The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-10-02
EairorialNore.:


Costa Rica, South America, for the
road from Punta Arenas to San Jose
and thence to Port Limon, has been
awarded.
Railroad box cars that q few years
ago cost as high as $1,000 each can now
be bought for $500 each. II is worth
Iuquiring to what extent shippers are
getting the advantage of this decline
in the cost of transportation.
One of the most noteworthy facts in
connection with the demand for rail-
wy supplies of all kinds is that the
purchases are for cash or very short
time. II is said that the exceptions to
this rule do not exceed five per cent.
Miss Julia Jackson, daughter of
year-old school girl in Baltimore. She
is tall and graceful young woman,
with fair hair, pretty complexion,
beautiful, large gray eyes, and gentle
manners.
The Sportsman says that Terront,
the champion bicyclist of France, and
the Englishmen Keen, Stanton and
Gam haye signed articles to start to
America on the thirtieth inst. 1t Is ex-
pected that Waller, the long distance
champion of England, will also go.
The rooms of Gen. Grant at the Pal
ace hotel in San Francisco are furnished
with California laurel, Carrar marbles
French wines, Irish linen, Aretis land
scspes, Holland gin, Persian cover
lets, Turkish carpets and Kentucky
whisky-a truly cosmopolitan style be-
fitting the great circumnavigator's cos
mopolitan tastes.
In a little less than two years a
Philadelphia firm have shipped over
five hundred street car wheels on axles
to Brazil, and two hundred to the
river Platte country, and they have at
present foreign orders from the West
IndIeP, South America and Europe for
some 1860 of their chilled railroad
wheels. Some are for roads in Cuba
and others for trains in Great Britain.
The Philadelphia board of revision
has just completed its statement of real
and personal property in that city liza
BILE to taxation for the year 1880. The
aggregate of real estate is given at
$500, 1863, 1872; money at interest, $44,-
724 925, and household furniture, 3d.
104, 172, to which are to be added
amounts for horses, cattle and car
riages, swelling the grand total to
$53G, G67, 1884, an increase in the assess
ment of about So, 000,0 over the cur
rent year.
One of the m 1st original and extreme
cases of swindling ever recorded was
brought to light in San Francisco
court the other day, where it was
shown that the plaintiff had had the
date on his mothers tombstone changed
in order to make it appear that she
had died year earlier than was the
fact, as under the law then in force the
mothers half of piece of property
went to the children. The date given
as to the time of her death was six days
prior to the time a change in the law
was made.
Jacksonville FIa.) letter to Savan-
nah Neaos: ga curious discovery has
been made in carrying on the excsYa-
tions required for the water works. At
the. depth of twenty-eight feet the
workmen encountered an extensive bed
of oyster and clam shells, mixed with
pieces of wood and charcoal, showing
evidently that the ancients were as
fond as the moderns of these delicacies,
and that roasts of this description were
fashionable in the days of remote anti
guilty. Truly there is nothing new
under the SUM-"
President Hayes receives about q
bushel of letters day, most of which
are based on the assumption that the
White House Is an intelligence office.
He is asked all manner of questions,
and the stream of inquiries seems end
less. Letters from Europe inquire
about relatives in this country. Others
ask as to the financial standing of
business men in Washington, for sta
| tistics about intemperance and immor-
ality, and one writer lately had the as
surance to ask the President the name
of the man he would prefer as his sue
cessor.
President Hayes met the survivors of
his Old regiment at Youngstown, Ohio,
before whom he made speech. Those
IN attendance were estimated at from
fifteen to twenty-five thousand. He
discussed political questions in their
general bearing outside of partisan
politics; but he said enough to prove
that he is in full sympathy with the
most advanced doctrine Of the old
Federal party. He does not believe
that the States have many, if any,
rights which the general government
Is bound to respect, and thinks Con-
gress should regulate and control the
election of members of Congress, by
supervisors and other partisan machin-
cry.
Coney Island reYels in electric lights.
The big pier has twenty-five of them.
Each hotel has number, and the tall
tower has a few. To the ocean tray
eler these present brilliant sight al
night. Yet there are many ocean
travellers who never head of electric
lights and who are not accustomed tr
seeing these beacons in New York har-
Dor. A ship coming from Australia
cast anchor for the night, her captain
being so bewildered by what ht
thought were half dozen light houses
gone crazy that he did not know where
to go. A pilot boarded an Italian yes
sci one night and found the captain
and crew on their knees praying in ter
ror for protection from what they sup.
posed to be demons dancing along the
hitherto unfrequented shore. Coney
Island should hide her light under 1
bushel.
In London letter to the New York
Sun Mr. Charles A. Dana gives utter.
esting particulars relative to the crops
in Europe, from which we gather thai
the prospect is even worse than hai
hitherto been supposed. Iucessan'
rains, from the commencement of the
season, have produced most disastrous
results especially in the British Islands
The best of the crops In most favored
localities are below the average. Ii
many places the scarcity will be sucf
as to produce great suffering. As Il
the great cereal, wheat, it is poorest o
ali in England and Ireland, where thu
yield can not pay more than half it
cost. In France there will be, perhaps
about three quarters OF good average
The same is true Of Western Switzer
land, Southern Germany and Holland
But the United Kingdom will have II
seek for its supplies elsewhere. II
Russia, on the other hand, an immensl
wheat crop is reported.
Bishop Chatard, of the vincennei
CInd.) diocese, giving his views regard
ing the immense debt now resting upoI
the Archdiocese of Cincinnsii, say