The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 14, 1898, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1898. Address All Communi PUBLICATION OFFICE........Market and Third Sts., 8. F. Telephone Main lfigi % . DITORIAL ROOMS 91T to 291 Stevenson stres E Telephone Main 1874, NCISCO CALL (DAILY AND SUNDAY)Is T"E.:::bs'xnf.rs in this city and surrounding towns for 15 cents a week. By mail $6 per year. per month 65 cents. THE WEEKLY CALL... ©OAKLAND OFFICE ... Eastern Representative, DAVID ALLEN. NEW YORK OFFICE.. .Room 188, World Building WASHINGTON (D. C. OFFICE €. C. CARLTON, C ..One vear, by mall, $1.50 908 Broadway BRANCH OFFICES--527 Montgomery street. eorner Clay open until 9:30 o'clock. 339 Hayes street: open untll 9:30 o'clock. 62! MoAllister street: open until 9:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin street: open untll 9:30 o'clock SW. corner Sixteenth and Mission streets: open until | Co'clock. 9518 Mission street: open until @ o'clock i06 Eleventh st.. open until9 o'clock, 1505 Polk strzet cpen until 9:30 o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second and Kentucky streets; open until 9 o'clack. AMUSEMENTS. Olympia, corner The Chutes—Chig: y B er st.—Concert Tuesday night. Fair and Klondike Exposition, land Racetrack—Races to-day. alifornia Joeke AUCTION SALES. | By Emil Cohn—Wednesday, February 16, Stationery Store, at | 718 Larkin street, at 11 0'c | By Von Rbein & Co.—Thursdav, February 24, Real Estate, at 635 Market street. at 12 o'clock OUR ENORMOUS BUSINESS. HE enormous business now being done in the | United States may be realized by a glance at| ] the bank clearings for the week. Theyj amounted to the stupendous sum of $1,434,975,000, | same week | past and were 32 per cent larger than for tl in 1897, per cent larger than in 1896, 74 per cent | larger than in 1895, and 82 per cent larger than in j 1894. The only city of any importance to show a | decrease last week was Denver, which fell off 18 per | for some cause not known and probably local. | he gain in San Francisco was 25.3 per cent, and it may be remarked in passing that this city uniformly | stands eighth in volume of business and one of the | eight | ten whose clearings are always written with figures. The railrcad earnings of the country are also large | for midwinter, those for January being $38,000,000, o 16.6 per cent better than in January, 1897. This is per- | haps due to the opening of the spring trade, which is | sudden and earlier than usual, itself a gratifying sign of the general prosperity of the country. | The two leading featu of the week are the abrupt improvement in the iron and steel trades and the continued increase in the demand cotton. This latter has greatly stimulated trade in the South | and Southwest, which report a more active call for | merchandise, chiefly on spring account. The busi- | ness failures show the usual decrease, those last week being 278, against 301 for the same week in 1897 and 38: in 1806. The exports of wheat fell off somewhat, though they were 1,400,000 bushels larger than for the same week in 1897. The exports of corn, on the | contrary, showed an increase, being larger than fori some years. The output of iron is immense, and yet | we are told that even this bids fair to fall short of the demand for finished products if the present activ- | ity in building of various kinds continues. The dis- tributive trade of the country was never as good as it is now, and advices from all parts of the country report collections satisfactory. The recent advance | of 17 per cent in woolen goods is maintained with- | out difficulty, and heretofore idle mills are starting up in many localities. The hide and leather trades | are in first-class shape, and the hide market has again advanced under an scarcity, which is causing some annoyance to dealers and leather man- ufacturers. for | | | | extreme There seemsto be a disposition all over the country to invest in corporate enterprises, as | affording safe and profitable returns. This is| one of the best signs of the times yet| chserved. It shows that the people have confidence in financial and industrial operations | of large capitalists, and that a good deal of the sense- less outcry against this class of business has died away, as it does when times are good. This ten- dency is shown by the bullish feeling in securities | in Wall street, and, to come closer home, by the noteworthy activity in the San Francisco market for Attention has already been ! called to the latter, and a glance at the transactions | on the Stock and Bond Exchange will be a revela- tion to those who do not keep track of the daily dealings in these securities. There is nothing better to hold than first-class stocks and bonds. They are always available at a2 moment’s notice in case of de- sired financial accommodation, and are called quick assets. lecal stocks and bonds. therefore | The Jocal situation presents no new features of | importance