The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 8, 1895, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, JULY 8, 1895. CHARLES M. SHORTRIDGE, Editor and Proprietor. RIPTION RATES—Postage Free: Sunday CALL, one week, by carrier.$0.15 i Sunday CALI, one year, by mail... 6.00 ix months, by mail 3.00 three months, by mail 1.50 .50 1.50 1y and Sund: nd Sunda nd Sunday CaL CALL. one month, by mail Telephone. Telephone... ...Main—1874 BRANCH OFFICES : 530 Montgomery street, corner Clay: open until SW. corner Sixteenth and Mission streets; open until 9 o'clock. ; 2518 Mission street; open until 9 o'clock. 116 Ninth street; open until 9:30 o'clock. OAKLAND OFFICE: 908 Broadway. EASTERN OFFICI Pacific States Advertising Bureau, Rhinelander building, Rose and Duane streets, New York City. MER MONTHS. ntry ona vacation? If £, it is no trouble for us to forward THE CALL to youraddress. Do not let it miss you for you will miss it. Orders given to the carrier, or left at Oftice, 710 Market street, will receive attention. Are you going t Busines Trade will soon be picking up for the fall. e Keep your eye on the lottery game and your hands off it. Enterprise in Ca the shape of boom A good honest home market will make industry t to hum. The summer thus far has well fulfilled the promise of the spring. San Francisco ought to hold a civic fes- tival just to celebrate her harmony. satisfied with his ght to kick. As Dunraven says he new yacht, we have no The Monroe doctrine fits the Nicaragua Canal project as if it were made to order. The more hopeless the prospects of Democracy become, the brighter grow those of the country. If you intend to make a living out of California you should reciprocate by help- ing her industr Don’t forget that the State Fair is com- ing and every producer ought to meet it with a good exhibit. The delightful climate of Napa makes it surprising that even the inmates of its jail should try to escape. The Southern Pacific Railroad has its spurs in the park and evidently intends to ride it for all it is worth. The desertion of the bay is a pleasing consideration in view of the fact that all the ships are away bearing abroad the products of the State. The farmer's wife can help solve the tramp problem by giving preference to California-made articlds when she goes shopping at the village store. If we buy goods made in our neighbor’s factory we put him in a position to do likewise by the home institution which we manage and which gives us sustenance. If all State commissions were as ener- ic and earnest as the Burean of High- ways, the ancient demand for ‘‘rotation in office’”” would have fewer promulgators. The discovery of lubricating petroleum at Pleasanton is another of those delight- ful surprises which a study of the natural resources of the State is constantly bring- ing. Instead of buying another lottery ticket let the dupe of the lottery fraud invest the money in some table dainty of home manufacture and see how much more satis- faction there is in it. The frightful ones and cloudbursts that are destroying life and property in the East remind us forcibly that we are living in California and the people of the st that they are not. In substituting molasses for tar in the time-honored tar-and-feathers form of ex- pressing a personal dislike the whitecaps H., have made a distinct The ‘generosity with {which THRE CaLL’s exchanges praise its enterprise in increas- ing its pressroom facilities and extending its telegraph service shows what the best of all possible newspaper critics think of us. It is a singular fact, which may yet lead to international complications, that the first victim of the new Mexican law author- izing peace officers to execute highway robbers without trial was an American citizen. Every workman, mechanic or artisan einployed in an industrial establishment in this State should be loyal enough to his fellow-workman to purchase only home- made goods for his own use whenever it is possible to do so. American railways are not equal to the possibilities of American engineering simply because the earnings are used up in paying dividends on watered stock instead of having a surplus to be employed in im- proving the roads, In view of the fact that the Republican National Committee is to decide next De- cember on the place for holding the Na- tional convention, it is time that all the States west of the Rocky Mountains were organizing a fight in favor of San Fran- cisco. What more forcibly illustrates the folly of the habit of buying Eastern articles than the shipment here of a carload of step-ladders from Michigan? With all the various cheap woods and idle carpenters on the coast it would seem that the neces- sity for the importation of step-ladders might be overcome. The Arabic saying that all who have sought Allah have already found him is applicable to the Fresno committee, which will start to-morrow to raise $50,000 or $75,- 000 for the Valley road, for its assurance that the amount will be quickly raised ought to mean that it is only