paces 3 Scli Hissing nn E STATE. REPUBLICAN. DEVOTED TO THE POLITICAL AND GENERAL INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE. VOL. II. it v i i ii 1 1 r i v It L I l It Ii 1 1 A .1 THE STATE Published every Saturday by XEWTOX' O ALE. J. Term .if Hnbscrtption. The Rai'iai.ici will be published ul 2 SO year in ad Vauce; ;S Hi) if paid ul tli. end of nix iiuntli ; or ft in; t tli close of the vear. One dollar additiunul will be fcnarired fur each rear iiavment is ueiflectcd. i-if So papers discontinued uutil all arrearage, are paid, except at our opuou. Rate of Advertising. On (quure (ten line or less) uue uiuulh, Koch additional insertion, Business Card, uue square or lea, one Tear, " aix month, Voar sqnares and upwards, one rear, per aquare, six months, per square, " " three months, " kdministratnr'a Notice, and all advertisement re lating to estate of deceased persons, which have to ba sworn to, one square, four insertion, $3 0t fto IS oo H 00 10 00 7 00 6 GO 5 00 To Auvkktiskr. Business men throughout Oregon and California will tind it greatly to their sdvautage to adver tise iu the State Kkpublicax. The Law ot Newspaper. 1. Subscriber who do not give expre notice to the contrary, are considered as wishing to continue tueir sou x If subscriber order the discontinuance of their pa per, the publisher may eoutiuue to end them till ull ar rearages are paid. ... 8. If subscriber neglect or refuse to take their paper from the office to which thev are directed they are held responsible till they have settled the bill and ordered the paper iiisconiinuea. .... a If ...l.nhr remove to other maces without in forming the oublisher. and the paper is sent to the former ,i;pu..ii..n ilii.tf ii. ln.ld rpsnonslbie. 5. The coiirts have decided that refusing to take a pa per from the ollice, or removing ana leaving u uncaueu for, is prima tacia evidence 01 inieiiiiunai nauu. jozis SrEXCKll'S CHRISTMAS DINNER. Christmas day dawned clear and frosty. The SM..W lay deep in the city streets but deeper mill un the country roads and in the rustic lanes. filling them tip t a level with the st ue wall V....iiliMi-v Il ikes weighed down the branche of tins tries and gave to the whole landscape that nspect.it dazzling white with which a New Eng land winter makes lis so familiar. Ricks of hay were so completely invested that they might be inistakjii for mounds of snow. The ruddy-che k cd ('..niters' boys with their trowsers tucked in lhir 1 ts, niMiilitly attacked the large drius an I with gleaming shovel cut away through their centre. Now and then the jingling of bells an pounced the approach of a sleigh or pung making it-, way trrngli the encumbered road-, the horses 11 ni'ideriiig and smoakiug with the exertions tliev were compe'led to ujako. l"i a two story house, accessih'e trotn main street, by a narrow lane and a full half a mile fro ii any other dwelling lived Jo'n Spi-nc. There wa nmhii g remarkable about the house. It was a plain building of two stories, built with thutisud want of taste which distinguishes the t inn house of New England. In the main part of the house , there were two rooms on a floor, while an L part of latter date contained a kitchen nnd overhead a bed room. It may appear sin pillar that this L par was the only portion of the house which iU owner choso to occupy. The oilier room., though furnished and ready for occupancy, had not ben used for years. N fn e had been kindled in the old fashioned fire place since the last -female ocupant had been borne out in a coffin fiftetn years before. For filUen year John S.en er h: d cc p! d the house alone. Such had been his choice, since .at various times he had been invited to rent the iremairing ortion, but he had developed a strong passion for money, and in his own exposes had rli'iwn himself pennrioiis to a degree. Little was known of his housekeeping, but his purchases in the village were so scanty, that conjectures could readily be formed as to his style of living, which, so far as could be judged, would hardly have proved teniting to an epicure. In the farmers house in the ne'ghborhood, Christmas received ft noisy welcome. Young children danced with delight as they took from the nails to which they had suspended them th well filled Christmas stoekings, and vied with each other in being the first to offer tho good wishes of the seaso. Wherever there are children Christm.ts is the festive season, and is greeted with joyful acclamations. The hospitable board groans with the weight of dainties, and for once the careful mother throws to the wind