There Was More Talk In Congress

the other day in fuvor of restoring the franking privilege, but the vote showod that the project was aotually weaker than ever beiore. A Hillsdale correspondent of the Chicago Tribune says that Hon. Henry Waldron would willingly succeed Senator Chandler, but the Grangers are not willing. The Boston Globe is a strong advocate of specie paynient, and yet it is tempted to remark that " Grant had probably just as soon draw that $50,000 in specie as not." General Superintend E. W. Sloan has written to all Superintendents of Railroad lines oyer whioh the American Express cars run, requesting them to issue orders prohibiting any one from riding in oars assigned to the massenger. The Chicago Inter-Ocean saysthat the farmers of the West oannot deny that they are most of them receiving hand some sums of money, cash in hand, for their departing grain and hogs, and asks what is to hinder them froni having good times this winters. A MEETING of railroad officials was held at Chicago on the 18th. Quite a number of roads were represented. The object of the meeting was to compare ratea of passenger traffic. No change was made to Western points, bat considerable of a change took place in rates to the Kast. Of the roads in this State the Michigan Central and Lake Bhore & Michigan Southern have agreed to charge after this but 3 cents per mile on looal passenger trafile. Heretofore the charge has been 3 1-2 cents per mile. This reduction applies only to points west of Detroit, through passenger rates not being arïected by the change. A RECENT dispatch froin Washington to the New York Times makes this very oandid confession : "The Kepublican party, every Congressman doubts not, is doomod to defeat in the neit Presidential eleotion, unless it prospects are redeemcd by the action of Congress during the next two month8 and a half." Then comes the following : " The opinión is nearly as universal that the legislation which will do most to save the Republican party is also that which will be for the best interests of the whole country, and that which will put the fin anees of the government and of the people on a sound basis." A statement of the condition of affaira in all the manufactories and industries employing a large forcé in New York, is published. In the building trades the stagnation continúes, nearly 7,000 being idle. Among the shoeniakers 1,000 are idle. The iron interest8 are very depressed ; nearly 6,000 men are idle. The cabinet-tn akers are doing only half their former trade ; 2,500 are idle. Over 2,000 printers are idle; 2,400 coopers and sugar renners are idle ; 10,000 unskilled labora are idle. In round numbers, over 30,000 men are unemployed, exclusive of several thousand strikers. Thebe was a lively passage in Congress a few days since between Messrs. Beek and Speer, on the Democratie side, and Mr. Garfield, on the other side of the House, relative to the Department of Justice. Mr. Beek uttered a formal series of charges against Attorney-General Williams, alleging that he was even more responsible thau Judge Durell for the political violence in Louisiana, that the Department of Justice was a huge political machine which was used to inflict misgovernment on the South and work us political prejudice and illfeeliug in the North. Mr. Speer assailed the department for its loose finanoial management and its failure' to com ply with the law of the last session calling for a detailed statement of the use of the contingent fund. This the General has not done. Mr. Garfield could not explain why he had not, and supposed he would do so soon. He assailed the opposition in turn for making charges, and declared that he could not answer an indictmeut against the universo. APROPOS of those enormous Southern olaims which such Radical organs as the Chioago Tribune and the Detroit Pott fear will be paid out of the sorely burdened national treasury, as Boon as the Conservativos and Deniocrats get into power, the New Orleans Picayune tells a protty good story Ilustrativo of ths class of men who are hunting up and speculating in these old claims : "One of our citizens happening in Washington a few weeks ago, was waited upon by a well-known Republioan lobbyist, speculator in claims, and general operator in all " big things," and yery genial, hospituble, and liberal purveyor and entertainer of niemberg of our Legislature and other high functionaries. But for some time he has been absent froia this dreary and exhausted field of politioal jobbery. And now naturally and logically he turns up at the Federal capital, where, learning that our citizen had arrived, he quickly waits on him, and the following convergation enaues between them : " My dear friend, you ain't going back to New Orleans, whore Iiadicalism is all ' busted," when you oan stop here and piek up a pile in the Southern claim business 'i " " How is that ? " ankod our citizen. "Why, there's 14,000,000 lying here waiting to pay Southern claims; you and I could hunt up cases whioh would take a good slice of this suni. Why, sir, I know a claim of your own which I can get through sure - about $60,000 - for a eteamboat of yours which was burnt whilst in Federal hands." "But I was paid for that by ths Quartermaster." " Oh, that don't make any differenoe. The Quartertnaster's papers are all lost, and you have only to prove the value of the boat." Our citizen declined this invitation to embark in the Southern claim business, or to authorize the promising suit whioh his sanguine and self-appointed attorney proposed to bring in his behalf. The latter expressed his infinite disgust at the stolidity of the Southern people, and predioted that they would all turn up at the poor-house." I The Toledo Gommerc ial says : The Lako Shore road on Saturday placed upon a caboose, for trial, the " automatic distance indicator. The invention is intended to afford signal lights, whereby the distance of a train may be known as soon as it is seeu, and the liability of accident renderod far less. The arrangemont is very simple, and consists of a reversible platform which is located upon the top of the caboose, unon either end of which is placed two sheet iron lan terna joined together by a tube about six incb.es in diameter. In one of these lanterns ia placed a lamp, and in the other is a mirror, placed so as to reflect the light through tüe tube. The lantern oontaining the lamp can be made to show a white, green or red light, as may be required, by placing in front of the light the different colored glass. A mile distant only one light can be seen. At any distance nearer, there are two lights shown at different distance apart, accprding to the distance of the signal. The canductor is provided with a table showing the comparativo distances, and by this he can teil very accurately how far he may be from a train or other point of danger. Should this signal lamp work well in practice, it is likely that it will be extenaively adopted by the Railroad Coinpany. The San Francisco ühronicle says that at Monte Vista, in Los Angelos oounty, the apple trees are fragrant with their white and pink bloom. So says a late paper from that delightful semi-tropical región. Apple blossoms in December ! Wolverines, with your eaves fringed with icicles, just think of this and weep. Some atrocious scribler says that he will hail the day of témale suffrage with rapture, for then the monotony of seeing the rooster at the head of every victorious newspaper obout election time, will be relieved by the occasional interspersion of the hen.