waiting for them to call for it WONDERFUL AUDACITY. The coolness with which the majority of the Board of Supervisors violates the law in a manner that leaves no room for a charitable belief in its incompetency is one of those spectacles which make the visiting subjects of the better-governed cities of Europe marvel. In this country, where there is practically no accountability ex- cept to the people as a mass, it is clear that the possibilities of our scheme of govern- ment are not properly developed until the possible rascality of officers receive as much attention as their possible patriot- ism and fidelity. Here in San Francisco we have a condi- tion against which it will be extremely difficult for the progressive agencies to ex- ercise an adequate countervailing influ- ence. The Board of Supervisors can do harm which will counteract the efforts of the Half Million Ciub, the Manufacturers’ and Producers’ Association and all the other similar bodies combined. Thus, while there is an active sympathy for these organizations, there is no effort to check the one audacious agency which is undo- ing their work. Even the elements of shame and secrecy are wanting, and not one intelligent man or woman in the City has the least doubt of the motives which inspire the board. The facts of the con- test between the Market-street Company and Behrend Joost for a street railway franchise out the Ingleside way, to reach the new race-track, may be set in array, thus: The board refuses to obey the law by offering the franchise to the highest bid- der. It violates the law by regarding the franchise as an ‘“extension” instead of a new matter, and proposes to sell the “‘ex- tension” privilege for$500 to the company of its choice, thus shutting out the compe- tition in bidding which the law requires and accepting an amount which the law does not authorize. It refused a franchise to Behrend Joost over the Ocean road for the reason that a railway would “spoil the drive,” but pro- poses to give it to the Market-street Com- pany. When, thereupon, Mr. Joost asked for a franchise over another route to the same destination it was refused him because there was no assurance that he could se- cure a franchise over Mr. Sutro’s inter- vening land, when there is good Teason to believe that he could have secured it, and when that has nothing to do with the matter at all and is no reason whatever for the refusal. As the antagonism between Mr. Sutro and the Southern Pacific makes it impos- sible for the Market-street Company to se- cure a right of way through his land, not only was there a stronger reason, if any at all, for refusing that company the fran- chise on that ground, but there was all the less reason to sacrifice the Ocean road to the Market-street Company when there was every reason to believe that Mr. Joost could have got the road through without it. Believing that the Mayor, in view of these gross perversions and violations of the law, would refuse to approve an ordi- nance granting the Market-street Com- pany a franchise under these circum- stances, the board proposes to put the job through by resolution, thus hoping to cir- cumvent the Mayor’s opposing veto power. Mr. Joost hints that he could have se- cured the privilege had he bribed the Supervisors, and leaves the impression that bribery was resorted to in order to secure it. This is merely his assertion. That isa very disheartening array. It seems incredible that the sense of the community will permit these acts to go unpunished and that the pri they grant will be allowed to stand. A RECEDING EVIL. While it is gratifying to learn from Chief Crowley that ‘“since THE CaLL's against the lottery traffic began the sale of tickets has fallen off 50 per cent in this City,” we are as yet unable to say that the evil has been supp: explains the partial reform by saying that THE CALL has awakened self-respect and a regard for the laws, but that the greater effect has been produced by T CALL'S ex- posure of the swindling operations of these outlawed concerns. An excellent point made by the Chief is in these words: Now, if the other daily papers would only follow Tue CALL's example in this matter, or at least refrain from advertising these illegal fake lotteries, we could get the busi- ness under our heel in this City.”” He adds: “If Tee Carr will only keep up its fight a little longer Iam in great hopes that every intelligent man and woman in the City will soon become aware of the fact that the best lottery ticket ever sold in this City is a very questionable coupon, to say the very least, and that nine-tenths of all the other tickets are palpable, transparent frauds.” If the efforts of one paper have proved so beneficent, it is easy to imagine what the combined efforts of all the dailies might accomplish. Regarding the matter from a strictly business point of view, without reference to its moral side, the newspapers which advertise the lotteries and induce their readers to buy tickets are depriving the community and themselves of a considerable amount of