The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 6, 1899, Page 4

THE MONDAY.. S es 5 MARCH 6, 189 | LS, Proprietor. JOHN D. SPRECKE B Address All Communications to W. S. LEAKE, Manager. PUBLICATION OFFICE Telephene Main 1868, (DITORIAL ROOMS..........217 to 22| Stevenson Street Telephone Main 1874 Market and Third Sts., S. F. DELIVERED BY CARRIERS, 13 CENTS PER WEEE. Single Coples, 5 cents. Terms by Mall, Including Postage: DAILY CALL (including Sunday Call), one vear. DAILY CALL (including Sunday Call), 6 months. DAILY CALL (ircluding Sunday Call), 3 month: DAILY CALL—By Single Month. EUNDAY CALL One Year. WEEKLY CALL, One Year All postmasters are authorized to receive subscription: fample ccples will be forwarded when requested. OAKLAND OFFICE.. ..908 Broadway | NEW YORK OFFICE. Room 188, World Building DAVID ALLEN, Advertising Representative. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE.. Riggs House €. C. CARLTON, Corrcspondent. CHICAGO OFFICE .......... C.GEORGE KROGNESS C.....Marquette Building . Advertising Representative. BRANCH OFFICES—527 Montgomery street, corner Clay, | open untll 9:30 o'clock. 387 Hayes street. open untll | 930 o'clock. 621 McAllister street, open untll 930 | oclock. 613 Larkin street, open until 9:3G o'clock. | 1941 Mission street, open until 10 o'ciock. 2291 Market | street, corner Sixteenth, open untll 9 o'clock. 2518 | ission street, open untli 9 o'clock. 106 Eleventh | street, open untll 9 o'clock. 1505 Polk street, open | | tics. The representatives of the party in the Legisla- | ture have now to maintain that pledge by shutting the | door against the railroad in its desire to elect one | ent term of office is over. FOR THE STATE AND FOR THE PARTY S the time draws nearer for the adjournment of fl the Legislature the Senatorial contest becomes more critical. Public attention is turned with increasing intentness to Sacramento, where the ma- jority of the Republican legislators are standing firmly for the honor of the party and of the State against the | assaults, the intrigues and the machinations of a gang of seli-seeking politicians backed by the corrupt and corrupting power of the Southern Pacific Company. The Republican party pledged itself to the people in the last campaign that the railroad was out of poli of its most unscrupulous allies to the United | States Senate. The duty thus far has been performed :r by a two-thirds majority of the Republicans with a| notable firmness. The railroad and its hirelings have | been able to win over to Burns but a mere fraction of the party, and it is safe to say every member of that | fraction will disappear from politics when his pres- In the meantime the railroad and the political; traitors who have sought to ruin the Republican party [ in California have resorted to every means their cun- ning could devise or their courage undertake to ac- | complish their end. The threats of bullies and the | cajolery of tricksters have alike been used to win | votes, but with the exception of the three—Wright, until 9:30 o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second ane | Kentucky strests, open until 9 i e e e e e e e | AMUSEMENTS. is Opera Company, Monday even- ts. Hero of Manila.'” the “Lady of Lion Ellis streets, Specialties. AUCTION SALES. at 10:30 a. m., and street March 6, at 11 o'clock, Valencia street ! | THE BUSINESS OF RECORD-BREAKING HE United States seems to have gone into the Tb siness of record-breaking. Each succeeding month breaks the record of its predecessor in some way or other. This cheerful procedure has been | going oh for a year or more, and the end is pparently ot yet. November was the busiest ever known; De- | nber beat it with distance to spare; January wasthe | heaviest opening month in the history of the country; | and now comes Fet hibit at which | we are expected to hold up our hands in mute admira- tion. he Clearing-house exchanges of the country were about $7,000,000,000, against February, 1808. In all the years of weekly commercial uary with an e reporting there has been no week in which the country made such a general good showing as it did last week. The gain in bank clearings was large, being 39.4 per cent, and there was a marked advance in wages, voluntary in most cases, an immense and urgent call for iron and steel manufactures at soaring prices, a marked improvement in the demand for cot- ten and dry goods, and a decrease in failures to 177, agai 232 for the same week last year. But it must not be forgotten that there is always an increase in trade when the conditions are normal. The population is continually increasing, and if there | were no increase in the volume of business it would | that commerce was not keeping up with the | gain in population. So some of this extraordinary | gain that we are continually hearing about is really | no gain at all. Still, it cannot be gainsaid that the co on the whole is extremely prosperous, and excepting here on the Pacific coast, where the dry weather checks trade the business of the United States y very large and increasing. There are certain indications, however, that the tables are being slightly turned in some directions. In a recent financial circular Henry