Sacramento daily record-union. [volume], October 21, 1882, Image 4

About Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891

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T3E DAILY RECORD-UNION, j
SAlt UiiW OCTOBER 21. 1881
Hrteurolcgleal Observations — Taken at
Signal Station at the Same Moment.
S.uhlamksTo, October 20, 1882— 8:02 r. v.
Places of ob- ?! i'l a f !|°f ?£ State of
aeration. |£ / 81$. if *5 2 E lhe
Oympta.... 30.30 45! S. W. LUrht. . .OHCIaaT
Portland.... 30.3:} 47 Ca!m Calm Uiear
Roscbirg... 29.96 r.i >. Light. clear
Mendorino. . ]3O.Os|6l N. 13 Brisk Clear
BelBlui.. .1:;- Aift. X. 10 Fresh Clear
B■cnuneuto8 ■cnuneuto. ■•."!). !».»!oi S. E. Light. . Clear
S. Jrmcisco. 30.01 IC-< N. W. LUiht Clear
Vujalia 1-29. % <) N. w. Light Liear
Ltb Armeies. 59.90 60| N. Light Fur
Bar. Hicgo..|».'.fflM; X. \V. [tight. Fair
Wnxfmnm temperature, 77 ; minimum, 50.
River above lew-water mark, 8 feet 9 inches.
A fall ci 5 inches in pis'. 24 hours.
JAMKi A. liARWJCK,
Serjeant, bMfimi Ccrpa, D. o A.
SECOND EDITION.
A second coition of the KucoßD-Uyiox Is lusuod
rat), d at 2p. m. bringing the Eastern and coast
new? up to tha*. hour. By this arr*ri£c»eiit th
Ht.z' hii- _\',i.-,s will present the latest news obtain
able at all points east ana nortb uf Sa>jramento.
'Tie rejfular moraine edition of the Kwwkd-I'mom
.■ uiried by morning trains, and ia ahead of all
co r.|K. titors aa far north as Chice, on the California
and Ore. c i Railroad ; west to BaUt, and south to
8 ocklon, and east to Colfax, Folsom and l'lacer
>il'.e and all intermediate places. The second edition
i attcr will be fuund each day upon the third page.
THE WEEKLY UNION
Is issued this milling The first part— eight pages—
'is published Wednesdays; the second pan— eight
pages— is publUbtd Saturdays. Thus in each week
each su'iscribtr t) the Wkkklv I'xion receives siv
teen i agej of news matter, prepared by the highest
journalistic ability and chosen with an eye single to
the entertainment, the education and the profit of
the reader. The editorial* of the Want I'Moa
«re cverj where-admitted to be unei|ualed for schol
arly finish, for vigor of thought, independence of
Buirit and advanced ideas on all questions of public
and wicial policy, am ernmen'.al affiirp, community
iatcrasta and the pr.i^ns* sad davriOfaMntfll the
resources of t!ie State. The A.ricultural dipart
ment o! thu Wkkma Vmos is unde.thc direction of
• riencetl farmer and a corojietent writer. The
home *lr|>'irtment9 are edited with tflpeciat care.
The column* of the Ibbl Lni>s furnish tl.u
choicest and mosl varied literary matter, chaste,
slanting tad ntcrfatnlq£ The market reports ;re
fr..:n t ; i tmt UUlMianitel SOUICM and — co:rcctei
by the very best authorities. The Wkkki.v Dm
is mailed (a any aOdrcsd for cne year for ia SO in
alvance.
THIS MORNING'S NEWS.
In New York Government bonds are quoted at
: I 1.r43 of 1907 ; 113J for 4J9 ; 101$ for 3Js ;
WUrttnf, ?4 S2j<g« b7 ; silver bars, 113j.
fcilvir iv Loudon, 51; 1; consols, 101 9 KM; 6
per cent. United States bonds, titended, 103 ; 4s,
Ul ; 4js, Ufi
In San Fraiicisco half dollars are quoted r.t \ dis
count to par ; Mexican dollars, 91 Jin 92 cents.
.Mniiii^ stocks wore very dull in San Francisco |
yesterday morning, and nearly all descriptions were
from 5 cents to 50 cents low er than Thursday. There
is not a ray of light ou the Cumatock lode, either
abri*. i,t below. SLili the record of sales goes on ail
the gani'j.
The mtnew of the TyMßdata 0 »il ru-rion in Mary
land have struck fur an advance in wipes.
F.mr men and a woman (:ill colored) were hanged
upon one EcaffoM at ICuKman, t'.a., yesterday, for
yaong irhita nun named Jamea Uarvnrd.
I. Ki-i.l, I'etcr Thomas and Laura Bright
are to I c hauled at AUntti.M, La., December 15th.
it] nUej I :cpub'icans of the Niuth Missouri
Diabici hmv» nominati.il Dr. J H. McLean fur the
iv, a. .1 Qeorfe Barn for the short term i:i
John J. lvnr.'sc has W en nominated for Congress
by the Democrats of the Third Coimtfrticut Dis
trict.
A collisi f fruij.-ht trains at Hhinc Cliff, N. V.,
yesterday, caused a h>sa of fcsO.ooo.
Edward I. firry, of ruh, has been appointed
Government Dinctor of the Union PtcUls Kailroad,
. ■i-ltl Baka>a dseaaied.
Milmsha, said to be the best Bcenic artist in the
country, died at Si. Louis Thursday i.uht.
:ie testified in regard to his wife's insanity
at GUcago yesterday.
Fire at New York.
A Jewish organization known m t'.ie Maccabees
haa been started in Cinunnati.
The scheme u> build a line city and summer resort
at the hea-i of Lake Miclrgi.i has been abandoned.
At a cattle sale at Lair's Station, Ky, Thursday,
BS head of shorthorns brought *26,G00.
B »i 11 offers to bet *20,000 that he will win the
coming six day pedestrian match.
Maud S. is to be Bhipped to Cincinnati in Decem
ber.
Trouble prevails at Monmouth College between
ilty ami studente.
Henry Clay Maynard, manager of the Western
Union Telegraph office in Chicago, dud at Geneva
Lake, Wis., yestenl y.
General Wolsoley has arrived at Aiixtr.Jria from
Cairo.
Ti.c (aUurea throughout the country during the
J-ist wet-k numb r 117.
!-. .. r r William has entirely recovered from his
rc-'eut QlnaVß.
Joeepb KicharJs and John McLiren were caved
oniaamiae near Nevada City yesterday, the for
mer being badly hurt.
The bring Hall Convention of the Fifth New
yort Di-trnt uominatcii John Hardy for Comrrees.
Tne death of Bishop Paine, of the Methodist
Church South, is anm unced from Alierdeen, Mies.
A bank at Z'eland was burglarized of $7,000 to
|5,000 in currency Monday niuht.
General H. W. Early has been nominated fur Con
(Teea by the DeeaecnU ol the sixteenth Peeuiejl
vania District.
President Arthur has returned to Washington in
i \» '.lent health
Fr.ink hi\era had a remarkable escape from death
yesttrJuy near Niles, Alamedi county.
A cotton mill near Macclssflold, England, was
turned yesterday, inflicting a loss of *:SO,OOO.
