may 13—during the week ending with this day there was subscribed to the u. s. seven-thirty loan $98,000,000. it was an expression of the enthusiastic confidence of the people in the government and its resources.
” 22-23—grand review of gen. sherman’s army at washington. there were 200,000 men.
” 26—kirby smith, the last leader of a southern military organization, surrendered his command.
” 30—the great sanitary fair opened at chicago.
” 31—gen. hood and his staff surrendered prisoners of war.
june 1—a day of fasting and national humiliation for the death of president lincoln.
” 4—toombs, of georgia, prominent in the early days of secession, shot[681] himself to avoid arrest. yet no one was capitally punished for treason.
” 5—the four confederates of booth, the assassin of president lincoln, were found guilty. they were hanged on the 6th and 7th. these were harold, atzerott, powell and mrs. surratt.
” 11—gen. r. e. lee appointed president of the washington college, va. it was done by southern people as a mark of respect, and to furnish him a support; he having lost his property in the war.
sept. 20—the marking of the graves of 12,000 of the unfortunate andersonville prisoners completed.
” 29—cession of 1,000,000 acres of land to the government by the osage indians, for $300,000.
oct. 20—champ ferguson, noted for his crimes in guerilla warfare, hung at nashville, tenn.
nov. 10—henry wirz, the inhuman keeper of andersonville prison, hung, after trial and condemnation.
dec. 18—secretary seward officially announces that the 13th amendment to the constitution, abolishing slavery in the united states, has been adopted by three-fourths of the states, and it is now the law of the land.
1866.
jan. 1—third anniversary of emancipation celebrated by the colored people.
” 2—funeral of hon. henry winter davis, u. s. senator, at baltimore.
” 12—the kentucky university purchases the homestead of henry clay.
” 23—the 13th constitutional amendment reconsidered by the legislature of new jersey and passed. it had been rejected in the previous year.
” 25—kentucky refused to pass the 13th amendment.
” 31—commissary and quartermaster warehouses burned, at ft. riley, kansas. $1,000,000 lost.
feb. 2—the civil rights bill passed the senate.
” 11—the u. s. sanitary commission closed with an anniversary meeting at washington.
” 12—memorial services in honor of president lincoln held in the capitol, at washington; address delivered by the hon. geo. bancroft, statesman and historian.
” 19—president johnson vetoed the freedmen’s bureau bill.
” 22—the 134th anniversary of washington’s birthday celebrated.
” 26—meeting held at richmond to ratify president johnson’s policy.
mar. 10—north carolina passes a negro rights bill.
” 12—north carolina passes a negro testimony bill.
texas convention declares their secession ordinance null and void.
” 13—the civil rights bill passed the house of representatives.
” 19—the reciprocity treaty with canada expires.
[682]
” 27—the civil rights bill vetoed by president johnson.
april 2—gen. hawley elected republican governor of connecticut.
” 4—gen. burnside elected governor of rhode island.
” 6-7—civil rights bill passed congress over the veto.
” 30—two churches of colored people burned by incendiaries in richmond, va.
may 15—the president vetoes the bill admitting colorado as a state.
” 29—gen. scott died at west point, n. y.
june 3—gen. meade goes to buffalo to prevent the fenians (irish patriots) from invading canada.
” 6—president johnson issues a proclamation forbidding belligerent operations against canada from the united states.
” 8-13—the 14th constitutional amendment passed by congress.
july 4—great fire at portland, me. loss, $15,000,000. the u. s. government a heavy loser by this fire.
” 23—tennessee readmitted as a state in the union, by joint resolution of congress. this was the first state readmitted after the war.
” 25—lieut. gen. grant nominated general—the highest grade known in our military organization—never before occupied. vice admiral farragut nominated admiral.
” 27—hon. j. h. harlan, sec. of the interior, resigns. o. h. browning appointed.
” 28—the great eastern reaches hearts content, newfoundland, with the atlantic telegraphic cable, which proved successful. it had failed in the previous year. great rejoicings. it was one of the most important events of this century.
” 30—great riot at new orleans, in which many were killed. it was thought the result of president johnson’s policy of reconstruction, which was not in harmony with the system adopted by congress.
aug. 1—gen. sherman commissioned as lieut. general.
