deeply moved in regard to questions of j i life and death. In filling the office* j then created it was inevitable that li ' publicans should be chosen almost ex clusively. That w:i* in accordance with cdatom, and at the time the opponents ot tho Republican party were regarded as directly or indirectly in sympathy j with the rebellion. It would have been , practically impossible to adopt the policy of a non partisan civil service. So there commenced that system of Senatorial influence, amounting often to dictation, of which men of the type i of Mr. Conkling became the natural ' ex|onent*. as they were, also, its natur -lal truit. The j>erinl when intense par j tisanship was logically the saute as . , patriotism passed away, l.jt the partisan | system of appointments reimined be- ■ ! CHUse it served the interest of a vast I | aruty of politicians, from the Senators j down to the primary managers. It was 1 a had system, unconstitutional, unre- I publican, unbusiness like, unjust and unprofitable for the country and the : party tn power as well. It nearly rit'ii j ed the Republican party aud it cost the I country not only millions of dollars, , but many delay* in the righting of the j currency, many errors in the reorganiz ation of the .South, many blunder* tn I our liscal laws; fur year after year the I real issues in polities were put aside or | trifled with to ssve the patronage to j i the men who enjoyed it. The Govern- I menl was brnumbcrl, the party was | rendered cowardly by the wretched j system which placed the political mi ! ehinery in the hands of men who ran it mainly for the spoils. Unquestiona bly, Mr. Conkling is a product of that sy#tem. The Washington I'oil remarks with great force thnt " this is a most im portant contribution to the political j history of the country, in matter and in fact. It places the responsibility for the invention of this disgraceful system of " machine politic* " upon the shoulder* of the Repuhlican party, i where it belongs. Such credit as it deserves for it* frankness, the-Times will receive." THE home organ of Mahonc in Rich mond claim* that the Virginia Hcna tor "is a Democrat; that he was a Democrat when he was elected to the Senate." If this be no, his brief re cord convicts fiitn of reprehensible me thods —as one of that class who get into the rank* to betray, and thereby to enlarge his exchequer or import ance. Rut what he was before the re cord was made up, i* of little conse quence now. Rencdiet Arnold was a patriot, gallant in defence of his coun try. He was tempted by British gold and fell. The parallel is apparent, and not flattering to the Virginia .Sen ator. THE nttcntion of the member* of the Democratic County Committee is directed to the call of the Chairman for • meeting of the Committee on 1 ueaday next, the 26th instant. Kvcry member should be prcseut. The bus iness to be laid before the Committee it of an important character, and the BE UI-KFONTK, I'A., THURSDAY, AI'RIU 'JI, 18K|. interests of the party demand that it slrnll be carefully considered. We trust there will be no absentees. Tho Monetary Conference. It was expected that the interna- , tiouul monetary conference of which j •Secretary EvarU and ex-Senators j Thtirman and Howe arc members by appointment of the President, would begin its sessions in Paris on last Tues day. The conference p<>-.-*.ses no power further than to give the views j and the conclusions of the delegates 1 which arc to compose it, although in some quarters a contrary belief seems to have l>ecu entertained. The Amer ican delegates hud particular instruc tions to avoid undertaking to commit our government to any particular line of policy, as it could not Ikj foretold what action Congress would determine upon. The great point which it seems is to be brought before the conference is to discover the true explanation of j the depreciation of silver,and in what | way its value can be appreciated. Among the propositions which it is understood will be urged before the ' conference is that the price of fiue ■ silver be advanced to sixty and seven- j eighth pence per ounce by the corn bined action of the United States and tho great governments of Europe. Hut even if such a plan could pro duce the desired effect, which is ex tremely doubtful, it may be considered as impracticable. The commercial nations are all anxious that silver should command a higher market rate, but each prefers to derange its cur rency as little as*possible and let the others experiment with silver. France nominally has the bimetallic standard, hut not iu reality. So with the United States. The silver enthusiasts in Con gress succeeded iu passing laws to fix the bimetallic system on the United Btab-s, but the effort was abortive, as •Secretary Sherman's construction of the laws enabled him to retain the gold standard, and no creditor of the government has been paid otherwise than in gold, unless by positive request Silver as an unlimited legal tender has not found favor in this country, nor to any great extent elsewhere. Nothing practical in the way of securing a fixed and legal ratio between gold and silver came of the international mooc tarv conference of 1878, and it would be surprising if the experience of this conference proves different. The friends of a single standard remain firm in the conviction that gold is the true one, and will not therefore be likely to recommend