The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 18, 1898, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1898. TUESDAY. —— .JANUARY 18, 1898 JOHN " D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address All Communications to W. S. LEAKE, Manager. PUBLICATION OFFICE Telephone Main 1868. EDITORIAL ROOMS.. ..217 to 221 Steven: : Maln 1874. Market and Third Sts.S.F. son stras THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL (DAILY AND SUNDAY) Is eerved by carriers In this city and surround Ing towns for 15 cents a week. By mall $6 per year; per month €5 cents. THE WEEKLY CALL. OAKLAND OFFICE .. Eastern Representative, DAVID ALLE NEW YORK OFFICE... WASHINGTON (D. C. OFFICE €. C. CARLTON, Correspondent. One year, by mall, $1.50 ..908 Broadway N. Room 188, World Building Riggs House BRANCH OFFICES--527 Montgomery street, sorner Clay: open untll 8:30 o'clock. 339 Hayes street: open until 9330 o'clock. 621 o'clock. 615 Larkin street; MoAllister street; open until 9:30 open untll 9:30 o'clock SW. corner Sixteenth and Mission streets; open until < o'clock. 2518 Misslon street; open untll 106 Eleventh st; open until9 o'clock, cpen until 9:30 o'clock. NW. corner Twen and Kentucky streets; open until 9 o'clock. 9 o'clock. 1505 Polk street ty-second AMUSEMENTS. and Vaundeville Rink—Optical Illusions. akland Racetrack—Races to-day. 15, Horses. at corner Van ck. January 20, Turkish Rugs. ,—Thursday evening, January 20, 5 Tehama st. January 25, Real Es~ JUDGE CAMPBELL’'S JOKES. odler in s reputa- | ki s | the rightful owner. HE course of the Mission street Bo attempting to destroy Judge Campbell” I tion as a judicial humorist is reprehensible in the extreme. defensible. For a long time the bewhiskered jurist the Boodler’s beau ideal of a joker. From a literary standpoint it is utterly in- has been It has never tired of inflicting his witticisms upon the public, dur- ing the past two months especially having in this re- spect flagrantly trampled upon the rights of ers. its read- During that period it is reported to have kept a writer constantly stationed in Judge Campbell's court with instructions to transfer that jurist’s light- est sayings to paper. Two or three times with an utter disregard of the close season nutting, it has appeared with a column of leged to have been cracked by the judicial hu Of course the discerning few have all alon, that the attempt of the Boodler to work up a repu- | a week, in chest- jokes al« morist. g known tation for Judge Campbell as a joker was attributable to the fact that one of its editors had falled clutches of the police and was before the pol for examir Boodler flattered the Judge in the hoge that ation on a charge of criminal libel. into the | | betterments pass without action, then the rights of the | people will be seriously affected. These rights un- | derlie all others. The right of the people to govern- ice court The he might be induced to release its editor from the thralldom of the law. The moment, however, Judge Campbell turned it down—or, to be more technical, declared that its edi- tor must stand trial—the Boodler pounced upon him with savage fury. It is now rumored that man stationed in his court under instruction it has a s to steal all his jokes and attribute them to Police Judges Low and Joachimsen. We do not blame Judge Campbell for protesting. This method of reprisal is, as we have already remarked, utterly indefensible. the Boodler is taking with police court ought to render it liable to indictment for with a deadly weapon. Everybody knows that the jokes which the The liberty literature r assault Boodler is attributing to Judges Low and Joachimsen are Campbell's. plainly showing their origin. method of revenge should be barred out of ism. the head of cruel and unusual punishments. It is uncivilized and barbaric. Many actually have whiskers upon them, Besides, the Boodler's journal- It comes under Our ad- vice to Judge Campbell is to lay his grievance be- fore the Grand Jury THE USEFUL INJUNCTION. HE injunction has won much admirati haps there is nothing known to the about us such as may be discerned with ti eye, that has done more to show that man civilization, of which there are evidences on. Per- beautiful all he naked did not waste the time he spent in developing from a state of monkeyhood. had the blissful knowledge that if a neighbor No simian chattering in a tree ever proposed to thump him with a cocoanut he could protect him- self with an injunction. The injunction has never yet been employed to check the cyclone, stay the pre- mature frost nor stifle the gab of the political speaker. Neither has it been applied to the regulation of the movements of the sun. With these exceptions, how- ever, it has been adapted to most human needs and the exceptions will merely serve to show that ahead are new possibilities. The latest instance in which the injunction fame was in South Dakota. There a young a young woman wanted to get married, but parents said “nay” imr a loud voice. their riper discretion, picked out another achieved man and a pair of They had, with fellow td lead their