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VERMONT WATCHMAN NTATE JOURNAL, WEDNEDAT, FEBRUARY 11, 1891. lattijman & Jourmtl. WKDNKSOAY, FBBBUARx 11. 1801. Thk special conimittee f the houao whlofa Iihh been Inveatlgating tha chargos agaiust Genoral Ilaum, com misaioner of penaions, llnds them wholly unsuppoit id by tho ovidcnce. SPAIH ia in nn exceedinuly restless state, iind onc or two rcpuhlican mit bTMkl hiivc already occurred. I'nlcss llie IndiMUOM are vcry decoptive, the country ison thn ove, of a revolution. Mii. BltAMD of Missouri rcgards thc free-eoinage liill as smoihered by the housc conimittee on coinage. Ile hc- lievcs tho eomtnittee wiii conttnae ita ii indelinitely, and will tinally reftne to report the bllli This will not he unwelcomc ncws to east crn business men, hut inoh n courae is Dotcalculated to pleasc thc West vcry much. TllK New Orleans banks havc level headcd managers. In tho natiotial houao. nf reprcscntatives, Siturday, Mi. Colcman of Louialana pressnted reso lutloni of thc representativea of those btnki "deprecatlng the further dlsoui- sion of the meastirc known as the free colnage btll by the United states con orcss, nnd requesting thc senators nnd representativea to usc their influeiice to prevent ngitalion of this queilioo any longer; and that the prolonged discus sionof said measure is a standing mcn acc to thc growing prosperity of the whole country." This is exeeedingly wcll put. Snt JtTLIAN PAUNOEFOTE was re ported by a ncws agenc.y to have ex preesed himself as pleascd with thc ac tion of the auprcme courtof thc United States in conaenling to hear the appll cation for a writ of prohibition in thc Sayward caae. It was just such a case of indiscretion as this that caused the recall of Sackville West from Washing ton to London some two ycars ago. The impropriety of a diplomatic repre sentativc making unoHieial coninients eittaer on international questiona at issue or matters relating to our internal polltlos is apparent eveu to one not specially versed in dlplomacy, and the sharp criticisrus of the Engllah papera on Sir Julian's reported coursc were undoubtedly juatifled. ButGreat Britain's repiTsentative has doniod the interview point blank, and it will take the testiniony of more than one inan to disprove his denial. It is not rea8onable to suppose that, with the Sackville West incideut fresh in his tnind, Slr Jullan would have bcen so foolish as to repeat the blunder. Newspaper nicn have been known to do such tblnga as " faking," and it is under that eategory that thc interview in question probablv belongs, liotl and docs not do the right thing. In this case, howcver, men who prob ably kncw all about tho Moodcd tnine allowed their snbordinates to approach their death gradually and certainlv. THBBE has not been as much said about tho nationallsts of Bolton lately M there was Immedlately after tho ap pearance of " Looking Cackward," but if any onc luppoaed that they had all disappeared he was fur from right. Mr. Hellamy, the author of thc book, has iound solid support for his idoas sufticicntto warrant the publleallon of a weekly paper, called The New Kation, thc lirst number of whloh has the date of theSlatult. He himself is the ed itor, and with hlm is a newspaper nian of long experience Mr. Greene, re eently of the Springfield Republican. The two will very likely make thc paper a Ur8t-ela8s, well-managed organ of thc aationallsts. The first nuruber has many auggeative articles and much iu terestiug uews relating to industrial queationa. The purjioso of the paper ia to keep its readers wcll inforrued on these subjects. The natioualists just now arc aiming to get a bill through thc legislature authorizing municipall tieB to make gas and elcctrieity light if they wish. A year ago such a bill passcd the housc by a vote of onc bun dred live to thirty-four, but the sen ate which appeari to have resoniblod the average Vermont senate defeatcd it. This year thc light has been ro newed, with hetter prospects of suecess. A Military Post in ycrninnl. The s7. Johnsbury RtpubUean dc olarts with aa etnpbMls that la InUndad to bo COBolOsiTt of thc whole niattor, that " Vermont needs a military post about as much as a frog needs a tail." Wcll, if thc propOSltioO was to lncate thc military post at 8t. Johnsbury, very likely a nccd for a tnil to the frog wonld bc discovcrcd pussibly fof thn . taiN. The proposcd post, we arc informed, will reqnire at least oOO acrcs of Ver