Clews, the New York banker, who keeps pretty close watch on commercial | conditions, called attention to the fact that the ratio of exports to imports had begun to decrease, though | the balance of trade is still enormously in favor of this country. Wall street, too, has apparently scented a mare’s nest somewhere, for there was quite a decline in stocks last week, those stocks which have lately | been booming being the chief sufferers. The money | market, too, hardened somewhat, and the money- lenders showed a disposition to object to industrials show is re c D Jilson and Simpson—their efforts have been vain. The overwhelming majority of the representatives of | the party have remained true to their Republicanism and their pledges. They havs yiclded nothing to bribes, bullying or cunning. Baffled in its efforts to get back into power in poli- tics by a direct way, the railroad has been seeking to sneak in through a secret caucus and win by indirec- tion. Every argument the most ingenious casuistry can construct has been set up in favor of this specious scheme, and it is certain that extreme tactics will be made use of to carry it through before the Legisla- | ture adjourns The time is now short and the conspirators against the State and the party are desperate. The crisis in the contest has surely been reached. It is that fact that attracts public attention and fixes it so intently upon Sacramento. It is safe to say that not even | during the stress of the ballotings of the first week will | <o close a watch be kept on the vote as will be from this time on. It is not likely that any Republican who has stood firm for the-right so long will fail now. No sane man will follow the example and share the disgrace of the three weaklings who yielded to Burns and Herrin, | when by holding on the course they kept in the past they can return with honor to their constituents and be greeted with the words, “Well done, good and | faithful servant.” PROFESSIONAL FEES. OCTORS complain that wealthy people refuse | to pay the legitimate price for being snatched | as brands from the burning. (The figure is,; perhaps, unfortunate, but let it go.) In other words, | they say that the rich balk at the charges the doctors | make. The question is of course a delicate one, and | members of the medical fraternity are in a stew, for | when they turn to the courts they do not find the | ready sympathy for which they pine. There are few | jurymen who have not at some time been flabber- gasted and paralyzed by violent contact with a bill for medical attendence. Nearly as a layman may be permitted to judge the | legitimate, reasonable fee of a doctor is the sum he { can get. He might lance a boil that a poor man | brought to his office and expect only $2 or such a | trifle. He might be called to the house of Dives, find | there a similar boil and, lancing it, calmly send a bill | for $1000. In the first instance he would be satisfied. In the second instance he would rebel at any tendency to demur, and, taking the matter into the tribtinal of justice, swear and get a regiment of fellow-practition- ers to swear that $1000 was only unreasonable in being too modest. They would tell of the long years of | training necessary to equip one for the successful | lancing of a boil, the nights of study, the nervous strain, and in all likelihood get a verdict for a respect- able sum. We have no quarrel with the doctors, and they are | welcome to all they can recover; only when they re- | ceive for a few days’ work an amount which to a wage worker would represent a year's income, and;while | that we need more commissioner: W is the enactment of some law by which members of it can be brought to trial and punishment, if guilty, of wasting the funds intrusted to their care, or of any form of corruption in office. A recent official report shows that in the construction of the ferry depot the Harbor Commission then in office committed acts | which bear every evidence of mismanagement and fraud, and yet the same report declares there is no law under which the perpetrators of the wrong can be punished. From facts set forth in the report con- clusive evidence can be drawn that we need more laws, but neither in that report nor elsewhere are there to be found any facts tending to the conclusion THE MULLAN CLAIM VETO. NCE more Governor Gage has exercised the O veto power in a way that merits general ap- proval. He has refused his assent to a bill ap- propriating $45,616 30 to pay the notorious Mullan claim against the State, which Assemblyman Johnson succeeded in getting through the Legislature. This claim, which has been persistently urged for a long time, is without justification. The State is under neither a legal nor a moral obligation to pay it. An attempt was at one time made to obtain from the courts a judgment in favor of the claim, but the courts declared it invalid. Since then recourse has been had to legislators, and with such success on the part of the claimant that the State would have been a loser of that amount of money had it not been for the Governor's veto. The full story of the claim was told in The Call on Sunday, and it is not worth while to repeat. Suffice it that John Mullan was