Signing Names

From the New York Ledger. " I have bro't yer revorenco a papor which I hope your revereooe wiil sigu tor a poor man." This he says as he funibles in bis pocket for a paper. He pulls out a cotton handkerchief, then a crumplcd inass of newspaper and certain queei and crusbod bits of white paper - white once at any rate, but dirty enough now. It is not there. Another pocket is einptied. In a third is found the " dookyment." It is a requcst tbat l'haruoh McCrum be appointed "on the pólice " It goes on to state that each one of the sigi.ers is personally acquainted with tlie caudidate - that of his own personal knowledge he is a man of good inoráis and xipright Ufe, températe, mdustiious and every way fitted for the trust solicited for liim. " Well, luy friend what do you want of me 'f " " If your Honor would sign the pa per " "ButI am not acquainted with vou." " Yes, yer riverencn ; but these gentlemen that have sigiied knows me, nd sure they wouldn't mistake." "Yes, they sign for themsfil ves ; but how does that give me a personal knowledge of you tor 10 years, and how do I kmiw tliat you are sober or industrious or trustworthy Y I hope you are ; but I know nothing about it. I have liever tson you to my kuovvledge till this moment.'' " Yes, sir, that's truo; but j'ou might know trom thim," pointing to the nam!8. Sure the} woulln't siga anything that was not truc." " My friend, I cannot sign the paper. It would be a falsehood. I should say thiit J knew a man that I n ver saw Is o, no, you need not plead. I will not sign it." Tlie man goes away in a bevvildered state. He has heard, he assured me, thut 1 was a kind-hearted gentleman: and he couid not imagine why I would not help a poor fellow, and, no doubt, reported wben he got home. that I was not the man he took me to be. Auutbor man says: " If you would be kind enough to give me a letter to Mr. Clafliu, 1 know that he would give me a place." ■ But, sir, I do not know anything about you and cannot recoininend y mi." ' But here are papers, sii, that eertify my character." " Very well ; go and show the papers to Mr. Clufhn, and if he needs anotber uian, and is satisfied with your credentials, he will take you in." 11 But your name, sir, would settlo the matter." ' Not long after it is understood that I certified things or recoiumended men that I knew nothing about." These things are nnt peculiar to me. They happen to all men ot' position or iniluenee. Men are solicited to lend their ñames in a marnier that cannot be justified by honor. ïhe tact is now notorious that men have put the signing of their names out of the ordinary code of moiality. Men will sign merely to get rid of a man. ïhey will rocommend a book which they know nothing about ntttrer than liurt some one's feelings by a refusal. They will recommend men as highly fitted tor [ossitions whicü tliey posmvely know ihey ara utterly unfilted tor. Nay, men wül give to candidatos the strongest lettel tor an office, and then write secret le'ters to headquarters to say that th letters are not to be regaided. Indeed, it is said that in oertain cases politicians tind it necessary to have it understood at headquarters that no letter is to be regarded líales it havo soiue distinctive Mgiis upon it whieh havo been agreed upon. Is there not neod of a botter public sentiment on the subject of signiug names 't The Ltxity of practico is faat aking all value froui docutnents bearing eminent namos. Such a luose policy as is now pursued ought to be runkeil with falsehoods, deceptions and couspiracies to deiraud. Henry Wajid Beecher. Patents on the lewing machine are about to yiold up the gbogt, and the New York JiitUrtiu says that there is a formidable combination ofinterests to lobby thoir extensión, through Congress. The royalty alone has yielded several millions of dollars, which was divided aiuong uve eompanies whose pa teu tg eover esseiitial points in the machine. To tb is luige siim is to be added the far gtcater ainounts derived froni the combiaatioq ring which renders the sewing machine interest the most compact and powerful Corporation in the world, and perhups the most un scrupulous. Thu.se coiupaniis chnrge I Atnericüii peojile one-h&lf moie foi' n acbines thau the rato at which precisely the sanie artieleg re soM in Europe. Tiie Bulletin tells that for a series of years the publró lias paid froin $50 to ■S0 Hpiece for machines that never cost moro thun frotn $5 to ?H each, and which could be sold for f ló to !p'20 each, and have a haudsome proiit.