bene
ficial this spirit, to direct its results, and to
make them effectual for good to tne indi
vidual and our city, requires Southern
teachers for the South. This is one of the
primary anoV essential reforms in the future
educational svstem. Tne bourn lias never
undertaken to make its own teachers, as
o-eneral thiner : but has sent to the North
for them, where they were made, like shoes,
boots, hats, &c, by the wholesale. They
are madeor the purpose there, and are well
made. They cannot be decried or under
rated while so many of them have per
formed so admirably for us. It is nonsense
to srjeak conteniptuouslv of ' Northern
schoolmasters and New England school
maims." while we are bound to confess their
excellence as instructors. Few schools of
the South have made reputation without
some of them being employed. Thev often
come to us with false or insufficient notions
of our people and institutions ; but despite
these objections, and because of their pro
ficiency as teachers, we have employed
them, and are continuing to do so.
We pay them our money, and when they
behave themselves they give us value re
ceived. The only reason why Ave have here
totore done so is lound in tne lact that we
have not furnished our own teachers from
among our own people. Those who have
enjoyed the advantages of liberal mental
culture have refused to enter the school
room as teachers, preferring other pursuits.
Besides, there is a difference between be
ing a scholar, an educated person, and be
ing fitted for the vocation of teaching. The
North has made teaching a specialty in tho
business of life. The South has neglected
it. In rare instances you find a gentleman
who has devoted himself to it from youth
to old age ; but these are exceptions to the
rule.
The changes recently wrought in our so
cial and domestic institutions, we trust,
will bring changes in this matter. The in
dications are that way at least, and they
ought to be encouraged. General Leo left
the camp for the teacher's desk, as Jackson
had laid down the ferule to take up the
sword. General Custis Lee has just been
chosen to a professorship in the University
of Georgia, which we hope he will accept,
while hundreds of Confederate officers and
soldiers of less general fame are tending
the fountains of learning at the country and
village school-houses in many places in the
South. A noble, battle-scarred Mississippi
soldier is teaching a colored school in that
State in the midst of threats to tear down
the house and expel him from the country
while a young lady, raised in all the alllu-
ence of Southern luxury and wealth, in the
same State, with less opposition, teaches a
primary school of her father's late slaves.
The widow and daughter of one of the great
est of American soldiers, Albert Sidney
Johnston, are teaching in her home on the
Pacific, while the widow and daughter of
the illustriou.s Christian hero General Polk
is similarly engaged iu our own State.
Mrs. General Hansom, of North Carolina,
announces the opening of a female institute
in Wilmington. These are shining exam
ples, and should inspire imitation through
out the Southern States. Let the business
of teaching be pursued as a vocation, and
let the teachers prepare themselves for it
as such ; and very soon there will be no oc
casion to bring teachert from other States,
or to hold up to the public the importance
of having Southern teachers for the South.
Nashville Union and American.
Murder will Out A Scene at the Close of
the War.
The Savannah llepublican gives the de
velopments of a crime which is amongst
one of the most atrocious that occurred im
mediately at the close of the war. The
narration commences previous to the pas
sage of Sherman's army through South
Carolina :
Upon the approach of tho Federal army,
Mr. Jefferson Alford, with his family, in
cluding one son, John Alford, sixteen years
eld, left his plantation in Beaufort District,
near Grahamville, and sought refuge in
Barnwell District, near Buford's bridge.
Of course the place thus left in the exclu
sive possession of negroes, was completely
destroyed, and Mr. Alford, in his new loca
tion, shared the fate of all those who hap
pened to live upon the line of Sherman's
m n TtAt
) After the capitulation of the Confederate
armies, about the month of May, 18G5, he
sent his youngon to his plantation, with
the assistance of a faithful servant, to try
and make a corn erop. With perseverance,
the youth planted a crop and was doing
well. One night during the month of June,
18G5, while he was asleep, a party of negroes
approached the premises, seized and bound
j him and the servant, and carried them orl'.
j.ac uiuiutieio pcxLuiittii uit) iieio 10 es
cape, but liumed the boy away : and al
though the certainty of his death is known
to his parents, they have never been able
to discover where, how, or by whom the
bloody deed was committed.
rn -i i
j. wo aays ago, However, an arrest was
made by the authorities which unravelled
the mystery connected with the fate of the
boy, which was briefly this :
After being taken from his father's place
ne was carried across the Savannah river,
where the fiends, gloating over thtir victim,
proceeded to their bloody work ot murder
He was marched back and forth before the
squad, some twenty-five in number, armed
to the teeth, and notwithstanding his ap
peals tor mercy, the whole party in detail
commenced firing at him, and he ran to
wards the river crying, "Father, mother,
save me ! save me !" but the inhuman
wretches soon overtook him and finished
the deed so hellishly begun. His bodv was
left unburied, and his bones now lie'where
the last act m this bloody drama was com
mitted. The result of the investigation is such as
will secure some of the principals in this
horrid murder the chief actor now safely
lodged in jail.