Twenty thousand miners in Sou'.h and West York
ahire, EngUud, threaten tt» etrike unless their
wages are increased.
A fire at Doraago, Cul., last evenins: desfrjyed
eix^J frame buildings.
Thomaa Martin was found dead la his room at Sniti
Krmi-isco yesterday fort B.
The fliht f,.r the United Staies Senatorship in the
On a I.c-Muture ended last niirht at 10 o'clock,
on tae .'"ri} mood baßot, by the election of j. N
1». Ipb, he recfiving 51 votes.
Much to interest readers of the Rei ord L'kios
will l>e fouirJ U|wn the inside pages of to daj s
issue.
bom dor manageaoßl in the country "ffictß of
Hit- ■reeteiu Union Telegraph Company haa become
the me, with scarcely cnaugh exception topiovc it.
The cause is explained by the rapid reduction cf
wluncs paid optrators, reiul'.iin; in the rateatioa i f
inferior skill and faiilifuluess. The Sacramento
letenrw no share of th's coiideuiiuition. Eut
one otßea cannft redeem aservioe wherein efficiency
deminds that all parts of the system ehali beeffl
cicnt.
Thk SjiiU Maria Tii.tr, says : •' We doubt the
policy of the Commissioners in Beating thepdi uri
form over all the roads in the State. If it tends to
choke <lf <iip>aiti,in by er'pnHag the smailer loads
and thuH uwMUiing t!:c c aiati iiiiUrm of eoaapetJax
lines, lhe int. r. -t nl the maaiMisianlli »i.' nol
li»\c I • a iTouioted, and thAgnvtiiaad antrliiiiwiil
cf Hm Htati »i.l Ik' laillllillji rttardej."
■TxcTavnu prep m to bafid a ving im at tl-.c
Vuba to check the ambition ol the
■•* of that riser to ga noiUiwid. It row
. iutotlie Fea-.lii.-r one mile north ..fits old
mouth, and but for the Maryavilie levees would
bam long since, aays the Affmi, fo\i:ij its |
debouchuunt fir abive Mirysul.e.
tatkaattael WsaHagloa Hall, bat week do
stroyed by fire at Woodland, a theater and public
hall is to be erected by a jemt sUKk compuiy It i
will be 120 fctt in dep'h by M tea i:i width, with a i
g-"-TX
Ovt^t the Nevada pa^rs says c-r iwlilii „, I
speakers in Ujat State, that they t eat fa<.ts with |
contempt an] pi riiht along esaattSßg ti!se llQ od* '
That B'aouJd not sanirise the sajc bniih i junnl.
Tut Mirj-sville Ajytai save : •• It was apparent |
befoie the small raUroils mvle thtir fi.rniii j.rr,- j
te«t* that they could not be operate j at four cenvs
per mile."
It has beej roaeived for a Parisian to descril.; to
a dot American belles abroad. He speaks cf the
" fr^c. yet Li.lily proper, manners ct Ameri_an
pirliooi."
yu \ikt liule smelMnj bottles are Bsvaaandtßg-
Qag trass the waist-belt 'f the cir! of the perio-1,
acJ now slie can faii.t vbeswvar opp r'.iiiity cffLrs.
A sill his been BStradsjeed i-i ths tun si bnnch of
the Le^biatnro of Yerrcont reqvij I i
recder JsißjMn sMHattli before tJtscutiou.
A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW.
When the people of California sgree-d to j
revise the Constitution they wer'j per- j
suadecl to this step mainly by the ccn=id- j
I eration that they would in so doiag put an
end to the railroad question. ~W'hen the j
Convention met, however, it was found j
that it contained a majority of stupid ami ;
I obstinate fanatics, who, under pretense ;
i of settling the railroad question finally, in- ]
slated upon regulative measures bo uujustin I
principle, so discriminating, and so vicious
in their arrangements, that the only pur
pow they could serve was to make the
whole question more intimately connected
with politics than e>-er. In fact the Con- |
s'.itutioual Convention did more mischief
j in this regard than all the preceding legis
: lation, and instead of settling the railroad
j question it unsettled it more than ever.
> Vet the iiiilroad Commission was
avowedly intended to take the question
out of politics. Certainly the conception
was a brilliant one. Three Commissioners
were to be elected by districts, and it was
so ordered that nobody could become a
candidate for these offices without being or
pretending to be a positive enemy of the
corporations. In this way the rankest
. demagogism was fastened upon the tribunal,
| and it was rendered almost impossi
ble for it to be a dignitied, impartial, trust
worthy body. From the beginning, how
ever, the men who had shaped the
machinery set themselves to make it a
failure. They demanded that the
enormous powers vested in the
Commission should be at once exerted
without the least inquiry. They insisted
that the Commission should immediately
proceed to confiscate the property of the
; railroads. And because it felt the neces
sity of cautious procedure, and of fuller
in foi mation prior to action, they began to
denounce it as having cold out to the cor
porations.
And this is inseparable from the character
of the machinery adopted. It is impossi
| ble to obtaiu rational government in a case
where an irresponsible clement is allowed
to constitute itself at once judge, jury and
witnesses. There never has been any
demonstration of the reckless charges
levied against the railrcads. There never
has been any confirmation of thtte charge 3
which a Court could accept as proof. Yet
it is upon the strength of these newspaper
statements alone that the Railroad Com
mission has been required to proceed.
Nothing could be looser or more opposed
to every principle of justice than this
whole procedure. Under the pretext of
constitutional forms, an irresponsible and
utterly unscrupulous gang of knaves has
betn allowed to demand the conliscation of
railroad property upon the strength of the
most impudent falsehoods. Evidence and
all the guarantees and protections of evi
dence have been brutally thrust aside.
Venal newspapers have assumed to over
ride the Courts, anJ marshalling an ignor
ant mob-opinion have called this fraudulent
exhibition the voice of the people, acd
have required that it should be respected
as such. From first to last, throughout
the storm of abuse and misrepresentation
and demagogism and cant and rant that has
swept over the .State, actual proofs, actual
facts, will be sought in vain, and nothing
will be found to justify all the clamor but
unsupported, unverified assertions, for the
most part emanating from journals known
to be vena], and from men known to be
unprincipled.
Observe, moreover, that the Railroad
Commission is supposed, theoretically, to
represent the will, judgment, sense, jus
tice, equity, of the people of California.
Now it is perfectly clear that it must be
the duty of such a tribunal to investigate,
to act cautiously, to hold the balance
evenly, to avoid even the appearance of
unfairness. Hut from the first this tribunal
has been bullied, dictated to, threatened,
abused, and treated in fact precisely as the
IVisian mob treated the Convention dur
ing the Reign of Terror. It has never
been permitted to act judicially. It has
been coolly told that inquiry was unneces
sary. The impudent varlets who play the
part of popular attorneys have undertaken
to lay down the law for the guidance of the
Commission. Journals whose columns are
notoriously for sale havo arrogated the
right to put aside the constitutional machin
ery, and decree the conliscation of railroad
property by the million. Tha question
whether railroads should be allowed to
earn this or that percentage hai been
discussed with Arctic coolness by Bohem
ians for whom the word " property " haß
but a shadowy meaning. These persons
have voted away the possessions of their
fellows with great unction, and at the
same time they have done their best to
cultivate in the popular mind a belief that
the ownership of property is somehow a
wrong to the community, and that who
ever haa wealth is fair game for the
spoiler.
