The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-09
SPIRIT Of THE PRESS.


Candl seems 10 us InuCn greater tudn tne
occasion warrants. There is not any more
wisdom in our sensibility about canal on
the line marked out by Count De Lesseps
than there was in the English anxiety
when the French, under the same ener-
getic engineer, were making highway
for the British TO India through the
enough in the Panama Canal, If it is ever
old Beard of Public Works will be in
complete in the public estimation without
the restoration Of Colonel Anderson. He
stood for the integrity of the Board,
and the sneering about his engineering
capacity, of which there has been a good
deal, comes from the persons who couldn't
use HMM Warren NJ. Bateman denied
last night to a correspondent Of the Com
mercial that Secretary Sherman would
withdraw from the Presidential race. MIR.
Bateman SAYS the friends of Sherman have
no controversy either with the friends of
Blaine or Grant Then it is high time they
had controversy. When there are Fed
eral office-holders bumming over Ken
lucky and b oming for Grant, assuming in
effect that the country belongs to him and
that the Presiden tial Office is his personal
perquisite, it is time there was a row.-A
few regular troops at San Francisco will
not do any harm. Just little twinkle of
the bayonet on the horizon occasionally is
good thing.
The Enquirer saws: Yesterday the Pyesi-
dent sent message to tue Senate, trans
mitting correspondence and giving the
views of the Executive Department con-
cerning the policy of the United States
with respect to the construction Of an Inter-
Oceanic Canal by any route across the
American Isthmus. In the Message the
President saws: 1.-The policy OF this country
Is, canal under American control. The
United States can not consent to surrender
this control to any European power, or to
any combination of European powers
n W 1t is the right aud duty of the
United States to assert and maintain
such supervision and authority over
any Inter-Oceanic Canal across the 18TH
mus that connects North and South
America as will protect our National in
terests" Yesterday, also, the London
Standard, referring to the claim of the
United States for preponderating in
fuence in such canal, says: "This pre-
tension the British Government is bound
to watch, and, if necessary, to resist. No
more at Panama than at Suez can the pre-
ponderating influence of another Power be
allowed to lay hands on the trade of Eng.
land" 1t is little more than fifiy-six
years since President Monroe. in his sew
enth annual message to Congress said: ave
should consider any attempt TN their (the
European Powers) part to extend their sys.
tenn to any portion of this hemisphere as
dangerous to our peace and safety" This
doctrine that NJ European Power, or com.
bination of European Powers, must
be allowed in any way to gain foot-hold
on 'these continents" has been the settled
and known policy of this Government dur
ing these intervening fifty-six years. 1t
will not be abandoned now. The argument
that Americans may take maj .rity of the
stock in tn enterprise and thus control il
is idle. Stock may be bought and sold.
The nationality of its ownership may
swiftly change and change again. This
Government proposes to exercise proper
but ample control over the canal if it shall
, be constructed, no matter who owns the
stock. What if there are not found
fifty millions of American capital ready tc
EN- bark between these oceans? Must this
Government, then, lose control OF ''thest
continents?" And if American capita
choose to construct the entire canal, would
that be laying hands on the trade of Eng
and?" The cost of the canal is variousy
estimated from $4,000, 900 to 5000, 900 900
acc, riding to the location If il. Is it no
really probable tnat 500, ,0O0, 900 of prudent
intelligent capital would hesitate to plac,
Itself beneath tie eye-lids of the Unitet
States almost within our doors if this G "
ernment did not give assurance of its pro
| hxyt tha nf ha Mnprna No,
! trine? Would not any other situation b.
unSalef
| The Gazette says: The belief is genera
. that the Cincinnati School Board is COZ
rupt; not that every man who enters tn
Board is corrupt, but that enough of tn
r members are so t give the Board this char
acter aud to thwart the efforts Of those VIII
desire to reform; that persons withou
qualifications - administer affairs of edtl
cation seek election to tie School Board
L and pay money to get it, and regard it as
place to make money, although the mem
s bers have no salary; that these are no
limited to one party, but are combinatiUl
of both parties for the public plunder Thi
) we say is the general belief. Rural member
OF the Legislature may wonder why tbi
0 does not make popular uprising to re
form the Board. They are unaware of th
Denumbing effect of a general growth G
I corruption by which we come to endur
and embrace that which once would hay
a caused revolution. Popular agitations d
not reach ward machinery. Corruptio
and public plunder have many allies j
y both parties. Persons notoriously untrus
IS worthy and unfit, ensconced from publ
opinion in their several wards, manage /
! renominate themselves. There is a ger
# eral belief that if the members of tn
Board were elec i've by general ticke
. each party would be constrained to put i
nomination men of good character an
o qualifications and that membe
against whom there was reason
l. able suspicion of corruption coul
v not be reelected. There is a bill b.
fore the General Assembly to do this j
part and in complex way. The rigf
way is the simple one OF electing all thes
e members on a general ticket, and the
classifying them SO as to elect one-hit
r each year for fve.year terms. No on
ii doubts that this would greatly raise til
character of the board. No one think
that board with a reputation for genert
" corruption could stand before geners
70 elections. In the periodical alterni
n tions Of parties in this city, such
lmode of election would give to eac