prudential considerations, and puts a check upon the vigor ous appetite of her offspring. But in John Spencer' dwelling Christmas dawned quite like any other day. It is doubtful if he would have known of its arrival, had not some adventurous urchin in the joy of his heart so far forgotten his usual awe of the taciturn firmer as to greet him with "M.rry Christmas!" thatjvery morn ing. John Spencer eyed the the boy with ome hurorise, and muttering that lie did not know it was Christmas day : to the great amazement of the boy, who regarded St. ISicholas as the greatest saint in the calendar, and the day con secrated to him the most important of the year. Quite regardless of the character of the day, John Spencer had seated himself in the room which served him alike as the kitchen and sitting room. lie was seated on a three lgged stool such as is sometimes used in milking, B. fore him waa a 1 .rge pile ol corn, which he waa busily engaged in husking. A bushel banket at his i.fe received the ears of corn, while the husks were crowde I into another to serve for fuel. While he is at woik let us look at him. His fig lire, which is spare, tall, uu I somewhat stooping his age is forty five, but lime has not spared him, and his strongly marked features give the impression of more advanced age. Like men who are more accustomed to solitude than society lie has an abstracted look. T. iu can read in the tiffed lines of his face that he is one who live f.r himself, and is seldom called to sympathize with the j"s and griefs of n hers. j for to hours he woiW'd steadily at his s !f EUGENE ' '""i"""'1' li 'iUt w'iei' ' ist ,:,r huk(-l ho rose tV.un liU stool, nil. had been st about preparing dinner, lhis was too frugal to be in keeping with the day. A couple of sausages wore placed over the fire to fry, and the same number of slices of bread were cut for toasting. These preparation coiiij 1 t d, John Spencer was about to resume his seat when he was prevented from doing ho by an unusual circumstance. A faint knock at the door, and nn indistinct sound , something like a moan, seemed to blend with it. In great snr,i i eJo'm Spencer advanced toth door and opened it cautiously. He had hardly done so, when a woman, leading a boy of eleven .by the hand, staggered, and sinking upon the nearest chair, murmured, "Ilelpns, in Heaven's name ! we are perish itig with the cold !" 'What is tho matter?" ho asked, awk wardly. "We nro very cold," said the boy shiver ing. John Spencer's eye rest -d upon him ns he spoke. lie was a handsome boy, with dark chestnut curls, a broad brow and features that would have very attractive, but that his cheeks were pale and emaciated. His c'othing was vary very scant for the season. Ov.rcoit he had none, nor cloves and his ha id- se .mod numb with co'.' as ho stretch, d em v er thj fire. Th r was something iu the boy's looks that seemed to fix John Spencer's uttention. He gazed intently upon his fac, and passed his hand over his brow ns if to recall some vaguo inimory. With a decree of exestement remarkable in one usually so grave and self-contained, he advanced, and placing his hand upon the boy s siiouluYr, ami said hurriedly, "Quick, boy your naine ?" Ihe boy looked up in surprise. "Mv name is Charles Evans," he answered. John Spencer started back as if the touch had stung him, and turned hastily to the woman, who was regarding him with a kind of mournful earnestness. "It is true," she said, anticipating his question. You see before you, John spencer, one against whom you have had just cause of complaint. I am Margaret Evans. You have .'arse el my life, Margar. t," s lid John Sp. ncer, g o tnily. '"You have cut me oil" from joys I inig. t have known. You have made me d fL-r fr.uu other men. Here for iifuen years 1 have lived in solitude, finding little joy in my own companionship, yet averse to that of others. You have now much to answer for Margaret." "I have Mistered much, John, said ihe woman sadly. '"Too late I discovered the mistake 1 had made in giving you ii, 1 do mil wish to speak harshly of hi father'" -he pointed to the boy us she spok. but ho did net make me h ippy." " Where is he now ( asked Join Spelie.r, in a constrained tone. "He is dead.' "bend ! II. w long ?"' "A vear since. Do not ask me to describe .lis death, It wus terrible-Ins habbits were hot ood." "And since then P "1 have submitted to much privation and much ufforing. My husband left nothing. I was iu a great city with no friends to care for or help me. I tasked my strength to the utmost, bill the world is a hard step-mo-her to her