746 



UNITED STATES. 



Military Affairs, and stood by the Union, in 

 those stormy times of 1863-'65, when he re- 

 signed his seat, and located in Louisville to prac- 

 tise his profession. In 1866 he was appointed 

 Assistant United States District Attorney for 

 Kentucky, and about a year thereafter succeed- 

 ed Joshua Tevis, Esq., as District Attorney. The 

 ability manifested in the administration of the 

 office of District Attorney first brought Colonel 

 Bristow prominently before the country. He 

 resigned the office in 1870, and formed a law 

 partnership with General John M. Harlan, of 

 Louisville, Ky., from which he was called in 

 less than a year to fill the office of Solicitor- 

 General of the United States, at that time cre- 

 ated. After about two years of life in Washing- 

 ton, he resigned the office and retired to the 

 practice of his profession in Louisville. In the 

 winter of 1874 Colonel Bristow was nominated 

 for Attorney-General of the United States, to 

 succeed Attorney-General Williams, who was 

 nominated for Chief-Justice. But the nomina- 

 tion of Willams not having been confirmed, 

 Colonel Bristow did not take his seat. In June, 

 1874, after the office of Secretary of the Treas- 

 ury had been made vacant by the resignation 

 of Secretary Kichardson, the country was sur- 

 prised by the appointment of Colonel Bristow 

 to this important place in the cabinet. Once 

 fairly settled and made familiar with the ma- 

 chinery of this department, he began a most 

 sweeping and inexorable warfare upon the 

 frauds which had crept in to rob the Govern- 

 ment of its revenues. 



Meantime the first session of the Forty-fourth 

 Congress convened. For the first time dur- 

 ing fifteen years the Democrats, or opposition, 

 had a majority in the House of Representatives. 

 This majority was overwhelming, numbering 

 about seventy. MICHAEL C. KERB was chosen 

 Speaker, and the committees were appointed 

 under the expectation that investigations would 

 be made in almost every department of the 

 public service. Mr. Kerr was born near Titus- 

 ville, Crawford County, Ind., in 1827. The 

 foundation of his education was laid in the 

 common schools of Crawford County. Having 

 taken up his residence in Kentucky, he studied 

 law in the University of Louisville, where he 

 graduated with marked honors. After a short 

 period he removed to New Albany, Ind. In 1856 

 he was elected to the Legislature of Indiana for 

 two years. Besides serving in the Legislature he 

 also acted at different periods as city attorney, 

 and prosecuting attorney of Floyd County. In 

 1862 he was chosen reporter of the Supreme 

 Court of Indiana, and edited five volumes of 

 the reports of that body. In 1862 Mr. Kerr 

 was chosen to the Thirty-ninth Congress. He 

 was also reflected in 1866, 1868, 1870, and 

 1874. 



The inflation or contraction of the currency 

 was a subject considerably discussed during the 

 year, and conventions on each side of the ques- 

 tion were held in various localities. The views 

 of those opposed to inflation were expressed in 



resolutions like the following, adopted at the 

 meeting of business-men in New York, on July 

 29th : 



That we inflexibly set our faces against all schemes 

 for currency inflation, or any form of paper currency, 

 greenbacks or otherwise, so long as that currency 

 shall consist of irredeemable promises to pay money, 

 and we will oppose any policy which has not a direct 

 purpose to establish the currency on a par with, and 

 actually interconvertible with, coin. 



The views of those opposed to contraction 

 are summarily expressed in the following reso- 

 lutions, being part of a series adopted by a 

 convention in Detroit, August 23d : 



2. The Government owes to the people an abso- 

 lutely safe and uniform currency, adapted to their 

 varying needs in amount, and of a value not mate- 

 rially different from that of other civilized nations. 



3. That the providing of a currency for the people 

 is an attribute of sovereignty, and we demand that 

 the Government of the United States shall perform 

 this duty in such a manner as to furnish the public 

 an amount of currency adequate to the business re- 

 quirements of the country, and independent of the 

 action of banks or other private corporations. 



4. That we are neither repudiationists nor infla- 

 tionists, but the friends of a safe, sound, and relia- 

 ble currency ; that we propose to redeem the green- 

 back circulation of theTTnited States at the pleasure 

 of the holders thereof, in bonds of the United States, 

 bearing a low rote of interest, and convertible at the 

 pleasure of the holders into greenbacks, thus re- 

 deeming the original promise of the Government 

 when it first issued greenbacks, to fund them when 

 desired into interest-paying bonds. 



A National Temperance Convention assem- 

 bled in Chicago on June 1st. In the series of 

 resolutions adopted by the convention the fol- 

 lowing are entitled to notice : 



Resolved, That we recommend all citizens to make 

 the temperance issue " without concealment, without 

 compromise," to the caucus and the polls ; to nomi- 

 nate and vote for such candidates only, State and 

 national, as will unqualifiedly indorse and sustain 

 the prohibition of the liquor-traffic; that in every 

 State, county, town, and congressional district, in 

 the United States, Prohibition leagues be organized; 

 also, whenever suitable nominations are not other- 

 wise made, that independent Prohibition candidates 

 be nominated for the suffrages of all thoughtful citi- 

 zens; and that the Prohibition party should have 

 the undivided support of all temperance voters in 

 each State and Territory where, in their judgment, 

 such political action is the best method of securing 

 the enactment and enforcement of efficient prohibi- 

 tory laws. 



Resolved, That the time has arrived more fully to 

 consider the relations of the national Government to 

 its responsibility for the alcoholic liquor-traffic ; that 

 we hereby ask the Forty-fourth Congress to prohibit 

 the manufacture and sale of all alcoholic beverages 

 in the District of Columbia and in the Territories 

 of the United States ; and to prohibit their importa- 

 tion from foreign countries; to require total absti- 

 nence from all alcoholic beverages on the part of all 

 officials and subordinates in the civil, military, and 

 naval service, and to initiate and adopt for ratifica- 

 tion by the several States of the Union a constitu- 

 tional amendment which shall make the traffic in 

 alcoholic beverages illegal throughout our national 

 domain. 



Resolved, That we respectfully ask the Forty-fourth 

 Congress to authorize the appointment of a national 

 commission of inquiry to investigate and report upon 

 the results of the alcoholic liquor-traffic in its rela- 

 tions to pauperism, crime, the public health, and 