The Stock of Cotton at the Close of
DECEiLBEB, 18G7. Marshall's Circular, issu
ed in this city, produces statistics, showing
that, of the crop of cotton of 18G5, there
will remain on hand, on the 31st of Decem
ber, 1867, only 168,000 bales for the use of
Liverpool, Havre and the United States.
Messrs. Gibbes & Co., of Charleston, S.
C, estimates the total production of the U.
States and foreign countries for 1866-'67 at
4,150,000 bales. Add to this the supply
now on hand, and the total for the use
of the world would be 5,327,500 bales. From
this they deduct 4,732,000 as the probable
consumption of the U. States and Europe,
leaving a balance in stock (all descriptions)
at the end of 1867, 595,000 bales.
Exchange Paper
Letter from General Jubal A Early.
From the Winchester Timea.
The following letter from General Early
to a lady of Winchester will be read with
deep interest by the people of the Lower
Valley, and more especially by the ladies,
whose self-sacrificing devotion during our
late struggle, and noble efforts to rescue
from oblivion the remains of our fallen
heroes, have called forth his warmest thanks
and admiration. The letter does honor
alike to the General's head and heart.
Toeonto, C. W., Sept. 27, 1866,
Deak Madam: A letter from a gallant
and esteemed young friend who fought in
all the battles around Winchester, informs
me that some time in the ensuing month
there will be a dedication of the Cemetery
which has been set apart under the auspi
ces of the ladies of that town and its vicin
ity for the Confederate dead who fell in the
lower Shenandoah Valley. In the distant
City of Mexico, I read the account of the
steps inaugurated by the ladies of Win
Chester for collec ing the remains and mark
ing the graves of the brave men who lost
their lives in the defence of their country
in and around the latter place, and it is lm
possible for me to give expression to the
emotions of gratitude and admiration ex
cited in my bosom on reading that account,
T 1 ill flil 1
i Knew mac many oi tnose wnose remains
were to be thus cared for, fell fighting un
der my command among them being
number of valued personal friends and
this sad and touching tribute to their mem
ories affected me very deeply. Since then
I have anxiously desired an opportunity to
convey to the noble women of Winchester
and the lower alley of the Shenandoah,
the expressions of my heartfelt thanks, not
only for their care for tho remains of the
dead, but for their devoted kindness and
attention to the sick and wounded of mv
command, and 1 now beg to do so through
you. 1 iully appreciate the self-sacrificing
virtues displayed by ail my countrywomen
during the war, butthereare peculiar reasons
why 1 snould entertain sentiments of the
warmest admiration for and gratitude to
tne ladies of Y mchester. It was the for
tune of the troops under my command to
relieve that place from the presence of the
enemy three times during the war. and
had abundant opportunities of ascertaining.
as well the heroic fortitude with which the
ladies endured all the horrors of its occu
pation by our most cruel and vindictive
foes, as the unwavering fidelity to our cause
winch tney maintained under circumstan
ces of unusual temptation to succumb.
was also fully apprised of the care taken bv
them to honor our dead and provide for our
wounded, not only when we were success
ful, but also when reverses compelled us to
leave tnem in the hands of the enemy.
vvnen many or my countrymen, in igno
rance ol the great disadvantages under
wincn 1 labored .-n the time of my reverses.
judged me harshly, it was from a lady of
Winchester that I received a message, sent
uirougn tne lines ol the enemy, that, what
ever others might do, the ladies of that
place, who knew the tremendous odds with
which I had to contend, attached no blame
to me. it is not to be wondered, therefore.
that I feel so deeply towards them, (rod
inows how well I love my native State and
all her unfortunate sisters of the South, and
how cheerfully my life was risked and would
now be yielded in their defense : but. to
all of us, there are some spots peculiarly
sacred. With me. the first amono- these is
the place where I was born and where now
repose the remains of my mother ; the next
C. T'': il. . - , - ,
v ixi u nets ttr, mo piains around wnicn
were watered by the blood of so many of
my brave comrades, and where now so many
irue women weep over the graves of
the fallen. It is sad, sad indeed to be
an exile irom mv countrv. and still sadder
to mourn the loss of the most iust and
sacred cause for which man ever fone-ht :
ut there is some comfort in know
ing that the struggle which developed so
inucii neroism on tne part ol our soldiers
and so many virtues in our women has not
been all in vain ; and wherever I may wan
der I will bear with me the proud consola
tion derived from the knowledge that my
countrywomen, who were so faithfuland de
voted during all the trials and vicissitudes
of our dreadful contest for independence,
now that it has gone against us, remain
true to the memories of the dead. Power
and money may procure costiy monuments
and testimonials to commemorate the names
of those who fought for the successful par
ty, but all the power and wealth of the
world cannot command so rich a tribute as
that paid to the memories of the heroic
dead of the Confederate armies by the tears
of the women of the South.