Thus the original purposes of the lUil
road Commission has been frustrated, and
the tribunal has been altogether dis
credited. The same sinister agencies
which did this have further contrived to
render it certain that the scramble for
these offices hereafter will be a mere con
test of demagogi3m. Nothing more dis
graceful than the trick 3 employed by Foote
and Djyle, for instance, haa ever been per
petrated by ofEceteekers. The former is
the most shameless and dishonest dcaia
' gogue, according to his own showing, who
has ever appeared on the political stage of
California. The latter is self-convicted of
i the most hopeless contradictions and incon
sistencies, and has evidently repudiated 1
all his original beliefs because he wants an
■ offioe. Now it is clear fiat when men are
' willing thus to play the knave in older to
; get oliice, they are sure to play the kcave
| still more if they do get it. Demagogues
; are always corrupt. Whoever will lie acd
I cog to gain votes will also sell himself to
! the highest bidder. Is follows from all
this that the mischievous gang which has
been forcing the railroad into politics all
these years has now made it almost impos
sible to secure a trustworthy Railroad Com
mission ; has in fact so managed that !
demagogism must every year be more and
more the principal agency in filling these
offices.
The tame evil agencies are responsible
! for all the futile malignity which will have !
to be lopped away from the State Ccnati- j
i tution as dead mattir. The &e'nene of |
j railroad taxation is one of thoee pieces of j
futile malignity. It was a deliberate at- !
| tempt at conliscation. It has been de- '
! clared invalid, and we have no doubt that I
j the decision will stand. The Railroad '
Commission is open to similar objections.
; If it is brought before the Federal Courts i
( it too will be declared an unlawful tribu- I
nal. Thus for these many years have a j
, g»og of knaves been misleading the people '
of California, and hava novr brought them !
into a worse entanglement than ever. Htd !
I the railroad betn treated with justice by
j the Constitutional Convention, there would \
have been no dispute about their taxes. !
' Had the Raiiroad Communion been re. '
i i tricked to reasonable power*, and then
allowed to proceed regularly and systemat
ically, as good results ai the Massachu
setts Commission obtained would undoubt
edly have followed. But every rational,
sober and equitable measure and proposi- >
tion has been thwarted by ♦.he malignant '
fools who have raised the anti-railroad '.
clamor, and the outcome ia that the whole :
cumbrous fabric of regulation is tottering :
to its fall, and that the political energy of ;
ten years is about to be thrown away. The j
whole work will have to be done over
again, and this because it (ras not bc_,uu
in honesty and justice.
SOUTHERN FEUDS AND WHAT THEY
INDICATE.
A very startling and shocking tragedy
has cccurred at Kooxville, Term., result
ing in the violent and sudden death of
three prominent citiz.ns. It ia not neces
sary to rehearse the feud between the Ma
brej s. O'Connor and others, which led to
the triple murder, though it is in order to
remark that the Mabreys were approved
assassins of the regular Southern type,
having very recently beeu acquitted (of
course by a Southern jurj ) of the cold
blooded murder of two other men. Their
takiDg-off, therefore, is in no sense a thing
to be regretted, and, indeed, it would be
well for the South if all of their kind
could be hunted down and killed like rats
in a trap. But it is quite useless for South
erners to iuiiat upon the civilization of
their people so kng as the custom of blood
feuds is maintained. For that custom is
so essentially barbarous as to compel one
to go to the Indians for its parallel. We
may tiad the custom Nourishing in the Ital
ian Republics and petty principalities of
the fourttouth and tifteenth centuries. The
Italians, however, were wiser in their gen
eration than the Southerners. They em
ployed bravos or professional assassins,
who, "for a consideration," would put
anybody out of the way in a neat and
workmanlike manner. So common was
this practice that there was a regular
dumping place for the corpses o^
the bauks of the Tiber, at Rome.
And when Cu'sar l'-oiyia caused his
brother to be murdered, a fisherman
who had seen the body tlung into the
river, on being asked why he had not
n itui-il the authorities, replied that he
had seen a hundred corpses thrown into
the river from that place, and he had too
much regard for his own throat to say
anything. At the South, however, these
who are at feud think it necessary to do
their own lighting, and as they are prone
to use shotguns loaded with buckshot it
does not take long to exterminate a family.
But this is very barbarous and savage
work. It is traceable to two thoroughly un
civilized traits : viz , an exaggerated no
tion of personal honor ; and insutlicient re
gard for human life. As civilization
progresses, the self-conceit which is really
the explanation of what is called "a punc
" tilious sense of honor," is cleared away.
Men learu.as their intellectual facultiesex
paud, and as their knowledge increases,
that the individual must depend for re
spect and esteem upon conduct, acd not
upon his own fanciful idea of his own im
portance. The respect for human life aho
rises with civilization. Men come to
peiceive that there are very few offenses
which can merit death, and that when these
offenses are committed the law, and not the
individual, must be trusted to exact the
penalty. But at the South we sec
that even the prominent rr.en, the
better educated men, still act as
though they possessed no govern
ment ; still disgrace their communities by
brutal and bloody street tights ; still cher
ish their savage feuds, as though they were
wild Indians. And the Southern press does
not characterize these shameful practices
as they deserve. It is obliged to soften
down the horrors of these tragedies ; to
put out of sight the dreadful stiliction en
tailed upon wives and daughters and
mothers and Bisters by the detestable
"code;" to speak of brutalities which
would disgrace a tribe of Apaches as though
they were the fit and proper acts of Chris
tian gentlemen ; to euphemize murders as
"affraje;"' to call assassinations "en
counters :" to back up, excuse, condone,
defend, justify, palliate, the most abomina
ble a-jd deplorable outrages and crimes that
have ever prevented the progress of a com
munity or given it a bad name all over the
civil)/ ;d world. It is in vain that these
e^,>!anationß are offered, however. The
inuate and controlling barbarism even of
the so calltd best society of the South is
demonstrated beyond all controversy by
these horrible deeds and the customs which
lead to them.
UTILITY OF THE SIGNAL SERVICE.
"It is estimated," says a contemporary
at the Kist, "at the Signal Office that at
"least $13,000,000 of property and many
" persons remained safely in harbor on ac
" count of the warnings given by tho Sig
'•nal Office before the cyclone of last
" month, and that the saving in this one
"instance pays the expenses of the Sigral
"Service for at least ten years." Tnis is a
statement which commends itself to thote
extremely practical people who have bein
so long in finding out the usefulness of the
Signal Service, and who for several years
maintained that this Service was a mere
waste of time and money. The truth
is that the efficiency of the Sen-ice
has increased very greatly, and that
it is all the time acquiring greater facility
and certainty in its forecasts. If all its
warnings were attended to, moreover, there
can be co doubt that it would have been
i very much more beneficial than it has
been ; but unfortunately there remain a
great cumber of foo'.s who think it safe to
pay no attention to Signal Service reports,
and some of these fools are continually be-
I ing sacrificed to their own folly.