” 8—queen emma, wife of the late king of the sandwich islands, arrives at new york, and is received as a national guest.
” 12—telegraphic communication between new york and europe complete, by the atlantic cable.
” 31—american and english naval forces unite to break up piracy by chinese junks in the east indies.
sept. 6—the monument to s. a. douglas, at chicago, inaugurated. president johnson made many speeches on his journey to attend this celebration, which were indiscreet, and disrespectful to congress. it was called his “swinging around the circle,” in derision; a figure employed in one of his speeches.
oct. 9—gen. geary elected governor of pennsylvania.
” 23—dedication of the stonewall jackson cemetery, at winchester, va.
nov. 6—state elections in 12 states are held to-day.
[683]
” 20—the grand army of the republic, formed of the present and previous officers of the u. s. army serving in the late war, hold a convention at indianapolis, ind.
” 22—raphael semmes, former commander of the confederate war steamer alabama, appointed professor of moral philosophy in the louisiana state seminary.
dec. 7—the louisiana legislature rejects the 14th amendment to the constitution.
” 13—territorial legislature of colorado organized.
” 16—the u. s. frigate new ironsides burned at league island.
” 22—massacre of nearly a hundred soldiers near ft. kearney.
” 24—u. s. minister john a. dix enters on his duties in france.
1867.
jan. 7—a suffrage bill for the dist. of columbia vetoed by president johnson, but passed over the veto by congress. congress was laboring to harmonize the laws of the country with the changes produced by the war. president johnson did his utmost to prevent the success of this policy. congress, however, succeeded in carrying its point. this is an important and interesting history, since it shows how the representatives of the people may check and neutralize the power of a president when his designs conflict with the interests of the country and the purposes of the people.
” 8-10—14th amendment ratified by two states (missouri and new york) and rejected by another (virginia).
” 28—nebraska bill vetoed, but passed over the veto.
most of the northern states ratified the 14th amendment in this month.
feb. 20—military government bill passed congress.
mar. 1—nebraska proclaimed a state by the president.
” 2—the president vetoes the military government and civil tenure of office bills. they are passed over his veto.
” 4—the 39th congress ends, and the 40th is organized.
” 11—military governors assigned to various districts in the south.
” 30—the president announces the ratification of the treaty with russia, by which the united states bought all her north american possessions for $7,200,000.
apr. 3—gen. burnside re-elected governor of rhode island.
may 13—jeff. davis admitted to bail in $100,000; horace greeley and others furnish the bonds.
june 19—the arch duke maximilian, titular emperor of mexico, shot by order of the mexican republican government. the remonstrances of the u. s. government obliged the french to withdraw their support from maximilian.
july 13—the steamer dunderberg, bought by france, sailed for cherbourg.
aug. 1—gov. brownlow re-elected governor of tennessee.
[684]
” 5—the president requires mr. stanton, sec. of war, to resign. he refuses, when the president suspends him and appoints gen. grant.
” 23—grand ovation to admiral farragut, by russian officers at cronstadt.
sept. 17—the national cemetery at antietam dedicated.
dec. 4—the patrons of husbandry, or farmers’ grange, organized, in washington.
” 7—a resolution in the house of representatives to impeach president johnson fails by three votes.
1868.
jan. 1—fifth emancipation anniversary celebrated by the colored people in various places.
” 6—censure of the president by congress for removing gen. sheridan from command of the 5th military district.
feb. 7—the resignation of u. s. minister to england, hon. c. f. adams, announced.
” 19—senate refuse his seat to p. f. thomas, of maryland, on account of disloyalty.
” 20—the legislature of new jersey withdraws its ratification of the 14th amendment. ohio and oregon did the same. this action, considered as absurd as secession, was not recognized.
” 21—president johnson expels mr. stanton, sec. of war, and appoints gen. thomas. this is done in defiance of the senate, by whose “advice and consent” the constitution requires it to be supported.
” 24—the house of representatives adopt articles of impeachment of the president presented by thaddeus stephens, of pa., by a vote of 126 to 57. this was 12 more than the requisite two-thirds.
mar. 5—the senate is organized as a court of impeachment, chief justice chase presiding.
may 16—the impeachment trial terminated by a vote in the senate of 35 for, to 19 against. as a two-thirds vote was necessary the impeachment failed by three votes. a few republican senators incurred great odium by voting for the president’s acquittal.