appointed in 1882 by Gov- ernor Perkins to collect from the General Govern- ment the amount of money due under the act pro- viding for the repayment to the various States the sums levied upon them by the direct war tax. The appointment was ratified by the Legislature in 1833 and Mullan went to work. Two installments of the tax were paid by the Government and Mullag received | his authorized. commission on them. In fact upon one of them he received more than the commission | due him. In 1888 his appointment was revoked on the ground that his services were entirely unnecessary, and the result confirmed that view of the case, for the | | Government paid the balance due without delay. Maullan now claims he is entitled to a 20 per cent commission on the whole amount. The courts have declared his appointment was illegal, and the facts show that he was paid more than was really due him on the amounts he collected. The Governor has | therefore acted in accordance with justice as well as of economy in vetoing the bill. He has checked a heavy raid on the State treasury and deserves credit for it. A FREEZE OUT FOR NEW ORLEANS. HILE the recent cold wave in the East cov- ered an area extending from the Rocky Moun- River to Tampa Bay, carrying disaster to all sections of that wide expanse, its most grievous effects pear to have been produced in Louisiana. In fact, it was one of the features of the storm that it was colder in the South than in the North, and when at the extreme of its severity the temperature was lower in Atlanta than in New York. New Orleans was ready for her annual Mardi Gras festival when the cold wave set in. The temperature did not sink so low there as in Atlanta, but it sank low enough to give that city the coldest day in its history. The New Orleans Picayune says that for feur days in succession the residents of the city be- held the unwonted sight of vast floes of heavy ice floating down the Mississippi River. The floes passed on unmelted to the Gulf of Mexico, and pre- sented an extraordinary spectacle in the water of that | sca, which is largely within the tropics. Of the effect upon the crops of the State the Pica- | yune says: “There is little room to hope that. the crange trees have escaped practically total destruc- tion. Except where uncommonly well protected the trees have probably been killed, and the result will be that for several years to come the orange crop of this State will be virtually nil. By far the most serious consequence of the freeze has been the damage to sugar interests. It is reported that the ground has been frozen all the way from three to four inches be- low the surface, and that as a result much of the stubble in the cane fields has suffered.” Concerning the effects of the blizzard upon Mardi Gras the Picayune says little, but a correspon- dent of the Chicago Times-Herald, who attended the festivities, reports that when the cold wave came it had New Orleans completely at its mercy, and that | the Northern visitors suffered more than the natives, for as they went South expecting to find sunshine and tropic warmth they were equipped with thin suits, ap-| | tains to the Azores and from the St. Lawrence | ape” Wiiet [ e raeon oL R | Pell's occupation is given by him as a | | He's a plano_tuner and gives lessons, to N FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1899 CLEVER CAPTURE OF A BRACE OF COUNTERFEITERS Caught in an Oakland Cottage. PART OF THE OUTFIT FOUND GOOD WORK OF SECRET SERVICE OFFICER BROWNE. When Confronted With Evidence of Their Guilt One of the Pris- oners Makes a Con- fession. A counterfeiting scheme was cleverly | nipped in the bud in Oakland late yester- | day afternoon by United States Secret Service Officers Browne and Cronin, when two men, giving their names as Amos H. Vliet, aged 31 vears, and H. D. Pell, 4 vears, were arrested on suspicion of coun- terfeiting. They are charged with felony on the small book at the Oakland City Prison where they occupy separate cells. The of- ficers have possession of part of the out- fit, consisting of crucibles, metal, plaster of paris and other appliances used by the counterfeiters, also a bogus dollar. | About three weeks ago Vliet and Pell | rented the small cottage at 520 rorty-| fourth street. No furniture, however, was | moved in. During the daytime the nous was deserted, but at night there was ac: tivity in one of the rear rooms and the | men usually remained up all night. There was usually considerable hammering dur- ing the night and this attracted the at- tention of neighbors, who last Wednesday | notified the police that the place and its| ant rector of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal occupants would bear watching. | Friday night Chief of Police Fletcher had Officers Kahn and Pardee visit the | (ne Church of the Strangers. but | come to this coast simply for pleasure and will visit all the points of interest. cottage at 520 Forty-fourth street, though the officers searched carefully they | found nothing aside from an old blanket | and a large valise. The counterfeiters, | moreover, did not put in an appearance | that night. When Secret Service Officers Cronin and Browne arrested the prisoners the latter offered no resistance. | tion with the scheme. His story is that | of & man who, being unable to earn money | with which to secure the comforts of life, Geciged ,.