mont terrilory and possibly 1,000 for parade round, barracks, rifleranga, battery practico, cavalrv evolutions, ctc. It will involvo the cxpenditurc in Vermont of a million dollars ultiniately. As to the neeessily for a military post on thc Vermont frontler: What is there in the way of national dofonscs along thc cxtended houndary linc hc tween Oanada and the states? What is there along the hundreds of milcs of that linc cxtending toward the east? And what is thiire on tho other sidc of that lino at Q icbec and Montreal? The faots of tho exlsting situation on each side of the line, with the fact of the existenec of International disputas and thc likelihood that other interna tional questions of gravo importancc will ariSS in the future, renders it the part of prudence and wisdom for the United States to extend and strensithen its military arm as wcll along its inland fronliers as along its sea coast or on the high seas. In matters that arc al ready subjects of eontrovcrsy, or that may becoraa subjects of oontention, the nation's ability to defend ilself or to enforce its demands will be quite as potcnt as the inherent justice of its claim or the force of its discussions. The United Slatea believes in peace. Ithelieves in arbitration as a meaus of Bcttling international disputes, but thc existence of a eompetent military and naval forcc will securc a hearing for its dcmauds for arbitration, or respect for its claims iu a court of arbitration. Through the northwestern corner of Vermont cnters one of the great ar tories of Inlaod commerce, one of thc great high way s of travel. It leads to the heart of Vermont and there is sound wisdom and wise foresight in the proposition to establish a military post in that region. The intersecting lines of railway at Essex Junction sup ply important requlrements of sucli a military post. General SoboBeld and Beeretary Proctor understand tho str.ite gic advantages of the loealitv and rcc ommend it. Wo bope congrcss will pass the bill establlshing a military post at that jilacc. A ski OM) had mine disaster this time eightcen men lost their lives should call public attention to the neccs sity of more thorough inspeetion and eonlrol by the government of these great private iudmtrics. There is roally no excuse for one-ijuarter of the frightful catastrophes which are cou tinually occurring in the mining states. Take the latest, that at .leansville, Penn., last week. An unused sectioo had been tlooded with water, and tho otllcials of all the mines of the vicinity should aud probably did know that the wator was thore. Vet two miners werc allowed to drill away at the very wall hetwecn tho flooded leotlon and their own. What hapened? No lOOner had their drill pierccd thc wall than iu spurted thc water, aud eightcen men, many of whom had families, wcro drownod. Here was a case of crimmal negligonce worso than that of ninety uino out of a hundrcd casoB of railroad accideuta. In thc latter it uBually hap peus thatan unforeseen diBarraugemeut occurs, and either the timo forprevont ing an acceident is too short or the re sponsible person tosc his Belf-posBee- A Ficld for Kefoi'm. Recently the Frec i'ce.s.s sharply criti cised a hrother publishcr for the imper fcctions in a oertain job of statc print iiijjr. Our contemporary went further and read a lecture to printers on the evil of nnder-bldding for state work aud seekiu;.' to recoup themselves by using poor siock and sllghting the work manship. Those familiar with the bid ding laat fall for important classcs of state printing smtled a deriilve smilo as they road the Frer PrMS1 homily, and watchcd paticntly to sec how beautlfully its precept would expand Into practico. It was wcll known that tho Free I'resn Association had proposcd to print the lax inventories at two cenls a thousand less than the lowest markct pricc of the paper the spccilications called for. So, if it was honest, it was proposing to make the state a present of two cents a thousand on tho paper for somc 850, 000 inventories, and pay frcight, com poiition and press-work out of its own poeket. It was known, also, that the price at which it propoaed to furnish the book-papcr for the laws and senate and housc jouruals was less than the lowest market pricc of the qualitv of paper requlred, and that its prices for the mechanlca lahor wcrc ruinously low. It could save itself from a hoavy Iosb only by chealing thc t-tale. The laws, which thc speciQcations rcquired