” 20—gen. grant nominated for president by the republican convention at chicago.
” 22—a chinese embassy, headed by hon. anson burlingame, who had been u. s. minister to china and acquired the confidence of the government of china to such an extent as to be chosen by them as the leader of their embassy to this country and the governments of europe, arrived at new york.
” 29—gen. schofield appointed sec. of war.
june 5—mr. burlingame and the chinese embassy presented to the president.
” 6—a bill for the re-admission of arkansas passes congress.
[685]
” 9—bills for the re-admission of north carolina, south carolina, georgia, louisiana, alabama and florida are passed.
” 12—hon. reverdy johnson appointed minister to england.
” 20—bill for re-admission of ark. vetoed by the president, but passed over his veto by a two-thirds vote.
” 24—the bill for the admission of the other states being vetoed by the president was likewise passed over his veto.
july 4—horatio seymour of n. y. and f. p. blair of mo. nominated for president and vice-president by the democrats.
a political amnesty proclamation issued by the president.
” 16—admiral farragut received with distinguished honor by the queen of england.
” 20—a bill to exclude the electoral votes of the southern states not re-admitted vetoed by the president and passed by congress over the veto.
” 21—the 14th amendment declared ratified, and a part of the constitution.
” 28—military government ceases in arkansas, north and south carolina, louisiana, georgia, florida and alabama.
aug. 6—jefferson davis lands in liverpool, england.
” 13—u. s. steamers wateree and fredonia destroyed during an earthquake at lima, peru; 40,000 lives were lost in this dreadful catastrophe.
sept. 7—negro members of the georgia legislature expelled on account of race, contrary to the 14th amendment.
” 18—battle with the indians on republican river. lt. beecher and others killed.
” 19—riot at camilla, geo., caused by hostility of southern people to the political privileges of the blacks. many negroes killed.
” 29—gen. reynolds, military governor of texas, forbids the election in that state for president, texas not having been re-admitted. this was in accordance with the law of congress passed the 20th of july.
oct. 17—the legislature of oregon withdraws its assent once given to the 14th amendment.
nov. 3—u. s. grant and schuyler colfax elected president and vice-president. popular majority 309,722. electoral votes for grant and colfax, 214; for seymour and blair, 80. virginia, mississippi and texas did not vote, and nevada was not counted in. the whole popular vote was 5,722,984. in florida the electors were chosen by the legislature.
” 27—the indians defeated by gen. custer, on the washita river. black kettle, the chief, and more than a hundred warriors killed.
dec. 1—ft. lafayette, n. y., destroyed by fire.
[686]
” 3—political troubles in arkansas, in which many murders are committed.
” 7—third session of the 40th congress begins.
” 15—a social gathering of the union soldiers at chicago.
1869.
jan. 7—john minor botts, a statesman of va., imprisoned by the confederate government during the war for his union sentiments, died.
feb. 27—a joint resolution of congress recommends to the states the adoption of the 15th amendment to the constitution.
mar. 4—gen. grant inaugurated eighteenth president.
” ”—first session of the 41st congress commenced.
” 13—james guthrie, a statesman of ky., died.
” 25—hon. e. bates, of mo., att’y gen’l under lincoln, died.
may 15—the union pacific railroad was completed by joining the two ends at ogden, utah. distance from omaha to san francisco 1904 miles. this completed the line of railroad joining the atlantic and pacific. the greatest triumph of engineering yet known was accomplished in the nevada mts., by carrying the road to a height of over 7000 feet in 105 miles.
july 30—hon. i. toucey, of conn., who had filled many offices in the state and united states government, died.
sept. 8—william b. fessenden, of me., a statesman of reputation, died.
” 10—john bell, of ky., candidate for the presidency in 1860, died.