LAND FRAUDS.
Judging from the annual report of the
Commissioner of the General Lmd Office,
all the laborious efuirts, or apparent efforts,
of Congress to prevent the perpetration of
land frauds, have proved ineffective. Ac
i cording to Judge MeF*rland the stealing
of public land continues to give occupa
tion and wealth to a large number of en
terprising ar.d nnecrnpulous persons. Ali
the old tricks seem still to be played, to
gether with rome new ones. We do not
indeed hear to much of soldiers' bounty
warranta, Sionx scrip, lieu Jandr, and to
forth, but homestead and preemption
entry appears to »tf.>rd all the opportm,;
--' ties needed by one considerable class of
land thieves. Minnesota timber and Cali
fornia grazing lands seem to have r ff.-rcd
specially inviting fields for this kind of
I adventure. In California a peculiarly au
j dacious plan has bec-n pursu2d. The land
j thieves have simply fenced in the trie's
they waattd, without troubling themselves
ito procure any kind of at-.tietoit. In
j some instances they have actually driven
eff previous settler*, who, if they knew
j their right.?, should have held their land
■at the point of their rilles. Tne presuiup
j tion, however, is that the very impudence
'-f sne'n action convinces thoduDed ntttm
that the thieves must possess strong titles, j
There is no question that this particular -
kind of fraud has been encouraged by Con
gieaeional legislation and decisions of the
Interior Department, to the effect that
fensed land shall ho. regarded as legiti
mately acquired land until the contrary is I
shown. It is, however, quite evident from 1
Judge McFarland's report that land- '
stealing has not been put down by Con
gress, but that it is still being carried on
with a boldness and determination which j
may be expected to last as Ions; as there is
any land left to steal. For it is to be
feared that Congress will never succeed in
passing land laws w hich will put a ."top to
these frauds.
COMMISSIONER ARMSTRONG'S REPORT.
Commissioner Armstrong is reported as
saying that " his recent visit to the Pacific
"coast left him in doubt as to the best
"method of dealing with the railroad
"problem, lie thiuks that many of the
"complaiata against the Central Pacific
"Uailroad are unfounded, and that a na
" tional CammiasioTi could afford but very
"little relief. He thinks that there should
" be more information obtained before any
" Congressional legislation on the subject
"is attempted." To all who are candid
and intelligent enough to reason it must
appear singular that whenever men are
appointed to examine the railroad question
uQicially, and thus become responsible,
they are led to take conservative views.
Of course the anti-railroad malignants
have a ready explanation for this. They
assert that every man who presumes to
differ from them has been bought by the
railroads. That is an easy mode of eva
sion, but it will not satisfy thinking men.
When a man who, like Charles Francis
Adams, is above the suspicion of venality,
cornea to examine the railroad (juestion,
and coincides in such views ai those of
Commissioner Armstrong, it is necessary
to find some more plausible explanation.
And it ia significant t'aat whenever
the railrond question has been seriously
and impartially studied, the conclusions
reached have been as far as the pules are
apart frcm the a,..ertion . of the anti-rail
road howlers.
The fact is that the anti-railroad agita
tion h really a means of preventing the
proper adjustment of the question. If
there are abuses in the railroad Bystcm
they cannot be remedied by any such
agency. In dealing with corporate prop
erty it is nectstary to begin by realizing
that when individuals combine for business
purposes they do not forfeit any of their
rights as citizens ; that the property rights
of companies arc as sacred as those of units ;
that it is impassible to discriminate
against them legally ; that if charges are
to be brought against them they must be
preferred and supported properly ; and
that reckless alm-.e and misrepresentation,
kept up by irresponsible and anonymous
parties, cannot be made the basis of legis
lation. In this State we arc only Npaat
ing the crude blunders of Illinois and Wis
consin and lowa. Ten yean »;.■ i the.
went through the experience we are hav
ing now, an.! since then they have been
kept busy undoing thj stupid and mis
chievous work of their anti- railroad minis.
No substantial results Cka ever come from
the half-crazy attacks now being made
upon the railroads. Tney are not justified
by any existing etate of facts. They are
merely theatrical properties which are
being employed in the interest of two sets
of office-seeking demagogues. There is no
regard for the public welfare at the back
of them. There is neither intelligent com
prehension of the railroad problem oor a
desire to obtain the truth behind them.
When responsible men arc sent to exam
ine the situation they are compelled to re
port as Commissioner Armstrong docs,
namely, to the effect that the charges
against the railroad are for the most pirt
urfounded, and that none of the propoted
remedial measures arc capable of doing any
good. We believe the people of California
have already recognized the utter fn.udu
lence of the present anti-railroad how),
and that if it were possible they wou'd by
their votes set the seal of condemnation
upon it. They no doubt understand that
before any good can be effected there must
be a complete change of tactics ; that dem
agogism must be repudiated ; that the
railroad problem must be approached in a
spirit of equity ; that when charges are
made, full proof of them must be insisted
upon ; that ignorant and malicious persons
must not be permitted to formulate legisla
tion hostile to great and important inter
ests. It is very certain that, as Commis
sioner Armstrong observes, there should
be more information before any Congrees
ional legislation on the subject is attempted,
and it is equally certain that the informa
tion must be derived from other and far
different sources than the anti-railroad
press. Bat if thj 'people really desire to
have this problem solved they will be com
pelled to insist upon a rational, temperate
and unprejudiced course of procedure, and
they must not allow demagogues to elevate
themselves into power at the expense of
corporate interests, or by fostering a dan
gerous communistic sentiment.
THE PRESCOTT CASE.
The announcement that a jury haa
awarded Marie l'rescott, the actress,
£12,300 in a libel suit brought by her
against the American News Company, will
be a surprise to all who have followed the
reports of the trial in the New York
journals. For the evidence adduced in
Court was unquestionably such a3 to make
it certain that the plaintiff had been a
woman of the loosest morals, and that she
had in fact been the mistress of several
men. This evidence was largely docu
mentary, and a good deal of it consisted of
letteis written by the plaintiff to different
men. Upon what theory the jury pro
ceeded in finding a verdict for her with
heavy damage?, we are at a loss to con
ceive. In fact it looks as though they had
simply defied the law and the fact?, and
given her damages because she was a pretty
woman. Assuredly it is not posiibla for
anyone who has read the letters which
were produced in Court to retain any belief
in the practicability of libeling her a; re
gards her moral character.
THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS.
It appears probab'.e that there will be a
good deal of trouble over the Lind Lsngue
[and, now that the American subscription
list has been closed. Taough the leaders
of the League are of course ready and anx
ious to exonerate one another froii all sus
i picion, there are many subordinates who
are already hinting th-t there have been
serious leaks in the treasury, aud that not
a little ci the money has beea misappro
priated. Utnrtunile'.y it is impassible to
' create secret funds for any purpose wLat-
I ever without encouraging malversation.
