and drinking, makes the following observation :
“Tobacco lessens a man’s interest in woman, and
his enjoyment of their society, and this is the true
reason why almost every lady of spirit is the irre
concilable foe of tobacco ” “Smoking does
certainly blunt a man’s sense of cleanliness. It
certainly is.an unclean habit. If smokers were to
be judged by the places they have left—by the
smoking car after a long day’s use, or by the
bachelor’s quarters .when the bachelor has gone
down town—they must be rated very low in the
scale of civilization.”
The evil effects of this habit are not appre
ciated until health has depreciated, which takes
place only after the habit is beyond control. Dr.
Frantzel, of Berlin, recently made a report of his
observations upon the effect of immoderate smok
ing, from which I quote the following : “Smok
ing as a rule agrees with persons for many years
(zo or more), but all at once, without any assign
able cause, troubles are experienced with the heart,
which rapidly increase and compel medical aid.”
POLITICS .
The present attitude of political parties in
the United States cannot receive the hearty ap
proval of the true, conscientious and patriotic
citizen for obvious reasons, a few of which it
shall be the purpose of this article to mention.
Granting that constitutions and laws express the
will of the people, still they cannot execute them
selves. Therefore, the execution of the laws and
the administration of governments must be en
trusted to the people. It is at this point that the
“weakness and wickedness of human nature have
entered into all systems of government ever yet
established."
Each of the two prominent political parties
base their claims to the control of the govern
ment on what they were in the past instead of
what they are at present. Both the parties with
equal earnestness endeavored to solve the only
political problem i How to govern people with
THE FREE LANCE.
out interfering with their freedom. It is true
each has a method of solution almost opposite
the other. The Democratic party has sought for
a liberty which should determine their law which
to a great extent was shown in the doctrine of
States rights. The Republican party has looked
for a law which should maintain their liberty
which was manifested in their attitude towards
the Southern secession, compelling obedience to
lawful authority. These two political parties
have deteriorated, in their earnestness to solve
the problem, since their origin. How great their
interest to solve this problem is, at present, is a
puzzle. They have been justly accused of insin
cerity and these accusations have found voice
through the many political parties which have
originated within the last few years.
While they should be commended for their
past work, yet we should exact other claims than
the dead issues of the past. The wounds of past
political contention must ever be torn open by
some whose only weapon, in a political contest,
is a harangue on the “bloody shirt,” “the resto
ration of the rebel flags to the South,” “the G.
A. R.,” “Secession,” and “turn the rascals out.”
It is well enough to give such subjects atten
tion, but there is a limit beyond which “forbear-
ance ceases to be a virtue.”
It would be a difficult task to enumerate the
many foul devices resorted to by politicians to'
“gain their point.” It was stated by a man of
veracity that at the recent election in New York
men formed themselves in a line, with their tick
ets elevated at right angles to their bodies, and
when the polls were opened cast their votes,
walked into an adjacent saloon, and received
each a five dollar bill as the price of his ballot,
In Philadelphia thousands of illegal names were
on the register. In Baltimore, persons after vo
ting in one district went to others and repeated
their vote.
Many more instances which occurred within
the past year could be cited if necessary. The