needy daughters. In my despair I at last bethought mysell of yon. 1 scare sly d red meet you, for I knew how cruelly I had flung away your heart but I knew that you used to be generous, and I thought tho sight of my distress might lead you to think pityingly of uue whom y u professed to este. m." John Spencer listened with downcast eyes and varying color. At length he looked up. "You do not know the change that has been wrought in me, Margaret," ho said. "I was once generous at least I think so bill later years have made me selfish. I h il no on') to care tor me, and what are called life's pleasures move 1 me little. So for fifteen years 1 have lived as yon see." lie glanced as he spoke around the rudely furnished room. "Do you know what they call me in the neigh borhood, Margaret?" She looked at him, half inquiringly, and half timidly. "They call me miserly ; and though at first it made me angry, I soon camo to feel that thev were right. Yet you have come to me thinking me generous." "1 have been greatly to blame, John, said Margaret, in a subdued tone, "lam the giiiltv cause of the great change in you. I feel that 1 have no right to burden vou. As soon as we have warmed ourselves we will go." "Where?" demanded John Spencer, very al rubtly. "I know not," said Margaret, turning pale. "But I think God will not sutler us to pi rish." ' Neither w 1 I. For to day at least ) oulinl be welcome in this house. Stay, you must be hungry ; is it not so?'' "We have eaten nothing since yesterday." "Nothing since yesterday ! And this is Christ mas day. No one s'lould go hungry to day. I must attend to that, but in the meantime you shall not wait. Here are some sausages and tovst which I had just cooked for myselt. I will take them from the stove, and you and tho boy shall eat them.'" "But you co. ked them for yourself." ") not mind me. I can wait a little longer. Besides, I may require service of you which yon cannot perform if you are f.unt." The hoy watched the plain viands with eager eyes while they were being taken from the sU ve and re. ded no second command to partake. bile they were eating John Apenue.r left the house It was half an hour W-fre he returned. There ws a heavy basket hanging from his arm. II came in stamping the snow from his b..i.s alidad CITY, OREGON, FEHRUAUY 14, 18(5:5. the ba-ket on the floor. North, mid this has been caused by ambitious Margaret and her son looked at him inquiringly. j'id unscrupulous demagogues of the South, who They "were seated before the the stove. Tlniy i ' that the governing power was f.st sliding were already looking more comfortable now ' f' om their hands, and rather than lose that pow that they were relieved Irom the pangs ulike of r that they hud been accustomed to hold, they hunger and the nipping torture of cold. ! resolved to ruin the country and deluge it iu "Did vim relish vor lunch.1i?" asked John blood, and for this end have they been "liiing Spencer d the hoy Yes," was I lie ronipt replv. "And you are no longer hungry." The bov hesitated. In truth the little he had eaten had done little more than stimulate his appetite. "Come,"' said John Spencer, his features brightening into an unwonted smile. "I see that you will be able to eat something more? "Yes sir, I think so," said the boy. "Margaret," he continued turning to tho Moth er, "I must devolve my duties i-pon yu. have beor accustomed to cook for mvself, but not fir others. I have something in my basket which goes beyond my skill. Can you help me?" Ho lifted the cover and displayed a plump turkey and a variety of groceries. "It is a long time ago, lint I think I remember what, my mother used to have for dinner on Christmas day. It you will help me, I think for this day at least we will tevive the old custom. What say you, Margaret." Margaret was aire nly on her feet, readv to set nb nit the preparation of the Christmas dinner. The boy's eyes sparkled with delight at the pros pect before bjm. Truly a brillant irospect for one who, an hour since, hail been a homeless way f irer. It was two hours after tho usual time before the dinner was served. It was wonderful to see what interest John Spaneer took iu the prepara tion, how he assisted to the extent of his ability, and w hen he cauld no longer be of service, how he watched Margaret, as she bustled about. Sudden y he left tho house and returned with a large ttriiil'ul of wood. Half an hour later he threw open the door of the old sitting room, hud for fifteen years been nnoecupieil. There was a bright fire blazing in the firo place. "We will have dinner