American Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 51, 25 September 1891, Page 2

American Notes.

An importation of convict labour into the coal-mines of Tennessee occasioned' la'ely an active protest on the part of the miners that threatened serious results. The State militia, which waa sent to restore order, found itself unable to fulfil i s mission and was obliged to retire. Preparations were made to conduct operations by a stronger force, but a compromise was made by which the miners bound them, selves to submit to the unfair competition on the understanding that tbe State should legislate for their protection. This hiring oat of convict labonr, which still obtains in some other States besides Tennessee, is a crying evil, and inflicts severe injustice on free labour.

A misunderstanding between the Indian Commission and the Bureau of Catholic Missions, which threatened to affect the Catholic schools among the Indians in a deleterious manner, has been amicably settled by the intervention of Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ireland. The Archbishop had a personal interview with Com* missioner Morgan, whose anti-Catholic prejudices seem to have yielded to his Grace's influence. This is a matter for congratulation, as anything tending to impede the missionaries in their labours of love and mercy — notably crowned as these have always been with success— must be regretted by all who have truly at heart the interests of Christian civilization.

President Harrison, in a recent interview with Cardinal Gibbons, expressed his satisfaction at the attitude against foreign interference maintained by his Eminence towards the famous Cahenßly proposal A despatch from Rome states that the Pope has signified bis approval of the President's sentiments,

Archbishop Ireland has won golden opinions and proved his great personal influence by preventing a prize-fight between the pugilists Hall and Fitzsimmons in St Paul. His Grace declared his intention publicly and was hardly credited. An appeal to the Mayor of the city was rejected by that functionary. The Archbishop, however, called a meeting at which 5,000 people assembled, and a memorial to tht Governor of the State was the immediate result. The Governor's response came next morning in the shape of an orde r to the Sheriff to stop the fight— if necessary by a force of a thousand men. Archbishop Ireland explains the matter as follows :: — '• I look on pugilism as one of the disgraces of the country. I joined my fellow-citizens of all religious beliefs to suppress this fight and we succeeded. We had to antagonise the city authorities, the gamblers the pugilists, and the rough element. Heretofore there have been prize-fights in Minnesota in obscure theatres and halls. Of course the law-\nd-order p2ople cannot be supposed to follow prize-fighting into a'l i's dark lines. The Fitzsimmons-Hall fight was to be a most public aff lr, a special amphitheatre being erected for it, and the spjrting gentry of the whole country invited to witness it. Such an exhibition could not be ignored by law-abiding men. Prize-fighta may take place in Minnesota in obscure places in the future, but never in the open, way proposed in the the Fitzsimmons-Hall conteat."

A pupil of the Christian Brothers' High school, Manchhester N.H., has gained the first place in the competitive examination for the West Point cadet ships. This is the seson 1 tima within a short period that the distinction in question has been won by a pupil of this school.

Practical testimony of a very remarkable kind has been borne to the worth of Ciihjhc education by Mr. George Bibcock Hazard a Protestant gentlcmia of Newport, RI. Mr Hazirdhis built and equipped at his owa sole exp^nsa, a co9t of 60,000 dj's, a magnificent school-house, wh eh ha has presented to the Catholic Bish >p of the diocese. The donor is a mm of large fortuna, acquired by a successful business career, anl of which hs mik3s a noble usa. A shrewd man of business, however, is a trustworthy ju iga as to the nature of the object for which he bestows his money.

A new departure is about to be male in the carriage of ocean mails. Hitherto the subsidies granted to American vessels for tbe purpose have been njxt to nothing. The Postal Aid Bill now before Congress has for its object the employment for mail purposes of American built-3teamers, owned, and officered and partially manned, by American citizens only. The result is looked forwarJ to as a great increase in American shipping, of which, it is complained, the seas are now comparatively bare. The advocates of Protection declare that, in the matter cf shipping, England has baen virtually Protectionist, and to this they ascribe the monopoly by her of the ocean trade. The new departure they expect will place America at least on an equal footing.

the approaching election for the Governorship of Ohio, for which: Ma jorJMcEinley, author of the famous tariff, is a candidate forms a subject of much interest. The issue is looked upon as affecting the prospects of Protection and is, therefore, considered of more than local Importance. The effect of the tariff ia Ohio is eiid to be favourable, and to be highly appreciated by the heads of households there. The vote of his native Siate.itherefora, is expected to b 3 given McEidfy.