money. We put it in this light in order to appeal directly to that manifest sense which 1n- duces the other papers to encourage the swindles. This can be only the desire to secure the money which the lottery com- panies so generously spend on newspapers which support them. THE CALL is in a position to make just as much money as any of them out of the lotteries, and its prosperity in spite of the fact that it re- frains from doing so, seems to prove that lottery money (which is oniy a species of bribery) is not necessarily essential to a newspaper’s success. We give the conduct of our contempora- riesin this matter so much prominence for the evident reason that without their support the lotteries could do but very little business, and that newspaver sup- port is the leading factor in their suc- cessful operation. Cupidity is naturally arcused by these fraudulent announce- ments of fabulous prizes won, and so the evil thrives. Such advertising will have to be stopped sooner or later, unless news- paper influence prove sufficiently strong to prevent the enactment of a law to sup- press the evil, and it would certainly be more graceful and dignified for our con- temporaries to abandon their practice before being forced through fear of fines and imorisonment to do so. GRAND JURY REPORTS. Until Judge Sanderson pointed out the fact nobody seemed to reflect that there is no law either requiring or authorizing grand juries to make such reports as have been customary. “The law,” says the Judge, “contemplates action by that body and not the expression of opinion. If pubs lic officials haa been guilty of offenses cog- nizable by the Grand Jury, it should pro- ceed against them by indictment or pre- sentment in the manner prescribed by law, and not by the filing of a report cen- suring them, nor, for that matter, prais- ing them.” Judge Sanderson thus shows not only rusade | sed. Chief Crowley | | nis own good sense, but the wisdom of the law. Itis presumed that every public of- ficer does his duty. If he is found neglect- ing or betraying it, he should be punished, and the law directs the Grand Jury to pro- ceed to that end. It has been the custom for grand juries to make elaborate reports on the condition and conduct of the County institutions, to give praise where it is due and to point out shortcomings that were not sufficiently grave to warrant action to oust or punish. It has been presumed that the public had a right to this infor- mation and that the moral effect of the re- port was beneficial. At any event, while the lJaw does not authorize such reports, they have been accepted as proper. Now and then, however, a Grand Jury grossly abuses the privilege of the custom, and in doing so works grievous wrongs for which there is no redress. An instance of Jury on the Supreme Court, which Chief Justice Beatty exposad for its unfounded statements. It was shown by him that the jury had made no investigation what- ever into the subject matter of its charges, and hence that this part of the report had no value. The natural presumption is that all the rest of the report was as care- lessly made. It was this outrage that has opened the eyes of the public to the abuse of power and privilege on the part of grand juries, and Judge Sanderson has dropped a hint that may prove of service to the Judges of the Superior Court in future. In the case of the report to which we have referred the Judge was not aware of its character until it had been filed and made a part of the public records. It is so in all cases. Even if the custom of filing reports be not abandoned it would certainly be well for Judges hereafter to scrutinize them before permitting them to go on file and to exercise discretion with regard to accepting them, otherwise they cannot claim exemption from participation in the wrongs which the reports are likely to in- flict. THE RAILS ARRIVE. There is a cause for general rejoicing in the fact that the steamship Washtenaw ar- rived in port yesterday with 2000 tons of rails, spikes, fishbars and bolts for the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Rail- road. The vessel was greatly delayed by stormy weather at Cape Horn, and at one time her loss was reported. But she is now safe and sound in port with her precious cargo. which will be at once for- warded to Stockton. This is the first con- signment under the contract by which the Valley road is to receive a similar cargo of iron every month. The ships to follow will bring the material as it will be needed {for construction purposes. Already there have been sent to Stock- ton two schooner loads of ties which ar- rived in this City from the northern coast. Bridge timbers are in preparation for minor bridges, and the contract has been let for the steel bridge over the Stanislaus River. Everything, therefore, is in readiness for beginning at once the work of actual con- struction. Meanwhile, the company's surveying parties are at work in the valley and rights v are being rapidly secured. The e will be driven in a few days, and that