here, Margaret," he said, quietly. In due time the dinner was ready. The tin key was done to a turn, and for the pudding, nothing could be more delicious. As John Spen cer sat at tho head of the table it seemed to him as but a dream the life of solitude he had spent, and the unforgotteii past beamed a reality. His heart was stirred by feelings long dormant, and the thought of returning to his long mouotonv, now so strangely inter, upted, made him shud d . M.irgiiret," he said i.b uptly, "why should not lhis continue ?'' "I do not understand ou," she said, quite timi.liy. 4'I iiii.iin to nslc vim it" von u-ill I,,, mv wit,, t You need a ho ne which Icangivj. and 1 shall bo the happier for companions . ip." "You arc very kind John, but I cannot let you sucr.dicu yocrself out of pity for inc." "Listen to me .Margaret. I loved ou many years since, and find that in spite of all that has passed 1 lose you still. Will ) ou bu my wile ?" ''ics, John. "That was all she said, but it was enough. So it was all arranged as they sat over tho Christ mas dinner. The manage t o'; place on New Year's Day. There seemed no good reason tor delay, since John Spencer hail already waited twenty years for his bride. Of course the neighbors indulged largely iu gossip, but this concerned John and Margaret little. After a long tossing ou the restless ocean they had at length found a quiet haven. May they be happy, and all others who sit besido the Christmas lire ! From the Boston Investigator. Letter from nn English Soldier. In the Union Akmv. Mr. Edit.hi : Yon have observed in your paper, that there are r.nglistimen in your union Army ; and as the f illowing letter was written by one, yon will oblige me and others of the relatives and friends of the family by giving it an insertion. It was sent to the mother ot the w riter, and I am informed that lie was in both ot the late severe engagements at Corinth and Pcrrvsville. II. Ckau London, England, Xov. Hoth, IStVi. Camp nkar Gun Oko-hakd, Ky., ) October 10, 18C2. ) Dkar Motiikr : You ask me if I don't wish that I had not enlisted. I must frankly toll yon that I do not regret in the least, for 1 thought it, and st II think if, my duty to stand by the fl ig of my adopted country. Hut I do most sincerely wish that this internal awl cruel war was over ; fir a cruel one it is, tor here wo can see father against son, and brother against brother. Hut it seem to be tho fate of every country t" be oc ca-ionally convulsed with the horror of civil war. England has happily passed the ordeal and I hope we may pass in safety and soon. Yon say that the people around you think the South is justified, that it hss just as much right to its independence as we of the North have to ours: that is proof conclusive to me that they do not understand the question at all. I never heard that any one wanted to deprive Southerners of the right of governing themst-lvps. They have always had that right, the same as we have. Had we been the governors of the South, that foul blot, human slavery, would have been abol ished long ago. No ! they sre not fighting for freedom at all ; on the contrary, they want to make slavery national instead of sectional, and this the freemen of the North could not arce to. But this is not the only cause of the quarrel between the two sections of the country. There ha, for the lat thirty year, been prrwing h.tred of the S Uth .l'gaiiist tlie people o the the southern heart for the Inst thirty years. They have no right totheiriu.lependeiice-th.it is, to set up for a separate nation from us. The States they lire in do not belong to them alone, but to every citizen of the Union, for we have all spent our money for them to protect them alike trom the merciless savages of the forest and for their internal improvements. Besides, mere is tno Mississippi river, which is our natural outlet to the Atlantic ocean ami the rest of the world . Mid w hat right have thev to de prive us of the free use ot that noble river ? It may be said that they promise us the tree use ot it forever. But w ho would beli 've the promises t suell loiil traitors as Jell Davis ami Ins er. w ot conspirators? Men who would tuke the oath to support tho I'tiiou, at tho time they were plot ting for its overthrow ? Can we depend on such men ? I'luinlv, no ! What would vou think il Shark Island w ere to set up for a separate king dom, and to collect tolls from all vessels entering or leaving the Huuiber ? Why, I know you woulU lint: k the idea rulit-tilous ; and still thi parallel is not only- a true one, for you iu Eng laud would