this week. Wheat is quoted rather ! higher than during the preceding week and is | trinsically strong. is getting scarc mn- Barley continues to advance and as shipments to Europe this season have been heavy. The other cereals hold their re- cent advance. The activity in provisions shows no | diminution, and dealers report trade better than ever before at this time of the vear. Hides have gone up again. Dried fruits and raisins are still in the dumps, though at the present rate of slow and steady pur- chasing by the East stocks bid fair to be well whittled down by the time the new crop comes forward. Hogs have advanced and are firm at the improved prices, with a growing scarcity ‘reported in choice hogs. Beef and mutton rule steady at the good prices. The wine trade is still in a bad way owing to the lack of agreement between the different in- terests, but there are indications that the market may soon shape itseli into better condition, and those in the trade express general confidence in the future of the industry. Crop prospects have been greatly improved by the recent rains,and while more moisture is needed in the great valleys, especially in the south-central part of the State, no district is sufiering. The nsual spring rains wili doubtless bring us.through all right. { | There is such a thing as dignity. San Jose should resent the act of a Councilman in selling himself so cheaply. > S | inmate of the Agnews Asylum for the Insane. | to Republicans as a party feast day, just as the cele- | change will surely come. 4 Peautiful. PUT UP OR SHUT UP. OME days ago The Call publistied as an item of news a report that John W. Lynn, who re- cently in Oakland made an attempt to kill his wife, was said to have killed Peter Camarinos, an The | story was that Lynn had been employed as a special | attendant for Camarinos, who was at times violent, and was so employed at the time of the death of the | patient. The report of the killing was given on the | authority of John R. Griffiths, who was an inmate | of the asylum at the time, and claims to have been | an eye-witness of the assault which led to the death. | The Call was not responsible for the story of Grif- fiths further than results from making it public. It was responsible, however, for the statement that | Lynn had been employed at Agnews as the attend- | ant of Camarinos and was acting in that capacityj | at the time Camarinos died. The Examiner, in its eagerness to make up for lack of news in its own columns by discrediting the news ; of The Call, at once denied the truth of this story. | It said: “John R. Griffiths, who is responsible for the story, claims to have been an inmate of the asylum at | the time the alleged murder was committed, and he | has been quoted as saying that he saw Lynn kill | Camarinos. After the crime Lynn says he went to | Fresno. This was about November 26, as near as he can fix the date. As a matter of fact and record P. Camarinos died on December 8 last, or nearly a month subsequent to the time when Griffiths claims Camarinos was murdered.” The Call does not publish news that it has not in- vestigated. The statements it makes are accurate and can be relied upon. It does not depend, like the | Examiner, for success in business on fakes and frauds, but on the correctness of its reports. There- fore it cannot permit its reports to be aspersed with- out making reply. In this particular case it calls upon the Examiner to make good its charges or | stand branded as an envious libeler of a paper that | beats it as a newsgatherer. | As the Examiner boasts much of its devotion to | ! | charity, The Call now offers it an opportunity to | | add $1000 to the charitable institutions of San Fran- | | cisco on these terms: The Call will deposit $1000 | with Mayor Phelan to be forfeited to the charities | of the city if it was in the wrong in the statement that Lynn was at Agnews at the time of the death | of Camarinos, provided the Examiner will deposit | an equal sum to be forfeited and divided in the same | way if it be proven that The Call was right. The Examiner is so quick to discredit the reports of its rivals, and so incessant in boasting its regard! for charity, it can hardly decline the proposition we | have made without stultifying itself both as a news- | gatherer and as a patron of charitable institutions. The issue before it is therefore plain, It must put up | or shut up. LINCOLN DAY SPEECHES. | Y common consent in all parts of the country | the celebration of the anniversary of the birth- day of Lincoln seems to have been turned over bration of the battle of New Orleans, Jackson day. | has been made a Democratic festival. The two par- | ties into which the people are divided thus have their partisan celebrations early in the year, and thereaftey come together as one people to do honor to the memory of Washington, whose good fortune it was to be associated with no party or faction of his coun- trymen. In a certain sense it is to be