New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-04-14


secure. There has been no reason except
neglect of sanitary precautions for our com
paratively high death rate. Happily, last
years record shows some improvement, chiefly
due to escape from epidemics. A much more
marked Improvement would have been easily
possible if our streets had been kept clean.
Their filth has added unnecessarily to the
death roll.
When men begin to threaten disclosures,
their case is getting desperate. That is the
cue now of some of the more Incorporate OF
Mr. Packards supporters whose utterances
our New Orleans letter reports. There are
certain dispatches and letters, it is declared,
whose publication is to make great expl0 =
sion. This is familiar tune by this time.
Ever since Mr.. Hayes was declared President,
we have had mutterings and threats of revela-
tons dire, and, in every case, the revelation
has done Mr.. Hayes good instead OF harm.
As for the dispatches and letters, they have
turned out to be about as harmless as quo
tation from the Declaration of independence,
and we venture to predict that they will again,
unless, indeed, the people who are threaten
ing TO expose them lid a hand i'll their COM
position.
The work of getting at the secrets hidden
by the ruins of the ST. Louis fire goes on
slowly, and little more is known to-day than
was known yesterday. 1t must be borne III
mind, however, that even if the loss OF lie
bad been great, the bodies would hardly be
recovered more than one at time. In the
Brooklyn Theater fire the whole gallery tnm-
bled into single heap, and all the 27S bodies
were laid in s"acc much smaller than one OF
the parlors of the Southern Hotel. In the st.
Louis fire, however, the bodies, what
ever the number may be, will he tound
scattered over large surface, so that,
though they are recovered only one at time,
it is not safe to conclude that the whole num-
Der in the ruins is not very great Should 1t
prove to be great, heavy responsibility VIII
rest upon the men who labOred, as yesterdays
testimony shows, for twenty minutes in the
basement To put down the fire before giving the
alarm. This time would have suflced to allow
every man. woman, and child in the building
to escape without injury. Thus the fear OF
giving false alarm destroyed no one can tell
how many lives
There is no immediate occasion for alarm
ahont the opposition to the Presidents policy
that seems to be developing within the Repub-
lican party As is shown by Washington let
ter printed on another page, President Hayes
is unmoved by the prospect of a storm. He
has chosen his course, after long deliberation,
and he will not abandon it until his Judgment
no longer approves OF it. lie is not IN a posi-
ton TO be easily scared. He has debarrcd him.
self from reelection, and is not likely to spend
bis time in an attempt to secure for some one
else what no refuses for himself. His one am
bition doubtless is to crowd into his four years
of service as many good results as zeal and
fidelity can secure, and having in this work no
selfish interests TO serve, he can devote him
self to the country and let parties take care of
themselves Furthermore, it is question for
the politicians to consider how far it will be
safe or judicious to attack policy which has
evoked such general approval, irrespective OF
party lines The chances OF failure are so
numerous that sagacious politicians will stop
first to count them. In view of all these
things, the nation can borrow some of the
Presidents placidty, and believe i'll fair
weather until the storm breaks.
It is reported on good authority in Berlin
that Russia is about to declare war against
Turkey. The burden Of the news serves to
confirm that conclusion, grave incidents hav-
ing occurred yesterday both at st. Petersburg
and Constantinople. In the Russian capital
there was "a grand council of war, the Cabinet
having declined the Porte's proposal to send
an envoy TO st. Petersburg, dcepng further
negotiation useless. The defiant tone of the
Turkish circular accounts for this decision, the
Russian Government having previously been
DESTROYS to receive a Turkish representative.
Concurrcntly with the council of war, all SOL
diers on furlough in the military district
of St. Petersburg were called to arms. At
Constantinoplc, the Ottoman Government was
doing its share to provoke hOstilites. it
rejected the M0ntenegrin claims. declined to
renew the al1nistice, and resolved TO send war
vessels TO Suina at the mouth of the Danube,
as well as others to the Mediterranean. In
Paris Count Orlotf declared that Russia was
still ready to negotiate, but this implies no
willingness to abate her demands. Amid all
this commotion, the british Parliament bctray5
weakness and lndecison. II repels all schemes
of armed Intervention, ignoring the fact thai
diplomatic appeals are valueless when 1t is
known that they will not be seconded By force.
--------------.--
TIE DIFFICULTY IN LOUISIANA.
The letter of our staff correspondent in New
Orleans, published yesterday. bears ont the