not think ot allowing anytluny of the kind, even if they ollered you the free navi gation of the Humbcr. If for no other reason, you would consider that they would prove filse at some future pot lo.f, if not in the present gene ration. And your children would be exposed t all tho horrors of war similar to that whicl afllicts us. No; we must be united to hold tin Mississippiuii river ; wo cannot tinder any cir ciimstaiices allow any one else to hold it, lor it would entail a source of strile for all time to come. 1 w ill n-iw relate what a prisoner of war trom the Mate ot (reorgia told mo this morning I was conversing w ith him, nnd we very natural ly soon ei'tiMionced talking about the war, its muses, etc. 1 asi.ed him to tell mo truly if there wus any ono in his State w ho preferred the old government to the new one ; and ho told llie iheru were thousands of I'uioii men, onlv thev dare not let it be known, for he said ri'they fpoke iu favor of the Union, or even against slavery, thev were hung up to the nearest tree. That "is the kind of liberty that they are fighting for. What do you think of it ? So, you too have rcafl accounts of tho horrible doings ot the Norlh, and say it makes your blood mm cold to read th uii ! Now, I have been with the army eighteen months, and 1 have seen noth. ing done ,o make any one's blood rim cold. Or. tno contrary, we have gone on halt rations, a month at a time, to feed the suffering families of the rebels. If that is ht.rrid, then I must confess that we are guilty in the first degree. I belong to the army of tho Ohio, commanded by Gen. Bucll; my regiment is tho 15: Ii Indiana, 21st Brigade, and he Gil) division under (Jen. Wood. Your affectionate son, II. Bakton Bkal. "Rkhi.kct, my brethren," exhorted an Irish priest, "that whosoever falls this day in battle sups to-night iu Paradise." The fight began, ihe ranks wavered, the priest took to his heels, when a soldier stopped him and reproachfully referred to tho promised supper in Paradise. "True, my son, true," said the priest, "but I never eat sup per." A dispute having arisen at an Italian court between a lawyer and a doctor ns to which should walk fiirst in a public procession, it, was referred to tho court fool fr judgment, who gave it in lavor of the lawyer, m the ground that the rogue should ulwnys precede the executioner. TiimtE is no knowing one's friends till they are tried," as the warden of the penitentiary said when one of his couauns wus placed iu keep ing. Powukr "What's powder bringing?" al;cd dealer of S.piigsbv, who was looking over the market report. "I owner, replied the tunny man, "is bringing the rebels to their senses." A company is being formed in an r ranciseo to raise trout by nrtifh-ial means. They propose fo create a trout pond near tho Crystiul Spring House, San Mateo county, and import trout spawn from Lake Bigler. A papkr is about to be started in Beaufort, on a large scale. The sheet is to be of the size of the New York Tribune, and will be devoted to the interests of the anti-slavery cause. The printers, type and 3.000 reams of paper have already arrived by the steamer Star of the South, and a large Hot cylinder press is to comoby the next steamer. Colonel James A. Mulligan, the hern of Lexinfon, has been made a Brigadier General. He is in command in Virginia. A Daxpt is like the cassia tree, of which the bark is worth more than the body A Wao lent a clergyman horse which ran a wny and threw him, and then claimed credit for "aid in spreading the gospel." - A B''T being'asked at Sunday school what is the chief end of man, answered the end his head is on. "What ails vour eye, Joe ?" I told Sam he lied." 'Nothing; only If the spring put forth no blossoms, in sum mer there will be no beauty, nnd in autumn no fruit; so if youth le t ifl d away without Jin prove mnt rpr )r,ir, will be continptibl1, snd old rr i 1 1 - r. l !. NO. A Suake Mory. Once I hud a grandfather ! Now, there is nothing "curiousomo" In my having a grandfather that tho reader ueed look astonished. It's a fact ! hen I wasn't much bigger than a chunk of wrod, said grandfather used to tell me some tales that would caiiso the capillary substance on my juvenile cranium to stand erect, like unto the bristles on a hedgehog. Here is one of them one of the talcs, not a hedgehog. Many years ago, I started from home early one morning to walk to the town of Ii , w hich was about fifteen miles distant. 