regretted that the observance of the birthday of Lincoln should be par- tisan, but the result was well nigh inevitable. Lin- coln so thoroughly represents Republicanism, hai was so closely identified with the history of the party, | he stood so stanchly for principles and policies of | governmental action which are the exclusive prop- erty of the party, that it would be difficult to coms memorate him or his work without commemorating | also the party which elected him to the Presidency | and supported him in the arduous task of saving the Union and freeing the slave. In commemoration of the day on Saturday but two | Democrats of national repute took part, and one of | them only indirectly. Mr. Bryan, who talks on all occasions, spoke to his fellow townsmen of Lincoln Nebr., and Mr. Towne, the silver-tongued orator from Duluth, spoke in Los Angeles to a club of sos called silver Republicans. Their speeches were dis- cords. Their utterances sounded like jarring notes | disturbing the lofty harmony of patriotic speech which Republican orators were sounding in honor of Lincoln and the mighty party which is still inspired by his memory and his principles. Bryan and Towne each in his own way preached the demagogue creed of class antagonisms. They went over the old familiar calamity cry about the bendholder crushing the farm- er and the [laborer. Their speeches tended to discontent and strife rather than to the glorious exultation which Americans should feel in being citizens of a land where a man born as poos as Lincoln could aspire to the Presidency and where a statesman as honest and as pure from self-seeking i could attain it. So long as Democracy continues to follow such leaders as these the celebration of the birthday of | Lincoln will of necessity remain the special charge of the Republican party. As the years pass, however, a | The youth of the land is being taught in our public schools to revere the name of the martyred President and to learn the patriotie lessons taught by his simple but sublime life. These as they reach maturity, no matter which party thes join, will feel an instinctive prompting to participate in every celebration in honor of the greatest of all Americans, and then Lincoln’s birthday will be a rational festival and all the people will take part in it. | | | Anthony Hope's dislike of interviewers is not | surprising when he explains that these inquisitive | gentlemen did not ask him anything about England. As a matter of fact the absence of Anglo- mania is nothing to be deplored. This part of the world hears all it wants to about England without consulting an authority likely to be biased. It is well that discovery of defective ammunition among that supplied to the Government has been made in shooting at inanimate targets rather than at a live enemy. It would be pleasing now to hear of some of the rascally contractors who furnished it being fined and put on a blacklist. Oakland's city jail is said to be of a character to make the way of the transgressor more than reason- ably ha(d. If so it is clearly unconstitutional. General Dickinson is a credit to the National Guard. When in full uniform there is nothing more S THE WATER RATES. TATEMENTS made by members of the Board of Supervisors on the subject of water rates show that the city is fairly safe against the dan- ger of a raise in the price at which water will be fur- nished to consumers during the next year. Six members of the board have declared themselves op- posed to an increase, and if all of these hold firm the scheme of the water company to place a higher burden of taxation upon the people for that neces- sary of life will be defeated. The Supervisors who have thus frankly declared themselves on the side of the community are: Clin- ton, Dodge, Lackmann, Morton, Rottanzi and Smith. These men are not waiting to be seen by any one, nor are they seeking to see any one. They are aware of all the factors of the problem. Past inves- tigations have given them as much knowledge on the subject as the company will ever give. They also know tiie needs of the city. These facts afford them a sufficient foandation on which to base a conclusion of what should be done in the present instance. There have been no notable changes since last year, nothing to justify an increase of the rates, and ac- cordingly these nien, being honest, have no hesita- tion in declaring what course they will take in deal- ing with the demand of the company. There are six Supervisors who have not yet de- cided how they will vote on the question. These are: Britt, Delaney, Devany, Haskins, Rivers Sheehan. They are waiting for more information. Britt says, “I will be governed by circumstanecs”; Delaney says, “I will be in a better position to judge * * * when the company has had an op- portunity to be heard”; Devany says, “It would be too soon to ask me how I should vote in the mat- ter”; Haskins says, “I decline to express an opinion”; Rivers says, “I will be guided entirely by