will be one of the most important events in the history of the State. It will mean the beginning of a movement to de- liver California from a bondage which has operated so effectively against her progress and development, and will be an invitation to public-spirited citizens to show their pride in the State and their willingness to advance her interests and their ow AN ADVERTISING IDEA. At a meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Trade the other day Mr. Stev reported 2 novel scheme for adverti which had produced most excellent re- sults; and as it is so sensible and simple it ought to serve as a suggestion. He said | that he had sent some dried fruit to his brother in Vermont, who had distributed it through the interior towns of the State, with the result that a demand had been created and a market secured for a good part of Mr. Stevens’ crop. It happened in this case that the grower had a brother, an advantage which all growers do not enjoy; but the essential fact is that a simple distribution of sam- pies of the fruit informed the people of its superior quality and induced them to order it for their u Something like this was done by the Southern Pacific when it sent out its train called *‘California on Wheels,”’ but the main object of that enterprise was to induce people to settle in the State by showing them the superb quality of our products. It requires a great deal more money to move to California than to buy what it produces, and hence the task of the Southern Pacific, though expensive and praiseworthy, bore small results. California should never lose sight of the fact that the finding of a market for our products is the first and most essential factor in the prosperity and development of the State. On that proposition and the one of profit hanging upon it, depend the strongest arguments for the growth of the State by an increase of its pcpulation. In spite of the fact that the growers have ac- complished wonders already in this direc- tion, and are now selling fruit in the East in sufficient quantities to make sure of a profit, they have as yet reached but an ex- ceedingly small proportion of the con- sumers and have not sufficientiy educated those whose territory they have invaded. The simple action of the Sania Clara grower carries a whole volume of sug- gestion. Every grower has some friend or can secure some reliable agent to do just as the Santa Clara grower’s brother did, and thus secure a market for his own pro- ducts. Some of the best profits in the State have been made by building up a private clientele. A few winemakers par- ticularly never place their products on the open markst, but have worked up a pti- vate trade that relieves them from all anx- iety and secures them a larger price than could be otherwise found. The work need not be confined to individuals, but might be prosecuted by companies, societies and unions to an indefinite extent, and the beauty of the system is that in the case particularly of our non-perishabie products the remotest corners of the country could be profitably reached. A BRITISH OPINION. Alfred Ross Colquhoun, the well-known explorer and first Governor of Mashona- land, who has just returned to London after making an inspection of the Nicara- guaand Panama canal routes, has, in a recent interview, confirmed the hopes of those who have had the most sanguine ex- pectations of the Nicaragua project. Mr. Colquhoun says the Nicaragua route is, from our engineering point of view, a fine one. Of the 16914 miles, total length from ‘Greytown on the Atlantic to Brito on the Pacific, the river ways and easily constructed basins will form a total dis- tance of 142! miles, in which ships can wravel with little or no restriction. Thus there will be only twenty-six and three- quarters miles of actnal digging to be done. These statements in a certain sense are not news, for the facts relating to the pro- posed route have been repeatedly pub- this was the recent report of our Grand | buliion at the Mint. lished, but it must be remembered there was suflicient doubt raised on the subject in the last Congress to induce the Govern- ment to appoint a commission to make an inspection of the route to satisfy Congress of the advisability of passing the canal bill. The commission is now in Nicaragua. Mr. Colquhoun, while there, met the mem- bers of it and speaks of them very highly. It would seem that he must have drawn his information largely from the sources | whence they will obtain theirs, and it is likely therefore that the report of the com- mission will be about as favorable as that which Mr. Colquhoun has made public. Of the benetits to be derived from the canal the British investigator has no doubts. The climate of Nicaragua he found to be healthful, pleasant and fit to enable a European to work during the hot- test season of the year. The canal, when completed, will be, he says, universally greater than the Suez canal and will largely revolutionize the shipping routes of the world. The Southern States and the Pa- cific will, in