New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-17

| and Garfield one. The Democratic newspapers
| who regarded it as q lamentable defect OF
| the electoral system that those citizens OF
| California who preferred to vote for only five
| Hancock electors were able to do 1t, are
| respectfully requested to wall little over
| this latest defect, whereby ate can be
| carried by two candidates, and that one who
receives much the smaller majority can get
| nearly all the electoral votes.
The burning of the insane asylum at st.
| Peters, Mimi, which had $50 inmates, is a
shocking calamity. The first estimates Of the
| loss of life prove happily to be extravagant.
| and the number of persons who have per-
| ished is not estimated now above twenty.
But it is conceded that no one knows who died
in the flames or from subsequent exposure to
the cold, and who wandered away. None of
these miserable creatures were fit to he at
large, and the spectacle of their terror and
suflerings must have been pitiful one,
while the danger TO the community from the
sudden liberation of a number of them can
not fail to cause uneasness.
Senator Butler owes an apology to The pres
ent Democratic Clerk of the House of Rep
resentatives and to- his Republican prede-
cessor. Mr. Butler charges "Radcal Clerks "
of The House with having made up the roll
in years past to suit Republican purposes,
and utters a rascally boast that the present
Democratic Clerk will do the same thing.
Mr.. Mcpherson has been the " Radical Clerk
of all Republican houses since 1868, and
denies, with justifable Indignation, that he
ever presumed to disregard the credentials OF
member having Governors certificate.
Mr. Adams, the present Clerk, who probably
does not enjoy being exhibited to the publicf
as scamp willing to do anything his party
wants him to do, announces that he will, OF
course, follow the strict letter of the law in
IN liking up the roll of the next House. Mr..
Butler is a political blockhead OF nearly the
same dimensions with his colleague Wade
Hampton.
The charter reformcrs should consider the
necessity and practicabiity of taking the sale
of franchises out of the hands OF the Board
of Aldermen. Under the present system,
part of the money which should be paid to
the city is apt to go into the pockets OF Al
dermen, while the rest of 1t stays In the
treasury of the company. 1t takes a very
slight talent in arithmetic to calculate
how small proportion of the amount
which valuable franchise ought to
bring into the City Treasury will bride
a majority of almost any Board of
Aldermen to give it away for next to nothing.
1t is much cheaper to make terms with them
than with the city. 1t may be that no i'm
proper influences have been exerted in the
-, ii of N9p
Steam Company's steam heating scheme, which
passed Yesterday, but it is peculiar to say
the least, that the consideration demanded Of
the company is materially smaller than that
required in previous schemes. and that solid
body of sixteen Aldermen voted for The COM
pany and against the city on every notion
Is this a Democratic scheme to make sure
of a majority in the Senate Governor
Wilt, of Louisiana, has appointed a
United States Senator as successor to Mr..
Spofiord, who has never been anything but
contestant, and hopeless one at that. This
Is very much as if David COpperfieds " sister,
Betsy TrOtwood" had made a will giving
away the property of her aunt. 1t is a mat
ter that will bear watching. The resolution |
for the admission of MIR. Sp0ffOrd is on the |
Senate calendar now, where it has |
lain untouched since Senators Hampton |
and Butler made their speeches pronouclng |
against the attemp; to Gust Senator Kellogg. |
If this resolution can be taken up now in |
spite Of the impregnabie legal objection of |
the Republicans that Senator's title to his |
seat, once adjudicated, cannot again be brought |
in question: and if the Democratic party. in
its extremity, can secure the silence or even
the open aid of the South Carolina Senators,
then it is possible that Mr.. Kellogg will be re-
placed by Democrat and the Senate
brought more firmly into the grasp
of the party after the 4th of March
next than it seems likely to be now. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether Mcssrs Butler and
Hampton will repudiate their public pledges
to carry out any such scheme, and whether, if
even this can be accomplished, there are not
Democrats in the Senate with sufficient sense
of honor to draw the line in party work at
political burglary.
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