” 6—gen. j. a. rawlins, sec. of war, died. he had been gen. grant’s chief of staff during the war.
oct. 8—franklin pierce, of n. h., ex-president, died.
nov. 7—rear admiral stewart, of u. s. navy, died.
dec. 24—edwin m. stanton, of pa., sec. of war during most of the civil war, died.
this year closes a most important era in the history of the united states, and of the world. the account with the civil war was definitely closed, and the final seal set on the policy of reconstruction by the inauguration of gen. grant, and the continuance of the republican party in power by the people, together with the readmission of most of the southern states and the possibility of the reversal of the decision in regard to slavery done away by the adoption of the fifteenth amendment to the constitution, giving the elective franchise to the colored population. much emphasis was given to all these things by the prosperity of the country, and the rapid reduction of the debt, by the generally wise conduct of the southern people, and the slowly increasing prosperity of that section. these results reacted in other countries to strengthen the tendency to freer and more popular governments, and seem, in some respects to have introduced the era of republicanism.[687] however slow may be the changes in this direction, they are sure to be made.
1870.
jan. 1—ten years ago the cloud of civil war settled densely over the country, and threatened its destruction. to-day that tornado has been passed by nearly six years, and its ruins are almost buried under the new and more thrifty growth of all interests and industries even in the south.
” 20—h. r. revels, of miss., is chosen the first colored senator who ever represented a state in congress.
” 23—the u. s. steamer oneida sunk by collision with another vessel on the coast of japan. 176 lives lost.
feb. 22—hon. anson burlingame, head of the chinese embassy to the powers of christendom, died at st. petersburg, russia.
mar. 28—gen. g. h. thomas dies in san francisco, cal.
” 30—the sec. of state proclaims the ratification of the 15th amendment to the u. s. constitution by three-fourths of the states.
june 15—death of jerome napoleon bonaparte, at baltimore, md.
july 12—death of admiral dahlgren, at washington, d. c.
” 20—death of m. prevost paradol, french minister at washington.
aug. 14—death of admiral farragut, at portsmouth, n. h.
sept. 7—recognition of the french republic by the u. s. government.
oct. 12—death of gen. r. e. lee, formerly of the confederate army.
1871.
great changes have been taking place in europe. the emperor, napoleon iii. taken prisoner by the germans, his government was set aside by the people of france who founded a republic.
jan. 1—at this time the german army, under the lead of the king of prussia (about this time made emperor of germany), is besieging paris, the capital of france.
” 17—the san domingo commission sail from new york.
” 28—paris capitulates to the germans, which ends the franco-prussian war, terms of peace being soon arranged.
feb. 12—alice carey, the authoress, died at new york.
” 16—an important japanese mission to the u. s. and other governments arrives at san francisco.
mar. 1—the germans make a triumphal entry into paris.
” 20—british house of commons votes $265,000 for the relief of paris.
apr. 20—a bill against the kuklux, a secret organization of southern conspirators and murderers, passed in congress.
may 1—the legal tender act declared constitutional by the u. s. supreme court.
” 31—the french government does not imitate our clemency to prisoners taken in rebellion. the soldiers of the commune are slaughtered by thousands, by order of the court martial of the government army.
[688]
june 18—an earthquake on long and staten islands, n. y.
” 20—the first atlantic cable of 1865, which soon broke and became useless, is recovered and worked.
july 5—earthquake at visalia, cal.
” 12—irish catholic riot in new york; 51 killed, 30 wounded.
” 30—steamer westfield explodes, killing near 100 people.
sept. 17—the mont cenis tunnel, opening a passage for a railroad 7?ths miles long through the alps from france to italy, inaugurated. it had been many years building.
oct. 2—brigham young, the head of the mormons in utah, arrested for bigamy.
” 8—a fire nearly consumes chicago, destroying-property worth $200,000,000 and many lives. fires rage in the forests of wisconsin and michigan. much property, some towns, and many persons are burned.
” 17—south carolina placed under martial law.
$2,050,000 received in aid of the people of chicago.
nov. 15—cholera appears on vessels at new york.
” 18—the grand duke alexis, of russia, arrives at new york. he travels through the country for some months.
dec. 9—commissioners of the english and u. s. governments meet in washington to settle the difficulties between the two governments arising from the spoliations of the alabama.
” 16—catacazy, the russian minister, called home at the request of our government.
” 29—investigation of abuses in the new york city government commences. w. m. tweed surrenders to the sheriff.
1872.
jan. 2—brigham young arrested on a charge of murder.
mar. 7—trial and conviction of kuklux prisoners in ala.; 3 sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years.
apr. 1—the colored people celebrate the adoption of 15th amendment.
may 3—horace greeley nominated for president by a convention at cincinnati, o.