his judgment, derive the most profit from it, but all the great region of the Mississippi will be benefited. The greatest interest in this report from a competent expert is the promise it gives of a favorable report from the Government commission to Congress. Publie opinion is ready to support the Government in un- dertaking the great work, and as Congress is now in the hands of the Republican varty—always favorable to American de- velopment and progress—we may reason- ably look forward to the passage of the canal bill next winter, and after that the prompt prosecution of the vast enterprise to completion. PERSONAL. Mr. and Mrs. O. F. Griffin Jr.. of Merced, are at the Grand. Commander J. J. Read of the Olympia is at the Occidental. H. Hirschfeld, a capitalist of Bakersfield, is a guest at the Lick. A. B. Glasscock of Yosemite Valley is a guest at the Occidental. 8. F. Wiles, a mining man of Hermosillo, Mexico, is at the Russ. S. G. King, a merchant of Marysville, regis- tered yesterday at the Grand. J. H. Martin, a stockman from Woodland, was one of yesterday’s arrivals at the Russ. Thomas R. Vernon, editor of the Delaware County American, published at Media, Pa.,is here. William F. Coffman, proprietor of the Yo- semite stage line, registered yesterday atthe Lick. H. Jevne, a merchant of Los Angeles, and Mrs. Jevne registered yesterday at the Occi- dental. Adjutant-General Barrett came down from Sacramento yesterday, and is at the Cali- fornia. N. B. Wiley, ex-Governor of Idaho, who has been staying in town several days, left for home yesterday. E. D. McCabe, the Governor’s private secre- tary, came to town with his chief yesterday and put up at the California. George L. Arnold of Los Angeles, a member of the State Boafd of Equalization, was one of yesterday’s arrivals at the L Jesse M. Baker, a State Senator of Pennsyl- vania and a resident of Medir, was one of yes- terday’s arrivals at the Occidental. Alfred Daggett, an attorney of Fresno, who was a candidate on the Populist ticket for member of the Supreme bench last fall, is at the Lick. Captain E. W, Holmes of the steamer Wash- tenaw, which came into port yesterday with a load of rails for the Valley railroad, registered at the Lick. Commander George W. Pigman of the navy arrived here yesterday and registered at the Occidental. He sails for the Hawaiian Islands on the Australia on the 9th to relieve Com- mander Thomas of the Bennington. H. W. Van Senden, private secretary to the Secretary of the Treasury, and Mrs. Van Senden, arrived here yesterday from Wash- ington, and are staying at the Palace. Mr. Van Senden has come out to join Mr. Wilder of the Treasury Department, who has been here some days, making the annual count of M;:N AND WOMEN. Experts value Mrs. Langtry's jewels at over $850,000. Mignon, the eight-year-old deughter of Mme. Emma Nevada, is said to have a wonderful voice and to be a marvelous dancer. Queen Victoria detests the odor of tobacvo and smoking is therefore forbidden at Windsor Castle, Balmoral and at Osborne. Lillian Russell, who is spending the summer on Long Icland, has rented & yacht named Take Me. According to the matrimonial record, Lillian has already been “taken” pretty often. Rev. Father Field, a young Oxford-bred ritualistic clergyman, is devoting his life to work in the negro siums of Boston. He is going to celebrate his birthday, July 10, by giving a gigantic picnic to the colored children of Boston. J. Sterling Morton is the most approachable member of the Cleveland Cabinet, just as his predecessor in the agricultural department ‘was the most approachable of Harrison’s Secre- taries. Morton likes to talk and is also a good listener, caring little with whom he carries on & conversation. King Oscar is said to be the only European monarch who possesses the ideal kingly dig- nity. He is a very tall and handsome man, with graceful and easy carriage, a striking courtliness of manner and possesses & most im- pressive appearance of dignity. People call Rev. Dr. F. E. Clark, who orig- inated the Christian Endeavor movement, “Father Endeavor” Clark, greatly to his dis- gust, {or it gives people the impression that he isan old and withered patriarch, while as a matter of fact he is only 44 and is in the prime of his strength and vigor. The late Lord Alcester of the British navy was noted for the serupulous careand neatness with which he dressed. In later years he was known as ‘‘the ocean swell.” So punctilious was he about uniform regulations that on one occasion he chased along the whole length of the Strada Reale, at Valetta, a luckless mid- shipman who was smoking in the streets in uniform. SAID IN REPARTEE. “Oh, my!” cried the woman who was reading the paper. ‘‘Here’s the ship Golden Eagle ar- rives at New York from Africa and they find several large suakes in her hold. How strange.” “I'd like to know what you'd expect,” re- torted the president of the temperance so- ciety. “Isn’t that the ship that sailed for Africa last season with a cargo of rum?’