I beg that you will communicate this ex
pression of my feelings to the ladies of
Winchester and the lower Valley, and may
the choicest blessings of Heaven rest on
you and them.
Very truly and respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Jcbaii A. Eabia
The Russian Tea Trade.
A correspondent of tho New York Triune writes
from Kussia:
The overland tea trade which centres in Nijini is
tstill very great. At one side of the ecnarate c.itv.
which ia formed by the fair, scattered over a great
space, which looks more like a suburban cattle
yard emptied ot its beasts, than anything else,
you ma see great rows of packages in raw cow-
maes with tne hair inside, sheltered from the
weather and sky only by a few layers of matting.
In the mud or .ut between these rows, stumbling
over blocks and boards and waste material, tho
merchants of the East and West meet eacli other
ana transact business in tea, amounting to sever
ai numon uoiiars worth in a month. If vou want
to sec a package of any sample tho merchant runs
an iron augur uirougn the skin, of which the hair
inside immediately closes the aperture, again
iciciimg oui a specimen irom every side to convince
you mere is no cnan mere.
Brick tea is dreadfully coarse stuff, nressed into
brick form, which is bought by tho Kirghis and
ivaunucKs oi me steppes.
itnun num. tuuw muu leai. una vr nw tn
uranK, with a characteristic smell which is pre
cisely like hav.
These are the two kinds which do not find their
way into the European and American markets
The latter is delicious. A case of it, worth live or
six nuuureu uonars, was presented to Mr. Fox.
Tea is drank at morning, noon and night in Kus
sia, ana me Americans are all in love with it. It
seems to me netter than that which ia commonly
drank in the States.
Audacious Robbery A Paymaster's
Train Thrown from the Track by Rob
bers and Plundered. --Louisvuxe, Oct. 11.
Two men, supposed to have been engaged
in the recent robbery of the Adams Ex
press, were arrested this morning near
Seymour. Their names are not given, but
they are known as residents of the county.
As the paymaster's train of the Louisville
and Nashvillo railroad was proceeding
southward to-day, the train was thrown off
the track by a rail which had been loosened
and pulled from its place by men as the
train approached the vieinit.v of P,nwlin0-
Green. Mr. Church, the trainmaster, was
seriously injured by the overturning of the
car. 1 he robbers obtained $11,000. The
company offer $2,000, and one-fourth of
the money recovered for the aDnrehfinRion
of the thieves.
A certain man, whom the Picavune calls
fool or knave, has been playing ghost about
an unfrequented part of New Orleans. He
walks about dressed in white and smeared
over with phosphorus. He has succeeded
in scaring several ladies and children.
A cute counterfeiter in England brr,T.-A a
shop window, presented a bogus 5 note in
payment, and got his change.
The Hon. James Buchanan, pi -Prpsirtanf.
of the United States, is in Baltimore, at-
iciiumg to some private business.
A Gettysbnrer Radical shot a olAnnmn
at a political meeting there.
The Pronrietors of tha Rinhmnml TCn,.'
advertise that pp for Mlt.
A Woman Announces Herself a Candidate
for Congress.
We live in a fast age. In many instan
ces rowdyism controls our elections, and
small ward politicians use such an element
to their own personal aggrandizement,
against old and quiet citizens. Another
influence, it appears, is about to be brought
to bear on the politics of the country. One
of the ' strong-minded women," so called,
publishes the following card ir. the New
York papers:
To the Electors of the Eighth Congressional
District : Although, by the constitution of
the State of New York, woman is denied
the elective franchise, yet she is eligible to
office; therefore I present myself to you as
a candidate for Representative to Congress.
Belonging to a disfranchised class, I have
no political antecedents to recommend me
to your support, but my creed is free speech,
free press, free men and free trade the car
dinal points of democracy. Viewing all
things from the standpoint of principle
rather than expediency, there is a fixed
uniform law, as yes unrecognized by either
of the leading parties, governing alike the
social and political life of men and nations.
The Republican party has occasionally a
clear vision of personal rights, while in its
protective policy it setms wholly blind to
the rights of property and interests of com
merce; whilo it recognizes the duty of .be
nevolence between man and man, it teach
es the narrowest selfishness in trade be
tween nations.
The democrats, on the contrary, while
holding sound and liberal principles in
trade and commerce, have ever in their po
litical affiliations maintained the idea of
class and caste among men ; an idea wholly
at variance with the genius of our free in
stitutions, and fatal to a high civilization.