” 22—the general amnesty bill signed by the president.
” 30—graves of the union soldiers decorated throughout the country.
june 6—grant and wilson nominated for president and vice-president.
” 26—trial of stokes for the murder of fisk begun. after several trials he was condemned to imprisonment for murder.
july 24—spotted-tail and other western indians visit washington.
aug. 16—yellow fever appears at new york.
sept. 2—father hyacinthe, a liberal french catholic priest, marries an american lady.
” 14—the arbitrators of the alabama claims, to whom the case had been submitted, and who had been two months sitting at geneva, switzerland,[689] announced their award. the united states was to receive $15,500,000 in gold.
oct. 14—wm. h. seward, one of our most distinguished statesmen, is this day buried at auburn, n. y.
” 25—about this time the horse disease commences, and spreads rapidly over the whole country.
nov. 5—in the presidential election on this day president grant is re-elected.
” 9—a great fire in boston, mass. loss $75,000,000 in buildings and merchandise. insurance $50,000,000.
in this month and december following storms of extreme severity caused great loss of life and property. an overflow of the river po, in italy, rendered 40,000 persons homeless. in the baltic sea 80 vessels were wrecked, some islands were inundated, and all their inhabitants drowned. it was not less severe on the coasts of england and ireland.
” 29—horace greeley, recent candidate for president of the u. s., died, aged 62 years.
dec. 11—the king of the sandwich islands, kamehameha v., died, leaving no heir.
” 12—the actor, edwin forrest, dies, at philadelphia.
” 17—edward a. pollard, editor and author, died.
important investigations of abuses in new york city and in the conduct of the pacific railway are made this winter, and many healthy reforms inaugurated. the order of patrons of husbandry becomes popular among agriculturists, and spreads rapidly, through the coming year.
1873.
jan. 7, 8, 9—a dreadful snow storm occurs in minnesota, by which 70 lives are lost.
” 9—the ex-emperor napoleon iii. dies at chiselhurst, in england, aged 64 years.
” 31—at chicago, ill., joel a. matteson, ex-governor of illinois, died.
feb. 1—m. f. maury, formerly distinguished in the u. s. naval service, dies at lexington, va.
” 9—j. w. geary, ex-governor of penn., died at harrisburg.
” 15—steamer henry a. jones burned in galveston bay, texas. 21 lives lost.
mar. 3—congress enacted a law increasing their pay, that of the president, and various officers of the government. it extended over the whole previous term of the 42d congress, commencing march 4th, 1871. this law was very offensive to the mass of the people.
” 4—the wreck of the alaska mail steamer, geo. s. wright, is reported at portland, oregon. all on board, 23 persons, perished.
” 16—the boston steamer, grace irving, foundered. 8 lives lost.
[690]
” 17—great fire at lawrenceburg, ky.
” 19—san salvador, central america, destroyed by an earthquake. property destroyed estimated at from $12,000,000 to $20,000,000; and 500 lives lost.
apr. 1—steamer atlantic wrecked near halifax, n. s. 535 lives lost.
may 5—james orr, american minister to russia, died, at st. petersburg, aged 51.
” 4—an iron bridge at dixon, ill., crowded with people witnessing a baptism, fell, killing and drowning 100 persons.
” 7—salmon p. chase, chief justice of the u. s., died in new york, aged 65.
” 8—hon. oakes ames, m. c., died at north easton, mass., aged 69.
john stuart mill, a celebrated english philosopher and author, died at avignon, france.
” 30—a second great fire in boston, mass.
june 28—hon. horace f. clark, prominent in railway enterprises, died in new york.
” 27—hiram powers, the distinguished american sculptor, died in florence, italy.
” 29—jesse r. grant, father of the president, died.
july 4—severe storm, very destructive to crops in ohio, indiana, wisconsin and missouri. 20 persons drowned in green lake, wisconsin.
aug. 2—great fire at portland, oregon. loss $1,500,000.
