The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-07-14

III the course Oh SIX years become the neglected
Cinderella of politics2 General Grant has
feared this, probably, and has made his peace
with the South. The question arises, and
this republican address in no way solves it,
SIS the President stronger than the party, or
Is the party stronger than the President p
Another Flood i'm Slassachusetts.
Another disaster by the breaking away Of
reservoir dam has occurred in Hampshire
county, Massachusetts This disaster is SIM
liar in kind and in cause to the Mill River
food though it was, fortunately, less destruc-
tive and less terrible in its consequences.
Had the food occurred in narrow valley like
that of Mill River the results would have been
equally disastrous As it was great deal of
valuable property was destroyed. Houses,
shops, dams and bridges were carried away
by the food for a distance Of many miles.
The cause of this new calamity was an unsafe
dam on Middlefeld Brook, branch of the
Westfeld River The dam seems to have been
mere embankment, which gave way even be-
fore it was completed, and we are once more
told the old story, ''since its completion it
was regarded as safe" The assumptions
upon which Massachusetts mill owners regard
their dams as safe would not satisfy any
other class of men, It has been
demonstrated that the Mill River reservoir
was unsafe from the beginning, and that the
property owners who trusted to it could have
known Of it's unsafe condition if they had
taken the trouble to inquire into it. The
same thing seems to have been true Of the
Middlefield dam, SO that the conduct Of its
owners in taking no measures to ascertain
whether it was safe and to take measures to
secure it, after the terrible warning at Mill
River, is even more criminal. After that ter
rible calamity no satisfactory excuse can be
made for o similar disaster. The owners of
this reservoir knew their duty, but they failed
to perform it, and they and their neighbors
suffer great loss in consequence. But the re-
sponsiblity was not entirely theirs The
Massachusetts Legislature should have pro-
vided long ago for the inspection of all works
of this kind in the State, and immediate
measures should have been taken to make all
of them secure. Had this been done, as it
might have been, we should not now be called
upon to record the devastations OF this second
food in Hampshire county or to preach anew
the lesson of the Mill River disaster.
The Kidnapping Case.
The case of the abduction of child in
Philadelphia, which was reported in the
HERALD yesterday, is singularly bold and
terrible outrage. A little child was picked up
on the street and carried off for the purpose of
extorting large sum of money from the
parents. There was no one to witness the act
except another child, and there is no clew
whatever to the perpetrators Of the offence or
the whereabouts of the child. Yet, in the
meantime, the villains have been CO.
verify negotiating with the stolen baby's
father, demanding a ransom of twenty
thousand dollars for the child's return,
and even threatening the death of the
infant in case the money is not paid. 1t
seems impossible that such crime can be
committed in the open day in the suburbs of
a city like Philadelphia, and the result of the
startling revelation has been to bring fear into
every household where there are children to
be protected. No mans hearthstone is
safe if villains can invade it in this
way and rob it of its most precious jewels.
In all the annals Of crime there is no offence
more heartless in its preparation and more
heartrending in its consequences Burglary
or murder even is not SO heinous. This
makes it the imperative duty of the police to
discover the perpetrators of this fearful crime.
Unless the police force of Philadelphia are
willing to shield the criminals it seems i'm
possible that the offenders should long 60
unpublished. The punishment of these men
is among the highest duties humanity can
require, for it involves the security of every
household in the land. This single act of
Matchmaking brigandage in Philadelphia
makes every mother who has heard the story
feel insecure in the possession of her children.
Even air and exercise will be denied the little
ones in every city if this heartless abduction
is not speedily punished, and every parent has
and cannot e.. 20 feel personal interest in
the discovery of the criminals
The BRITISH PARLIAMENT had an interest
ing and important session yesterday. The
Premier ntimated that the Legislature will
adjourn on the 5th of August This
is quite pleasant Mr.. Disraeli then
inveighed against the Public Worship
Regulation bill, and again stood forth
as the champion of religious liberty by
the utterance of hearty denunciaton of
Gladsfones policy and project. He thus