should he out Jauuary 15, havc at length made their appcarance, and one is cnahled to judgc whether the company has come up to thc rack like a mau and gone into its own pocket-book for the deflcit, or whether it has sought to save itself from Iosb by defratldlng the state. The me ohanical work is fair, but the paper used is about the vileBt stuff one evor iaw in a publication of any kind athin, dirty, dingy arlicle, absolutcly disgrace ful to the publisherB and a shamc and mortifloation to thc Rtate. The job, in respect to thc paper in particular, ib a fraud upon the state, and if it is ac ceptcd, the competing bidders, who made their pricoB with rcfereuce to an houcst fuliillmcnt of the rc(juiremontH of thc spocillcatious, will have just cause for complaint and protcBt. For this job tho oommissioneri of printing called for hook-paiier of a ccrtain quality and weight pcr ream. Now a eompeti tor makes his priccs very low In get the work, aud then proceodB with a total dlsregard of the ipacifloations. Aside from the very palent fact that tho paicr is of an outrageously inferior quality, it is unque8tionably several pounds lighter than tho Bpecineations demand. OlhcrB who put in biils for this work wcro playing, not " cut-throat," but a " straight game," and they wcro " left." The Frer PrM 11 sr.oopcd the pot." It is titne that this Borl of thing shall havo an cnd. The statc has heen chcated and defrauded and dtlgraoad in this wny long BOOgha Those competitors for Rtalc work who have made honcRt bldl and bcen distanccd hy fraudulent mcans insist that the rogues shall be 'sct hack "j that there shall be a new deal, and that effcctivo Bafeguanls agaiust fraudulent contrnctB or defcct ive fulflllment of contracts, shall be adopted. They lUggCSl furiher that thc COmrolSslonera of state printing should employ somc jadgment and cxereise some discretion in the awarding of con tfBOta, for it should have been as clear as n pikc-staff to thc commissiouers that tho Free l'resn Associatiou could not witbout tfemendoni loss carry out its conlracts, and did not so intcnd. The fact that a bid is apparently a few dol lars thc lowest should not always and nnder all olrcumstances be the gronnd and thc solc condition upon which an awanl is made, Tho state printing cle- partment presents a flsld ripo foi t!ie Bicklo of rcform. Conccrning I'atriotUm. Therowasan echo of tho lato cam- paign at the Burlington meetingof the statc enoampmant of the Qrand Army of the Repnblic last week. Governor Page had made some remarks upon the dutlea of oltisensbip which are briefly reported in thc Snldiers' Hudget on the third page. Governor Ormsbee scems to havc regarded his successor's words as a sort of challenge, and proceeded to fire the bearta of thc vcterans with some very fervid expressions of his belief that patriotlsm is not extinct or its ancient ardor very much cooled in this closlng decade of the nineteenth cen tury. Governor No. 2 seems to have been walching for an opportunity to " pick up " Governor No. 1, and make hlm fccl that he was ouly a civilian. Undoubtedly both of their cxcelleucies were right. What Governor I'age said is undeniably true, and a (irand Army camp-fire was as good an occasion as any other for the scntimcnts he ex pressed. Perhaps it was tho bcst. If good citizens in othor decades before the war had displayed the civic patriotlsm that makes intclli geul, independent, conscientious citi zens, and voteri had aystematically performed the supreme act and duly of cltiz tnship, thore mtgbt have been no civil war, no Grand Army of the Ilc public and possibly no GoTernor Onnsbec. Thc latter speakor himself Ulustraled the truthof Governor l'age's postulatcs. Men wil! go to war, expose themsclves to hardships, woun ls and death who possibly would havo deemcd it not worth their white, nor regarded it an act of genulne patriotlsm, to tpend a half-hour in goiug to the polls. If there should bo a call to arms to-day, unquestionably tho patriotlsm whose unabated strcngth Governor Ormsbee fervldly proclaimed would ipeedlly fill the rankl with thrice the " three hun dred tbonsand more" that answered to ';Fathcr Abr.iham's" summons; and it is eqnally true that there is a lack of that kind of patriotlsm that induces a prompt, vigllant and unselflsh perform ance of the primal duties of good oitl zenship. 