daughter to the altar, and they proposed to have her led despite her tendency to balk. But, being wise in their generation, they did not rely on simple protest nor the sometimes hasty shotgun; they knew a better trick. the ardent suitor from interfering and from upon the happy home where the sacred k being tied. An officer was on hand to serv They got an injunction restraining intruding not was e the pa- per, and when the lover appeared he was clapped into jail. Meanwhile the bride was given away amid con- gratulations and many a hope that they might live happily ever after. Now that it is all over and with no desire to mar a honeymoon so auspiciously begun, the suggestion is made that the old man get out a new inju prevent the almost son-in-law from giving kick he deserves, and have tacked to-it as a provision that the daughter must not elope. A correspondent goes to considerable treating the subject, length 'hy does Southern beauty cap- nction to him the rider the in ture Northern men?” and to show the vital impor- tance of the screed relates that since the war twelve Southern belles have been married to men side of Mason and Dixon’s line. overestimated the relevancy of the essay. closed nearly thirty-three years ago. dig up a few more matrimonial samples she wise to rewrite her stuff giving the titl cility.” from this She seems to have The war If she cannot would be ‘Why the THE LOS ANGELES WATER A CAREFUL reading of the contract, 1868, between the little village of Los Angeles and the little corporation which undertook to WAR. made in build a $1000 fountain and supply the people with ten inches of potable water, will furnish complete infor- mation upon the accrued rights of the great city of Los Angeles and of the big corporation which is furnishing water to its tens of thousands of people. The contract was made in good faith on both sides, and is apparently without ambiguity. The had provided and owned its water supply. little town It leased its water property to the little corporarion for thirty years, with no provision for a renewal, but with the expressed intention of resuming control of its own property at the end of that time, agreemg to arbitrate the value of the betterments put thereon by the cor- poration and to pay the award so reached. Between individuals there would not be a moment's hesitation nor a word of dispute over the terms of such a con- tract. The arbitrators would be chosen and the value of the betterments would be determined and the trans- action would close in business order and decency. Why cannot this be the case when the parties in in- terest are a municipal and a private corporation? The wisdom and economy of municipal ownership are not in issue at all. wise, that does not touch the issue. Such ownership may be wise or un- The sole point is the right of the city of Los An- geles to enforce a contract and recover possession of her own property and franchises at the expiration of the lease. The laws of California give sufficient advantage to the leaseholder. on the expiration of his lease nor forfeit He need not surrender the proprety possession upon failure to perform any covenant of the lease. No matter what terms of the contract he may violate the lease is judicable and the leaseholder cannot be expelled from possession except by judicial process. It is not necessary to state the reasons for this condi- tion, inherent in legal principles, by which the owner of property is considered as deserving the ‘harsh hand of the law, while the dishonest possessor of it under a leasehold is protected in its use beyond his tenure or after violation of his covenants, to the spoliation of All of these advantages run to the artificial person, the corporation, as a leaseholder, and to the disad- vantage of the municipal corporation, the owner of the water plant. It is for this reason that the people, the actual owners of the property, need and are en- titled to the zeal and fidelity of the officers of the municipal corporation. The stockholders of the pri- vate corporation are getting the zealous service of its officers, and what evil genius denies to the people similar zeal on the part of the officers of cipal corporation? the muni- The disadvantage put by the laws of the State upon the ownership of leased property is a very high reason why in such cases as this in Los Angeles the people should be faithfully represented. If the city govern- ment fail to make good its rights under the contract the most serious consequences may follow. Suppose that the date fixed for arbitrating the value of the ment in the form of a municipal corporation had to precede the right of the private corporation to maks a contract of lease of the property which belonged to the people. Corporations must be taught to respect the source of their existence and of all the rights they have. Partisan corruption and official treachery must not be permitted to hold the rights of all subordinate to the interests of less than all. In pursuance of its settled policy The Call sustains the right of the people of Los Angeles to recover possession of their own property