the testimony and the facts adduced before the board”; Sheehan says, “I will be governed a good deal by the representations made during the in- quiry.” All of this is fair talk, and under normal conditions would pass as seemingly honest, but in the present instance it gives rise to suspicions. The public is familiar with the kind of evidence obtainable in ex- aminations of this kind. Again and again the water rates of the city have been made the subject of in- vestigation, and the sum of all has been a moral d monstration that the water company will never let the true value of its plant and business be known. Just enough has been revealed to make it certain that water rates are now as high as they should be. The Supervisors who. are waiting for testimony and are so eager to give the water company a chance to be heard have doubtless peculiar ideas of the kind of testimony the company is capable of putting up if e- it chooses, and have probably made up their minds | Possible to pass this eminent strate- | just how much of the testimony will be necessary to induce them to vote for the desired raise in rates. Fortunately, the danger of a raise this year is small. With six Supervisors and the Mayor on the side of the people and justice the chances for a cinch scheme are small, W scandals in connection with the administra tion of various departments of official affairs are by no means pleasant reading for the people, the situation is not without encouraging aspects. Cor- ruption can never be overcome until it has been ex- posed. Light must be thrown into all the dark cor- ners of evil before the reforming broom can be ef- fectively used. turned on good and strong. The work to be done is now clear before us, and therefore we have reason to hope the reforming task can be accomplished with complete success. It is not a coincidence merely that so many scan- dals have been brought to light at once. It cannot have escaped the attention of any careful student of current events that all of these examples of wrong- doing have been exposed by The Call as a part of ity work on behalf of the commonwealth. Tt was not chance that brought them to light, but intelligently directed zeal in the interests of the ‘people and good government. The popular approval which has. at- tended The Call in exposing the wrongdoing - will support Grand Juries and other authorities in the work of bringing the guilty to condemnation and punishment, and the outlook for reform is distinctly promising and cheering. As a matter of fact we 'are going through the process of cleaning the governmental ship for a new CLEARING THE DECKS. HILE the recent disclosures of so many departure. The exposure and punishment of wrong- | doing is at all times commendable, but they could never be more opportunely done than at this time. We shall soon be called upon to elect new officials, and it is altogether fitting, therefore, that the atten- tion of every citizen should be at this time directed to the evilf of bad government. The present scan- dals will have the effect of arousing public sentiment, and to that extent will serve a useful purpose by in- creasing the chances of getting better public sepv- ants next time. The Call does not delight in official scandals. Tt believes, However, that it is better to expose corrup- tion and eliminate it from the governmental system than to leave it to work secret harm in darkness un- til its pernicious influence is felt everywhere to the injury of all departments of administration. On this principle The Call has gone about its work, and now has the satisfaction of seeing that much of the cor- | ruption it has exposed is in a fair way to be made a moral to good citizens and a warning to evil ones. In fact the decks are being cleared. The bad odor of the present scandals will soon blow over and Cali- fornia will be cleaner politically than it has been for many a year. THE MAID AND THE MATRON. IS,S AMALIE HOFER in lecturing on child life possibly says some instructive things, and yet one would sooner trust the judgment of one who has acquired the title of Mrs. and the dig- nity of motherhood. No young maid nor old one has any right to assume the role of guide to the matron. Let her first acquire experience. When a woman has labored with colicky youngsters, spanked naughty ones, assuaged the pangs of infancy, lis- tened to its troubles, dried its tears, mended its clothes, heard it lisp its prayers, watched tearfully as the dews of death have kissed it and moaned by the empty cradle and the flower-laden grave; or when she has seen her boys and girls grow to man- hood and womanhood loving her, and'renewed her own youth in the prattle of their children, then she knows of child life, whether or no she is fitted to make speeches about it. She is not looking for advice from the worthy theorist who would not understand where to look for a trespassing pin. Motherly in- stinct may needntraining, but it needs it from a mother, | ang | In this