anything practi cable in the way of giving the world a bimetallic standard. Tilt: spectacle! The representa tives of a great party iu the United | States Senate, present the anomalous : spectacle of refusing to transact the business for which they were convened. And why ? Simply, because the Dem ocrats, who still entertain respect for the dignity and glory of the jwo-t as well as for the proprieties of the pres ent, cannot become partial to the rati fication of a corrupt and disgraceful bargain. This, in tho Senate of the United States, once supposed to be a high and dignified body! Shades of Clay and Webster, Calhoun and : Benton, to what degradation has this foruin, in which ihc eminent men of America once electrified the world with the wisdom and the glory of their statesmanship, descended. It is now convoi ted into a barter shop where Conkling and Arthur, Cameron and Mahono trade their wares and bargain for the mean advantages of power to which they have neither claim or fit ness. In tho light of tho past, this U indeed a melancholy picture. But it is not overdrawn, and no true Demo crat can lend I hem any aid or sympa thy to break the dead-lock. Democrats can only stand firm aud by their acts protect tho great party they so faith fully represent from any apparent re sponsibility with the acts of these hux ters and the disgrace that will follow the ratification of tneir nefarious bargains. In speukiug of the Ilayea veto of I the funding bill, the Harrinburg /la*' triot hit* the nail squarely on the head when it ways that "it wus to enable the (inrfielil administration to arrange the | loan with the national Hanks on their j own terms during the recess of Con j gretu." Under the |dun of Becretury Windom they can refund their bonds ut the rate of."} per cent, for interest, while Congress proposed that all bonds | maturing during the present year j -himld be refunded at •'! per cent. Looan, of Illinois, made a speech in the United States Senate the other day upon a congenial subject. It was all about himself. UK AC ONSFIKLD DMA 11. | iti.i. or vr.sus viik iobv ixviikk rme ' AW.tV —ST VTEHMVN AMi NOVELIST. London, April 19 —5:30 H. Lord Beaconstii'ld is dead. Ilisdcuth ' was much more sudden tli.iii liis pit)si , j onus expected. At five a. u. the new* , papers announced that liis symptoms ' had given grounds fur more grave nnx j ieties than at any period during his ill i nets, the bulletins of yester lay morn ing had stated that lie had boon more j resiles, during the last twenty four i hours and that there was no material gain in his strength. The news at ten j | !■. m. was that he was restless during the 'day and that his strength had ditnin- I shed. His death took place at half ' past four a. v. I Benjamin l>israeli, the distinguished 1 Kogluh statesman and author, was born 1 at London in Decembr-r, 1*(>, and wo* ' the son of Isaac Disraeli, an English hterateur, who, also b un near London, 1 inherited a large fortune from hi father, a Venetian merchant of Jewish ex ' trncijon. In 1 •<•_*<" Benjamin producer! iit< first work, "Vivian tlrey," a fw-hion j .dde novel which met with great favor; ! tins was followed in 1* ;U by "Tin Voting Duke." and two years later "Contarim Fleming'' was published. The life of Disraeli reads like a romance. A successful author at 'JO >car*, he early looked forward to foiuicai distinction In 1831 he was a csiididalo on the Kid lost nils tor toe tx.rougu of VVycouil.e tnd he lost tin election tn tao cetif^' ; He w.i a ( Aiidldatc in 1* sis . I'm | .creative in the borough <>i Taunton, and fsred no better thsn before ; but tn Did" he was ti'turnisl to Parliament a. a candid .to for the luroii r :i of M-std stone. l'|on the for nation *.f Mrd Derby's Ministry in I*.VJ l>. -.v li b r*m-- Chancellor of tn !".* ht-qiior. ID (jlid the si-ne oi'.ic. m 1 and in lk.*i9 brought forward an cisUirst* 1 ill for electoral icf am. *l,i li n s dle;it'-d in the IL use of Commons M*rcli -.1 ami Parliament wi* iii-<'v. d ,\j *.l 23. It was not tint.l 1-■ . lint the Deri.-. Ministry again came in power, witn Disraeli in tie s.ine capacity, On to resignation of tfie Kirl of Derby in ! l>' Di-roeli became I'rinie Minister, i-ut on tfi" dissolution el Parliament, owing to a disagreement as to the dl*e tsbli-tin.ent of the lush t'lmrch. the ' Mini try in the new elections fount j themselves in a minority, and were forced to resign. \ Libers I Ministry was then in power until 1*7.1, when it :na le an appeal to the country and w is ! 'lefeateil. Disraeli was again Culled to the helm, and remained for a full Bar ; Itamenlary term —seven years—when the Liberals, in I**o. again triumphed | at the elections, and Disraeli retired, having entered the House of Lords a* Eirlof Bearonsfield in I*7". lie bad, ; however, previously refused the peerage, | but made his wife a t'ountesa instead. It was during liis last administration that the (preen assumed the title of J Empress o| India. In I*7o he publish | ed "Ixithair." a politico-religious novel, ; which attained b great circulation, and , only last year "Eodymion" was given to the world by its distinguished author. It was probably bis most profitable novel. Disraeli's name is associated j with many prominent events in the i modern history ol England, and it is doubtful if the romance of his career will ever be eclipsed by that of nny Britiah Premier.] For. the fourth time the