in the upon the terms set forth in the contract. way and We ask for them only what is nominated in the bond. They want no drop of blood nor anything vital nor valuable be- yond the plain terms of the contract, compliance with which is as easy as honesty always is. A SINECURE AND AN INCUBUS. W cubus is a nuisance. of the pos HEN a public office degenerates into a sine- cure it soon becomes an incubus, and an in- This is what has become ion of State quarantine officer in this city. The national quarantine service does all the work of protecting the port against the importation of disease and does it well. The State officer does nothing but draw his salary, and cannot be said to draw it well because money taken without being earned is never well paid nor well received. The utter futility of the office is shown by the fact that captains of incoming ships pay no attention what- ever to the demands or the pleadings of the official who holds it. Ii any captain should pay attention ta him the official would be in a quandary because the State has provided him with no quarantine station at which to hold the ship or send the passengers whom he might wish to inspect or fumigate. Being a complete sinecure in every respect, the office is an incubus on the taxpayers who have to pro- vide the money to keep it up, and on the s ping interests of the port which it sometimes disturbs. Being without power, the official is without dignity. Every time he exerts himself to make a play before the public the ship captains are obliged to ignore him and thus treat him with what seems to be contempt. Thus his spasmodic activity tends to diminish the prestige of the State, and, bad as the office is as a sinecure, it becomes worse when the official who holds it makes it an incubus, not only to the pockets but the patience of the people. An official who is nothing else soon makes him- self a nuisance. Thus we have seen our State quar- antine officer who is paid to serve the whole State making himself compliant to special interests, acting as the representative of private enterprises, becoming a special reporter for a newspaper and refusing news to others. The lack of any public work to do renders him forgetful of the fact that he is paid to serve the public, and accordingly when by any chance he plays at quarantine officer he seems to regard the performance not as a public duty, but as a private snap. A sinecure should be abolished, an incubus should be removed and a nuisance should be suppressed. There is no need in this city of a State quarantine office nor of a State quarantine officer. There are many uses to which the money of the taxpayers can be better applied than that of maintaining a futile pretense at doing something which the National Gov- ernment is already doing to the satisfaction of the public. e ore—— China is said to be dickering with England, but perhaps a better term could have been chosen to ex- press the situation. The mouse about to be eaten might feel an impulse to dicker with the cat, yet their Southern beauty does not catch on with more fa. | relations hardly rise to the degree of equality ime plied by this description. A THE GRAND BOULEVARD. N important step has been taken toward the accomplishment of the long discussed grand boulevard around the bay. The credit of the step belongs to San Mateo County, or at least to the Supervisors of that county. There is every rea- son to believe, however, that the people will indorse it and San Mateo will have the honor of leading the way in the great enterprise. The State Highway Commission, which has taken an earnest interest in the proposed boulevard, visited San Mateo and, in association with the County Surveyor, had surveys made of the route of the highway. By these surveys it was determined that the boulevard could be constructed from the line of San Francisco County through San Mateo to the line of Santa Clara County and a highway to the line of Santa Cruz County without entailing extra taxation upon the people, provided a bond issue was voted for the purpose. The Supervisors, after careful consideration of the plans proposed by the commission, approved them and decided to provide for a bond election at an early date. taken by the Supervisors are published in another column. They show that the movement is well launched and in every way merits the support of the community that is to be benefited by its comple- tion. The action in San Mateo will be hailed with satis- faction by the progressive element of the people in all sections of the State. It is but a short time ago that Sacramento by a large majority voted for the construction of the Folsom boulevard, and the San Mateo movement following so swiitly after shows that the progressive impulse is felt to a greater or lesser degree throughout the common- wealth. 