The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-07
SDirit of the New York Press.

The Commercial Advertiser does not have
much compassion for the Yankees bastiled in
Manitoba, 1t says:
A Governor and Senator from Minnesota
have found it necessary to go to Washington
dtlring this heated time and intercede with
the State Department for the relief of the
Manitoba prisoners. The Government prom
ises to use its friendly offices, but further than
that it cannot go. The case as it stands is
decidedly against the prisoners. and they are
suffering the penalty of their reckless disre-
gard of frontier lines and their nonsensical
Interpretation of the law of bail. This is to
be said, however, that the Canadian authori-
ties have exercised undue harshness, and
have taken decided pleasure in inflictipg pain
and annoyance upon the men in their power.
The prisoners have only themselves TO thank
for the pitiable strait in which they are placed.
The worst of the whole matter is that it
breeds discomfort and hostility among neigh
bors on either side of the line. The business
access the frontier at and near Fort Garry is
immense. 1t IS profitable both to Minnesota
and Manitoba. The duties on the business
last year were $5OO,OO0. This whole Gordon
matter has been disgraceful. 1t is poor
foundation for an International difference to
the proportion of which it threatens to rise.
The only respectable plea the American pris-
oners can make is that they made the arrest
South of the frontier line, and that the cap
tuIe by the British was in our territory. If
this can be proved, they will be entitled to
discharge However, October soon comes,
and with it the trial. Meantime let Mime
sofa have peace,
The Herald concludes one of its peculiar
political editorials with prediction:
We anticipate, accordingly, not an incon-
gruous fusion of the opposition elements in
1876, IS in 1872, but their division upon sew
Qrql candidates a in 1920 and 122R and
other triumph to the party administration.
General Grant is master of the political field.
With his enormous patronage, his national
banks and bonds and debt, and his four hun
dred millions Treasury collections and dis
bnrsements, he holds positive power as .he
head of the government and the head OF the
republican party, compared with which the
power of any preceding President was but
bagatelle. Considering then, the unity and
strength of the republican party and the weak
ness and divisions of the opposition elements,
there will be no Presidential scrub race in
1875, as in 1924, even should General Grant,
following the examples of Washington, Jeffer-
son, Madison, Monroe and Jackson, decline
to be candidate for the third term.
The World makes 'The Sources of Ill
Health the subject of a lecture from which
the following is taken:
That we all value health is shown by our
familiar inquiry. "How are you?" but not
withstanding this we show ourselves in many
respects utterly Indifferent about the matter.
For instance, to take the point of marriage.
Young Robinson goes to Saratoga and falls
in love with that charming Miss Brown. The
Robinsons are Philadelphians, the Browns
live in New England. Robinson's friends
first thought is, ten to one, ''has the girl got
any money?'' Mr.. Browns first query on
the other hand, is, ''What has the fellow got
to marry on?" Well, these inquiries are sat
isfactorily answered on both sides, and thus
all obstacles are removed. The honeymoon
passes apparently satisfactorily, but perhaps
not so well as it might, did we know all
about it. Before long the Robinsons whisper
gradually it leaks out that her family are
ssdreadfhny unhealthy" San uncle" it is
whispered to Mrs. R., senior, positively died
in a lunatic asylum" There is an elder sis
ter, much suppressed, who, to put it at the
mildest is decidedly odd" and the second
brother is "a very poor creature" Mean.
while an interesting event takes place. and
young Robinson finds himselfthe father of
miserable little wretch of an infant, destined
perhaps some quarter of century hence to
be himself the progenitor OF an even inferior
edition of the race.
Now, does all the money in the world COM
pensate the child so born for the bad corsti-
tuition his progenitors have given him? Well
| it has been sail that: 1.-The inheritance of a
mans descent weighs on him thr Jugh life like
good or bad fate. How can he escape from
his ancestors? Stored up mysteriously in the
nature which they transmit to him he inherlts
not only the organized results OF the acquisi-
tions and evolution of generations OF men, but
| he inherits also certain Individual peculiari-
ties or proclyities which determine irresistibly
| the general aim of his career. While he fam
| cies that he is steering himself and determin-
ing his course at will his character is his des-
| tiny. The laws of hereditary transmission
are charged with the destinies of mankind
of the race and of the individual"
And yet, in the face of this, we are most of
us apt to be perfectly satisfied when our dar-
ling Toms and MARYs marry, provided 1t De
into "a good family" and there's money.
Into the family treasury of health It Is gener-
ally deemed quite unnecessary to look; HOW
many men and women among us couiu tell
tale of the misery consequent on sucn hes,ect
| if the veil of delicacy were drawn ASIDE. But
| To mt the matter in an even darker and more
| serious no;nt of view: The observations of in
| te,lioent prison surgeons tend more and more
70 nrove that a considerable proportion of
criminals are weak-miuded and epi.eptic One
very eminent prison surgeon has lately ex-
nressed his conviction that the principal busi-
ness of prison surgeons must always be with
] mental detects or disease. BE is Of opinion