Wyoming Valley Hotel has been tlyeatened with destruction. About eleven o'clock on last Sunday morning fire was discovered and when the department arrived upon '.he scene the flame* already had spread from the little wooden shoe shop ad jacent to the hotel to the dwelling of John Wells llallenbeck on the north and to the Valley House on the south. Already quite a number of tourists are passing through this section and the register shows a number of guests. The north wing of the hotel was on fire and the main hallway and stair egress was a scene of excitement. Altera stubborn fight the tlames were quenched. The damage to the different properties is several thousands, hut the hotel will continue to do business. The parlors and sleeping rooms and dining room are in good condition. The great Corliss engine, which was on exhibition at the Centennial and was taken to the new town of Pullman a few miles south of Chicago, has been placed in the Pullman Palace < V Com pany's works, and was on Saturday started for the first time. The iron ore discoveries in the coun ty of Fayette give promise that the min ing of that ore will beoome an extensive and lucrative industry. STATE NEWS. The dropout coal working in Sehuyl kill county is the Potlsville shaft, where j a depth of over 1,000 feet has been reached. A pistol accidentally exploded in the ' hands of Eiuriklin Bee tile I, aged 17 vears, ut Lebanon on Friday, killing j him instantly. An explosion occurred recently at Hel j frich a paint works, near Allenluwn, in which several persons were seriously ; lujuied. Tlie explosion was caused by j the mixing of acids. The loss is end I mated st 11,500. In Forest county there is a well which | iuis recently begun to produce a black oil bearing a close resemblance to coal l tar. No other well iu the vicinity pro duces anything like it, though the drill ' pa-sea through the same kind of slate ! | at equal distances in all of them. I A spark from a locomotive set fire to 1 ! a blanket that whs wrapped around a #I.OOO stallion owned in Pleasant town j I -hip. W nrreu county. The horse was : | maddened by pain und bis wild leaps made relief iinj o-sit.le. He was to hadlv hurned that ha died within a few , hours of the accident, j William Pointer, a German, residing not far from Lancaster, obtained more liquor thin wis go i i for him in that city on Friday afternoon. <nß physician at the Almshouse, has Sod hope of the ult mate recovery of v untoi tun ale man. TERMS: $1.50 per Annum, in Advance. The King Killer*!. ST. PcTEMBf iui, April 15.—A1l (he | Nihilists, except the woman, H<*ssy Hellmnn, condemned to death for con* i nection with the Cznr'n awutinttioo, 1 namely : Kunsakoff, Micbaeloff. Kibaltz chitsrh, Jeliaboffand Sophia I'ieoff.ky, ! were handed at lOo'clock this morning. I The concourse of spectators v. a* irn* , tnense, and the excitement La* not been paralleled by any eventaince the Russian capital wa* thrilled by the report that the Czar had been torn to piece* by a j Nihilist'* bomb, on March 13. At the appointed hour the victims of the law were taken from their cell* in the For tress of St. Peter and St. Paul, placed upon a hurdle, drawn by four horse*, and surrounded by a strong body of mounted troop*, the cortege proceeded at a slow puce through the streets lead* I ing to Someroff square, the place of ex ecution. In the middle of the square 1 stood the scaffold, a revolting object, with it* five ropes dangling against the | sky. To the la*t every one of the five I person* so soon to die refused positively to accept the ruinistrationsof the priests. | A horrible incident occurred aa the drop fell, MichaolofTa rope broke and he fell to the ground. A thrill of hor ror ran through the vast assemblage, I and even the officer* charged with this terrible duty showed signs of being schocked. MichaelofTshody wa* raised, I when upon again attempting to hang t him the rope once more parted, l.oud ' exclamation* of disgust and pity were ; heard among the people, hut there was Jno disorder. The work of death trii finally accomplished, and the fivecon ; denined Nihilist* *wung lifeless from ; the lalal beam. The Iron Trade of the United State*. The On*u office ha* published a preliminary report of the iron and steel industries of the United States. The whole number of establishment* in 1880 was 1.005. In 1870 it wa* 808. The j percentage of release in ten years was I 24.38. The size and capacity of the ! establishments were, however, much greater in I*Bo than in 1870. A* the | capacity of blast furnaces only was gitr -1 en in l k 7o, no complete data are nviiiln \ tile for a comparison of the capacity of a'd the works in the two periods. The (truly capacity'.f the bla*t furnaces in | 1870 wa* 8,337 ton*, and in 1 Kjmi wa.* 19,2(8 tons —an increase of 130.33 per | cent. The whole amount of capital ' invested in tb- iron and teel industries of the United Slate* in JSutb Caroling i doe* not appear in the * tat is! ics of 1S V O. | It* total production in JSSO did not , aggregate 500 ton*. The iron industry in this Mate ha* been practically aban doned. Since 1870 three States have, j for the first time, engaged in the man- I ufacture of iron, namely, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska; alo two Tcrri torie*, namely, Utah and Wyoming. Utah did not. however, make any iron in 18*0. It made a small quantity in the years 187-1, 1873 and I**7