The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-17
RAIN MAKING.


General Ruggles has devised o plan Tor
making rain to order. He proposestos send
up balloons loaded with dynamite, which
isto be exploded in the upper regions Of
the atmosphere by time fuses. The ex-
plosions will shake all the moisture out Of
the atmosphere and produce Immediate
showers. All he wants in order to carry
his plan into operation is triiing appro.
priation from the Federal Treasury Of a
few thousand dollar, In entering upon
the profession OF rain.making, General
Ruggles, unfortunately, declines submit
himself TO the conditions which public
Central Africa opinion imposes upon a
native King who practices rain.making.
In that primitive community, the rain
maker who fails to produce rain according
to his promisesis put 10 death. We should
all have more confidence in General Rug
giles were he to adopt the rules governing
members Of his profession in Central AZ
RIGA.
Tits the opinion Of many scientiicmen
that rain can be produced by means analo-
gous to those suggested by Gen. Ruggles,
and II Is therefore quite possible that his
plan will really accomplish what he
claims for II. II so, our country is threat.
ened with q danger in comparisonHwith
which the election to the Presidency Of a
man who has already gained sufficient ex.
perience in thatoficeto know.to discharge
It's duties intelligently is hardly worth
mentioning. IL free fain.making fsrecog.
nicolas the right ofeyery citizen, weshall
all be ready tocut one another sthroats in
o very shot timea At present the rain
falls, when IL does fall, alike upon the Just
man and the G~reenbacker. But Gen.
Ruggles proposesitoJpu put into the hands OF
every selfish or malignant man the oppor-
tunity to thwart and to ruin his neighbor
with excessive rain. Under the thin pre-
text that he is anxious to cultivate rainin
his back yard, o man can Keep the whole
nsighborhood drenched by constantrains,
and, thus ruin all those crops which needs
fair amount Of dry weather.
The lazy sinner who dislikes 70 80 to
church viii be sureto have ffty-two rainy
Sundaysin theyear, TO- the great discom-
fort Of his neighbors. The violent Metho-
dist will putastept to Presbyterian Sunday
school picnics with timely showers; the
stern Presbyterian will try to stop Lenten
services by rain: and the Episcopalian
will dreneh the Presbyterians when they
attempt TO hold Synods and General AS.
semblies, while inthis watery warfarethe
Baptists alone will flourish as they dip
their countless converts in hundreds OF
handy pools. WeSshall live in u climate
OF perpetual rain, and the very existence
Of an amount otblue sky sufficient for the
s~artorial purposes Of Hypothetical Dutch
man wilfbea matter Of vague tradition.
Manifestlyith this state Of Things would be
intolerable, and free rain.making would
be abolished. Where, then wouldlt the
power OF making. rain be yested2 The
Democrats wonld probably insist that
rain.maIing Is one Of the reserved rights
OF THE States, and the Republicans would
claim that II belongs to the General Gov.
ernmnnt, either as a means OF insuring 9
republican form OF government g, each
State, or as!a war power capable Of being
exercised in times OF peace. 1.-THE former
view should prevail, the rains Of contgu,
Gus States would be o constant cause oi
quarrels. Rhode Island, for example
could not possibly keep her own rain in
side her narrow boundaries, The neigh,
boring. counties of Massachusetts, and
Connecticut would have to'he rainedIpo
whenever water was wanted for the Prov
Iidence mills, and the drippings from
Rhode Island umbrellas would soon be
regarded by her neighbors as an unendu'
rable outrage. We In this city would bt
wet whenever New Jersey wanted rair
for the benefit Of It's peach trees. and the
jewellers in the Virginia Panhandle
would be soaked by the rains Of three
States.