The Civil Rights Bill 
Wm discussed in Congress Monday, Jan. 5. It 
was opposed by Mr. Harris of Virginia. Alex¬ 
ander Stephens opposed it on the ground of 
its unoonstHutionaltty. Mr. Ransier (colored) 
from South Carolina read a speech sustaining 
the bill, the gist of hlB argument being the 
United States freed the blacks and gave them 
the rights of citizens; they are deprived by 
custom and prejudice of certain privileges the 
whites enjoy; therefore. Congress should legis¬ 
late to force people to abandon their preju¬ 
dices and give up their customs, so that the 
blacks may enjoy these privileges. This argu¬ 
ment takes little account of constitutional ob¬ 
jections. It sees an apparent grievance, and 
comes straight to Congress as the source of 
power to demand Its removal. 
brunette, five feet three Inohes longitude; that 
her gravity Is 225 pounds, and that she can whip 
any editor in Cambria County. 
The reported appoint ment of Baron Schwarz- 
Senborn as the Minister of the Austro-Hun¬ 
garian Umpire to this country, if made, is no 
doubt in reference to the Philadelphia Cent en¬ 
nial. The Baron was General Director of the 
Vienna Exhibition. In which position he ex¬ 
hibited remarkable ability, making the enter¬ 
prise a notable success in the face of difficul¬ 
ties and embarrassments such as no previous 
World’s Fair encountered. 
A MI880URI wile Is mentioned in the news¬ 
papers who sold her piano, bought with the pro¬ 
ceeds a sewing machineand material enough to 
make herself and her husband a suit of cJothes. 
These she made tip on the machine; and her 
proud husband told everybody about it. Mark 
tho result I In two weeks the four sisters of 
that smart woman were all married. 
Tht.rr has been a commotion in the Brussels 
Academy of Science, occasioned by doubts ex¬ 
pressed by an eminent, zoologist whether a 
human body swallowed by a whale, as was tho 
case wit h Jonah, would be In a good condition 
three days afterward. Two of the professors 
resigned because the academy refusod to cen¬ 
sure the heretical savant. 
A new plan is to be tried with the Michigan 
convicts. The odious striped garments are to 
be abolished. The prisoners are to be allowed 
to correspond with their friends. Those who 
are uneducated are to be taught, and when 
liberated each man Is to receive a suit of 
clothes and $10 In money, with whatever he 
has earned by overwork. 
If they do not stop fighting in Spain they will 
be obliged to stop bottling fn London. A cork 
manufacturer In that city being lately sum¬ 
moned for debt told the judge that all the cork 
used In the metropolis came from that part of 
Spain at present held by the Carlists, and that 
the war nearly ruined all the cork-cutters in 
Groat Britain. 
Mokic emulation 1 An exciting cotton-picking 
match has just Taken place in Abbeville, be¬ 
tween a Georgian colored man and a dusky 
brother from South Carolina. Georgia picked 
450 pounds in seven hours; South Carolina,472 
pounds In the same time, thus winning the 
stakes, which, we grieve to say were five gallons 
of brandy. 
1 Mil. Hale of Maine Intends to give the Con¬ 
gressmen who are quibbling about their votes 
on tho Salary bill a cbancc to place themselves 
squarely on the record. It is announced that 
as soon as Congress reassembles he will move a 
suspension of the rules and introduce a bill for 
the complete repeal of the grab. 
A Chinese newspaper of decidedly monarch¬ 
ical oplntons gravely announces that at an au¬ 
dience given by the Emperor “ the embassadors 
were so overwhelmed by tho augustnoEs of his 
Imperial Majesty that, not one of them could 
speak a word, and most of them had to b# led 
out In a fainting condition." 
A correspondent of the London Times says 
that he has been told on trustworthy authority 
that ••during the first six months of 1866 up¬ 
ward of 130,000 tons of rice were exported from 
Calcutta, and during the same time nearly the 
whole of the surplus crops of Burmah were 
shipped to Europe and China.” 
The Hudson will be a much-bridged river. 
Its navigable portion Is now spanned at Lan- 
s’ngburgh, Troy, and twice at Albany. The 
bridge at Poughkeepsie will be pushed forward 
rapidly; the one proposed near Newburgh is 
likely to be begun next season, and a now one 
at Troy is under way. 