Whera money is concerned the abst-nce of
responsibility almofii invariably opens the
'. Am* to corruption. The vaiira! Irith
j funds which hive been raised daring
| the past twenty ye&rs in this country have
| each acd all pna rise to charges of this
nature, and what is more, in nn.it cases
the truth of the assertion has been demon
strated. The Fenian Fund was almost 1
entirely expended in riotous living. The
Skirmishing Fund appears to have gone
pretty much the same way. It is not ored
ible that the bulk of the Land League
Fund has been misappropriated, but it is
! quite conceivable that a considerable per
centage of it may have s'.u.U to the ringers
ef those who hid the handling of it.
j Nevertheless ncne of these charges,
whether follows: by demonstration or not,
appear to have the least perceptible effect
in checking the stream of Irish-American
subscriptions. The money is volunteered
with a. really pathetic confidence, consider
ing how tha<; confidence has been abused
heretofore ; and no matter what the nature
of the appeal, it is never mr.de in vain. It
is a pity that this readiness to contribute
is nut better rewarded and justified in the
long run.
THE DUTY ON BOOKS.
The San Francisco Bmttetm recently
stated, in discisdng the duty on bookt>,
that foreign scientific works are imported
free. This is a mistake. Public libraries,
colleges, and some other corporate institu
tions, are allowed to import bookß free, bat
the general public have no such privileges,
either as regards scientific works or any
other, save and except books which were
printed more than twenty years ai;o. The
official statement, according to the last
edition of the " Pos'al Laws and K?gula
"tions," is that "1.0 books are absolutely
" exempt from customs duties except those
"printed and manufactured more than
" twenty years.' It is said that when the
duty amounts to less than $1 it is the
practice to remit if. We have had no ex
perienca of this, but we do know that
bouks are sometimes imported by mail, and
pass through the Poslotlice without raising
any question of duty. Wry few books
arc, however, imported in thi3 way, and
therefore it doe 3 cot pay to make any spe
cial arrangements concerning them. In
the fiscal year ISSO SI the duties collected
on books amouuttd to $59-4, - 24(», and bojks
valued at 1373,260 entered duty free. It
is a safe assertion that the six hundred
thousand dollars wrung from the importers
of foreign books fell principally upon poor
scholars, and that the import did not in
any appreciable degree benefit American
puMi-heis. The truth ia that the tax
on books is an obsolete piece of barbarism,
of which any other nation in the civilized
world would be heartily ashamed ; and if
Congress was a cultured bo3y it would not
tolerate the imposition another month. A*
it i?, it may r, quire ten or twenty years of
ouetant hammeriDK to get this wroag re
dressed.
BRADLAU GH AND ARABI.
The statem ..t l.;.it Bra;' mgh it to de
fend Arabi rt .I'.y sounds like a joke.
Whoever v. i r.iltei t.iat .! .ty ought to be
thoroughly fani.ar v. -.:i Anbic, and with
Kjjyptian laws and ecutOQM and Mt4ca of
thoughi. ||p a Btm&lam//* probably under
stands no otti r la 11 li-.j own, mil
tic his but an iaaperfeot c. j i.iiniance with
th»t even. N * c»n it b& i-u^posed that \.v
poi3e»seßea any familiarity with O.itntal
I.vas and customs. Probably he knows no
more about thesy thing* than th .1.
Kjglishman c:iu derive from hia MWaptpet.
For what reason Mr. bradlaugh desires to
undertake the defense ot Arabi is aUo a
mybtcry. I>jcs he imagine that t-.e
':■'_•) ;i'.ian rebel is a champion of freedom
who has not had fair play ! If that is his
theory it will be rudely destroyed before
he has gone far wiih his case. We must
confes3, howevi r, vii: we have never felt
so much sympathy (or Arabi as when we
saw it stated that i '•■ 1 iljugh was to defend
him. lie may bare r.:. rited death, bat we
had Bu.-poaeii ilist evea iv E^jypt the
torture v. as abolished,
THE GERMAN ELECTION S.
Sj fir as this returns from the (!jr nan
elections hav>i b-jen received, it appears
that thj Liberals and ProgreMtsta have won
a decided victory. What the specific gain
in the lleichßts^ will be, caunot yet bs as
certained, bu' i', is cleir that the C jaserva
tive vote has fallen off almost everywhere,
and that the union of all the Liberal e'.e
meuts which was Hloocmfnllj ace :mp!ished
during tha caaraM h:i3 h^.d its natural
effec:. The (" .nservAtivts have, after all,
not derived any permanent advact i,-es from
Prince Bismarck's coquetting^, but that
alliynce hal the effect of coacout rating the
Liberal strength, which hal before that
been frittered away ia factional quarrels.
It looks now as though the po'.icy of the
Prussian Government on the Catholic
question would be defeated, together with
Bismarck's commercial measures. Protest
ant 1 .eniiiny has at last been roused, and
there is once more a prospect of retaliation
upon the Vatican for its premature arro
gance.
NO USE KICKING.
The Sultan appears to be afraid that he
has lost Egypt, because the English have
intimated their intention to occupy the
sountry until they get ready to leave it.
Why the Sultan should "take on" so about
his mythical sovereignty over K,jypt it ia
difficult to understand. It is very certain
that he haa had no control over the country
since Ismail's time, and it is equally cer
tain that his predecessors showed them
selves perfectly willing to part with al!
their rights over Kgypt "for a consiuera
" tion. In fact they sold the Khedivate,
the right to create a standing army and
navy, and the right to make independent
treaties with foreign power?. Very little
more remained to be granted, and it ha 3
long been evident that this little wcuUl
have gone the way of the rest as soon as
the Khedive was ready for abfu'ute inde
pendence. The i'orte has had no real con
trol over Ivjypt for years, and never could
h»ve regained the old sovereignty. The
Saltsn therefore ia only making himself
ridiculous by getting iato a passion over
the loss of this possession ; and besides,
sines he is certain sooner or later to lose
the whole of his European possessions he
mL'ht as Well accept tbU little al'iietion as
a wholesome discipline. Whether he does
or not, however, nobody will care a par
ticle. Egypt has ceased to belong to the
Sublime Porte, and will not go back to its
old condition.
HUBBELL ON THE DEFENSIVE.
Mr. Jay Hubbell has been telling a re
porter that his appeal's for " voluntary
"subscriptions" do not mean anything
and that no Government employe is in th
least danger of being discharged for refui
iag to respond to them. Mr. Hubbell cvi
dently shares the prevailing low opinion c
the public intelligence entertained by mo*
profeaaiona' politicians. At this moinen
the public indignation over the politic*
ass2esmsnt plan has had so mnch effect a
to render the punishment of rebellion
Government employes dangerous. More
over, according to Hubbell himeelf. aboa ;
tifty per cent, of them have failed to re
Bpond, and therefore it is plain that th I
rebels are too many to be disciplined. Bat
it is a certain fact (hat the priiuary inten
tion was to inflict punishment for refusal
to contribute ; that many employes have
been so punished ; and that the main influ
ence relied upon throughout has been the
apprehension of the employes that they
wou'd be discharged if they did not pay
the two per cent, demanded of them.
Hubbell is a very impudent fellow, and he
is quite case-hardened, or ho would not
think the public so stupid as not to see
throug'i his clumsy attempt at vindication.
But tha truth is that your " practical "
politician it, quite as often ;»» not, a great
blockhead.
A SIGN OF THE TIMES.