2 It may be accounted a sure thing that if the people of San Mateo go forward in the enterprise as did those of Sacramento the people of San Francisco and Santa Clara will imitate the example. We shall have the grand drive around the bay in a, time much shorter than the most sanguine looked for. In fact it would not be surprising to see all the counties take up the enterprise before the year is over and set to work to accomplish it with a vigor that will make it a new illustration of the energy and public spirit which now animate California and her people. CHINESE IMMIGRATION. NDER the title “The Farce of the Chinese Ex» l clusion Laws” J. Thomas Scharf, who until recently held the post of Chinese inspector at the port of New York, con- tributes to the North American Review an article which in a striking and impressive manner directs atteation to serious defects in the ad- ministration of this important part of our protective legislation. It will be remembered that not lony ago Mr. Scharf resigned his office on the express ground that owing to judicial technicalities and official corruption it was impossible to enforce the laws. At the time of the resignation he made a statement of facts to justify his action. This statement was published in The Call and | commented on at the time. The article in the Re- view elaborates the original argument and gives stat- istics which demonstrate the truth of his charges and show that as administered at present our Chinese ex- clusion laws are but sources of fraud and corguption. According to Mr. Scharf, the number of Chinesa in the country is not known, nor is it possible to learn how many enter in each year. The census reports are not accurate on this subject for the Chinese avoid the census taker when possible and deceive him when they cannot evade him. In proof of this statement it is noted that the census of 1890 gave 2935 as the num- ber of Chinese in the State of New York. When the registration under the Geary act was completed, how- ever, it was found that over 7000 had registered in New York City alone. The number of Chinese in the whole country, according to the census of 1800, was 107,475, but Mr. Scharf estimates the correct number to be not less than 700,000. Chinese immigration continues along the whole length of the northern and southern borders of the country and along the Guli coast. large in the State of Vermont. The Custom-house records of that State show that between June 1, 1803, and February 23, 1897, 2047 Chinese came into the country legally. How many were smuggled in is not known. Much of this continuous stream of Chinese immi- gration is due to corruption on the part of officials charged with the duty of preventing it. That, how- ever, is not the worst feature of the situation. The greater evil is the attitude of the courts toward the law. Mr. Scharf cites many authorities on this point. The United .States Attorney for Vermont said that in his district “hearings are in a certain sense far- cical.”” Leigh Chalmers, examiner in the Attorney- General's office, said in an official report “nine out of ten of these cases do not amount to the dignity of a farce.” The United States Attorney at Buffalo in a report to the Attorney-General stated that he had attended certain Chinese examinations and that “it was absolutely useless under the present condition of affairs to attend any further examinations as it was a waste of time and money.” The causes assigned for the inability of the law officers to enforce the law are: “The loose interpreta- tion of the law by sympathetic United States Com- missioners, the radical diversity of opinion by Judges of the Federal courts, the crafty practices and fraudu- lent devices of the Chinese, the ready aid of well- paid allies along the border line, perjured witnesses, and oath breaking and bribe taking officials.” In the face of such obstacles it seems impossible to enforce the exclusion act, but the necessity of en- forcement is imperative and the seeming impossibility must give way before it. Mr. Scharf’s article will help | the cause by arousing public sentiment In the East to something like the ecarnestness of the West on the issue. The wily Chinese may be hard to stop, but a resolute people can do it. England's courtesy in deciding that the Vice- President of the United States shall be permitted to take precedence of the British Embassador at Wash- ington dinners deserves some token of grateful ap- preciation. To cable over permission for the Prince of Wales to get to the table ahead of Embassador Hay and receive the prime cut of white meat would be a neat and delicate return. A prominent Washington woman shot herself, and all her friends at once refused to tell the particulars, ‘but threw an air of mystery about the matter. The natural result was the creation of a belief that the shooting was not accidental, which was not, it is supposed, the purpose of the friends. It was a notable triumph of evening journalism that only one of the reporters who greeted Dole went into hysterics about him. Full details of the plans and the steps | It is particularly | COLLECTED IN THE CORRIDORS The presidential party from Honolulu, coneisting of President. Dole, his secre- | tary, C. P. Jaukea, and Dr. Day, the phy- siclan in attendance, Is at the Occidental. B. Butler, a large fruit-grower of Los Angeles, is at the Grand. Mrs. George M. Pullman, the widow of the late palace car magnate, has come up | to the city from Burlingame, where she | arrived a few days ago from the East, on a visit to her daughter, Mra. Frank Caro- lan, and 1s at the Palace. With Mrs. Pull- man are Mrs. F. J. Carolan, Mrs. John A. Logan, Miss Nina Gillett, Miss Phil- lips, Miss Endness and Mr. Sanger Pull- man. J. D. Carr, the Salinas capitalist, the Occidental. | | G. D. Plato, one of the best-known®mer- | is at chants of Modesto, is staying at the Grand. Dr. George Olcott, U. 8. N., has come down from Port Orchard, where he has | been stationed for some time, and is at .