Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-14

l departments have loosely construed the char
 ter provisions on this subject. They have
 tried to force Mir. Campbell, as Public Works
 Commissioner, into the performance of jobs
 by day labor instead of by contract. MT. 1 Campbell and MT. Kelly were at swords
 points on this subject. The design was to
 make soft places on the city pay roll for
 humble dependents of the politicians But 1 Mir. Campbell persistent1y refused to become the ally or tool of any of his associates of
 the city government in trampIing the charter
 under foot.
 The celebrated English case of Debenham
 & Peabody against MT. Mellon for the re-
 coVery of the cost of dresses furnished to his
 wife, whom he had forbidden to incur bills,
 has gone from court to court up to the House
 of Lords, and has just been decided there in
 favor of MT. Mellon. The Lords expressly rule that ''where husband makes his wife
 an allowance and expressly forbids her to run
 up accounts in his name he cannot be held
 liable for any goods she may obtain by draw
 ing upon his credit and indeed, that unless
 the seller can show that special authority has
 been conferred by the husband on the wife,
 the seller cannot recover judgment" In this case it was admitted that the goods charged for were of kind suitable to Mrs. Mellon's rank and condition in life, but the presump- tion usually created by such an admission in favor of the seller was held to be overruled by an absolute conjugal prohibition even where the seller was not apprised of the pro- hibition. It was intimated during the argu- ment that shopkeepers, before giving a wife credit, might readily protect themselves by making inquiries of the husband, and the court held that due care and caution could not be considered to have been exercised where this was not done.
 An American complains in the London Times of the large quantity of spurious but ter of various kinds exported to England from this country. Among this stuff is a product called ''sueine," enormous quantities. of which have been manufactured in Chicago and Cincinnati during the past six months. It is frequently marked fine creamery but ter" As the sueine is composed of about 9 1 per cent. of good butter worth from 2S to B ] cents per pound, and 75 per cent of lard | worth cents per pound, and the product | sells for 27 cents per pound, there is very l large margi in for profits. The exportation of | this stuff is said to have decreased lately. | The exportation of oleomargarine has, 1t is | said almost ceased, but the export of eleo- margarine oil or unchurned oleomargarine is constantly increasing. Most of this oil is shipped to Holland, where there are ten | large factories where it is churned with milk and made into oleomargarine or 'butterine." This is manufactured in Holland instead of this country, because it can reach the London market within forty-eight hours of manufac- ture and in its first state brings much high CT price. movement is on foot to prevent the exportation of butter commercials unless they properly branded, and it is to be hoped it will succeed
 President McCosh, of Princeton, is de message about civil service reform. Dr. Mo Gosh knows something about civil service re- form He lived in Great Britain when the | subject was discussed and settled there, and was member of the commission appointed to organize the system of competition and to apply it to the civil offices of India, the most lucrative in the world. Before the reform, he says, the patronage of the country was in the hands of the aristocracy in the counties, and of politicians in cities and those appointed to public offices, who were often youths fit for nothing else, were rolled as burden on the country. When the measure was passed there was an immediate and manifest inn , in the character of the officers. He says further: ''We also conducted the first examination, and I recollect that in the department of mental and political science he young man who was placed first by Sir Alexander Grant and myself was the son of e house painter, who stands first at this day, s md is Foreign Secretary for India, with C alary higher than that of the President t ,f the United States. It is acknowledged ' hat no government in the world has better I ' servants than England has in those appointed ( ,n this system. Much the same may be said If the civil officers of Prussia, elected on 8 imilar method. I never heard of the civil , officers either of England or Prussia being 1 wen suspected of corruption The hearty approval which Dr. McCosh gives to the re- I orn should carry great weight. t