1 carried my dinner along, and happening iu a wood about noon, 1 took it from my pocket, got astride of an old fog near by, and commenced to eat. 1 pulled out my old dirk, and after cutting a slice f meat, I stuck the knife into the log. At that instant I felt something move, and 1 was carried along at lightning speed, and " ' What was it, grandfather ?" I abruptly In quired. "Why, my son, instead of an old log, I had got straddle of a big snake, and w hen I innocent. Iv plunged my knife into him, he thought it was a hint to leave, and ho left accordingly, giving me a free ride for a distance of a mile, when the "critter"' made a sudden jerk, and I was cap cised '"' "Did you get your knit-, grain' f.ithcr ?" "No; but 1 saw it. About ten years after, I went to a snake-show, and w hat did I see hut mv identical obi dirk sticking in tho buck of a snake thirtv five feet long." . o I here is ono of my grandfather's tales. The reader can do us he please about believing it. Fact 1 How- lo utility the Currency. The Government has announced its purpose of pa ing out all tho gold collected from the Customs and Internal Ucvenue on the Pacifi.) coast, amongst us, on current governmental ex. penscs, and if thuie should beany deficit to make it up by paying the Legal Tender Notes. At this time, the annual t-xpchdilLfcs of the Gen earl Goveiumont on the Pacific iimoi nt toab. ut $0,4 00,000. The total revenue collected is $4,. J 50,000, of which $3,250,000 is from Customs and is paid in gold. This leaves $,1,4.r0,000 to be paid in greenbacks, of which about tl,000,000 may be paid iu gold if tho Slates elect to pay their quota under the Internal Ueveuue Law in that currency. But it is boat to calculate that the larger sum will be paid in greenbacks, as it is quite impracticable lo colloet the Internal llev. enue in ono currency in ono portion of the Union und another in another place, always excepting that portion in which the State assumes to col lect herself. We will in this way have $.1,4"i0,000 of lhis currency thrown in circulation here each year, which will seriously durnnge all monetary ar rangemciits, unless some general rule of action is adopted, or the Government takes some vi. orous measures to protect its currency. On this -i.;...i 4'......,. ...... .i ii i : .. , .i -Moyi iri, in,.- uoioniuoib siioiuu unve issueo me Legal Tender Notes on the same basis on which tho British Government once adopt d- the circu lation of the Banks of England: it was made a felony to sell these notes for less than their faco in coin. In the fame way if the nation had presented their Legal Tender Notes on the point of a bayonet, mid punished the first man that discounted them, they would have answered all the purposes for which thev were made. Further, if tho Government had never entered into the obligation to pay the in terest on her public debt .in gold coin, which we believe was neither expressed or implied until recently, she might have gathered a reserve of gold on which, like England in her war against .Napoleon, sue tnigiit nave built a power to defy the world. But il was thought best to pay the capitalist holding national bonds, hit interest in gold, while llie sol tier receives his duos in dej reciated currency. Thus the rich man gets what 'is worth one third mo e th n what is promised him, and tho soldier's is one-third less. It is now very certain that without force is applied, the national currency will not become the standard ot value, and we on this coast must do the best we can with as much of it as comes among us. To this end, we repeat what we have before said : keep the price of the currency here a fraction below that of Now York, and it will unfailingly flow to that place. In order to do th's, we must adopt it ii a principle and let the notes circulate freely at their understood value. OreyoniaH. The less a man knows, tho wider his mouth opens. Il is as impossible for a fool to keep his jaws shut as it is for a sick oyster to keep hit shell closed. Gf.xer.al Butler has sent to Massachusetts for a cargo of School Mistresses to give instruction fo young New Orleans. Sick my husband J mo ? Such duck of it man !'' "A duck eh I" said Jane, "ah, then I am be m mistaken for 1 always thought him to goose." A Exchange advertises for compositors "who won't get drunk," and adJs that "the editor doe, all the getting drunk necessary to support the dignity of the establishment." An Irishman heard that soma one had been going into stocks. " Troth, and fool it he," laid Mike, "or he'd niver gone into thiin tight blues for his feet without being carired at I was. A Memphis paper say that our troops will "press Gen. IV-ce." The consequences may bo dis.Hjrrc.ibie.