| the Occldental. T. N. Okohira and T. Kimura, two trav- | elers from Japan, who arrived on the | Peru yesterday, are at the Palace. M. P. Morgan, a mining man of Angels Camp, is a guest at the Grand. *eeseessecessses “Perhapsthe : OF REALLY standard of mor- - ality in the United States : EXCELLENT nrm; is a differ- ‘ CHARACTER. ent one from that ¢ which pertains +eeseseececess among the com- | mon people of the outside world who wear no stripes on their clothes and pass thelr time in the sordid pursuit of wealth in- stead of leading forlorn hopes at cotil- lions and germans, or, mayhap, these men of war and wassail consider gameness and goodness as convertible terms, inasmuch as they both commence with the letter ‘e’ Which of these conjectures is the correct one I know not,” said a gentle- man in the office of the Baldwin Vester- ut the following telegram was re- ceived by the department here a couple of days ago from an officer commanding one of the army posts in Texas: “ ‘Jonah Brown, discharged yesterday; character excellent. Lost his money gam- bling and killed himself to-day. Will bury the body with military honors un- less otherwise requested. (Signed) CAPTAIN X., “* ‘Commanding —th Infontry.’ “I don’t know why the officer sent such a telegram,” continued the gentleman, ‘“‘unless & man of such a godly character might have some objections to being ‘wished bon voyage by men of blood whose time is passed in the slaughter of the guileless Apache.” Major Moore, Speclal Treasury Agent, ‘who has recently returned from Portland, where he has been inspecting the ac- counts of the Custom-house, met with a | severe accident while absent. He slipped on the frosty sidewala and suffered a painful sprain of the ankle. E. C. Daly, a prominent merchant of Eureka, is at the Grand. Jack McQuestin, the famous Alaskan miner, together with T. B. Straven of | Nevada, who has recently returned from | the Klondike, and James Sheehy, also of Nevada, but who has been for some | | time in the gold fields of South Africa, are at the Commercial. J. B. Fuller, the Bank Commissioner, of Marysville, is at the California. ‘W. H. Walker, the richest man in Salt Lake City, is a guest at the Occlaental. V1 ce-President Robert Watt, | R e THE Chietf Engineer | W. B. Storey and INITIAL Secretary Alex- | TRIP. ander Mackie re- turned yesterday SS00-0-00-0-00-0002 from their tour of inspection over the Valley Road in the first complete train that has passed over that line. Heretofore the various trips that have been made were accomplished with the aid of everything from a hand- car to an engine, but Saturday last a reg- ular inspection train was made up and the above officers had the satisfaction of rid- ing in legitimate state over the work at | which they have labored so hard. | At Stockton the party looked over and | tested three elght-wheel locomotives and | | one switch engine that have just been re- | celved from the Baldwin Locomotive | | | Works at Philadelphia. One piledriver car and one wrecking car have also been re- ceived, which completes all the rolling stock that has thus far been ordered. F. A. Hihn, one of the most prominent merchants of Santa Cruz, is staying at he Grand. | Henry Mayer, a well-known business | man of Salem, Or., is at the Baldwin with | his wife. | | | E. S. Babcock, the proprietor of the Hotel Coronado, Is at the Palace for a short stay. G. W. F. Johnson and his brother, G. ‘W. Johnson, two miners, just returned from the Kiondike, are at the Palace. In coming out from Dawson, the younger of the two brothers was severely Irost- bitten. A. C. Rosendale, a prominent merchant of Pacific Grove, is at the Grand. eoeooseseseeeeesese The first of the new rate sheets FARES TO for fares to the Klondik: try THE arrived at the ot | § GOLDFIELDS. § fice of the Rock Island Railway reeecsssesesse Logiorday. The rates are from Kansas City, and are by the way of San Francisco, Puget Sound or by Sacramento and Portland. A first- el fare to Circle City, Fort Cudahy or Dawson will be $350, including berth and | meals on the steamer; the second-class rate is $200, and includes meals on the steamer also. To Dyea the rate is $90, and a second- class fare will cost $65, while $200 and $165 will take the prospective gold-seeker as far as St. Michael. To Sitka and Skag- uay the rates are the same as-to Dyea, and to Wrangel a first-class rate of $75 and a second-class rate of $3 has been made. F. B. Glenn, a son of the late Dr. Glenn, owner of the San vacinto wheat ranch, is at the