January 5 Sunday – The New York Times, p.11 ran a long description of the life and biography of ex-senator from New York, Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888). Conkling’s biography was published by Webster & Co. Interestingly, Conkling and Sam had both opposed the 1876 candidacy of James G. Blaine.

The Charleston, S.C. Sunday News, p.5 under “New Books” praised CY:

It is irresistibly funny, but the humor is far surpassed by the philosophy which it teaches and the pitiless satire with which the good old things of the good old days are held up to the well-merited derision of the intelligent world….But the book…contains many suggestions that are of present importance and application. The author touches ever so many sore places in the American economy of the present day. His references, for instance, to the institution of human slavery was intended to reach the South, and what he has to say about “Sixth Century Political Economy” might very well be printed by the National Democratic Committee for general circulation in the next campaign, to show how utterly false are the pleas of the champions of the Protective tariff that high wages is all that the workingmen of this country desire, whether the high wages will buy anything or not.

      Altogether, this is one of the strongest and best of Mark Twain’s books, not so much on account of its side-splitting humor, as of its common sense [Budd, Contemporary 298-9].