The Illinois Legislature, which met at Spring- 
field Jan. 6, is declared by the State press to he 
illegal. It- Is an adjourned session of last year's 
Legislature, after a recess of eight months, and 
meets in direct violation of The spirit of the 
Constitution, which provides for biennial ses¬ 
sions only. 
The latest medical discovery has been made 
at Bloomington, Ill. It is that the air of a coal 
mine is a cure and preventive of whooping 
cough. When the miners’ children contract 
that noisy complaint they are taken down into 
the shaft and kept there until they stop 
whooping. 
The Supremo Court lias decided, In the case 
of t he Union Pacific Railroad and the com mon¬ 
wealth of Nebraska, that the State has a right 
to tax to an unlimited extent all property, 
trade*, business and vocations existing or car¬ 
ried on within its borders. 
FOB 45 years the Rev. E. R. Gilbert has been 
pastor of a church in Wallingford, Conn. He 
now retires with the honorary title of Pastor 
deadly breech-loading rifles, with which mur¬ 
derous execution is done when Lo gets “high.” 
An effort is being made in all Government 
Departments to reduce current 'expenses, the 
House Committee on Appropriations beiug de¬ 
termined t o cut them down $25,000,000. 
DF.CEMBF.n 20, tho U. S. Treasury Department 
had but $25,000,000 of the legal-tender reserve 
on hand, thus showing that $21,000,000 have 
been Issued the past three months. 
The London Daily News reports that the hos¬ 
tile tone of recent pastorals issued by French 
bishops has caused the German Government 
to ronew its oomplainta to France. 
Walt. Whitman says he is tired of writing 
poetry. 
PUBLISHER’S SPECIAL NOTICES, 
How to Do It. —It is not necessary to have all 
our “ documents " in oraer to form a club. On tho 
contrary, any subscriber, or other render of tho 
paper who knows Its merits, can go to work at once. 
By showing a number of tho RURAL, and talking to 
friends aDd neighbors, almost, any one can form a 
club of from ten to titty, without other assistance. 
We will send all requisite aids, but If not received 
you need not n ait tholr arrival—and a little J'lmdy 
Effort will secure you a Valuable Premium, 
December is tlio Be*t Month In which to form 
clubs, and lienee Now. (x the Very Ttmstcir our Agents, 
and all others disposed to secure “Good Pay for Do¬ 
ing Good “—to help the RURAL and benefit them¬ 
selves—to open and push tho Campaign for 1874. 
Many have already commenced, and we trust every 
Club Agent who lias not “opened the ball " will do 
bo at once. Our Premiums nre so liberal that every 
one forming a club will be Well REWARDED. 
THE SEASON, CROPS, PRICES, ETC, 
The Chief Justiceship. 
Dispatches from Washington announce that 
the President, has but recently discovered that 
there is a strong Republican opposition to t he 
confirmation of Attorney-General Williams aa 
Chief JusticB. Ho was so much astonished at 
the discovery that, he visited the Capitol Mon¬ 
day, and had an interview with the Republican 
members of tho Judiciary Committee, the re¬ 
sult of which interview will probably be the 
withdrawal of Mr. Williams' name. It, is inti¬ 
mated, if his name is withdrawn, an attempt 
will be made in Congress to abolish the office 
of Chief Justice. 
Xenia, Green Co., O., Dec. 25.—Wheat, $1.40; 
corn, 45 cents; rye, 70 cents: oats, 35 cents; 
flax-seed, $1-<J0: bogs, fat. $5 per 100 lbs; stock 
hogs, $4.75; sheep, fat, $4 per 100 lbs.; cattle, 
$4.G0@5 per 100 lbs.; but tor, 25c, per lb.; eggs, per 
doz., 25c.; potatoes, per bush., 80c.; green ap¬ 
ples, per bush., $1. The wheat crop was good, 
ranging from 15 to 37 bush, per acre. Corn was 
not an average. Oats was almost a failure. Bar¬ 
ley and rye were very poor. Potatoes were good 
and sound, and yielded well. Peaches, none at 
all, ;irrt few apples; what there were of them 
were knotty and full of insects. Tho fore part 
and middle of the season was very dry; the 
fall was pleasant and beautiful, just enough 
rain to make the fall crops grow well. A few 
weeks ago we had a cold snap that, detained 
the formers from gathering corn, but it all 
passed away, and since then wo bnvo been hav¬ 
ing warm weather with considerable rat ii,whlch 
swelled the streams quite large for a few days. 