3o both governors were right. I-et us have peace. returns. This is not free tradc. It is an exchange of BtirpluB iiroducts, hased on an intelligent (onception of the needs of each country. Canada, too, is moving toward rcci procity with this country. Sir John Mac donald lias caused consternation in the ranks of tho lihcrals by going to the voters with a plan for limitid rOi proolty, thus abandonlng the oonserva- tivo policy of high protection. He pro poses the appointmenl of a joint COmmll sion which shall considerthe renewal of ths reoiproclty treaty of i sr4 , wllhnaoes- sarv modlfications, and a settlemcnt of all questions relating to thc North Atlanttc Qsherles. With this pn gramme he hopai to carry the country agaiust thc liherals, who are for unro itricted rcciprocity hetwecn the. two eountricB. Tho election will lake placc in about a month, and, as tnight be sup- posed, an exclting oampaign is now in progresi, Peopta on this side of the linc will watoh tho progress of events with much interest. Sccrctary Ulaino assures Sir John that no scheme of par tial rcciprocity will be acceptable to the United Siates, yet the Oanadlan premier is rusbing on to what he hopcs will he victory. If he can carry thc election on his new platform, he will be content. Sir John ia an astute poli tician, and no doubt knows what he tl about. Keciprociljr. The course of Secretary Klaine in causing a rcciprocity clause to bc in grafted into the tariff bill seems to be already vlndlcated. On Thursday last President Harrlson aunounced in a proclamation that a treaty had heen ne gotiated with Urazil by the provlsloni of which that country will after April 1 admit, free of all duty, the staplc agricultural products of the United States and the geueral line of iron manufactures, in conslderatlon of a free market iu this country for sugar, molasses, cofTce and hidos from llra.il. A further concession from the Braalllan government is tho reduction of twcnty (ive per ceut on the duties now iru posed, or to be imposcd, on such arti cles as lard, butter and cheese, canncd and prcserved meats, flsb, manufac tures of eotton, manufactures of iron and stoel nolincludod in the free sched ulo, leather and the manufactures from it except boots and shoes, lumber, fur niture aud articlea of rubber. It will thus bo seeu that the bargain is at least an even one for us. One of the articles which is to be admittod free coffcc is not produeed in this couutry. It would, thorefore, be nonseuse to impose any duty on it, cxcept for the purpose of securing concessionB. Of bides, sui;ar and molasses, it iB BUllicient to say that wo do not produco auything like the quantity wenced. Sugar and niolasseB are articles of bucIi cominon uso that it is highly doBirable that they be made as cheap as possible. It is probable that the domestic production of sugar, molasses and hides will not be affected by placing them on the Hrazilian free liat. The only ell'ect of retaiuing the duty would be to increaBC the price. 1 ii fact, we loae uothing of real value, while we gaiu a market which, if judi ciouslv cultivated, will yield haudsome The Kiglit-Honr Law. Senator Morrlll made the prlncipa) Bpeech in the aenate on last week Fri day on the bill for the adjustment of the accouuts of employes of the gov ernment artsing under the elght-bour law. Ile said he had tho deep convlc- uon inai noi oniy was tne eignt-nour iaw oi ipo-i iiiniiameniaiiy wrong. hut that the ati mpted resurrection of it in the pending ineasure, instead of being beneflelal to the class to which it is specially Intended to benefit, would In Hict upon that cla-s and upon the coun try at large a grave and possibly an lr reparable Injury. He referred with approval to the slatement of Edward Atkinson, that the eight-hour law would work in the interest of capital and againsl labor, that it would be pcrni cious, and would result to the great dis advantnue of labor. Some theories, he said, might be scientilically refuted, but unsound political theories often waited for refutation until their operatlon brought disaster. The setllemeul of tho claims airiiinst the government under thc eight-hour law from 1868 to lsoi would cost millions, thc estimate of Secretary Whltney, for thc uavy de partment alone, havlng been some yeara sinco 88,000,000. The pending meas ure was not asked for or prompted, bo far as he know, by tho best workmen or by those longest in the public service. These were content with steady em ployment, with wages promptly pald and that were not icss than the maxlmum wages pald throughout tho country for equal