—New York Recorder. ““Did you hear that the daughter of the late Hon. Friendtoall, one of the founders of this town, is suffering for the necessaries of life? The people ought to subscribe a fund for her support.”, ““Well, that’s too bad, but the town has just built a $10,000 monument to her father. I should think that ought to satisfy her.”—Buf- falo Express. *Tam very much afraid that Van Daub is never going to make a success of painting.” “Why?" “None of his brother artists have any but the kindest things to say about him. They don’t seem to be a bit envious.”—Washington Star. “Hello, Jones, buying a bicycle?” “Yes."” “But you're not going to ride it, are you?” “Oh, no, I merely wanted the earth, and I thought the easiest way to get it was to own a bicycle.”—Detroit Tribune. She—Don’t you think my new hat is aspretty as a picture? He—Oh, no; the hat is a pretty frame for the more beautiful picture that goes with it.—New York Tribune. LOVE, LABOR AND NOVELS, A Brave Japanese Student Who Is Making and Writ- ing Romance. GLIMPSES OF HIS NEW BOOK. Shigal Morikubo Spurns Family and Wealth for His Love and His Ambition. San Francisco is full of Japanese stu- dents, and many of them are bright and promising, but not one of them is as inter- esting as young Shigal Morikubo. Morikubo has a romantic personal his- tory and, what is more interesting, he is writing novels portraying Japanese life p:ixed up with the American style of ex- istence. Morikubo isa high-born little fellow who is fighting with desperate resolve a hard way toward fame and heis in love with a pretty and cultured young American girl who makes every minute of his life a season of rapture and a spur to high ambition. This is part of the story of Shigal Mori- kubo. He was born in a valley ten miles named “Transient Tears,’’ that would seem commonplace at their best on pages written by some men, but which are at least surprising when found in the manu- script of an untutored Japanese boy. Scat- tered through the pages, that of course are but the monument to raise boyish hopes, are such things as these: Strange is the human conception that in it they make Light dark and Dark darker. Error begins its start at curiocity and_ends in illu- sion. While no one can see in the dark every one would step into it and after a fruitless search they return_and pretend that they had seen _s(?l;nemm; This is called philosophy and gion. A Japanese proverbsays: Even the rustling of the sleeves has some consequence, so our incidental conversation with strangers brings us warm friends and cold enmity. Poverty ana hunger are ever life’s concomi- tants, sighed the fisherman. The blood is ever s0 cheap and the bread so dear. In hardihood and in poverty I struggle my way to the giver of all good. Advices are better to the ear as medicine is to the tongue. She trembled from limb to limb. Virtue is indeed like the sun to rejoice the heart. My conscience smarts me. Sinners, mother, are long-lived, and so I can- not die. *‘Transient Tears” is chuck full of death, love, joy, tragedy, and brings in beggars, Buddhist priests, Buddhist tem- ples, a _“‘Catholic t_emgle," the Salvation Army, beggars, a rich Jewess, refuge in a convent, a footsore, distracted girl in a graveyard on a moonlight night, weeping willows, murders in temples and a few score more of just such things, and if Shigal Morikubo keeps practicing that way a few years more he may some day see his name printed after “By” on a title-page. It won’t be his fault if he does not. Bgut he is in an awful hurry to sell a book and get money. One of the works that he has Y = =7 SHIGAL MARIKUBO, THE AMBITI/ [Drawn from OUS YOUNG JAPANESE AUTHONR. a photograph. ] from Tokio, twenty years ago. His father was the Nanoshi or chief officer of the Mula of Takahata, a political division of the Province of Kanagawa. The family had held the hereditary office for genera- tions and his grandfather attained some eminence as a writer during the time of “old Japan.” His father died when Shigal was 3 years old. Morikubo says that when he was study- ing geography in a country school in the valley where he was born he looked on the of America. He was 11 years old and made up his mind that he was going tosee America becauss its shape was so funny. ‘When he was 15 he knew more and had better reasons for running away from home and coming here. His family sent him money for two years and then stopped. Then he went to work as a ser- vant. A few months ago his family heard that he was going to marry an American girl, ana to save family disgrace acquaintances here were sent to him with ictures of fine houses and horses which e might enjoy if he would come home and behave iimself, but he laughed at them and was cast off as a hopeless rene- vlanned is a history of Japan for English people. Poor Morikubo’s energy and ambition { are marvelous, and nm_vi | will take with him to Japan the white- | skinned girl who has intoxicated him, | drive those fine horses at home, and be a | nice novel himself. UP-TO-DATE IDEAS. A novel street-sweeping machine was put into