We do not refer to Cadet Whittaker'u
card, but to other indications iv the South,
when we remark that there is a growing
tendency in the colored vote to detach it
self from the Republican party. That
there are reasons for this which appeal
strongly to tho colored voteis in that re
gion, cannot be denied. Their attachment
to the Republican party has not yet brought
them much good. It has entailed upon
them much positive persecution ; and it has
in many Southern .States made them the
associates and allies of as bad a Bet of ad
venturers as history has any record of. One
result of this has been to discredit negro
efforts at advancement. Another result
has been to corrupt the negro mind dan
gerously. What the compensations are has
not yet been made apparent, and therefore
it is not a matter for surprise that when
any portion of the Southern negroes br^iu
to think seriously for themselves, the idea
of political independence should ocsur to
them. We do not believe that they as n
class will go over to the democracy; but
we are by no means sure that by tempo
rarily withdrawing frcra the Republican
ranks they would not be doiug the bett
thiDg possible for theindelves. For until
the Southern 11. publican party ia com
pletely reformed it will be of no service to
them.
STRICT CONSTRUCTIONISTS.
It eeKrr.'i thit trie owner? of steam-tugs
at Chicago are very strict onstructionista.
There is a law forbidding the tugs to take
passengers, the penalty being a live of $.100
in every case, and because of this prohibi
tion the tugownera hive refuted to pick
up drowning persons, and no less than
six lives have been lost in consequence.
The assertion that the tug owners would
be liable under the law if they rescued
drowning persona is, we must conclude, a
mistake. It may be confidently assumed
that no Court in the United States would
declare that the saviDg of human life con
stituted in offense or a breach of law.
Persons rescued from drowning would not
be liable to I>3 classed as paseengers under
the law, and no official in hia senses would
ever thiok of attempting to apply the pro
hibition to such cißes. It appears to us
that the tug owners are more to blame iv
thi* matter ilun the II «rbor (.' jmni-aon
ere, and that in fact they are amenable to
the odious accusation of deliberately sac
rilicing human life in order to render ob
noxious a Uw which causes them auuoy
anoe, and perhaps lost.
MORE STRIKES THREATENED.
[t i? slid that fresh strikes are being
prepared ia the iron trade. It cannot uj
inferred from this thit the Trada Unions
are fully prepared to f»ce an Kis'.cru win"
ter in idleness. Unfortunately it is very
much more likely that no adtqaate funda
have beou provided. For it ia a peeatiarity
of all recent labor stnhta thr.t they have
been male blindly, and in despite of the
most hopeltss circu:natanc«.s. The new
demand of the ironworker* is to be for ten
per cent, inereaee cf iijii The rational
pr.aamption is that the mill ownt.ra cannot
consent to such a demand. If that ia so,
the stiikes will be foredoomed to failare,
no matter how lung they last. But they
are cure to involve hideous suffering to the
striker.*, and the most of this Buffering will
fall upon the women and children, who,
unfortunately for themselves, are not con
sulted in the proceedings.
DUCKS AND LIGHTS.
There is a telegraphic account of the de
structkn uf some electric lights at a town
in lowa by wild geese flying against them.
There is nothing at all unusual ab>ut this
circumstance. It has long be.en known
that birds would Hy against exposed lights
at night, and there are very few. if any,
light-houses, the keepers of which have not
had ampls experience of this tendency.
Often the birds will tly against the thick
glass lanterns of light-housss with such
force that they fall dead in the surround
ing gallery, and are picked up in the morn
ing by the dozen. In fact thi3 is co fami
liar a fact that it ought to have been taken
into account when erecting the electric
lights for town illumination, and whenever
such lighting is done permanently it will
certainly be necessary to protect the globes
against the assaults of bird?.
THE STAR ROUTS CASES.
The recent bold and crafty attempt to
oonfuse the country as to the real merits
of the jury bribery -\t Washington in the
star route cises, appears to have failed, the
Government being in a position to show
that the men whose affidavits were em
ployed for this purpose are persous of bad
character, and, moreover, implicated with
the defendants. The plot has therefore
broken down, and now it Licks as though
it might eventually leal to the develop
ment of important matters, calculated to
aid the Government in convicting the
thieves. I'ublic belief in their gciit has
however become co fixe 1 thai the recent
attempt did not bhake it at all. A man
like Attorney-General Brewatcr ciunot b*
discredited by the machinations of a gang
of thieves and thsir accomplice!!, in fact.
MUST BE DEALT WITH.
The festiva and pestiferous cowboyß
have taken to shooting into and through
passeugor trains, trusting to lu'jk for hit
ting sometoJy. It is evident that the
cowboy has tLus contrived to put himself
oa a par, as regards mischief, with the
Apache, and that it will be necessary to
deal with him in the same way. When he
undertakes to recreate himself by indis
criminate murder the pioturesquencss of
his character will not long save him from
extinction, and he is bringing upon himself
a ratribation which he has perhaps fully
earned, and evaded too long already.
THE JEANNETTE INQUIRY.
It begins to look as if the promised sen.
sation in the Jeannette inquiry would not
occur. So far nothing has been elicited
tending to show that there was any dis
agreement or insubordination or miscon
duct en the part of any one connected with
the expedition. And as the papers which
first spread this report about are be
ginning to hedge, by hinting at mysterious
omissions from the Melville report, this
conclusion becomes all the more probable.
Two »eeki from T^*d»y tadtth- foriJl
upir^tt for oSw this jeu.
BAY BREEZES.
AT GOLDEN OATB PAHK— A STARTLING
COSTOME.
A Kovel Sight- Young Girls and lye-
Glasses— The Authors' Carnival— Some
Thoughts About Its Iffects
[ Correspondence Record-L'.mon.l
Sas Frami.si o, October IS, 18S2.
Saturday was a balmy day, with a deep
heaven above and a fresh, bright green be
low, for the rain of the day before had
washed the dust away so perfectly that
every smallest bit of foliage showed for
what it was worth. Uuudreds were ani
mated by the same desire to get a long
breath of that sweet, pure air aa it must
blow beyond the city, and the cara leading
out to Golden Gate Park were a crush of
peopla within. Bibies were piled above
babies ; whole families of children came,
besides nurse maids, women in diamond?,
gentlemen of leisure, gentlemen out from
business, school girls, ladies of society. It
has been almost the first pleasant Satur
day since the new attraction of " music by
the band" had been added to the park, it
being :o much of an addition that the
street railroad pays two-thirds and the
Casino one-third of its hire. The musicians
were stationed in an open veranda, and
groups of settees tilled with people already
arrived stcod about the branching spaces
adjacent to the conservatory.
THE FACES AND njSTI'MES
Of the people, always varied and interesting
in an assemblage, were beautiful to look at,
sinco in the dance and dazzle of that
golden sunbhine all countenances teemed
bright. The Jewish type was strongly
noticeable, and you will always find it in
Sin Francieca wherever there is music or
public pleasure. Between the numbers of
the programme coupks with more or less
devotion visible, promenaded the graveled
walks, and children sported up and down
witiiin eaey calling distance of mamma.