skill and service, The United States government should not set an example of prodlgality where no state, clty or town could atT rd to fol low. If the bill hecanic a law it wou'd insur(! the removul and change of idl day laborera and meohaniosin the serv ice of the government at every change of the national administration. Tho civil service law would not prolect them, and membera of congresa would bc Inatrumen'alitiea of their removal, The houra of labor in foreign countriea were from teu to twelvo hours, and yet it was tho Immlgrant from these coun tries who were the chief airitators for an eight-hour law, altbough many of them were recelvlng double as much wages as they had rtceived in their own COUUtrles, Freeborn Americans were not hungnring for an eight-hour day of lahor. What they wantcd was more work and more pay. The eight-hour scheme, if irenerally adopted, would separate the larger balf of the worklng men of tho country from thc sinaller balf, which was emploved mainly iu large workshops and factorles, white those ownlng farma or workins.' tbereon would atlll work teu, twelve and often more hours a day. With a gateway leading to less work aud more pay, the pressure for employment in favored tradeB could only bo restricled by the exclualon of all now men and appreu tices. Those tradoa would combine and become a close corporation, with no new aubscrlbera; and farmera would Object to the bullding up of a favored class, either by national or state gOV ernnicnts, at their expenso. With an eight-hour law American marketS would bo opcued to the products of foreign COUntrles, aud the exporta of eight- bour-producta would be ueeesaarlly lm- possible. Any general law or intb x ible rule on the aubject would USUrp the placc of free will and of personal Independence, if any motton werc made to pOStpone the bill till the 6th of nexl Marcb, he wouid teel hound to vote for such motion. Ingalls, the Brilliant. CharleB S. Gleed of Topeka, Kausas, has in the Kansas Oilff 8lar a pen por trait and a character study of Senator Ingalls that dcserves to place its author beside Ilonry W. Grady in the biil liancy of its language and iu the olean cut way in which the Kansan's picturo slands out, cameo-like, from its spl u did setting. A few excerpta are givou below,and the Wa'ichman only regreta that it has not spaco for tho whole live brilliant coluinns. Of Mr. Ingalls, Mr. Gleed sayB: Ilis voicc is a polishod ramrod of sound, witbout fur or featheis, travers IDB sp.ice as swiflly as light, witbout a Wblr or a Hutter, as if ahot by an ex- piosive of Inooncelvable powor. Hut all his qulokneil has an automatic char acter which should bc diatingulsbed from the quicknesa of men who riae to meel eniergenci.'S. Mr. Ingalls meets emergeucioa wilhout riaing to them, or QOl at all. Ile works like tho lock of a money vault when the ringa and slots are in proper COnjunctlon, sonuthing dropa juat right. Until that conjunc tion iB reached nothing happeua, ex cept profanity on the part of tho nm nipulator. IIo iB au oratorical word arlint. Ile can he an animatod stiletto or an infuriated hodgehog: a COOlng dovc or an MoWU harp. Ilis worda Whlfl from his lipa like hornets dia torbedi or DUtter ofl llkt rose leavea kiased looae hy suminer breezes. Thev r ii'' on cruoity hont, like thc red ants of darkest Afriea, torluring where (h y touch; or they come like dropa of honey llllered throuuh llliei. Fertile, ffllioitoua, faclnoroua, he is altogelher mepbtatopbellan, He goes about among his felloWI as iu a oime museutn look ing at. the freaks and oddities, and poiDting them out with his bnyonet like Qoger, His faco iB his fortuuc, it may he, and yct he uoob hack on it, when he. sas it ts the only one in the United Siates to Whloh a cariciture docs no Injuatloe. His preaence of mind is the preaence of a regimenl of aoldters armed with mltrailleuse, His oompaaalon Ii a cat's, his tenaclty a bull-dotf's, and he has the good nalure of the billy goat, Whlcb knocks ovcrthe hoya for fun. Mr. Ingalll is Imost exclnalvely crittc, and bence I say he is an ex-ofllcio stattsman. Ilis offlce and bta oature are dtvergent. HecHies as much about party plalforms as a Can nibal chief about the Nicotie ceed. Iu such matters he is neither hani perad by conscicnco nor hindered by conviotton, ngalla may bo a puxale, but he is not. a fraud. A fraud is one who pretenda to 1k; what he ia not, ngalla only pretenda to be Ingalls. For Inatance, he is not a churohniaii. I ti fact he is Impleua, He lakca no stock in rellgioua atock corapantea. He scofTt, and talks agnoatioiam, and i.