instance the light has been | [B=2=3=8-8-3-8-§-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-1] S INDNIDUAL THOUGHTS, 3 g BY A MO:ST CRITIC. g OHBUH U NG I AT RN A BT O Some six or eight weeks ago there | appeared in this column an announce- | ment of what had probably occurred in | the Orient. The opinion, in short, was that Germany had insisted on rights equal to those of other nations in China that seek expansion of commerce and the convenience of the navy in time of | peace. The concept was quite accurate | and it is now apparent that the Chinese | imbroglio had an existence only in the imaginings of correspondents. There has been clearly no objection on the part of either of the great powers to | the granting of Germany’s request. | This Baron von Buelow’s statement to | the Reichstag and Lord Salisbury’s ut- terances in the House of Lords bear out | to a degree. Amongst other things iBarnn von Buelow said “Despite con- | trary views of English newspapers it is | well known in authoritative quarters in | London that in the interests of peace | and culture we desire to cultivate re- |lations of harmonious co-operation with Great Britain. Our modest demands have neither menaced the integrity of China nor called for justifiable objec- tion on her part.” | This is a dignified and a statesman- | like utterance, it almost reminds one of | Webster, and if Senator Morgan and the allied jingoes will thoughtfully di- | | | 8est it we might earn more of the re- | spect of other nations for sincerity | than we at present enjoy. The en- deavor to cultivate at every oppor- tunity a national craving for war on the slightest pretext, the development of our commerce being neglected, sa- vors not of statesmanship, but of folly. Let us promote industry; let others do | the squabbling. No nation assails us; ‘y “let us have peace.” So much has been written in these | columns on the Hawaiian questionfrom ja naval standpoint that there is a pos- | sibility of wearying, but as the annexa- iunn Or non-annexation of the islands ‘15 such a vital matter, and as the ac- | curacy of statements made here has been questioned, the evident duty is to ;point out error and repeat the truth. It appears from a Washington dispatch that a letter from Captain Mahan, in | reply to the catechizing of him by Sen- | ator Kyle, was read in executive ses- | sion of the Senate by Senator Teller. | Captain Mahan has been made to say | much of the defensive value of Hawaii | in case of war, and as one of the quer- |ies put to him refers to a weakness | that, as a writer on this subject, I be- | lieve I first drew attention to, it is im- | gist's replies unanswered. In discuss- | ing this point it is necessary to assume | the frame of mind of a famous jurist, who, when interrupting an able plead- | er who was reading opinion after opin- jon from other judges which were fa- | vorable to his client's case, sald: “I | do not desire to interfere with your manner of presenting this cause, but I must tell you that I care nothing for | these opinions unless you can show me | that they are based on reason. An un- | reasonable precedent I shall decline to consider, no matter how {llustrious its | author.” Captain Mahan has a famous | name, but I cannot accept even his | statements when they are clearly in | error. It has already been pointed out | that this gentleman reasons backward | when he says that the Hawaiian Is- | lands are strategically of value to us, and his letter to Senator Kyle shows how accurate I was when I said so. He says: ‘““Hawaii is now exposed to | pass under foreign domination, notably | Japan, by the peaceful process of over- | running and assimilation.” It is not. ] Hawall will pass under the control of | no other nation if we object. To the most powerful nation of the earth, ex- | cepting this (and possibly Germany) | we sald only a couple of years ago, | “Hands off,” and that\immense power | that could crush Japan as easily as she | could little Portugal, instantly respect- | ed our wishes. We can insist as eas- | ily on Hawaiian independence as does Europe on Switzerland's. If Captain | Mahan will be good enough to explain ! how it is “inevitable” that a foreign power will annex this group against our will it would prove an interesting story. One thing that would have to be ac- knowledged to commence with is that there is a nation that will be permit- ted to dictate to us. Will this gentle- man avow that? I think not. Our navy is not as powerful as it should be by any means, but no arrogance is displayed when it is stated that we are the most powerful of nations on land, our defective shrapnel included. In answer to the second question put him, Captain Mahan says that a great- er navy would not be needed for the defense of the Pacific Coast than would be required with the islands unan- nexed. That is distinctly illogical. “If, he says, “we have the islands, and in the Pacific a fleet of proper force, the presence of the latter