‘,?,S.’;',‘,?.?Sffl.fim"‘ Jnoney. '+ the | have the exclusive order of supplying guns | Ens B was “raised in . Kentucky, | and gun-mounts for all the ships building while Vliet says he hai ago. Vliet claims to be a carpenter, while piano tuner. Both feigned reticence “Never mind, we don't care to tal porters about this affair at all,” Vliet to a Call reporter. anything wrong anu lived in that cot- tage because it was cheaper than living in Ban Francisco. What Kept us up late | at night was the fact t dtan’t get home until 11 o'clock or to reporters. o re said and we can live here for 5) cents a’day. ‘The officers found no money on me, for I | hadn’t a bean.” d Pell after a time admitted that it was | their intention to manufacture counterfeit | money. | “You see, as a matter of fact, hardly got started,” said Pell wa more of an experiment, but it hadn’t prov- ed a success thus far. The dollar the officers found might have been dropped by me, but vou see I'd rather not talk about this busines: I have engaged counsel. little of the metal, “only oIt an experiment. Pell seemed what court his “If it is to b he continued, quaintances over there. I am a plano | tuner by occupatior, but things have been rather dull lately. I_was born in Ken- tucky, and came to San Francisco nine About four weeks ago I met much concerned as to | e will be tried before. | tried in_San Francisco, years 'ago. Vliet. He's a carpenter and he was hard up, too, so we decided to rent a little cottage over in Oakland, because it was cheaper than living in San Francisco. did we propose to make? Why, I suppose dollars, but as it told you before we hadn’t made any yet; we_were only experimenting.” | There has been an unusually large | amount of spurious money in dimes and | nickels, as well as dollars, turned into | local circulation of late and the authori- | ties feel confident that they now have be- | hind the bars two men whom they believe are none other than clever counterfeiters. | The accused counterfeiters are men of | medium stature. Both have sandy mus- | taches, and are anythlmi— but neat of per- | sonal appearance. While apparently not endowed with an overabundance of intel- ligence, they evidently knew enough to destroy some of the ufensils used in their enterprise, or at least hide them where the officers have been unable to locate them, for while the authorities secured what they believe to be sufficient evidence “What_kind of cd | will go to Mare Island to assume his offi- | cial duties. | clergyman of London, is at the Occiden- | Fullerton, M. A., who has been In charge ————————— CALIFORNIANS IN WASHINGTON 1 | Osgood | Hotel. H. R. Rennart of San Francisco is | Pell has virtually confessed his connec- | 3t Willard' s from New York. | in Europe for the Japanese navy. | contracts aggregate about $10,000,000. | cruiser of 5630 tons, is ready for sea. made 20 knots with ‘Three sister ships, named Hertha, Victo- “We didn't do | ria Luise and Vineta, are approaching | completion. hat Pell usually | 50 " | the | at Odessa. They are to be completed within two years, and are intended for the Pa- cific squadron, whither they will be sent in parts on the steamers we had | teer fleet, and put together Arthur or at Vladiv displacement, s until | deal We only had a | trials. about half a | veloped 9300 horsepow: pound, and, as I tell you, It was SImDIY | kpots, exceeding the contract by 300 hors| | power and one knot. four-hour trial under two | engi why, I have lots of ac-| coal consumption was only 1.7 pounds. | navy in commission twenty-three are on foreign stations. in the Pacific, five on the African coast, two in Brazillan waters, two in the Medi- terranean, two in the West Indles and two training ships are cruising. Only two ar- mored ship: are in commission abroad and the greater number of vessels on stations away from home are small cruisers and gunboats. AROUND THE | CORRIDORS. James H. Armstrong of Denver is at the California. H. M. Knowles, a merchant of Boston, is at the Palace. T. S. Spaulding, & merchant of Wood- land, is staying at the Grand. George Trorey, a prominent merchant of Vancouver, B. C., Is a late arrival at the Grand. E. J. Du Bois, 2 mining man who owns properties in this State, is registered at | the Grand from Paris. W. D. Duke of Dixon, manager of J. B. Haggin’s cattle interests in this State, is a guest at the California. V. G. De I'Estoille, a French resident, who has large mining interests in Au- burn, is one of the arrivals at the Grand. Frank W. Hibbs, U. 8. N., assistant na- val constructor, is at the Occidental and Arthur M. Bradbury of Los Angeles and J. R. Goodale of Utica arrived on the transport City of Puebla from Manila and registered at the Palace, preparatory to returning to their homes. Sam Rucker came up from San Jose vesterday and registered at the Palace. He comes to attend the obsequies of his brother, James T. Rucker, who died last Saturday, and to whom he was devotedly atttached. | A quartet of physicians have registered | at the Lick and include Dr. George H. | Strowbridge, surgeon of the City of Puebla; Dr. J. L. Asay of San Jose, Dr. | A. E. Keefe, with his wife and child, of | Chicago and Dr. A. McMillan, wife and | son of Denver. Rev. A. Karney, an Episcopal | B. A, tal. He comes here to relieve Rev. S. H. of the Seaman’s Institute for several | vears. He will be joined by H. W. L. O'Rourke, M. A., who will arrive shortly and assit in the work which has assumed | such large proportions. Mr. Karney Wil” return to London for a merited rest. A party of ten arrived from New York yesterday morning on the special car Cor- | air, and engaged rooms at the P.’llnce.