- profane, and iu such ways BITOgatea to iiiniself a large hadness. When askeil by a newspaper sytuposiuni man if a pollttclarj could be a good Ohrlitian, his answer camequlckly: "All iImiil's are. possible with God." When his housc burned he nougratulated bla nelghboN on saving the wcll. Uo gol on dangerous ground wben he re marked of prohibition in Kansas that it worked to a charni, becnuse temper- ance pcopio had their prohibition and drinkera had their whiakey. Mr. Ingalls' personal appearance ia re markable. His height is over stx feet and his weight perhaps one hundred forty pounds. IIo ia as gracefully straight as a suntlower stalk, aud aa conspicuous among men as a suntlower among dandelions. Ilis bair is ailvery, stiff, diaheveled, He looka old, yet is strong and lusty, having never in youth " applled hol and rebellioua liijuors lo his blood." His head is high behlnd and deep from forehoad to hack, glviug the Impreaston of great length from the chin upward and backward, Before his forelock of wire-silver is a face d irk and anguhir, suirgestinz Spantah blood, and his audacious raoustache and the Impudent tuft on his under lip do uot belie the auggestlon, Ilis oye8 may be " red, White and blue," like iiis neck, for all anybody knows. Tboy are hiilden behlnd the most brilliant eyeglasses that ever diaconcerted an tnterlocutor. His banda are bony, and when his long-jointed Qngera twlne about his pen the only result to he ex pected is tho extraordlnarily beautlful manuacrlpt which he always turnsout. Thc Richmond Fire. The (ire at Riobnond last week Tuesday Sfternoou, to which hvU( reference was made in last weekB issue, caused a tfital loss nf about $;to,ouo. it. whm a aevere blow to the place, as nearly tlu: whole of the bualneaa part of tlio vlltaga was destroyed, The flra made the lark of Are apparatua palnfully evident, The aaBlatance of tire men from Waterbury and Burlington pre vented further apread ol the Bamea, The Wateruury ooropany arrived aoon after flve o'olock, but owlng to the condttlon of the iiosu it did not get to work until nearly six, hy which time the lilirlinton engitiu and Brenaen liad arrived and got. to work. Water was at lirst pumped from a alutce way bealdo the railroad traok, and when the lUpply uave OUtahole was cut in the BObOOl-nOUSe pond. The flre started about fouro'elook in the Btore of J. H. Norton OOm ilealers in bardware and oils. Mr. Norton and a man Were in the ndlar drnw- Ina, some kvroaene oil, Returnlng to the Brst tloor, they found it iti Itatnes, and a hurrled exit by a baok door beoame neees- sary. The flre had got so good a start that none of the hooks of the flrm, exuept the day-booki could beaeeured, This was done by breaking tn one of the wlndowi. B'rom the Norton storo the llames sirend to that of K. V. Powrrs, dtaler in hoots nnd stuics, in the same blO0K Noxt cauie .1. W. Whit eoinh's grocery stori- and iiprtrtmrnts in whloh be lived. The Maaonio blook was eonpletely dastroyed. In tliis were the stores of E. W. PreemaOi dealer in draga aud jewehy, Solouion Green, rocer, and Kuy ii. Nichols, elothing dealar. The aflloa of l)r. 0. W. JaoobSi in this blooki was i.lso linrned out. The North Star lodge of Ma.sons saved a portiOD of its furmture. Next in tlie patfa of the tire was the buiUl- Ingocoupled hy Patriok Heoley'aahoe-ahop, Miss Qleaiona nUlinery atore and tlie (irand Army post. Nothing was saveil from the Grand Army hall. The housc uml tiarn of Jed llartier were the uext vietims, liat some (urnitura was taken from tlie house. The extent of the tire can be sumuied ap by aaying that the burned proparty Inoluded the large llaaonia blook, oorner of Bridge and Kront streeta, made npo! three stoi'H.s and a physii ian's offloe, two blooka on Bridge itreet oontatning three stores au I teneiuelits, a Blngle blooE and a dwelling on Kront street. Some smaiier bulldloga also, as barna aud abeds, were linrned, ainl several hottSea were SOOrobed In Mr. Norton' harn were several kes of powder, wblob mtgbt have been removed hefore the tire reaehed tln'in, but no one seemed to thiuk of theiil. Mr. Norton's family had har. lv time to get out of the burntng bullding, nla fouryear-old hoy fainted away on ri in lii iili the open air. The safe of the flrm of Norton & 00. was puited out of the ruina Tueadas avantng. It. had failen faoe Uown, and, althougb the door was opeu, little rlsmagfl us done to the hooks. The canse of the flre is uner- tain. some aaying thut It orlginated from au axploslon of gaa in a ooal atove, and othera SttrlbutlOg it to spontaneous coiuhustion. The losses aud Iusuranee were as follows: Kerton Oo., atoek si,.roe; Insured f"t' S4..MI0 in the C'outitieuial, New Vork, Pbaalx, l.ondon and Orlent, BtOMlM800j insured for iu the ItisuraUOe ( om panv of North Aiueric a aud Orlent, House liohl tumlture, StHX): insured for S4W iu tho New Kngland of ltiitland. 