or an adequate detachment from it at the Hawaiian Islands will materially weaken if not wholly cripple any attempted invasion of the Pacific Coast (except from British Columbia) and will proportion- ately strengthen us.”” A fleet at the Hawaiian Islands cripple an attempt at the invasion of this coast! How could it? The day has long passed when one could reasonably expect to | find an enemy in a certain degree of | latitude or longitude: the frigate with | her dependence for propulsion on wind has disappeared. Coaled and pro- visioned at a safe distance from our coolie land, a hostile fleet could easily elude the most vigilant observation and attack this coast. At best a first-class modern cruiser can patrol no more than a hundred and fifty miles of sea space; it is much doubted if she can efficiently look after a hundred, and isolation of ships in mldoce_an cannot be thought | of with sanity. On the coast it is a totally different matter. It would be | quite safe to spread a fleet out if within | sight of land. There are no difficulties about conveying intelligence to protect. Hellographs, and even the telegraph and the tele- where it promptitude, but the followed. From these islands to the coast line latitudinally is roughly 3000 miles. fighting ships each would to have mistaken the Pacific Ocean for the Stralts of Gibraltar. The end of the remarkable letter is with | written the life of Henry Failing, the rapidity and certainty to ships in the | Portland, Or., banker. Probably he did offing of the vicinity that they are bullt | essay the task, and assuming that he semaphores | did it is a fair sample of what he can | phone would aid in massing the fleet ing of history. In the first page cf was most wanted with|what is said about Mr. Failing occurs position we | 3 rambling collection of words between should be in with half our Pacific|two periods which this ‘“historian” Coast fleet at Hawaii and the foe in | yowed was a sentence. tull force off Monterey I8 one of the | out to him that there wi things we may have to face if Captain |in his “sentence,” Mahan's strategy is to be implicitly | that he * 5 How many squadrons of five |ig it take to | has been mad guard that entrance to this coast?|it des Really, this distinguishéd man seems cept this: “Coal can be transported in col- liers, but as yet it cannot be tran- shipped at sea with either rapidity or certainty.” I beg respectfully to say that is inaccurate. If Captain Mahan indited this opinion he surely must have had a lapse of memory at the moment. Frue, we have made practi- cally no experiments in sea-coaling, but other nations have with very satis- factory results, although as stated be- fore the system is not yet perfect. The | battleships Magnificent and Majestic quite récently, under anything but the most favorable conditions, in a five- hour trial, coaled at the rate of about 160 tons an hour. This would mean 2000 tons in an ordinary working day, which is very satisfactory progress. And as sea-coaling is more easily done when the vessels are under slight headway the loss of time .is not so very great. | Against sea-coaling I am aware that | it is urged it cannot be done in heavy weather. True, but neither can a bat- tleship fire her big guns in heavy weather with anything like accuracy. Indeed the admiral who would risk an engagement, even if he had the superior fighting force, when a big sea was run- | ning would be tempting Providence, and it is not at all unlikely that he | would be punished by the fickle goddess | for his temerity. iy g A cable dispatch tells us that within | a month an Austrian cruiser left her | sister ship in the Red Sea ‘going to Aden to send a collier to her assist- ance.” I am told by a master mariner in whom I have implicit confidence that he has seen three hundred tons of coal transferred from one ocean-going | steamer to another in that very sea, and he says it was done in short order and with no difficulty whatever. The man who willingly blinds his eyes to the fact that sea-coaling is certain to be completely successful in the course | of two or three years has not my sym- | pathy, no matter how famous his name. If is often asked why it is that Japan | looks on with such complacency at our frantic efforts to annex these islands. The little brown man is something of a strategist himself, as the Chinese have lived to find out, and doubtless he sees what a “constant source of weakness” | Hawaii will be to the power that makes it an integral part of its territory. After the foregoing had been written my attention was called to an editorial in yesterday’'s Examiner which purports to give the queries put to Captain Ma- han by Senator Kyle and his replies. This furnishes another striking in- stance of the rascality of that paper. It garbles each statement in an as- tounding manner, omitting everything whereby it could be shown that Cap- tain Mahan's opinions were not unas- sailable, and excludes altogether the most important