“ It includes R. L. Crawford, for thirty vears past general Eastern freight agent of the New York Central lines; his wife, his three sons, E. L. Crawford, R. L. Crawford Jr. and H. L. Crawford; his son-in-law, Rev. J. Fred Talcott, assist- Church, with his wife and two children, and Rev. D. Asa Blackburn, pastor of They have WASHINGTON, March 5.—George W. | of Los Angeles is at the National | Hotel. NEWS OF FOREIGN NAVIES. Armstrong & Whitworth, at New(‘nst]e,; These a German second-class She 10,500 horsepower. The Frey The Russian admiralty has given a con- ract for ten torpedo-boat destroyers to Belgian Shipbuilding Company Nicolaieff and Bellino-Fouderich at | knots. | tention to a state of affairs, twenty-six of her thirty-six boilers, to de- velop 14,500 horsepower, and a fine of $50 per gramme of coal per horsepower con- sumed in excess of contract stipulations. The series of trials conclude with eight hours under 19,000 horsepower and a like period under §300. The Guichen is fitted with three screws and has a bunker ca- pacity of 1460 tons, calculated to give her a steaming radius of 16,000 miles at a speed of ten knots. By the end of December, 1899, the British navy will have in hand no less than six- teen battle-ships and twelve armored cruisers in course of construction or com- pletion. Contracts_for four battle-ships of 14,000 tons each were recently given out, two going to the Thames Iron Works, one to Laird and the fourth to Palmer's. Of the twelve armored cruisers, eight are already in course of building and three have been contracted for at Fairfield, Clydebank and at Barrows, and a fourth is to be built at the Pembroke Dockyard. The armored crulsers will be of 14,100 tons, 30,000 horsepower and have a speed of 23 These eight ships represent 112,- 400 tons, 196,000 horsepower, and a cost, exclusive of armament, of $10,000,000. BESTOWAL OF THE BRUCE MEDAL To the eminent German scientist, Dr. Arthur Auwers, the Bruce gold medal has been recently awarded for distinguished services to astronomy. This artistic token of recognition, of which the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is the trustee, was awarded for the first time a year ago, the recipient then being Professor Simon Newcomb of Washington. Dr. Auwers is a native of Gottingen and is now in his sixty-first year. For some time he was connected with the observatory of Kon- igsberg, but since 1866 has been in the Royal Observatory of Berlin and is sec- retary of the Academy of Sciences of that city. Many years ago he received the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Soclety of London and also the Watson medal from the Academy of Sciences of Wash- ington. These were bestowed chiefly in recognition of his valuable work in the calculation of stellar positions and mo- tions. With tireless zeal he has unrav- eled the abstruse complexities of stellar | parallax, stardrift, and the orbits of dou- ble stars, and according to Newcomb, who is particularly qualified to form an estimate of his labors, is a_model investi- gator, and in industry and precision the foremost of German astronomers. Among the important works published by Auwers are four volumes on the Germa- observa- tions of the transit of Venus, and the re- reduction of Bradley’s observations which latter has been invaluable to Struv and other astronomers who have calcu- lated the apex of the sun’s way. In a gra- clous letter of acceptance recelved a few days ago Dr. Auwers expresses approvai of the method in which the selection of a | Bruce medallist is made, and also his gratification in sharing the honor con- | ferred previously on the eminent Ameri- can scientist, Professor ewcomb. ROSE O'HALLORAN. CHINESE FAVORED. A Honolulu Merchant Complains of the Action of Commanders of United States Vessels. To the Editor of the San Francisco Call—Sir: I would like to call your at- which I think is not generally known even in 8 small city, much less on the coast. I am | a constant reader of The Call, and the at- titude of that paper toward the hinese is well known. One of the great objec- of the volun- | either at Port | stok. The French cruiser Protet, of 4065 tons | buiit by contract at Bor- ux, has passed through her steam | Under full power the engines de- and a speed of 20 During the twenty- | -third power the | ines developed 6300 horsepower, and the | SR | The German battle-ship Kaiser Fried- | rich IlT—the first of five new ships—has | been completed, and made a speed of 13 | knots under full power, the engines giv- | ing 13,500 horsepower. to make 18 knots with 13,000 horsepower, and while the