1''. W, l'ow ers, stoek, 9,900i insuriMl for 11,100, .1. V. WbltOOmbj bullding, SJ.r00. insured for tl,10J in the Nlagara anil t'ho nix of l.on don. North Star lodge, huilding, gfi.000; insured for 13,000 in the PhosniX Ol llart fonl and t'ho nix of l.ondon. Kurniture, nearly all saveil , insured for 9000. I''ay(i. Nlobola. stoi'k, $.1,000, partly aavedi in sured for $:t,.Hi in the Orienti Uberty and Niuuara. K. V. Kreeumn, atOOk,9St00; in sured (or S'J.UOO in tlie Iusuranee Oompany of North Ameriea. Solomon (ireeti, atoek, 91,000, saved in damaiad oondlttoni noin auranoe. Patriok BenTay. bullding. 91B00i insured for $H0O in the Vermont llutual. Stnek also daiuaged. Miss (ileasou, stoek, 91,000, partly saved : DO insurauce. Grand Army post, furniture, 8400; no lasuranos. jed Barber, house aud turntture, i..si insured for 91.900 In the Vermont Mutuai. Two hundred ilollars will pay for the dion age tu huuses ou the south side of Bridge Itreet The total iusuranee amunted to ahout 930,000 From Town Corrospondents. HlllTC. a smaii bnlldlai is betng areoted next u the old akatlng rtnk. tt wiii bn aaedasa frult and confe. tloner.v store. Qeorge K. Badger. tellei of the (iraniie Bavlnga Bank, nnd Miss Mabel (i. (iiis- Wohl were tiiarried Knturilny evenitur l)T Hev. w. 8. Bmttbera. The ofllcera of tbe Good Templar lodaja were instaiied on Batnrday avenlog. and nix new membera were Inltlated. Tbe meetinga wiii he hehi bereatter in th Methodist vestry. Tha " gentlemen'a aupper" iu the vestry of the Dnlveraalist ohurob. Batnrday even Ing, waa a great auooeaa. Between 400 and 900 persona were present, nnd about 8'. was made. After the supper there WN exerotaea in the oburoh, oondneted hy tim ladlea. a number of toasts were re aponded to. Grand ttaater Horton of tha (irami Lodge ofOdd Pellowa catna from Poultney on iat week Thursday to vlli Btawatba lodge ia theevenlng. Dnrlng his stav berebewaa entertalned by Greorge w. Tllden, noble grand of the lodge. Ni r. Horton says that Hiawatha lodge ranks thlrd in the strtlea to the nntnber of new mamben Inltlated i IS'.KI, which was t Wenty-seven. The aharpenera' nnlon baa mada a te.- queat for more pay after May 1. At present the aharpeners reeeivn 8U CM pnr day for aharpenlng for t hirteen men. Tnfa ii at the rate of t wenty-nlne and one-half cents per hoUT. the working day lieim; nlne hours long. The increase asked js Hhout. cent an nOUr. or $,7."i per day. Tlie re- qtteal was made to the Indivtdual ntennfas tnrers, hut it is said that tho agTeeOent wa that the manufaoturera' aaaooiatlon ahould repreaent the Indlvldual membera, Noa- tlon on the reipiest has as yet liepn takee either hy the ndlrtdual inaiiufaeturers or the assoeiation. A uvnv iiKht oeourred on Baat hin, near tbe house of Allen Bates, about half- past four o'elnek Monday aflernoon. Micliael Valhdey and wife were ridinu in a Sleigh, when thev mel John Jotidrow, whe waa drawlng a load of hay. The two mea got into a dlaputa about passing each other, and a flght fotlewed, Jondrow used a iitch- fork, and he elHitns that Valleley attempted tOCUt hlm With a knife. What the exact case was will orohaM.v not ujipear until the trial takes place, but Jondrow seems te have used Valleley pretty roUgbly, eutting his noae and lip, kbooking a tooth out. and bralaing blm in other rcspects. Valleley at onee caused the at rest of Jondrow, and the latter had a Wammt BWOrn out Sgalnat Val leley for drnnkeuneas, An effort was mad to try tlie case yesterday tnornitiK, hut Val leley's eoiulitioti did Uot pertnit hlm to ap pear. OOnDAItD SKMINAHY. Charles II. Ilotihs has gone to lioston to work. Marie II. Conillard dieil on last week Wednesday nlght at tbe age of aeventeea yeara, The funeral was ou Friday after noon. Nearly all the BtUdenta enjoyed the fin.