New-York tribune., 1880-01-10

The now rule restoring supervisory control
over the River and Hrbor Appropriation bill to
tho Committee on Appropriations Is prudential
measure demanded by tine experience OF the past
few years. when thc Committee on Commerce las
had not only the privilege Of preparing the bin but
also that of bringing IL into the House U.dcr this
arrangement, the work of framing the bill las be-
come practically conspiracy TO deplete the Treas
uIy for the benefit of the districts represented
by the members of the Committee From the old
average of $2,O0O00O n year which the bill used
30 call for when the Appropriations Committee
had charge Of its revision and passage, the total
has orept up until 1t reached last session round
s., ,o0O 600 The only remedy seems TO be the one
proposed by the Committee on the Ruies-to return
to the old practice under which the Appropriations
Committee took charge OF the bill and
pared down tho items before IL got into
the House. The members of that Committee might
also conspirc 10 plumber the Government. but
they are not appointed with view to such an
object and are too busy to spare the time necessary
for log-roiing among themselves and in The House.
Besides they have 10 preserve n decent balance
between the appropriations for the various depart
mcnts Of the Government service. The members of
the Commerce Committee however. have 40 re-
spousIbllity general appropriations, aud act
If their business were 10 have ~ much money rs
possible spent upon river and harbor improvements
without regard TO their importance.
The Worlds Fair now in progress at Sydney is a
copy on q sma! scale OF the grea. European oxhb
tions and Of our Centennial There are daily con-
certs in lie Main Building scientific coBgrusscs and
temporary displays OF flowers. fruit and live stock
People complain OF high prices and poor accommo-
datlons, and the hoat Is reported to be as opprcs
awe as It was in Philadelphia during The
scorcuing Summer OF 1876. Tie Amer
lean display is scanty and unsafi,lact0ry-
n tale we have grown accustomed to hearing from
all foreign exhibitions. The greatest number of
visitors thus fa. in single day Was 10000, and the
average IA about G,OOO. The Exhibition lasts all
Winter, or rather all Summer, for in Australia the
calendar is reversed. aud December, Janulry and
February are the warm months. and the Fad begins
in the Spring. Next year Melbourne holds an Exhi-
bition, and the Yctorians will try to improve on
that at sydney. We may in connection with this
fact remind our readers that the United States
Government takes official cognizancc OF both Aus
tralian fairs, and that there is an American Com
mission with a home Office in the New York Post
Office Building.
Ex-President Prado's animated account Of the
battles OF san Francisco and Tarapaca varies in sew
eral essential details from the Chilan official re-
From the lattor brief and buslness-llc statement il
would appear that but 5000 Chilians. the advance
guard of the Army, instead Of the If 900 of Sonor
Prado's version, rcpulsed and routed the
Allies. numbering about 900. The Chill
ians also claim that in the fight at TdrapacA
they were outnumbored. Battles in South
America evidently resemble battles in other parts
of the world in the important particular that tho
other side never happens to be inferior in numbers
In this case what the outside world has special iu
tcrest in knowing is the unqucsti0ned fact of the
complete conquest by the Chilians Of the Southern
Department Of Peru after brief campaign of bold
aud rapid manGuvrng and gallant fighting.
The Japancse Government is engaged in revising
its code of criminal Jurisprudence. and is reported
to be about to adopt the jury system. If il will
devise some means by which intelligent juries can
be secured it will make an Improvement for which
all nations employing the system will be
grateful The pig-hcadedncss and ignorance of the
twelve good men and true " who frequently get
in the jury box have caused people in civilized
countries than Japan to lose their reverence for
this method of dispensing justice.
The proposition to offer prayer at the opening OF
the Greenback Conference in Washington was
ceived with storm of Kisses. the delegates crying
out that they came for business" That seems 10
have been u valid objection. Like the resurrec-
ZIONIST in "A Tale of Two Cities" they did not
want anybody to take the bread out OF their mouth
by Hopping agn EN-"
DIR. Garceon retircs TO private life with cheers
and thunders OF applause from the admiring De-
mocracy, who believe that bolder and more deter