speed has been there appears to be a waste of power. She was begun in 1896 at Wilhelmshafen, is 11,130 tons displacement and is reported to have cost $3,530,000. She was designed | realized Of the forty-eight ships of the German Of this number ten are , the Deutschland and Kaiser, | Lord Beresford has no confidence in sub- | itor of tions offered to annexation was the Chi- nese population in this country, and we constantly hear the cry “The Chinese Must Go.” Yet every American warship and troopship is supplied with stores by the Chinese, to the utter exclusion of white traders. I, myself, have been re- fused permission to go on board a :ra:x:- e port, while a Chinaman walked up angplank at the same time. About ten ago, when the Morgan City ar- rived, I boarded her as soon as she came alongside the wharf and submitted my price list to the steward, who informed me that the prices were lower than he He took me to the ca paid last trip. . P tain, who was also satisfied, and told me, ‘as it was late, to come down the first thing in the morning and he would give me the order. On going on board in the morning I was informed that tne order had been handed to a Chinaman. T naturally felt disappointed, and asked if his prices were lower than mine. The steward saild, “No; not as low.” I again called on the captain, who in a very pompous manner told me, “Sir, I can pat- ronize the devil if I want to.” If the ed- The Call was in Honolulu for six months he would see that the Chinese are here to stay, and that his own coun- frymen are the ones to help him. No show for white men. J. R. MILLS, Honolulu, H. L, February 20, 189%. —_— Cal. glace fruit 50c per 1b at Townsends.* —_———————— information supplied daily to 510 1042, Special business houses and public men Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), gomery street. Telephone Main —_——————— At a Methodist school in China there were fifty girls picked out of some river or pond, where they had been thrown by parents to drown. as collateral. As an offset to this, however, the recent 2 T Yo conviet, they have thus far failed to | marine beats, and is quoted as saying: California Limited, heavy selling of our securities by foreigners has ceased, and they are now buying again, as shown by the fact that outgoing steamers from New York are | once more carrying away large blocks of our stocks, principally low-priced securities, which, being com- paratively cheap now, promise a profit later on. It is proper to add in this connection that the decline was not serious. The cause of the current distrust of industrials is a curious one; the demand was so sharp that prices advanced to a point where foreigners could buy more cheaply elsewhere, and as they have already begun to do this the long heads in Wall street are becoming cautious. It seems to be a case of too much prosperity, which, we are told, is harder to bear than adversity. Local conditions show no change whatever. We are still wholly dependent on the weather. The threat- ened rainstorm in the middle of the week did not get below San Francisco, and the northern part of the State got only from a quarter to half an inch, though this was sufficient to keep the crops growing another month in that section. The coast counties as usual got the lion’s share. The San Joaquin and Salinas valleys are still dry, and unless they get rain very soon the painful experiences of 1808 are likely to be re- peated. They can run along for a little time yet, however. Of course this has a quieting effect on local trade. California is essentially a producing State, and if the farmer is not prosperous none of the rest of us are. The conditions are ripe for a season of commercial | activity, but nothing short of a good rain all over the State will set the wheels running. As a rule, however, thanks to the copious rainfall in the early part of January, the crops are in better condition than at this time last year, and last year we had enough to eat and some to sell besides. So even at the worst we are not very badly off. A wise person has said that the poorest use possible to make of a man was to hang him. This is a good rule generally, but it does not apply to highbinders. Just now there is current a rumor that Dreyfus is to be set free. Every such 'rumor paves the way for a denial, and thus keeps alive interest in the matter. Bailey has balked as leader of the House minority, but a suspicion exists that the minority balked first. i carning this have also the privilege of attending on other patients, they must not expect outside their own ranks an active indorsement. It is understood that some of them are preparing a blacklist to embrace the names of obdurate million- | aires who decline to pay a fortune for services which would cost others only a few months’ salary. The millionaires refuse to place on their own soundness of body the estimate which appears in accounts ren- dered, and they are to be taught a lesson. This is a matter in which people in ordinary circumstances need not take an active interest. They are merely specta- tors at a battle of giants and have a right to hope that the best giant will win. THE HARBOR COMMISSION” BILL. HEN Senator Dickinson's Harbor Commis- W