” 24—a storm of unprecedented severity raged on the coast of british america, and, at the same time, on the coast of mexico. more than 100 vessels were destroyed in and near the gulf of st. lawrence. some populous islands were quite laid waste. 176 sailing vessels and 12 steamers were lost in the gulf of mexico.
sept. 15—the propeller ironsides foundered in lake michigan. 31 lives lost.
the patrons of husbandry organize about this time at the rate of near 1,000 granges a month.
in this month commenced a most serious financial panic at new york, that spread over the whole country.
oct. 26—j. c. heenan, the prize fighter, died on the union pacific r. r.
nov. 6—gen. sickles, u. s. minister to spain, telegraphs to washington the capture of the virginius by the cubans.
” 8—stephen r. mallory, former sec. of the confederate navy, died, aged 63.
” 19—john p. hale, of n. h., a statesman of some celebrity, died.
” 22—the steamship ville du havre run into and sunk by the loch earn in mid ocean. 226 lives lost.
” 27—richard yates, ex-u. s. senator and ex-governor of illinois, died at st. louis, aged 55.
dec. 1—the 43rd congress assembles for its first session.
” 14—louis agassiz, a distinguished naturalist and man of science, died at cambridge, mass.
[691]
1874.
jan.—the u. s. government narrowly escaped a war with spain on account of the taking of the virginius by cuban authorities. that vessel was sailing under the american flag which was violated by its capture. 54 men were shot as pirates, some of them american citizens. the spanish government disavowed the act, and gave up the vessel, dec. 16th, 1873. it was so much damaged as to sink while on the way to the united states.
” 2—a revolution in spain overthrows the government of se?or castelar.
” 5—the president sends a message to congress concerning the spanish difficulty, now substantially settled.
” 8—u. s. senate repeals the bill of march 3rd, 1873, increasing the pay of members of congress.
” 9—hon. caleb cushing nominated chief justice of the u. s. supreme court.
” 14—nomination of caleb cushing recalled.
” 17—death of the siamese twins.
” 19—morrison r. waite, of ohio, was nominated by the president as chief justice and confirmed afterward by the senate.
” 27—reliable intelligence of the death of david livingstone, the african explorer, reaches england.
feb. 4—the seventh annual meeting of the national grange of the patrons of husbandry occurs in st. louis, mo. 8,000 subordinate granges have been added during the year. the executive committee state that farmers had saved $8,000,000 during the year by their co-operative system.
mar. 8—ex-president fillmore died, in buffalo, n. y.
” 11—death of hon. charles sumner, a distinguished statesman and senator from mass., in washington. he was born in boston, mass., jan. 6th, 1811, and was 63 years old. he was of a patriotic race which originated in the county of kent, england. his grandfather was a major distinguished for valor in the revolutionary army. charles sumner graduated from harvard college in 1830, was admitted to the bar in 1834, and became highly distinguished as a lawyer. he succeeded daniel webster in the u. s. senate in 1851, in which he remained till his death, being always conspicuous as one of the foremost leaders in public affairs.
” 24—a bill increasing the currency to $400,000,000 passed in the u. s. house of representatives by 168 to 77.
apr. 1—the u. s. debt officially stated to be $2,152,690,728.62. decrease of debt during march, 1874, $2,189,338.46.
” 14—the senate bill increasing the currency passes the house of representatives. many protests from different parts of the country are presented against it as injurious to the credit and interests of[692] the country. the discussion of this measure has occupied much of the time of congress for some months.
” 18—the funeral of livingstone, the lamented african explorer, takes place in london, england, where his remains had arrived. he was interred in westminster abbey, as a mark of distinguished honor.
” 17—gov. wm. b. washburn is elected by the mass. legislature to represent the state in the u. s. senate, made vacant by the death of charles sumner.
” 22—president grant vetoes the currency bill increasing the issues of paper money, which defeats the measure, its friends in congress not being numerous enough to pass it over the veto.
” 24—the congressional committee on transportation, after long and careful investigation, advised government oversight of railroads, but against government ownership.
” 28—congress voted $90,000 in aid of sufferers by the inundation of the lower mississippi.
may 7—$100,000 were added to the above sum for the same purpose.
” 19—the system of payments to informers in customs revenue cases, repealed. that system appeared to have been very grossly abused.
” ”—the conflict in arkansas ended in the retreat of brooks and the reinstatement of gov. baxter.