actual work last Monday night, says the Philadelphia Times. Itis called the Philadelphia Sweeper. The decided novelties of the machine are that it ade. g\,\"hen Shigal Morikubo came to San Francisco at 15 years of age he knew very little English and went to a Japanese Mis- sion School for two months. Then he went to a public Grammar School, but the teacher’s appreciation of his presence jarred his sensitive soul, and after two weeks he quit. Since then he has acquired his knowledge of English almost solely by his own private studies, except for six months’ tuition under Professor F. H. Hackett. He has carefully read Shakes- eare, Irving, Hawthorne, Longfellow, acaulay and other English authors. He speaks and writes the English language with more grammatical correctness than the average half-educated American, but with that odd lack of idiomatic mastery of English that is peculiar to the Japanese who study the language. For along time he had long hours of work after he began his first novel, but he set for himself the daily and nightly task of writing 600 words. 5 Morikubo's first long novel was finished four or five months ago. When he got it done he was consumed with the idea that it would be published and bring him money to go to a university. His disap- pointment was a bitter dose, but he has just begun another. He takes paper to THE PHILADELP HIA SWEEPER, carries its own sprinkler—the rear part of the tank holding water; that instead of sprinkling the street in order to keep the dust down the revolving brush is kept dampened all tha time, thus avoiding the mud and water on the streets necessary in the old methods; and the most important of all that the dirt taken up is thrown airectly upon the endless carrier, which takes it up and empties it into the tank composing the front of the machine. This tank is removabie, and when filled is lifted out and an empty one substituted, while the filled one is carted away, dispensing with all shovel- ing and dust. The machine weighs but 1300 pounds, and in its trials has demonstrated its merits in & way very gratifying to those inter- ested. The difference in valuation of property at the last census was very remarkable. In some States the assessment was no more than 25 per cent of the real value of the property, while in other cases it is believed to have been as high as the selling price. —————— In 1880, according to the returns of the tenth census, the United States was the the kitchen of kind Mrs. Miller on Devisa- dero street, where he is a servant, and dashes off page after page during five and ten minute spells. 157 The completed first niovel is crude, gen- erally commong]ace, and the manuscript is entertaining largely because of the odd use of English, but'a hasty glance through the immense stock of manuscript reveals an astonishing abundance of incident, in- vention and almost wild imagination, to- gether with flashes of originality and enius that make one pause and wonder. Yt opens thus: Upon the pleasant shore of a river, under a weeping wlfiaw casting & quivering shade on the blue waters, stood a cottage. Within it was seated before the fire, rendering all around sweet and serene, the family. Father, mother and Shigal, the son, and Taki, the daughter, the latter two destined to do and feel wonderful things, are there. The rumored war with China fill the four hearts with patriotic flame. Quickly come two vil- Jains to the humble home, one of whom de- %ln;e‘;: “My master demands your daughter to o his” There are noble words and noble acts, and then in the second chapter is a glimpse of a noble but outcast follower of the late tyrant, Shogun, whose dynasty was overthrown in the last civil war. This valiant Kato, true to the fallen dynasty, dwells amid rocks near the “‘dews of Veno, where the last hope of the tyrant was crushed.”” All this makes a_magnificent start fora novel of Japanese life. Shigal and Taki Eo forth from home to save their own and the humble family’s horor. 2 In his preface Morikubo explains that “to write in this foreign tongue is almost frantic,” and that he has got friends to “‘mend sentences’ for him, so that most of his work is *'mended”’ somewhat in wealthiest of all nations, Great Britain be- ing second; and there is no doubt that the last fifteen years have greatly widened the gap between us and the Engflsh. S : YOUR CONSTANT COMPANIONS i / / phraseology. He is often entertaining from the very fertility of his imagination. There are things in this story, which is e some day he | A HELP FOR G0OD ROADS Cheap Crushed Rock From Folsom Will Encourage 9 Improvements. WHAT A. B. MAGUIRE THINKS, State Rock Should Not Compete Unfavorably With Labor San Franclsco. The announcement in the dispatches vesterday that the rates offered by the Southern Pacific for the transportation of crushed rock from Folsom to San Fran- cisco had been approved by the Governor and the State Prison Directors, and that the rock-crushing plant at the prison would be erected immediately, was re- ceived by the good roads enthusiasts