sion bill came up for consideration on Satur- day he submitted a substitute measure de- signed to avoid some of the objections made to it in committee. The action of the Senator was well enough as far as it went, but it did not go far enough. He would have done better to have withdrawn his bill altogether and applied for leave to file it in the waste basket. Not a single argument can be advanced in favor of increasing the number of Harbor Commissioners to five, which will not of itself raise up a stronger argu- ment against the proposition. It is doubtful whether five men would constitute a more efficient commission than a smaller number, but it is certain they would draw more salaries and thereby lessen the amount of money available for harbor purposes. Five men might have more honesty than the lesser number, but it is equally true they might have more corruption; and while they might form a stronger body to oppose the persistence of place-hunters, they are likely to have more friends to reward and a larger number of hench- men to support. The State of California has not only as many com- missions but as many commissioners as the taxpayers are willing to support. A bill to increase the mem- bers on any salaried commission is just about as of jectionable as one to create a new commission. In the one case as in the other there would be an increase of expenditures for official salaries, and to that there is a decided objection. The only reform needed in the Harbor Commission | light summer underwear and spring overcoats. Against these adverse conditions, says the Times- Herald, New Orleans hospitality, which is proverbial for its warmth, struggled in vain. The city was crowded, for the Mardi Gras of that city is the great- cst of American festivals—indeed, one of the greatest in the world, and draws visitors from all parts of the continent. Clubs and private residences were thrown open to the public, and everything in the range of possibility was done to care for the visiting multitudes. The grand processions were held as a concession to the strangers who had come so far to see them, but owing to the cold, the sleet and the wind there was little pleasure to the spectators, and 21l the enthusiasm of the frolic was expended at the grand ball. With such a record in the gayest of Eastern winter resorts we ought to revive our’ midwinter festivals and give pleasure-seekers in search of February sun- shine a place where they can be §afe from blizzards. A Mardi Gras in San Francisco wotld never be in- teriupted by storms of sleet, nor marked by the sight of heavy ice floes drifting across the bay to the sea. P = When President Jordan of Stanford University stated that Mr. McKiniey had put a fool in the Cab- inet he ought to have been more explicit. e g Admiral Dewey had the advantage of not mixing in any squabbles except of the dignified sort to be settled by a few broadsides. oA e It is to be regretted that so many of the impas- sioned legislative remarks have to be gepresented thus: S It is well that Burns made a speech and thereby surprised his following. He is likely to have so few opportunities. Murders in San Francisco would be less frequent if the trap were to fall with greater frequency at San Quentin. —_— If Sampson felt at liberty to express himself he would probably refer to the other fellow as “devilish Schley.” The Post uses the headline, “Foul Play Sus- picioned.” This is a worse fate than foul play de- serves. discover any dles, milling apparatus or hammers, the noise of which aroused the suspiclon of nelghbors and led to their capture. Secret Service Officer Browne sai “Some time ago we were informed that| counterfeit halves and quarters were be- ing passed in San Jose. A little later there came to us a similar complaint from Oak- land, and tnis in turn was followed by one from San Francisco. The halves and quarters were of a very superior kind and quality. “About ten days ago I received notice from one of my special agents in Oakland that two strange men had rented a house at 520 Forty-fourth street. Thecuriosity of the people living in the vicinity of this house was attracted by the fact that a light was kept burning nearly all night, and this, added to the additional fact that no one seemed to know anything of the men, had aroused their susoicions. By my orders the men were shadowed. They came frequently to San Francisco and were largely in evidence in the tenderloin. Finally we declded that they were the men_we wanted and J. F. Cronin, one of my deputies, and myself made the arrest. “The men were greatly surprised when we #informed them that we were Federal officers, and that we wanted to search the premises. At first they denied being | counterfeiters or having any counterfeit paraphernalia. After considerable ques- | tioning, in_which I managed to tangle them up, Vliet confessed that they had been making counterieit dollars. We re- covered a crucible that they melted their metal in and also some plaster of ?srls. which they used for making molds. alss have in my possession a sample of one of the counterfeit dollars that was made by them. It is light in weight and the lettering is crudely done, but other- wise it is a good