Lick. Adjutant-General A. W. Barrett is reg- istered at the California. Railroad Commissioner M. A. La Rue of Sacramento, is at the Grand. N. J. Levinson, city editor of the Port- land Oregonian, is a guest at the Palace. D. A. Wilkins, a well-known merchant of Chicago, is at the Palace. | Mrs. J. A. Borell and her two children came in on the Peru yesterday from Ba- tavia, Java, and went to the Occidental. F. C. Gamble, a well-known resident of Nelson, B. C., is a guest at the Palace. United States Senator J. P. Jones of Nevada arrived in the city yesterday and went to the Palace Hotel. He left ‘Washington some weeks since to spend the holidays in Southern California with his family. He will remain in San Fran- cisco for two or three days before resum- ing his journey to Washington. The Sen- ator received many distinguished callers yesterday afternoon, and had pleasant chats with old-time friends from Ne- vada. THE CALL IN LOS ANGELES. Los Angeles Capital: The San Francis- co Call has added 50 names to its circu- lation list in Los Angeles this week. This Jooks as if there are some people here who like to read both sides of a question. Thomas J. Gargan, a leader of the De- mocracy of Massachusetts, interprets the recent vote in Boston as indicating that his party will abandon the issues which caused division in Iimmediately elections. | the mallage of | money in one year which accomplishes @++++ s+ttt ettt E WHO IS RESPONSIBLE ? + -+ Merced Evening Sun. 4 The libel case of Claus Spreckels against Andy Lawrence, managing editor of the Examiner, is attract- ing wide attention throughout the State, and already numerous new: papers have indorsed the Exam- iner's contention that Lawrence could not be guilty because he had no knowledge of the article com- plained of until after it had been published. The same argument would, of course, apply to Mr. Hearst himself, the owner of the paper, if that gentleman had been made the defendant instead of Mr. Lawrence. This brings us face to face with the proposition whether or not anybody is responsible for what appears In a newspaper; and if anybody is responsible, who is that anybody? It is manifestly unfair to presume that the public is entirely at the mercy of the newspapers; that a newspaper can say what it pleases of anybody, and then legally hide behind the statement that some employe wrote the article and pub- lished it without the knowledge of the editor or proprietor. Suppose a Southern Pacific train should run over and kill a team of horses belonging to Mr. Smith, and Smith should bring suit for damages against the company; what sort of a defense would it be for the of- ficers of the company to go to the stand and swear that it was the fault of an employe—the engineer— and that the killing of the horses was done without their knowledge and consent, and that, therefore, Smith could not recover damages? Could a sillier defense than that be imagined? Yet it is exactly in line with the contention of the Ex- aminer. The owner of a newspaper should be held morally and legally respon- sible for everyth.ng that goes into its columns. And whether or not he has knowledge of what goes in his paper is his own lookout. If his employes use poor judggent he should pay for the result of that poor judgment, just as he would have accepted the profits that might have resulted from the ex- ercise of better judgment. O++++++++++ 4444+ FREE GARDEN SEEDS. Editor San Francisco Call—Dear Sir: | As The Call Interests itself in the indus- | tries of the Pacific Coast, I venture to | solfeit its active influence in opposition to a shameful waste of public funds by the United States Government to the in. Jury of one of these Industries which de- serves rather to be fostered. In the present state of trade the seed industry of the Pacific Coast suffers more than that of any other section of the country from the foolish practice of the United States Government in distributing common seeds free.of cost. I therefore hope that you will be able at this time to devote some attention to this growing abuse in the columns of The Call. It | may not be necessary for me to indicate to you what are the facts of the case, but stress may probably be laid upon the fact that last vear $Lw,000 was spent in this way for free seeds to be distributed by the members of Congress in their re- spective districts and $70,000 additior those seeds. practically a waste of $200,000 of pub! B S Y L L YRR YR Y appreciable good, but acts as a detriment to the combined ind - seed-growing and seed-distribution. a wholesale distributor of seeds most of the States of the Union, I know that thousands of merchants complain of the direct and indirect injury which this thing does to their business in seeds, It is well, of course, and a public need recognized by all new countries, that ' Government should expend some money upon the discovery and introduction of new and valuable seeds and plants, and no doubt the abuse of which I complain grew out of that need in this country. But at this time there is practically noth- ing done for the acclimatization of ne seeds and plants