- eoastlng on Bemlnary Jtiii last Saturday afternoon. Mrs. LeBaron of North Batley. P. Q., has tieen vlslting Miss Nelliu I.eHaron, hr daughter. Addie II. Moore, who had heen visiting her sister, Mrs. i,, 0. Gady, ilnce Christroas, returned to her home at Aahland, N. H., oe Thursday. It is witli much regret that the memhers of tbe Bpenoer ftlflea learn that Oaptain U. II. Wells has tendered his realgnation te the governor. I.ast Wednesday heing the oeeasiou of thu eelebration of the blrtnday of Miss 1,. it. KendaU, her puplla preaented her with n larye hox of beautlful cut flowers tastefully arranged. Though the klndneaa of w. w. Lapointi 'so, the readlng-room is now anpplied wit.k the Judge, and the Shavpihooier, the Grand Army monthly of wbfoh Mr. Lapoint is editor and piihlisher. Mrs. Jamea Albln dled on Saturday morntng of typboid (ever at the a of thirty-two yeara. The funeral service oe eiirr.'d on Monday mornlng, aud tlie re- malna were then taken to Washington. Bev. K. W. Onmminga Is to give tbe ad dreaa at the next nnlon temperanoe meet- iuj; al the opera house on the evening of Bundaj , the 33d Inatant. Hli aubjeot will he 11 Prohibition doea not probiblt; what ar we going to do ahout It?" The outslde work on the 'gymnasium w eompleted, and it will be ready for (orniah iug aoon. Miasea Aitoheaon, Wllion and Marshall, and Messrs. Qolliater, Dunbam, Bblpman aud Whltney have been appolntod as n oommlttee to lolloit funda and to pur chase the required equipmenta for a lirst claaa gj muaaium. A lyoeum was held as usual last Friday evening, and au Intereating programme was carried out , thc question for ilrhate being, " tfatolvedt that the frt innge of silver would prove detrlmental to the lntersstset this country." Messrs. Herkley and l.vnde appeared for the atlirmative and Messrs, Wilson aud '.. White for the negativo. The question was deolded ia favor oftbe aftlrmattve by both the board of deolaioa and the auilieuce. Considerable excitement, with a touch of rlvalry, wius manlfeated at the meeting fr the election of hase-liall otlicers last Thuri- day afternoou. The majorlty, bowover, se leoted 0, R. Holllater aa manager and treas nrer, Bert D. Qeorge as oaptain, and A. n. Blley as secretary, treasurer and uollector. ttshoped that a strong nine will be pat ou the diamond next aprlng aud that it wiU reoelve the support of the eutire com munity. Through tbe efforta of the atudentsaad membera of the faoulty. meetinga of the ('hristian Kndeavor Soeiety ar- now held iu the parlor.s every Sunday nfiernoou ie which the itudenta taka an aotlve part. I.ast Sunday aflernoon the serviees were led by w. R, Dunham, and many va'iuatile hints were gi-en on the " Overcoining ot Hiiulrances." The uext meeting is to be led by Miss Minnie Marshall. the siihject betng " What is christiau Bndeavorf" The studeuts seetn to take a lively interest in these tneetings. Owlng to the large nuinher in the senior class, it has been decided to lake twoeveu Uljga for tlie reading of the wilder essays. Those seleeted for the first divialon were read last Thursday evening in tlie tipper chapel hefore a lirgc aud appreciative au ilience of studentsand friends of the sehool. Mualoal aeleetlona were also rendered by the membera of the senior olaaa in the mu- aloal department, The aasaya were weii dellvered aud abowed origiual thougbt and talant on a variety of aubjeota. The re ntalnlng sasaya will te read next Tbnra" day evening, and all interested iu the sidiool work are iuvited to be present. Barnard. Throat and litng troubles have heen very prevalent of late. The rjnlversaltat SUtS goclety meets with Mrs. uoraea Bastman on Priday aftemooa and evening of this week. ' There will be a fariuers1 meetina at the town hall Saturday evening of this week. Tbe oommittee haa not yet annennoed the programme, hut say that it will tie an inter eating one. Oue of the most important iiiestions that will oome hefore town nieeling is whether the town will vote a labor tax to he worked under thesupervision of highway surveyors, or will oontlnua tha preaent systemol di- rect supervision Wy the seleftmen. If the formet method should he adopted, It would he necessary for the road luachlne to be used iu town hy the several highway dia Iricts, a coiirse which luuny believe would be decidedly imprai'ticable. Klorus White has sei ured a situation in Qardnsr, Maaa., aud went to that nlace last week. . Mrs. Kflle White and son are Htopping (or a few weeks in lioston. Mrs Itodney ( 'liaiiibei lain. an old lady liv ing in the west part of the tow n, died l&Ht week. Stepbeu Nott has been dau-