11 Miss Mary Florida Spalding, says the Michigan Catholic, " is a Catholic girl eighteen years old, who graduated last month at the Sacred Heart Convent, St. Louis. The Sunday Post-Despatch, of that city, offered twelve prizes for the best twelve essays, the compeition to be open only to students. The first of the prizes was lOOdols in gold, and this prize waa won by Miss Spalding. Miss Spalding never attended any school but those of the Nuns of the Sacred Heart. Of the other eleven prizes, five were won by pupils of Catholic schools— three going to students of St. Louis' University of the Jesuits, and two to pupils of the Academy of the Sisters of Charity, Mt. St. Vincent's. We (Pilot) have recently chronicled the victories of the students of the Christian Brothers in Manchester, N.H., and New York City, in competitions for West Point Cadetships ; the first places won by pupils of the Cathedral High School, Springfield, in Civil Service Examinations, and many other gratifying evidences of the value for practical life, as well as for the higher things, of the education given in Oatholic schools. It is bard to have patience with those who object to Catholic schools as " unpractical," and " behind the times."

Something of the Know-nothing spirit still lingers ia the country, It does so, however, only to emphasize the change for the better that has taken place, and to prove its own contemptible nature. A manifestation of it has been made lately in Boston by a Society calling itself the Patriotic Order of Sods of America, but composed of foreigners naturalised on false pretences. All its importance is that it is a monument of a miserable past— and consistently a miserable monument.

Reports as to the failure of Mr Blaina's health are set down to the malice and fear of his enemies. Seeing the great popularity gained by the Secretary through the wisdom of his policy and feeling assured that it would be impossible for him to resist the determination of the Republicans to nominate him for the Presidency, they fell back upon the device of proclaiming him physically disabled for life. Mr Blame, nevertheless, suffers from no organic disease. His illness, indeed, is most creditable to him, proving, as it does, that, in both his public and his private capacity, he had shown himself of sterling worth. As a servant of the State he had exerted himself to the utmost, and over-taxed his strength, and as a father he bad severely felt the loss of a son and daughter. This was the cause of his iilneßS — to recover from which rest alone waß necessary. Those who, under the circumstances, misrepresented the state of the case have done themselves more harm than good by their malevolent assertions, Mr Blaine'a nomination is almost certain, and his election is extremely probable.

The Pilot summarizes as follows an article entitled " Are we ABglo-Saxons," by Mr John C. Fleming, ia the North Avierican Review for August :— " ' Are we Anglo-Saxons ? ' asks Mr John C. Fleming, in the North American Review for Augcst, and answers the question by some facts and figures which must surprise the admirers of the ' Mother Country.' Taking the first census of the Republic, in 1790, he chows that the total population then was 3,172,000, of which he assumes that 2,000,000 were of English origin, a very generous allowance. To determine the natural increase is an impossibility, owing to immigration, but he generously allows the AngloBaxon a fertility equal to that of the American negro, whose increase can be accurately measured. 'It is known that in 1790 the coloured population, bond and free, waa 757,208, and in 1880, 6,580,793, which is an increase of 770 per cent, in ninety years. Now, if the 2,000,000 Anglo-Saxons increased in the lame ratio, their number in 1880 would have reached 15,400,000.' Congressional Librarian Spoffort, estimates the immigration from England between 1779 and 1820 as 250,000. From 1820 to 1879, both inclusive, England sent us 894,444 while the total immigration from all parts in the same period amounted to 9,908,709. 'It will be seen from these figures,' says Mr Fleming, ' that England alone famished less than a tenth of tfaid volume of immigration ; but allowing bait of the Scotch contingent to be Anglo-Saxon, and a fourth of the Canadians to be of the same race, the sum would be 1,115,450, which, added to the 15,400,000 above, would make a total of a little over sixteen and a half millions in 1880, plus the natural increase of the immigrants, which, if set down at half a million, would allow the people of Anglo-Saxon blood in this country in that year to be 17,000,000, or about seventeen forty-fourths of the white population. Ido not take the 560,453 immigrants from Great Britain (not specified) into this account, as i

believe they were Irish and other Europeans. It is well known the "Encyclopaedia Britanoica" is authority for it— that the English Immigration Bureau kept track of English emigrants proper sailing from English ports, while as for others it often did not take the trouble to classify them according to nationality. Bince 1880 upwards of 7,000,000 immigrants from Europe and British- America have entered the United Btates, chiefly from Germany, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Italy, and relatively few from England ; and at this present moment the most liberal estimate could not allow more than 18,000,000 of Anglo-Saxon b'ood in the country.' The Anglo-Saxon, theiefore, is something over one-fourth of the population, while it claims to be the whole. The Celtic population alone is certainly a larger proportion."