except by private busi- ness enterprise, and the money of the _Government expended upon seeds is thrown nwai; upon the distribution of the commonest kinds of rden and flower seeds. So far as I know, Government distribution of seeds is .not practiced in any other country in the world except in times of famine and distress; and to have_it known all over the world that the United States Government spends | money in this way is no compliment to a | country and people supposed to be pros- perous. Hoping you will take this mat- ter up for public exposure and censure, I remaln, Yours truly, E. J. BOWEN. San Francisco, Jan. 12, 1868 | erious | THE MAN WHO HADN'T HEARD. He boasted of the dangers | That he had bravel~ facedf) He told of wicked ruffians And bullies he had chased, And they that heard him boasting Became imbued, at last, With the feeling that his courage ‘Anfl his might were truly vast. He spoke and others trembled, They let him have his wayi Nobody dared to question Aught that he had to say. . As some anointed monarch He held his lordly sway— He spoke, and they that heard him Rushed blindly to obey. One day there came a stranger, Who knew not of the might, The bravery, or prowess 1 Of this unconquered knight; 1 ‘Who had not heard him boasfing, ‘Who_knew not of his fame, Who did not even tremble ‘When he heard his awful name. Somehow they met and quarreled Fre the stranger knew— The man of might was humbled When they finally got through, And the stranger, when they told him The truth, was fain to own That he never could have licked him If he'd happened to have known. Cleveland Leader. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS | | NOT A PREMIUM HALF-H. L. B, | City. A half dollar of the date of 1833 | is not one that commands a premium. CENTS—K., City. As your communi- cation does not give the date of the cent in your possession, it is impossible to de- termine if it has any value. MEMORTAL CARDS—Subscriber, City. Any first-class printing house will be able to furnish memorial cards, but this de- Ear(mem. cannot advertise any such | ouse. THREE CENT PIECE—A. F. 8, Pen- grove, Sonoma County, Cal. A three| cent piece of 1870 commands a premium of from 25 to 30 cents. The other coins in- Q\;lred about do not command a pre- mium. TWO HALVES—M. H., City. Half dol- lars coined in 1829 and in 1833 in the United States are not in demand by coin dealers, consequently do not command a premium, Thgl u’e&mng price of such is from 75 cents to T MAHER AND O'DONNELL—P. Mec., City. The printed record shows that | Steve O'Donnell was defeated twice by | Peter Maher, knocked out in one round in each match. November 11 at Maspeth, | and De« oer 15, OLD BANK BILL—Subscriber, Ala- meda, Cal." A $ bill of the Bank of ‘Washington, dated April 17, 1816, is worth | to a collector l‘ul! ‘whatever his desire to | obtain possession of it would prompt him i S bt 8 S o vaiu erin 0 0se in oid ccins and bills. T dem POPULATION OF THE EARTH-T. B., City, and A. S., Oakland, Cal. Ac- cording to a report presented to the Royal g‘eonsp:l:ul :«;c;;)t{w the population of e earth is 1, ,000, and acco the estimate of John B&nhu|ome:v?"!~l‘? ® G. 8. of Edinburgh, it is 1,440,650,000. Ac- cording to the estimates of Mons. Four- 1896, at Coney Island. | ward. | ber treasurer of the city. there are 447,080,158 inhabit- ::'\etrs %ei E:‘iarth who profess Christian- ity. THE COMING CHARTER. San Francisco, Jan. 16, 1807. Editor of The Call—Dear Sir: It was with extreme pleasure that I listened last Friday evening to President Jordan's ad- dress on “The Management of Cities.” It must have been a severe shock to some rigid republicans who think that no good can be found under a monarchy to listen to Dr. Jordan's conclusion in favor of the British system. 1 must say that the Scotch system with which I am con- versant Is far and away ahead of any- thing I have seen in American cities. With your permission and for the bene- fit of many of your readers.I will state a few salient features in the municipal government of the city of Edinburgh. The city is divided into thirteen wards, each of which returns three members to the_Town Council, one retiring annually in November. They elect one of their number Lord Provost (or Mayor), who presides at the meetings of Counclil, whose term of office is three years. They also elect six bailies or magistrates, who must be councilors and who dispense justice at police courts without fee or re- They also elect one of thelr num- None of the Council receives a salary, not even the treasurer. An honorarium of $2500 is vot- to the Lord Provost at the end of each year. Although the two members of Councilelected provost and treasurer may have but one year to run, they do not retire, but the next in rotation retires in r place. here are no park, police or fire com- These departments are all committees of the council. missions, managed by All the paid city servants are elected by the entire Couneil. You will see from the foregoing that in barren little Scotland men rule in ¢tities for honor, whereas in America men rule for what there is in it. The spoils system is the bane of American munici- pal government. 