” ”—the new york legislature passed a compulsory education bill, which became a law in that state.
june 1—mr. richardson, secretary of the treasury, resigned. gen. benj. h. bristow of ky., was appointed to succeed him.
” ”—the number of subordinate granges of the patrons of husbandry is 19,492. the number of patrons who are voters is estimated at 1,000,000.
” 23—congress adjourned. the sums appropriated at this session for carrying on the government amounted to $189,784,346.25. the largest item was for the post office department—over $41,000,000.
” 24—postmaster-general, john a. j. creswell resigned, and hon. marshall jewell was appointed in his place.
” 25—telegraphic communication between the united states and brazil introduced by congratulatory messages between the emperor of brazil and the president of the u. s.
july 8—message of gov. davis of minnesota to the sec. of war, announcing the entire destruction of crops in many counties of that state by grasshoppers.
” 14—another great fire in chicago. loss over $4,000,000.
gen custer, commanding an exploring expedition in the black hills of dacotah, reported discoveries of rich gold mines there.
” 27—an international congress for mitigating the sufferings of war[693] by means of an international code of laws, convened at brussels, in belgium.
aug. 19—a riot between whites and blacks in kentucky, resulted in several murders of blacks. the gov. called out the militia to restore order.
sept. 2—400 mormons sail from england for this country en route to utah.
” 5—gen. sherman orders military head quarters of the u. s. army removed from washington to st. louis, mo.
” 5—the one hundredth anniversary of the first meeting of the continental congress in philadelphia, celebrated.
” 7—great fire at meiningen, germany. loss in buildings alone, $3,000,000.
” 13—guizot, a celebrated french author and statesman, died, aged 87.
” 14—the white league, a secret organization opposed to the enfranchisement of the colored people, produced a conflict in new orleans. 17 were killed and 32 wounded in a street fight, and the state government completely overthrown.
” 16—president grant interfered by proclamation and the government
” 18—was surrendered to the regular authorities, under protest.
oct. 13—elections held in 6 states returned 12 democratic congressmen more than the previous number.
nov. 3—elections in 23 states give a strong democratic gain, indicating a reaction against the government. a sense of the necessity of reform in various ways, and of greater purity and integrity of administration was wide spread. it had caused, in part, the rapid growth of the patrons of husbandry, and was again expressed by political reaction. it was a significant rebuke to those in power. a typhoon, or hurricane at hong kong, china, sept. 22-23, destroyed 30,000 lives and $50,000,000 of property.
europe is making great political improvements. in france, during the last three years, out of 184 elections to fill vacancies in the national assembly, 152 have been republican—only 32 monarchists, and in russia the government has decided to enforce compulsory education.
dec. 1—the number of granges in the united states is 21,472.
” 7—the last session of the forty-third congress commenced. the president’s message strongly recommends early resumption of specie payments.
” 12—kalakaua, king of the sandwich islands, reached washington on a visit. he was received by the president on the 15th and by congress on the 18th.
” 21—disturbances at vicksburg, miss., called out a proclamation from the president.
” 28—gerrit smith, a distinguished abolitionist and philanthropist, died in new york, aged 78.
[694]
1875.
jan. 1—monarchy was restored in spain. alphonso xii, son of the ex-queen isabella, was proclaimed king, and received the support of the army and navy. it was only a few months before that most of the european governments recognized the spanish republic.
” 4—gen. sheridan took command of the department of the gulf, at new orleans. on that day the legislature of louisiana was organized, and united states troops, acting under the orders of the speaker and of gov. kellogg, ejected several members who, it was alleged, were not entitled to seats. it produced much excitement throughout the country, the opposition denouncing it as an unexampled interference of the federal executive with state government. congress sustained the action of the president, but exerted its influence to quiet the excitement in louisiana, and a compromise was effected under which it gradually ebbed away.
” 12—toung-tchi, emperor of china, died, aged 19 years.
the emigrants arriving at the port of new york during the year 1874, numbered 149,762; a decided falling off, the arrivals having for some years, amounted to 250,000. the governments of germany are endeavoring to remove the causes of emigration which threatens to affect their resources seriously.
feb. 3—a proposed reciprocity treaty with canada, was rejected by the senate.