Some very handsome costumes were to be
set n, the large white and gray beaver hats
which have recently come into the miiii
nery market predominating on girlish
heads, and the exceedingly tmall bonn.ta
which are to be worn this winter, already
in place under the plain-edged paneled
parasols which are more fashionable than
those of laced and fringsd edges. The ma
jority of young girls were black bkirts
with colored basques, cut in battlements,
cadet blue being the favorite color. One
young lady of about 14 wore
A STAKTLISC; COSTLMK
Cut Kite Greenaway, of cadet blue yoke
and sleeves, with hat to match, the re
mainder of the dress being 90 bright as to
border on l'ouipeiian red. Brocaded silk
overdresses, black and dark green the
favorite colors, with plain Bilk or stuff
bUirti more or less trimmed in the same,
were numerous and some of them elegant.
CbOdrta tlittcd hither and thither like
gorgeous plumaged birds, so very bright
were tneir dresses. Fur instance, one
little girl of about t4ve years wore a coat of
vivid red plush and toque with taseel to
match. Another, younger, was in navy
blue velvet with a large poke beaver of the
same ehade on her head, and still another
was in garnet satin with pike btaver to
iiiv.cn. lied ba'.s and toquea bobbed about
everywhere amoag the little folks, but
those }el on the borders of baby land were
in sober shades like ashes of rose, smoke
aud tr;vy for Mother Hubbard cloaks, and
dainty lace caps oa their heads.
(»a Sunday at the Uckarian Church a
novel and pretty sight wis to be eeen. l r .
was thtir first OMabrrtioa of "harvest;
boinc," a celebration intended now to be
kmgt each year, and the Sabbftth-achool
was made »• prominent ftat'.ire. Licking
up into the gallery, tne school wa^ rauged
acording to s;/.e, the largest at either end,
and so floating about the building like the
long ends of a scarf caught in tbe middle
.by a cluster of sweet and fresh little buds
of children, their heads and faces just v: i
b'.e, some like Raphael's angels, with arm
aud rosy chin on the gallery rail. A scythe
and a rake were crossed in front tti the
pulpit, and tlie desk festooned with flowers
and clusters of grapes. Stalks of corn
leaned against thu wall, .■ ,i». : .,. and
watermelons edged the steps,
IS OOLD ami OKUN,
And the font was tilled with bananis,
peaches, apples and other fruits, these
afterward being sent to the Ladies' Relief
and Protection Society. All the txercUoe —
Scripture songs, responses, recitation and
address— suggested harvest, till finally the
service closed with a chorus,
For autumn and his golden days,
For all his goodly limits.
We'll stag a cheerful song of praise,
for ail lh.it ajtdtim bnnc^.
Sung with enthusiasm by the congregation
to the tune of " Anld Ling Syne." In
attendance I was impressed by the number
of young girls just advancing into woman
hood, tastefully drossed and with frt-sh and
piquant faces. It seemed as though there
never were so many everywhere us just
now. The streets are bright with them ;
every dwelling owns a couple ; they are in
the cars and carriages that pass, and they
eit iv windows like roses gayly flung
within. It is remarkable what a large pro
portion wear eye-glasses, and this subject
has become an alarming one among xv.
When I go in the country I scarcely
see a nearsighted young persm,
but our city schools turn them
out by the dozen". It may be and it may
not be the result of tulioul. Some have
attributed it to the peculiar trancing of
light upon tlie blackboards, to ths glaie of
reflection from the white walls, to the ar
rangement of windows on either hanj,
which permits tne rays of light to cro;s
before the eyes, but whether the mischief
be done at home or at school, by day or by
night, it is a widespread evil, which once
'tis done cannot be undone It is the
opinion of a leading phjsician that greater
attention is paid to the eyes of children,
and greater care taken of their eyesight,
than used to be ; that glasses are fitted at
once, when necessary, where they would
n';ver have bean thought of jeirs ago.
Bat I am certain when I was a child and
lived in the country, wo were very few of
us near-sight.d ; we could nearly all see to
long distance.
I.IKF. BTST BEES
Conrng out upon the wing into the sun
shine, hundreds of young giils will come
into the lt«ht, the hum and the excitement
of the Csrniv.il. The six benevolent socie
ties engaged in this vast exhibition sre not
in txact harmony, coma being in greater
ccci than others, coir.c having a larger
scope of benevolence, and some depending
entirely upon the charity of the public,
while others have a small fund to draw
upon. In consequence of thi?, they pro.
pose never, after this one, to hold another
Carnival, and Mr. J. Eidredge at its close
will auction off every particle of the prop
erty which remains. This auction will be j
well worth an atteudance, enlivened, as of
course it will be, by the characteristic
speech, the running tire of wit and the
mirth-provoking manner of Mr. Eldredgc,
who in the oddities and nondescripts of- j
fered for auction will tind ample material j
from which to extract amusement. The
Carnivals may be viewed iv many light 8
and from many standpoints ; but the fact
that they have been educators is unques
tioned. Many minds have opened to the
beauties of authors to whom trash is un
known ; much referee ce an! research have
been given to a subject which must ever
open as one pursues it, and much honest
study bestowed upoH the history, the times
and the attiibutes of characters originally
developed in the brain of genins. I'or in
stance, thi* year
noMSR A>'D CHAUCER
Hive boothi allotted them, and what a
rich reward awaits the participants ! A
young man who has recently played in
Sacramento, and who was particularly
praised by the Record Union, reseived an
impetus toward the stage by the applause
bestowed upon him during the first C»rni
val, wben, in the Bnlwer booth, ho as
samed th<» character of Richelieu. To
many this incident will not be urged aa an
argument in Uvor of the Carnival of Au
thors ; bmt I also know an actress who was
led to try the stage from the success witfe
which she played a pathetic little part at
a Sabbath school exhibition. But I cso
never understand the willingness witk
which parents allow their yoang people to
enter into any sort of publicity, however
respectable.
Joe Ford passed along the street the
other day with a brown paper package
suspiciously like manuscript in his hand.
Mr. Ford is the author of "The Rsd Pocket-
Book, "and other plays, and is the gentle
man who was once gravely designated as
" that handsome cuts " by a lady remarka
bly fe!icitou3 in her language. "I am gw
ing to send this to Europe by express," said
Mr. Furd, referring to the package. "It
is the manuscript of a play which, if it ever
comes upon the stage, will be acknowl
edged the greatest play of tho age. It was
sent to me for revision, and 1 have read it
to the stage managers, who are unanimous
in their approval. They also praised my
reading of it very much," he continued,
modestly. "It is called 'In Bondage,'
atd was written by a Cilifornia lady, at
present living in Paris, who has been a
newspaper correspondent under the eigns
ture of ' Val.' " A fact which will proba
bly be of interest to readers of the Rbtouii-
Uniox. Kate Heath.
SAN FRANCISCO NEWS.
11. J. McCoy, of San Francisco, hat been
elected permanent President of the V, M.
C. A. State Convention.
J. J. Judge, Treasurer of the Seamen's
Protective Association, says he wa*
knocked down Eome nights ago and robbed
of the funds of the Society, $4V
The police have captured the Chinaman
Hoo Low, who stole a satchel from Mre.
Hilda Koegel on the 4th in&t., that con
tained over $700 in coin and a l:>t of stock.
Six hundred dollars of the money and .'•'.
the stock was recovered.