answer, wherein, as is | shown above, the distinguished strate- | gist was lamentably in error. After an absence that has been re- | gretted by those seeking divertisement | ilie Examiner's logician is back doing business with accustomed sedulity. He now descries a gift by the people of | this city of the capital stock of a street | railroad to the shareholders of that corporation because a franchise to run | its cars through the streets has been | granted. The track, the rolling stock | and the labor which it took to build | the road—and even the cost of main- tenance—I suppose, all went with the franchise, If the logiclan will inter- view some reputable financier, like Mr. Hellmann, for instance, he may learn how to distinguish a right of way from an equipment. The franchises men- tioned were granted because the peo- ple of the city generally wished in- creased transportation facilities and if the abolishment of rapid transit were to be seriously entertained for a mo- ment the public (of which the Exam- iner is so fond and eternally tries to humbug) would willingly pay $20,000,000 | to have the status quo maintained. The | logician must produce some sounder | argument than this when attempting to excoriate a street railroad company, that is if he seriously hopes to get for | his paper another “advertising cof- tract” which includes the phraseology “and all in accordance with an agree- ment entered into between, etc.” 0 In an account of the Golden Jubilee celebration which has appeared in Ha per's Weekly the question of Marshall's right to be known as the discoverer of gold in California has been given much attention. Marshall is probably due the credit, but that Hubert Howe Bancroft has pronounced him so (as Harper's points out) is about the greatest doubt that could be placed on Marshall's claim to the distinction. This man of many books has had his character so clearly exposed by the different jour- nals of the State, and the local field of deceit having become about exhaust- ed in consequence. that he has shaken the dust of the city from off his feet and sped to solitude. At any rate, we hear of him no more. It may interest Harper’s to learn that this particular Bancroft never was a historian. His- tory is truth, not fiction, and Hubert Howe Bancroft’s unquenchable desire not to have the truth told if his pocket would suffer thereby is known here, if not in New York. Some of the matter that appeared under his name was ac- curate, but the fiction is so much in | evidence that the whole work has been rendered valueless. Much of the hon- est writing in these volumes was done by Mrs. Frances Fuller Victor, a gen-|| tlewoman who declined to lie for pro- | fit. Were she to be asked, it is certain that she would admit that what she conscientiously wrote about Indian wars in Oregon, Bancroft ‘“switched | into’” what he calls California history. It was pleasing to notice some years ago in the woman's booth at some fair in the Mechanics’ Pavilion that Mrs. Victor had the courage to show half a dozen or so volumes of the so-called “Bancroft’s Works,” labeled “By F. F. Victor.” Mrs. Victor is honest by na= true; Bancroft by nature is a (This is not a missing word contest). The man cannot even write English. He was heard to vow once that he had do in the way of English, to say noth- It was pointed as no predicate whereat he testified 'saw nothing wrong with it.” The mental passing of Adolph Sutro | a matter for keen regret. Reference | e to it with the respect | serves by all the local papers ex- the Post. Its veiled sneer at the unutterably sad condition of the man whose energy has helped the poor of San Francisco in many ways, fits the | general character of it}q utterances. Nothing seems too despi¢able for the organ of the railroad monopoly if eithet of its masters’ vicious tastes will be likely to be pleased thereby. In its base conduct it is without shame; it actually revels in its debasement. Sutro’s memory is insulted because he compelled the Market Street Railroad Company to carry people to the ocean beach for a nickel, because he fought the odious funding bill tooth and nail, and because he was of indv.-xlen:le'nt character; he owned himself. A wise Providence denies to the groveler the privilege of understanding the nature of a man who despises a sycophant, and, though there may be an editorial smirk over this miserable attempt to rail at a terrible misfortune, it is dis- dained by the decent of the world. The Post’s reputation has ever been fishy, but since the chamelionic McEwen said in unmistakable English that De Young had paid the Post $2000 to have the management of the Midwinter Fair “let alone” it has fallen still lower in public esteem. And the charge has never been distinctly denied, to y nothing of making an effort to disprove it. Worden, the train-wrecker, has “con- fessed” his connection with the brutal quintuple murder near Davisville three vears and a half ago. A casual read- ing of his statement