” 5—the civil rights bill, adopted by the senate during the last session, was amended by an omission relating to schools and adopted by the house. it was accepted by the senate feb. 27th, and signed by the president, march 1st.
” 25—a republic was definitely recognized in france.
mar. 2—a bill increasing the tariff was passed by the senate.
gen. lorenzo thomas of the u. s. army died, aged 71.
” 3—a law admitting colorado as a state was passed.
” 4—a law, passed in haste in the last hours of the session, restored the franking privilege to members of congress until dec. 1, and increased the postage on newspapers and packages for the people. the forty-third congress came to a close.
” 5—the senate convened in extra session in accordance with a call previously made by the president. g. s. orth was confirmed u. s. minister to austria, and horace maynard u. s. minister to turkey.
” 10—a new treaty with belgium was ratified.
” 18—the senate ratified the treaty with hawaii, which renders the interests of the sandwich islands substantially identical with those of the united states.
” 20—a destructive tornado in georgia caused great loss of life and property.
[695]
” 24—the senate, after officially approving the action of the president in louisiana, closed its special session.
f. e. spinner, united states treasurer, resigned, and john c. new, of ind. was appointed his successor.
apr. 19—the centennial anniversary of the battle of lexington was celebrated with great interest. this battle was the first decisive step in the war of independence. its scenes and their consequences were dwelt on by some of the most distinguished literary americans, and honored by the presence of the president of the united states and many of its most eminent authorities.
” 23—three steamers burned at new orleans, in which fifty lives were lost.
” 28—a fire at oshkosh, wis., destroyed a square mile of the city. loss in property over $2,000,000.
may 7—a bill for suppressing religious orders introduced into the german parliament. it subsequently became a law.
the steamship schiller was wrecked on the coast of great britain. three hundred and eleven lives were lost.
” 10—centennial anniversary of the capture of fort ticonderoga by ethan allen.
” 15—attorney general williams resigned and judge edwards pierrepont was appointed his successor.
” 17—john c. breckenridge, formerly vice president of the united states, and a general in the confederate army during the civil war, died, aged 54.
” 18—a fearful earthquake in new granada, south america. the city of cucuta was completely destroyed; between two and three thousand lives were lost and more than $8,000,000 of property destroyed.
” 20—celebration of the mecklenburg, n. c., declaration of independence, with great enthusiasm.
” 30—the steamer vicksburg, on a voyage from canada to england, was wrecked in a field of ice. 80 lives were lost.
june 17—centennial anniversary of the battle of bunker hill was celebrated with great eclat. its most interesting feature was the fraternal spirit manifested by the north and south toward each other. several southern states were represented by bodies of soldiers.
” 30—business failures since jan. 1, of this year reported at 3,377, with liabilities amounting in all to $74,940,869.
july 8—gen. frank p. blair, jun., died in st. louis, aged 54.
” 18—lady franklin, widow of sir john franklin, the unfortunate arctic explorer, died in england, aged 70.
great loss of life and property has been caused in france by floods. in two cities alone the damage is estimated at $20,000,000,[696] and in the south of france at $75,000,000. other parts of europe have suffered heavily from the same cause.
” 23—isaac merrit singer, inventor of the sewing machine of that name, died in london, england, aged 64.
the most prominent political issue of the time is hard money and currency. a democratic convention in md., and a republican convention in minn., each, yesterday and to-day, adopted a hard money platform. ohio and pa. democratic conventions afterwards declared for paper money.
” 31—ex-president andrew johnson died in tenn., aged 67. he was recently elected u. s. senator from tennessee.
aug.—the gov. of tenn. appointed hon. d. m. key, to fill the vacancy in the senate caused by andrew johnson’s death.
” 4—republican government in france was strengthened by the passage of a bill constituting a senate.
the census of population in louisiana, gives 850,390, an increase of over 15 per cent. since 1870. the excess of increase of colored over white population has been 45,668.
the census in wisconsin gives a population of 1,236,090, being an increase of 17? per cent. since 1870.
” 26—the bank of california suspended payment. it has long been the leading bank in the pacific states.
” 27—w. c. ralston, president of the bank of california, was drowned while bathing.
sept. 1—violent disturbances in mississippi between whites and blacks result in many deaths.
” 7—the governor of miss. called on the president for federal aid to protect citizens and restore order.