—D. D. 8. 
Lyndnnvllle, Vt., Dec. 30.— The weather tho 
present month has been unusually moderate 
and fine, more like October for the most part. 
The cold weather of the first day or two !n the 
month was followed with warm south winds 
and some rain which together reduced the 
snow fully one half, leaving the ground in 
many places bare. Six or eight inches more 
snow fell the 28th. sufficient to make excellent 
sleighing again. The air is colder to-day, quite 
winter-like—thermometer at zero at sunset. 
The present month has been well improved in 
shipping potatoes—the weather very favorable. 
Price paid for potatoes from 40c. to 50e. at sta¬ 
tion. Hay quite plent iful, $12 to $15 per ton. 
Money easier amt business improving, to the joy 
and relief of many a farmer and business man, 
as well as the poor of city and eruntry.—x.w.s. 
Ill-log Nun, Ind., Dec. 22.— Past season dry; 
hay not quite an average crop; wheat, short 
crop ;* corn, ditto; potatoes, one-half crop; 
fall, fine for doing work; weather, warm and 
raining for the past two weeks; no snow yet; 
hay.$14per ton for beat quality; inferior, $10 
to $12; corn, 40©46c.; wheat, $1.30; potatoes, 
70<!&80c.; onions, $4<£4.50 per bbi.— f. h. 
lYewtoo. Ivanna*, uec. v\?.— vVe have not had 
any snow in this locality. The mercury in the 
thermometer has not reached zero yet. Corn, 
25 cents; potatoes, a short crop and selling at 
$1,25; railroad lands. ?4@U», according to loca¬ 
tion. Prospects of a hard winter.— k. 
Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 29.—The winter, thus 
far, has been very mild. The first of anything 
like winter weather that has been experienced 
was Dec. 27,— L. A. H. 
Club Agents wlu> oannol act for t he rural dur¬ 
ing the ensuing year, will confer a special favor by 
inducing Borne active, wide-awake and influential 
friend to de ho— notifying us of the fact. Extra doc¬ 
uments—Premium Lists, ehow Bills, will ho 
sent to ail Mich new Agents. RDd Indeed to all dis¬ 
poser! to do a Little Good Work for a Large Reward. 
The Dociimenta Bendy.—Our Show Bill. Pre¬ 
mium List, Ac., are now ready, and, together with 
specimens of the piper, will be rent promptly—on 
day of receipt of request^to all disposed to form 
clubs or otherwise aid In extending the circulation 
of the best combined Rural, Literary and Fam- 
ilt Weekly. Send for the documents! 
A New Government In Spain. 
President Castblar was twice defeated by 
vote of the Cortes last Saturday, whereupon 
Gen. Pavla summoned the Cortes to dissolve, 
caused troops to take possession of t he place 
of mooting and covered t he building with his 
guns. Castelar refused to remain in office. Gen. 
Pavia summoned a meeting of prominent men, 
and the result is a new Ministry composed as 
follows: President—Marshal Serrano. Minis¬ 
ter of War—Gen. Zavala. Minister of Just ice 
Senor Flgueroln. Minister of Agriculture—Se- 
nor Becerra. Mi Ulster of Finances—Benor Eche- 
garry. Minister of the Interior—Senor Garcia 
Ruiz. Minister of the Marine—Admiral Topeto. 
CURRENT TOPICS 
Back Pay Figures. 