counterfeit anu could be assed. We found in the house a small rick oven that had been buiit in one of the rooms. The men were using coke in this, which fact in itself is very suspi- cious. I am not certain yet that these are the men who have been operating in San Jose, Oakland and this city. There is at present in circulation in San Francisco a ?Ftlkl;ne\"i:elt nickel that is an excellent im- ation. CAPTAIN BARNES RECOVERING. Ex-District Attorney Had a Narrow Escape From a Serious Attack of Pneumonia. Captain William S. Barnes, ex-District Attorney, has just passed through an or- deal dangerously close to dread pneumo- nia. For forty-eight hours Dr. McGetti- gan, the attending physician, was very doubtful as to the result of the conges- tion which affected the patient’s lungs. Fortunately the attack was less severe than was anticipated and the captain is now safely on the road to recovery. Dr. McGettigan thinks' all danger is past, unless a relapse occurs. Every pre- caution will be taken to insure convales- cence, as Captain Barnes' physique is such that pneumonia would almost cer- 1 1 tainly prove fatal. | cracker powder, proper prismatic powder, and ordered one 352 pounds. sun so that the breech-block could not “It 1s quite useless as a fighting machine, owing to the necessary absence of morale | among a crew, which would be in a blue- funk of it all the time.” is that partly submerged boats—on the | ‘The probability ine of the Nordenfelt, which exposes only a small surface—will prove of more prac- tical to the inventor. utility and be more remunerative The Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company has declined to accept the re- sponsibility of docking the British bat- tle-ship Victorious, the very sufficient rea- son being given that there is only six inches to spare at the dock entrance. is not likely that the naval authorities will dock the ship on their own responsi- bility, and the Victerious will probably be detached from the China station and or- dered home and another armored ship of less gigantic dimensions substituted. The Victorious has a beam of 75 feet, while the Oregon, now on her way to Manila, has only 69 feet beam and draws about two feet less water than the British battle- ship, and the Oregon will, therefore, ex- perience no difficulty in docking and thus maintain her efficiency. It There are two 11-inch Krupp guns in the Kimpai forts near Fuchau, which until two years ago were in perfect condition. The Chinese general at that time attempt- ed to experiment with a lot of Chinese made to imitate the of the guns fired with a full charge of The first charge strained the be opened. Instead of takin by this he ordered the other :unwat:;nhl‘)i fired, and the result was that the breech was blown to the rear, killing about twen- ty soldiers. The Chinese did not like to lose both guns, and they were sent to the Shanghal arsenal, where new screw breeches were made, and on January 10 last both guns were fired with full charges and the guns stood the strain. France is building a number of com- merce destroyers, one of which, named Guichen, is ready for her steam trials. She is 8277 tons, about 900 tons larger than the Columbia and Minneapolis of the United States navy, and is to make a speed of 23 knots. The ship was bullt by contract at St. Nazaire, begun in October, 1895, launched Octoer 27, 1897, and her con- tract cost is $3,059,725. The series of trials include three hours under full power to develop 24,000 horsepower and 23 knots, subject to penalties for failure of speed and excess of coal consumption, the ship to be rejected if the speed fails to reach 21 knots. Next in order is a trial of twen- ty-tour hours’ durations with fire under Santa Fe Route. Leaves Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Elegant service. Vestibuled sleepers, observation cars. Harvey's Dining Cars through from California to Chicago with- out change. Get full particulars at company's office, 628 Market st. . — e ¢ “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup” Has been used for fitty years by millions of mothers for their children while Teething with perfect success. It soothes the child, softens the gums, sllays 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 Mra, ‘Winslow's Soothing Syrup. 25c a bottle. —_— e————— HOTEL DEL CORONADO—Take advantage of the round-trip tickets. Now only $0 by steamship, including ffteen days' board af hotel; longer stay, §3 per day. Apply at 4 New Montgomery street, San Francisco. ———————— Look out for 81 Fourth st., near § cent barbes Best eyeglasses, specs, 10c to 40c. . - The White Star line steamer Adriatic which was built in 1871 at Belfast and i1 one of the oldest boats of the line, is abow to be broken up. ADVERTISEMENTS. What is Scott’s Emul. sion ? It is the best cod-liver oil, | partly digested, and com- | bined with the hypophos- phites and glycerine. What will it do? It will make the poor blood of the anzmic rich and red. It will give nervous energy to the overworked brain and nerves. It will add flesh ta the thin form of a child, wasted from fat-starvation, It is everywhere acknowl- edged as The Standard of the World. and §:.00, all druggist. :corr’tnowxé?mx.'m