1t would be well for the citizens of San Francisco to place themselves on record in some tangible form that no charter shall be satisfactory unless it places the entire control of the city government in the hands of the people. Apologizing for taking up your valuable space, I am yours truly, D. E.’ ANDERSON, 10 Sunny Court, Geary street, between Buchanan and Web: YELLOW JOURNAL METHODS. Los Banos, Cal., Jan. 10, 1898, To the Editor of The Call—Dear Sir: I desire to call to your attention a new ex- ample of yellow journalism of a very mean nature. The Examiner published an article in the issue of December 27 under the heading, “Dank Marshes May Hide the Secret Crime,” which was ut- terly untrue in every particular and aid great injustice to the people of Los Banos and vicinity. On Monday night, December 27, I wrote to'the Examiner, calling Its attention to the untruth and Injustice of the article, and asking them to correct the same. No attention whatever was paid to my letter, not even to the extent of acknowledging | the receipt thereof. Dissecting the article, it is found that the amount of truth contained therein is all in the two opening lines. Porter is not believed to have been killed by mar- ket hunters—nor by the people of Los Banos, nor by the people of Fresno, for I have talked with responsible citizens of Fresno, who were well acquainted with him, and they laughed at the idea. Los Banos has never had 150 market hunters, nor anywhere near it; twenty- five would come much nearer the truth. The community is not greatly excited over the big gun law of 1897, for that law was enacted in 1893, and any excitement it might have caused has had four years to cool down. Not one hunter in flve uses or ever has used a gun weighing. thirty pounds, and there is no law among them written, un- written or imaginary requiring them to make but two shots per day or any other number. Some of them have oxen and some have not, but none of them wade out into the marshes, for there are no places here that could be properly called marshes. The officers of Merced County have made little or no effort to enforce this law beyond warning the hunters of its existence, and bui one arrest has been made under it since 1893. No officer has been set upon and beaten by the hunters, nor have they had a clash of any kind whatsoever. On the con- trary, on December 11 one of the hunters, acting under the advice of his attorney, vecluntarily surrendered himself into cus- tody and pleaded gullty in the Justice's Court (my own) to the charge of using a bix gun. The case was begun for the rurpose of testing the validity of the law, und is now under advisement by ths Jud: of the Superior Court of Merced C . . by taking out the purts without truth or founda- tion we are left the matter contained in the two opening lines—‘ that Porter hes been missing since November.” The hunt- ers of Los Banos are as law-abiding a class of citizens as any other body, and it is a shame that a yellow journal, with- out responsibility, apparently, should spread broadcast such charges, injuring these people and the community in which they live, and then—worst of all—refusing to retract its statements_when it is shown to be in the wrong. Yours truly, C. . BERTHOLF. REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR. Love isn't lawless—it only makes its own laws. A girl is always ready to look as if she was in love with any man who will take her to the theater. When a girl really feels distressed she gets afraid to do anything suddenly for fear her clothes won't set right. When you devik a woman she will al- ways smile like she enjoyed it till you get near enough to reach. "A cat acts the same way. Every woman thinks she can make a man happy, and every man thinks he can fix the drawer in the kitchen table so it won't stick. When a girl can’t buv a plece of ribbon without wondering whether a certain man will like it it is time for her to begin to wear things she knows he hates.—New York Press. ———— Cal.glace fruit §c perib at Townsend's. s ki e e Mocha pistache, pineapple cake. 905 Larkin, ’ e More new things in picture frames—real novelties, too,cheap at Sanborn & Vail e Special information supplied dally to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Mont- B gomery st. Tel. Main 1042, ———— The French painter, Edouard Chantalat, is preparing for the Exposition of 1900 a large canvas representing the reception of the Emperor and Empress of Russia at the Hotel de Ville, Paris. —_——— “BROWN'S BRONCRIAL TROCHES" are un- equaled for clearing the yoice. Public speakers and singers the world over use them. ————— flm best appetizer,and regulator of the diges- ve organs 1 ANGOSTURA BITTERS, prepared by DR. T. G. B. SIEGERT & SONS. e —— Lord Rosebery has been invited by the Queen to bring his daughter, Lady Sibyl Primrose, to Windsor Castle to dine and spend one night! This is a very rare | honor for a young lady not vet presented. —DTOSCTTCD NEW TO-DAY. The haking pow- der that will equ. Royal in ieaven- ing power ang purity has yet to he compounded.,