Jan. 6.— In compliance with the Senate reso¬ 
lution offered by Mr. Davis of West Virginia, 
calling for certain Information concerning the 
salaries of iSenatnrs, the Secretary or the 
Senate bas prepared a statement from the 
records of his office, which was laid before the 
Senate to-day by the President pro tern, it ex¬ 
hibits the various rates of compensation for 
Senators and Representatives fixed at various 
times, and shown that the following acts in¬ 
creasing the rat.es of compensation were retro¬ 
active, namely: The act of Sopt. 22, 1789, was 
retroactive for six months and eighteen days; 
the act of March 10, 1796. was retroactive for 
six days; t he aot of March 19,1810, was retro¬ 
active for one year and fifteen days; tho act 
of July 22,1818, was retroactive for fifty-three 
days; the act of Aug. 1856, was retroactive for 
one year, five mont hr. and twelvo days; also the 
act of July 28. IBM, was retroactive, extending 
back one vear, four months and twenty-four 
days; the act of March 3,1873, was retroactive 
for two years. The total average compensa¬ 
tion and allowances of Senators for mileage, 
newspapers and stationery, uniter the act of 
July 28,1866, from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 
1872, was $5,626.55. Under tho same act, from 
March 4, 1872, to March 3,1783, during which 
year Senators received mileage for att ending a 
special session of the Senate, the average total 
compensation and allowance was $5,922.33. The 
average total compensation and allowance of 
Senator.* under tho act of March 3, 1873, is 
estimated at $7,000. The estimate for traveling 
expenses, Included in the above average, is 
based upon the certificates of 46 Senators, 28 
having presented none. There Is no record In 
the office of the Secretary of t he Senate show¬ 
ing that any Senator covered into the Treasury 
any money to which he was entitled by the re¬ 
troactive provisions of cither of the acts of 
Sept. 22, 1789; March 19, 1816; Jan. 22, 1818; 
Aug. 16.1856, or July 28, 1866. The following 
Senators covered into the Treasury the amounts 
due them under the retroactive provision of 
the act of March 3,1873, at the dates herein¬ 
after named; 
1873—Mnv 2fi, Mr- Anthony. .$4,497,70 
June 23, Mr, Buckingham.. 4,853.60 
May 21, Mr. Fenton. 4,184.00 
.Jan.2, Mr. t relinyliuyaen. 4,644.80 
Starvation In Louisiana. 
A Washington dispatch, dated Jan, 5, says: 
“ Bishop Wilmcr of Louisiana called upon the 
President to-day and represented to htm that 
many persons were starving in that State. The 
President, accompanied by the Bishop, pro¬ 
ceeded to the Capitol, and having entered the 
President's room, sent for Speaker Blaine and 
the members of the Louisiana delegation. The 
result of the conference is reported to be that 
to-morrow Representative Sypher will intro¬ 
duce ahill authorizing the War Department to 
issue rations to the sufferers,” 
The VlrginiuB Affair. 
The President has sent a mossago to Con¬ 
gress, accompanied with the official corres¬ 
pondence, giving in detail the official history of 
the affair, which does not essentially differ from 
the current newspaper history, except, that it 
furnishes no evidence that our Government 
was lacking in firmness and energy In the de¬ 
mand for prompt reparation. The Spanish 
Government, however, while apparently willing 
to make such reparation, seems to have acted 
with duplicity, and, through Its Minister of 
State, treated Minister Sickles insolently. 
Fee for Registered Letters. 
It does not seem to be generally known that 
from Jan. 1 the fee for registering a letter 
mailed at any post-office in the United States, 
and addressed to any other post-office in the 
United States, is eight cents in addition to the 
regular letter postage. Until further notice, 
the Post-office Department will not provide 
stamps of the denomination of eight, cents, as 
that sum can be obtained by combining stamps 
of the most convenient denomination at hand. 
WHAT SOCIETIES ARE DOING. 
Vniinia, Midi., Fnrnicm'Clpb.—Officers elect: 
Pm.—A. B. Copley; V. Frcs’ts— M. J. Card, 
Wm, Kirby, L. II, Warner: See.—H. S. Rogers, 
Volinia P.,0.; Librarian—J . II. Warner. Order 
of business:—Discussion of market reports; 
Inquiries and answers; Results of experi¬ 
ments: Miscellaneous; Discussion of stated 
subject for the meeting. Programme forIS74; 
1st Wednesday in January—Question for dis¬ 
cussion—True economy in farm management; 
1st Wednesday in February -Patrons of Hus¬ 
bandry— its purpose?; 1st Wednesday in March 
BRIEF NEWS PARAGRAPHS 
—Hired labor in connection with farming; 1st 
Wednesday in April —Fruit trees—tvhar. to 
plant and how ; 1st Wednesday in May—Sheep 
shearing; 1st Wednesday in June—Trial of Til¬ 
lage implements. 1st Wednesday in August— 
Seed grains; 1st Wednesday in October—Town 
fair: 1st Wednesday in November— Agricul¬ 
tural papers: 1st Wednesday in December- 
Annual meeting—address of the President. 
