General News.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3977, 27 September 1881, Page 2

General News.

THE NEW PRESIDENT,OF THE

UNITED STATES.

The following.brief.sketch of. General Arthur, is from the Atlanta Constitution (Georgia), and was written a few days after the shooting of President Gar* field:—

As to the birthplace of Chester Allan. Arthur, there has been a dispute; which,,, during the last campaign, attained considerable importance. It is generally conceded, however, that ho was born in. Fairfield, Franklin county, Vermont, October sth,; 1830. " His father, William Arthur, was a Protestant Irishman.' In America he became somewhat famous in ! the ministry of the .Baptist church* Young Arthur had good advantages r in'> | early life. At the age of eighteen: he ! graduated at Union College, and began Ito teach school. He ceased teaching and spent two years in the study of law at Ballston Springs. Again be taught school until 1851, when he bad £500, with, which he went to New York to practice law, entering' the office of Erastus D. Culvor, and was soon admitted to a partnership. In 1857 he went west, bat soon returned to New York, and resumed thb practice of his profession. His/ most notable case was the celebrated Leminon suit, associated with Mr Evarts, in which the validity of the fugative slave law in", Virginia was destroyed.. His only service during the .war outside his profession was; for a brief period on the staff of Geaeral; Hunt, in the army of the Potomac, as inspector of New York troops in the field;' Mr Arthur's oareer in politics does not? present any evidence of great ability in that department. He was a member of the Saratoga convention that founded the" republican party in New York. - He has* figured conspicuously as a local politician in New York City, and in 1871 he was nominated by President Grant to be collector of the port of New York. This valuable position he held until July 12th, 1878, when he was removed by President Hayes for alleged use of the office for political purposes. He returned to the practice of law as a member of the firm of Arthur, Phelps, Kaewal and .Ransom, in New York city. At Chicago Conkling secured his nomination for the Vice* Presidency as a rebuke to the Hayes., administration, and his career as the second official in the .Republic is con-, sidered as having been entirely under the. supervision of his imperious friend.' Recently he has been at Albany more than at New York, and has seemed more anxious to secure the re-election of Coupling than to serve the people who chose him for the high office he fills.

In the Legislature of Ohio,,some years ago, there was a warm dispute whether a certain proposed railroad should commence, at a given poiut down or at a certain,other up the river. ' Who ever heard,' said.jf, down the river advocate, 'of beginning. anything at the top ? Who ever heard of building a chimney from the top down-: ward? Who ever saw a house*begun at f the top ?' Up jumped a Dutch member* from an up the river country. • Meesteri Brezident, de jentlemans say dat dees beeznes ees all yon heomboog, pecause fee . vanta to begeeo our railraad mit de top or. dee Shtate, und he makes zome seelyeombarisons apout de houze und de schimney. I veel ask also de jentlemans one questions. Een bees bart ov de Shtate, yen dey" pegins to build yon veil, do (ley ''pegins mit de bottom ov de veil, or do dey pegios mit de top ov de* veil? : Veel de jefitle-1 mans bleese answer me dat leette yon questionP' Thelaughterwhichexplosively J < followed this Teutonic retort showed who' ia the opinion of the legislators had the' better of the argument. . '': ' ?

Professor Blackie in a lecture on " The Covenanters," delivered in Edinburgh on. 20th January last, thus referred to tho condition of Ireland:— " The Scotch (in the time of Charles II.) had got into the state in which Ireland is now., .Having no, protection from the law, and no hope in J 1 that direction they resolved to do justice to themselves. -"-They declared war partly in the open field, and partly, it might be, by assassination. ... If it had not been for the monstrous system of governing Ireland? by confiscation and' absenteeism there would not have been a single good man shot in Ireland at the present moment. It is^the rude revenge of nature, and when the law is not the minister of God for righteousness, but the minister of the Devil for lawlessness, I would like to know why a man should be called an assassin for taking the sword aud getting that justice at his own hand which he cannot get from the authorities, who ought to giro it."