of this city with much satisfaction. It means,” said one of them yesterday afternoon, “that the expense of street im- provements will be materially lessen.ed. At present the cost of rock for street im- | provement purposes is about $4a ton. Under the rates quoted for the I-"olsom rock it will cost laid down in this City not over $1 05 a ton, and that allows 85 cents for hauling and 20 cents for the cost of getting it out at the prison. s “There may be some opposition to 'the use of the rock on the ground thatitis crushed by convict_labor, but I do not think such opposition would be well founded. While a few men now engaged in crushing rock may find themselves out of employment, the increased amount of road work due to the decreased cost will far more than counteract any ill effect. A. B. Maguire, who is one of the most enthusiastic men 1n the City on the subjec®, of good roads and street paving, and toy whose advocacy and tact is largely due thé organization of the entire south side in favor of the bituminizing of Folsom street, said: 1 have always been in favor of macadamizing streets where any better pavement could not be provided, and it hardly matters from what source the crushed rock comes, so long as our local quarries are given plenty to do. Of course, there are objections to macadamized streets in a large city, owing to their dusty condition in summer and their muddy state in winter. There are some roads which might well be paved with crushed rock all the way out to the county limits, such as_the San Bruno and Mis- sion roads and San Jose avenue. They have ut are full of holes and very uneven. if these great arteries to theé southward could be putinto first-class condition, like Point Lobos avenue is, with little expense to the City, it would be & grand thing. The only objection I have to the crushed rock from Folsom is that I fear it might oper- ate unfavorably against our local quarries. We all want good roads, but we do not want the bread taken out of the mouths of our own workingmen. This, however, I think could be easily com- promised. Let the Board of Supervisors give the preference for the inside streets toour local quarries, and then, aiter taking care of them, spend a few thousand dollars to good ad- vantage by using the crusked rock from Fol- som on the main roads runing southward, which the City could not probably put into proper shape by any other arrangement. You understand my position? It is that San Francisco by all means should have good roads and streets. The tax levy will, however, be fixed at a certain limit. That will allow just 0 much and no more for street improvements. Well, this appropriation should be so used as to get the best returns without allowing State }Agor to compete uniavorably against our own abor. I think a small portion of the appropriation could be applied to advantage in using someg} the Folsom crushed rock on the main ros running southward to put them in good condi- tion—a condition that could 8ot be produced, perhaps, by any other method. The fact of the matter is the City ought to, bave 8 big crushing machine of its awn 1o con-y | vert all the old, worn-out basalt blocks and dis- | carded cobbles into splendid macadam. You know thatIam interested just now in only one thing, and that is the bituminizing | of Folsom street from the wharf to Twenty- | ninth street. The only thing I care to say for | some of the otherstreets whose need of im- provement is imperative is that if the City can- not afford to pave them with bitumen or basalt blocks the best thing it could do would be to S erly macadamize them like the roads in jolden Gate Park. To macadamize them would cost about a tenth what it would to lay basalt ' hen 1 t 1 ‘hen it comes to properly paving the streets, I would say that if the Board ofgsnpcrvlsors fovors concrete foundations in the future for its pavements, then bitumen is from 5 to 7 cents per square foot cheaper than basalt blocks and_infinitely superior to it for ail pur- poses as a street pavement. George D. Cooper, who was formerly treasurer of the Merchants’ Association, expressed himself as well pleased with the propesed innovation. *‘I favor good roads, and everything that tends to improve the condition of the roads meets with my ap- proval,” said he. “‘The present matter will not, however, in my opinion, affect San Francisco so di- rectly as it will the surrounding country. It is usually in the countrf districts that the roads are so notoriously bad, owing to the great expense of any improvement of them. But now that the cost of the crushed rock is so materially reduced, an era of better roads should ensue, and doubtless will.” 7 Bacox Printing Company, 508 Clay street. * e ‘WINE-DRINKING people are healthy. M. & K, wines, 5ca glass. Mohns & Kaltenbach. 29 Mkt.* ———— According to the eleventh census the wealth of the country was distributed very unevenly, the Northérn and Western States being far heavier in proportion to popula- tion than the Southern. 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