The Sin Francisco and Sin Uifael Itsil
road Company has incorporated to constrnct
and operate a railroad from the junction
with the Sin Francisco and North Pacific
1; li'iva I, on Tamalpais avenue in Sin Ii»
--fael, by the most practicable route to a
point on or near Tiburon Point on lticcoon
6triits, adiitsuce of aboutniae miles; thence
by a furry to San Francisco, a distance «rf
about six mil*-s. Capital stock, £500,000,
divided into 5,000 shares of a par value of
$100 each. Directors — PeUr Donahue,
James M. Donahue, Arthur Hughes, T. 1,
Bergin, Thomas Donahue.
The Harbor Commissioners have adopted
the fallowing resolution : " That the I'.uard
of State Harbor Commissioners are desir
ous of doing all ia their power to put an
end to the nuisance caused by the discharge
of the Powell street tewer iuto the basin
bounded by Bay, Kearcy, Powell streets
and the seawall, and will contribute their
proportion toward the extension of said
sewer from Biy street to the seawall, and
will at their own cost continue the same
across the seawall so as to effect a discharge
into the tidal current of the bay, and the
Secretary is hereby directed to transmit
copies of this resolution to the Board of
Health and Bjard of Supervisors."
At amass meeting of colored people held
Thursday night, at Platf's Half, there was
| a large attendance. E. D. Hall presided.
B. T. W. Jones, of Oakland ; Frank bow
ers, of Sacramento ; J. Fietcher Jordan,
Paul A. Jones, Emacutl Squivers, of M«c
ramento ; Hey. Kobert Seymour, of Sao
I Bernardino ; B. A. Johnson, of Sacra
j mento ; Mr. H»tton, of Nspa ; R. J.
j Fletcher, of Sacramento; Henry O. .Icihn-
I son, (if Sacramento ; and E D. Hill, of
j San Francises. Letters were received front
! a number of Republican culore 1 persona,
expressing their regret at using unabie
ta be present, and warmly indorsing the
Kepubhcan party. E»ch tpeaktr repudi
ated an 1 denounced the action of the meet
ing a week ago declaring in favor of the
Democratic party, and eevcral read resolu
tions of the s»m-j tenor, adopted by meet
ings of the colored people in their rcspeo
j tive cmnties. Resolutions in accord there
| with were adopted declaring the adherence
j of the colored voters to the Republican
party. An adlrees from Thomas Piersoo,
of VaUejo, was read. Mask was furnished
by a colored band. The meeting closed
with three cheers for the ilt-pnblican ticket.
The annual Conference of the American
M K. Church of California met Wednes
| day in the Union Bethel Church. Bishop
j T. W. D. Ward presided ami delivered the
I opening address. l^vs. Messn. Eobart
I Seymour and I. S. Gregshy were trans
ferred from the Kansas Coßfaraneoa to the
Conference of this State. B «r. T. Gregi
by preached the annual sermou. The Con
ference resumed its deliberations Thurs
day morning. U»v. J. R H,U, agfn t of
the M. E. K'pository, was introduced.
Uev. .1. 11. Neate, of the M. E. Church
I South, was aUo introduced. The Ilahop
i announced tHp following etandmg commifc
| tees : On Missionary Money— J. 1\ An
| derson. Oq E lucation— l. X. Triplett,
I Fielden Smithea. Oa Sabbath Schools 1
I H. Wast, E. L. Tappan, K. T. Houston.
On Mission Circuits and Station P. U.
Green, .1. li. Dorsey, J. F. A:. derson. Ju
diciary— K. S -ymour, P. k. Green, J. L.
Grigsby. State of the Country— J IL
Dorscy, J. H. W. West, M. M. "Walker.
State of the Chnrob— l X. Triplett, J. R
Andeison, P. K. Green. On Railroads—
II Seymour, I. N. Triplett. Fielden
Smithea. Oi Admission and Orders— P.
It. Green, P.. Sjmour. I. X. Triplett. Oo
First and Second Years' Class J. R. Dor-,
eey, J. K. AndereoD, FiclJen S.'iiithea. On
Third and Fourth Years' C ; »!S — I!. Sey
mour, I. N. Triplett, P. K. Green. On
Home and Foreign Missions- -I. X Trip
lett, J. L Grigtby, J. H. \V. West. A
resolution was adopted pledging the Con
ference to support tha work of the Ameri
can Bible Society. The Conference was ad
dressed at some length by M-. Thomuson,
agent of the Bible Sooirty, an.l l>-. <>»ry,
fditor of the California ( '/trittiail A'/roe/itr.
The annual meeting of the Missionary As
sociation, which was to have heeu held in
the evening, was posf p^ced uatil M onday
evening.
STATE SENATOR.
The Sacramento Journal (CermaD) re
cently contained the following arucle in
regard to this ofliai?, and its perusal will be
of interest to the taxpayers of our city and
county :
It is neceseiry that tho pjnple of this
city and county should be represented io
the Sen.Ye by au aUe and energetic man.
There exist in S«crußeatO city many and
varied enterprise! which require to bo fos
tered by the Legislature. Our bnsiaes*
men demand a man as Senator who will
look after their iatomta, who will cay
something in their tuvor, and do something
to advance .them. Orove L. Johneoa «
Buca a man. H•ia by far the able3t of the
candidates for the j> rittoa ol SLV.e Sen
ator. He r. :« twjm bean bo.ioj-;; iby as
with .•» scat in the Leguifttnre, and hiu be
t.-a',cd do trait contided to him. He ha*
not deceived us in a ainijle instance • bat,
on the ccmtriry, in every c.sc he has faith
fully kept hu word. He always libored
for the bsst lntereatu of our city and coun
ty. Jlw voice was always raised in sup
port of our claims, and his ensrgy secured
more recognition for those claims than had
ever previously been accorded them. We
should consider this malter in a business
point of view. We need a man who will
represent us, and work for our interetta.
(rrove L. Johnson is this man. He pro
m.sed to work for Sacramento. He did so.
He promisee again. He will do so. Meet
him.
BuotHlO Jl.vn.u ays in Europe —The
development of electric railways in Europe
is considerable. Patting a,,de nnmwoua
line, that are merely projected, those which
are working show a length of about oa«
hundred miles. Thosa now in operation
include one at L-chterfelde, and that from
the t»pandauer Ilock to Charlottcabere
l e "J^< \ a ''■ another f ™m I'ort Raeh to
Bash .Mills, in the north of Ireland, and in
Holland from Zmdvoort to KoßtverJoren.
Among hnea in construction tho following
are noted : la Austri», the Moedliu^ ,ue
near Vienna; m Germany, from VW
baden to iMurnberg, and from the r-.yal
mines of Sixony to Zinkerode ; in Eae
land, under the Thames, connecting Ciiar
L? g £"2? ,*** Water ' 00 B^«wus ; a!w in
bouth \\ ales, for which the forco will be
denyed from the fall of water. In I*l»
Turin, and Milan they will soon begia the*
construction of electee roads.
Teacher in natural philosophy "Son
pose you wished to gain velocity in a train
of wneela, what would you do?" Sajaci
scholar : •' Greaao the axles, ma'am."