One party fails at one point, and one at
another. In asking your suffrages be
lieving alike in free men and free trade I
could not represent either party as now con
stituted.
Nevertheless, as an independent candi
date, I desire an election at this timo as a
rebuke to the dominant party for its retro
gressive legislation, in so amending the
constitution as to make invidious distinc
tions on the ground of sex.
That instrument recognizes as persons
all citizens who obey the laws and support
the State, and if the constitutions of the
several States were brought into harmony
with the broad principles of tb3 federal
onstitution, the women of tin; nation
would no longer be taxed without represen
tation, or governed without their consent
One word should not bo added to that great
charter of rights to the insult or injury of
the humblest of our citizens. I would
gladly have a voice and vote in the fortieth
Congress to demand universal suffrage, that
thus a republican form of government
might be secured to every State in the
Union.
If the party now in ascendancy makes its
demand for " negro suffrage" in good faith,
on the ground of natural right, and because
the highest good of the State demauds that
the republican idea be vindicated, on no
principle of justice or safety can the women
of the nation be ignored.
In view of the fact that the freed men of
he South and the millions of foreigners
now crowding our western shores, most of
whom represent neither prosperity, educa
tion or civilization, are all, in the progress
of events, to be enfranchised, the best in
terests of the nation demand that we out
weigh this incoming pauperism, ignorance
and degradation, with the wealth, educa
tion and refinement of tho women of tho
republic. On the high ground of safety to
the nation and justice to its citizens, I ask
your support in the coming election.
ELIZABETH CADY STANTON.
UnconstttutionaiiIty of the Cotton Tax.
The following letter from Hon. Revcrdy
Johnson, Senator from Maryland, and per-
iaps the most eminent constitutional law
yer in the land, possesses more than ordi
nary interest at the present juncture. It is
in reply to a letter of Hon. Charles I. Scott,
of Wilcox county. Alabama, containing
these interrogatories:
In your opinion, is the Act of Congress
imposing a three cent tax on cotton con
stitutional? And would the Supreme Court
of the United States so decide in the event
the question was carried before it for adju
dication ?
REPLY.
New York, Sept. 20, 18GG:.
Dear Sir: Your note of the 3d is re
ceived hero The question vou have put to
me I have heretofore considered. My opin
ion is that the tax of three cents, imposed
by the Act of Congress yon refer to, is un
constitutional, and I believe the Court will
so decide.
Very respectfully,.
Your obedient servant,
REVERBY JOHNSON.
We learn from tfre Wil'cox (Camden J
Times, that cotton planters of that county-
are concerting measures to have the ques-
lon tested in the Supreme Oourt.
The Philadelphia, Canard.
Philadelphia, Oct. 12. The proprietor
of the Public Ledger has caused vigorous
investigation to be made into the origin of
the despatch which appeared in its columns
of Thursday last, relative to the questions
alleged to have been submitted by the Pre
sident to the Attorney-General. All the
facts connected with the despatch, the ori
ginal papers, the names of the Washington
informants of the Ledger's correspondent,
and the grounds upon which the despatch .
was based, have been forwarded to Wash
ington for submission to President John-.,
son.
Omcial Denial from the President.
To Hon. Robert Johnson, Private Secretary to the
President, Washington, D. C.
Philadelphia. Octohor 11. Is the statement
true ot the President's desiring tho Attorney-General's
opinion as to the constitutionality of not re
cognizing the present Congress ?
WILLIAM W. UAKDINQ,
Publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
copy.
Telegram from the President.
To William W. Harding, Publisher of the Phila
delphia Inquirer :
Executive Mansion. Wash
1866. Your despatch of this morning has been re
ceived. There ia no truth whatever in tho state
ment referred to.
Robert Johnson,
Private Secretary to tho President.
Redemption, of Mutilated Currency.
It has been decided bvthe Actino- fiomn-
troller of the Currency that in atilated notes
must be redeemed bv the redemtition afypn-
cies of the national banks at the commer
cial centres so long as no reasonable doubt
exists as the identity of the note presented.
vvnen ine notes are so badly mutilated as
to make the value or identitv difficult to
determine the case should be referred to
the bank by which they are issued.
Baltimore Surgeons Visiting Mr. Davis.
Fort Monroe, Oct. 11. Dr. Robinson'
and Prof. N. R. Smith, of Baltimore, who
arrived here this morning, obtained per
mission from General Burton, commandant
of the fort, to have an interview with Jeff.
Davis. They entered the fort at an early
nour, and remained inside all dav. The
object of their visit was not ascertained.
"I have nothing but my heart to give
you, said a spinster to a lawyer, who had
conducted a suit for her. "Well," said
the lawyer, gruffly,
go to my clerk he
takes the fees."
We learn that the Richmond. Fredericks
burg and Potomac Rail Road is again open
to Wwhingtoa City,
IT