Tlte Vermont State Grange of Patrons of 
Husbandry recently met at St. Johnsbury. The 
Execut ive Committee were instructed, as soon 
as possible, in co-operation with the State 
Granges of other New England States, to secure 
the services of a suitable person in Boston to 
act as a purchasing and selling agent of the 
Order in that State. Hon. E Colton, lras- 
burgh,was chosen delegut e to the convention 
of the American Cheap Transportation Asso¬ 
ciation which will assemble in Washington in 
January. The following officers were ejected 
for the ensuing year: Mauler—li. P. Colton of 
Iraeburgh. Overseer—W. G. Bartlett, West Dan¬ 
ville; Lecturer—<p. t.,) G. E. Ooydeu, Waits- 
fleld; Steward—J. Dow; Assistant Steward— (p. 
t.,) C. P. Owen; Lady Assistant. Steward— Mrs. 
F. T. Powers: Chaplain—{u. f.JE. W. Hunter; 
Secretary- E. L. Hoveyjof bt. Johnsbury; Treas¬ 
urer, C. J. Bell; (rote Keeper —0. Newton. 
Montgomery, O., Hurt. soc.—Officers elect:— 
Pits.—N- Ohner, Dayton; F. Pres. —John 
Ewing; Sec,— William Ramsey: Trews — R. W. 
Steele; Executive Committee— S. M, Sullivan, 
Wm. Kramer and John Sacksteder; Standing 
Committees—On Fruit, H. W. Muinina; on Flow¬ 
ers, Mrs. J. H. Pierce; on Vegetables, R. P. 
Brown ; on Miscellaneous Articles, Mrs. David 
Carroll. The places of meeting fur the next 
year bave only been partially designated as fol¬ 
lows:—S, M. Sullivan's, January; A, D- Wilt's, 
Under a recent decision of the Commissioner 
of Internal Revenno, not only proprietary med¬ 
icines and medicines in which druggists claim 
a specialty are liable to be stamped, but also all 
medicines which are measured out in bottles 
or wrapped up In parcels, as an ounce of lauda- 
nura, a quarter of a pound of soda, &o. Seidli tz 
powders are excepted. Druggists are complain¬ 
ing of the injustice of the regulations and the 
inconsistency of the decision. 
Dec. 2o, at 12 o'clock M., the engineers and 
firemen on the Illinois Central, Great Eastern, 
Chicago & Northwestern. Pittsburg, Fort. Wayne 
& Chicago, Pan Handle, Cincinnati & St. Louis, 
Indianapolis & Vincennes, and the Jefferson¬ 
ville, Madison & Indianapolis railways struck 
because of a reduction of ten per cent, in the 
amount of wages they had been receiving pre¬ 
vious to Dec. I. 
A boy who has been arrested for burglary at 
Grass Lake, Mich., tells a queer story about a 
“Brotherhood of Robbers," of which he is a 
member. They are regularly organized, with 
grips and passwords, and with three places of 
rendezvous between Detroit and Chicago. The 
“Brotherhood ' number 65, and operate mostly 
on the line of the Michigan Central Railroad. 
A Bedford (Penn.) m wspaper tells of a girl 
who stands on a half-bushel measure and 
gracefully shoulders three bushels of wheat. 
To a doubting editor in an adjoining county 
the newspaper mentions the fact that she is a 
Origin and Spread of Cholera to be 
Investigated. 
The Hon. J. Proctor Knott, formerly a Rep¬ 
resentative in Congress from Kentucky, has 
written letters to Congressmen and to the Sur¬ 
geon-General urging a Government investiga¬ 
tion of l.iie origin and spread of the cholera 
last summer. The Surgeon-General indorses 
Mr. Knott's suggestion, and the House has 
passed a resolution, on motion of Mr. Dawes, 
directing the investigation to be made by one 
or more artny surgeons detailed for the pur¬ 
pose. Medical officers, with special qualifica¬ 
tions for the work, will be assigned to rbisduty, 
and It is belie ved that the result of their inqui¬ 
ries will throw much new light upon the sub¬ 
ject, nd be of great interest to the medical 
and scientific world. All the localities where 
the disease raged will be visited, and the expe¬ 
rience and opinions of local physicians and 
Boards of Health will be considered. 
