The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-17

Of exposing the perfunctory manner in which
the inspectors have performed their duties.
Whatever may be the fate of the criminal
prosecution-and we hope it will be vigorously
pressed, without fear or favor to any offender,
however wealthy and powerful-there can be
no doubt that the Staten Island Company will
pay dearly before the civil courts for the
luxury they have INDUCED In of slaughteric@:
hundred and manning aud wOunds::li 10 another
hundred and fifty G: ttneir fellow citizens. In
the face Of this verdict they cannot hope to
evade pecuniary responsibility. 1t is pretty
well settled that each case Of death involves a
payment of Eve thousand dollars to the nearest
relatives AS to the injured the amounts Of
compensation will vary, we suppose, from
five hundred dollars to twenty-five thousand
dollars. If the company escape with the pay
ment of half or three-quarters of a million
they may count themselves fortunate, and we
sincerely hope they will not be allowed to
escape for less.
There Is another and wider aspect of this
whole matter which ought to be kept in
mind. 1t Is necessary In the interests of law
for abuses of their power as capitalists.
Society is rapidly changing among us, and If
the process now at work be completed we
shall soon be people of poor but well-drilled
workers led by colossal millionnaires. There
is much sad truth In the prediction that the
feudalism Of commerce and of money-making
will succeed the feudalism of birth and con-
quest in every civilized community. Now, this
system, to be endurable by free people, must
be hedged roundabout by the most delicately
arranged safeguards Of popular liberty. In
this country, however, the spirit that animates
our moneyed class seems to be more unscru-
pulous, grasping and reckless than even in
Europe. Something must be done and done at
once to assure our people that in legislation
the interest and safety of all, and not simply
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of a few rich men and the
security of property, are to be carefully kept in
view. If not, the spirit fthe Commune will re-
vive upon American soil, aud our free institu-
tons will pass through the shock of an awful
and, perhaps, bloody struggle between privi-
legged money class and the grand masses of
the people.
The Gar has informed General Le6o, the
French Minister at st. Petersburg, that there
is no alliance between Germany and Russia.
The fact that the Gar should 60 to the trouble
Of telling the French government that he is no
ally of the Emperor William may imply that
the relations between Russia and Germany
are not so very friendly as the world has been
taught to believe The Gear, perhaps also
meant to say that he has his hands free to
contract an alliance with any other Power,
not excluding France. The game Of
politics, like the game of war; is
very shifting and uncertain one.
There was probably an alliance on the
tapis between Germany and Russia when the
two Emperors met at Ems. But, seeing the
many points Of dissension that exist between
the two Powers, the idea might have been
abandoned as impracticabe In such case
the German Kaiser and the Gear would be apt
to look out for new allies. Russia might, as
1t has been rumored, have made overtures to
France and Germany to Austria. The old
Russian party has ever been hostile to Ger
man influence, and now it cannot brook that
powerful empire should have arisen at the
the very frontier of Russia and overshadow all
the other Powers Of Europe
The Emperors of Austria and Germany,
said a cable despatch yesterday, are going to
confer in the presence of their Chancellors,
Bismarck and Beust, about the Roumanian
difficulty. Now 1t is NOTORIOUS fact that
Russia has been trying for ever so long
to undermine the influence of Austria In
the Danubian Principalities, but chiefly in
Roumania. So the conference between the
two Kaisers cannot bode much good to Russia.
Hence there may be great significance 10
the information of the Gear to the French
Minister.
SPEAKER BLAINE Is on the war path and