shows that he ac- knowledges being an accessory after the fact, and on that alone, of course, hanging is his due, though I hanker not for his blood. The possibilities are that he was the drunken tool of others, but as he has been respited till Sane there is ample time for the bringing of his accomplices to justice if they can be found. If there is a particle of truth in his story more than one other man should pay the penalty to which he is sentenced. In truth, these who could incite a weak creature to commit a crime of this fiendlike type are as unfit to live as is h ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. PRUNES—R. P., Princeton, Idaho. The finest prunes are called prunelis. In the trade the finest table prunes are the French and the choicest varlety is called “Catherinea.” THE CLAUS SPRECKELS BUILD- ING—H. 8., City. The Claus Spreckels building contains on thirteen floors 200 rooms used as offices. The other four floors are used for restaurant, clubrooms, ete. HOMES FOR OLD PEOPLE—A. E. and others, City. There is a home for aged people at the corner of the Mission road and Silver avenue in San Francisco, called the Pacific Hebrew Home for the Aged. % AN OLD ENGLISH READER—Ques- tioner, Oakland. If you will address a dealer in second-hand books he will se- cure for you one of the old English read- ers that were used in the schools fifty years ago. A SAN DOMINGO BILL—L. E. B., City. A $10 bill issued by the National Bank of San Domingo in 1869 is no doubt | good for its face value, as the bank is still in existence, but in San Francisco brokers will not place any value upon it, as they do not care to purchase such se- curities. A NOVEL—E. C. R., Haywards, Cal An author having written an acceptable novel can have the same published at personal expense or possibly have some publishing house publish it on commis- sion. Such matters are not governed by general rules. In cases of well-known authors each such has his or her pub- lisher. Unknown authors are obliged to make the best arrangements they can ‘with publishing houses. STEAMERS—W. L., San Jose. It is im- possible to answer the question asked as to the time that is lost by steamers be- tween this port and Australia and be- tween here and Hongkong by reason of being obliged to slow down to prevent the propeller shaft from getting hot at the bearings. With proper care a shaft does not get hot at the bearings to the extent that there must be a slowing down. Some vessels might slow down several times on one trip and on another not slow down at all. The Belgic con- sumes about 120 tons of coal a day and the Alameda about ninety tons. The Ore- gon and the San Francisco consume more or less coal according to the speed re- quired. When not making special time each vessel consumes about 120 tons of coal daily. The price that is paid by steamship companies for coal is a matter that is part of the private affairs of the companies. Genuine eyeglasses, specs, 15¢ up.33 4th.* —_———— Cal. glace fruit 50c per 1b at Townsend's.* —_——— Special information supplied daily to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Mont- gomery street. Telephone Main 1042, e e = The first sign that a girl is in love with a man is when she begins to keep away from the window when she thinks he may be going to call. Time Reduced to Chicago. Via Rio Grande Western, Denver and Rio Grande and Burlington rallways. Passengers leaving San Francisco on 6 p. m. train reach Chicago 2:15 p. m. the fourth day, and Nbw York 6:30 p. m. following day. Through Pull- man Palace Double Drawing Room Sleeping Cars to Denver with Union Depot change at 9:30 a. m. to similar cars of the Burlington Route for Chicago. Railroad and sieeping car tickets sold through and full information given at 14 Montgomery st. W. H. Snedaker, General Agent. —————— “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup * Has been used over fifty years by milllons of mothers for their children while Teething with perfect success. It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays Pain, cures Wind Colic, reg- ulates the Bowels and is the best remedy for Diarrhoeas, whether arising from teething or other causes. For sale by Druggists in every part of the world. Be sure and ask for Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. 2c a bottle. —_—————— CORONADO.—Atmosphere is perfectly dry, soft and mild, being entirely free from the mists common further north. Round trip tickets, by steamship, Including fifteen days' board at the Hotel del Coronado, $6; longer stay, $2 30 per day. Apply 4 New Montgomery street, San Francisco, or A. W. Bailey, man- ager, Hotel del Coronado, late of Hotel Colo- rado, Glenwood Springs, Colorado. e A picture of a girl's room generally has a divan In the center with a lot of cush- ions and a banjo on it, right where any one would smash it if he ever sat down.— New York Press. ——— e e ADVERTISEMENTS. Roya _ Powider is the greatest of modern-time helps to perfect cooking