The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-04-17
GLEA NiSGS.

GLfA
The public hardly appreciates the heavy
and constant expenditures by railway compa
mes IN providing not merely the necessary ap
pianccs for their roads, but the latest improve
ments looking to the comfort and safety o!
passengers Thus the Chicago Rock Island
& Pacific company whose trains have long
been furnished with the air brake, and have
never met with Sn accident from lack OF brake
power, has ordered a complete equipment OF
! the Westinghouse improved automatic brake,
AT An expense Of some $4,000. The passen
gers see nothing In indicate this outlay, III
the company is not content TO omit any pre-
caution which money will buy, and this is on.
~ an illustration of what all the roads are con.
| iinually doing RdiitSag igf.
! The Edmunds Boom might have been cX-
pectcd 10 attain lis greatest dimensions in a
convention of Connecticut Republicans, par
.icularlv IN a convention held in New Haven.
The publication Of politics Is pursued 10y the
Faculty of Yale Callegc with unrelenting as.
siduIy in the intervals of debate about the use
Of Herbert Spencer's works rs textbooks, ana
ex. President Woolsey has even lately written
letter against electing president OF anything
but q college for third term. The full failure
therefore of Mr.. Warmers attempt yesterday to
secure the passage by the Connecticut Con
vention Ofa resolution commencing Edmunds,
even though he threw in Washburne as equally
Icommendable, would seem TO be decisive OF
the strength Of the New England candidate,
! " Y World.
The constitutional amendments adopted by
the people of Indiana at the polls on Monday
are seven in number. Some If them have
more than local interest. For Que thing, In
diana Ii-uy,,ar. 'bt - nt tlgfI1, T.
States, so called; hereafter She will do her
voting IN November. Far another, the word
White disappears from that part Of the organic
law regulating the exercise of the electoral
franchise. Then, over and above the SIX
months residence IN the State heretofore re-
CURED the amended constitution exacts of the
would.be voter sixty days residence in the
township, thirty days residence In the cleo
ton precinct, and registration. Another of
the amendments fixes two per cent. of the as
sessed value of taxable property as the limit
beyond which towns and municipalities may
not lawfully run into debt. These new re-
quirements are expected 10 more or less appre
ciably affect tue result Of this falls election,
but whether to the profit of the Republicans
or of the Democrats is point on which the
Indiana newspapers do not seem TO be wholly
agreed.-Sun.
\ new miners lamp has been invented in
England, which, if it be adequately luminous,
ought to be absolutely safe The principle
of the contrivance is the substitution of the
light of phOsph0rescence for that OF positive
ignition, and the apparatus is described as
being something like tiny meat screen. The
interior OF the screen is covered with brightly
luminous paint, and it is even proposed to tit
it up with a shelf or two, SO that the ptman
might carry in his lamp something to eat
whenever, during the intervals of work he
felt hungry 0fcourse it will be impossible
to use this sort of lamp AS pipelighter, so
that it is not at all likely, if it comes into gen
eral adoption, that It's inventor will be very
popular among the collers.
The official statement of our imports and
exports for the seven mouths ending with
January last as compared with the correspond
ing period of the previous year throws some
light on the change in our habits Of living
brought about by the present prosperity. For
three years prior to July 80 Of last year We
were exporting largely and importing spar
lngly, the net result Of the process being "A
gradual extricaton from debt. During the
fiscal year ending July 30, 1879, our exports
exceeded our imports 1854 100000, and we
imported largely Of gold and silver to pay
the balance III our favor. But with the rise in
prices which began last summer, We began to
import heavily, until now, and We have lost IA
large share of the balance in our favor Our
imports for the seven months ending with
January last were $34l 10000, an increase Of
SS9,5O0 900. and our exports were S4s3, 39l 600,
an increase OF SG3000000. There was an in.
crease in both items, but the import increase
was considerably larger than the export.
Kemble, the late State Treasurer of Pennsyl
vania having been convicted of bribery: failed
to appear for sentence and his bonds were
forfeited. There was great surprise expressed,
because, according 10 one OF the reports, "fle
would have been sure of lenient treatment at
the hands of the Judge, who would have made
the sentence light, on The ground that Kemble
did only what has been the fashion to do
La other words, bribery has become so com
mon that the universally of the crime would
have led the Court TO remit or tighten the
penalty. And what Is the crime which has
become 50 much the fashion? Merely poison
ing the springs Of government, and destroying
the conditions o. public safety under our roll
tical system. Nothing more than that. 1t il
merely boring holes in the ships bottom when
she j. under way That is all 1t is an offence
compared with which the ordinary crimes Of
theft and swindling are innocent. But how
ever fashionable burglary or arson may be, the
fashion j. not generally supposed to cytenuate
the offence on the contrary, it is usually held
that tie more frequent the crime. the greater
The necessity 81 it, repression. Which is real
ly the gfeaDsr offender, the sneak thief who
~p;igs" a cSd, from a hall or a handkerchief
frpm The pocket, or the plausible gentleman
who cDrrgpis legislature with hribes9 The
latter DgsiDe-- h. unque-tionably with some
perSDus i fashion, and n very general one.
bgt sbFn Il beo0me. the fashion Of courts to
mitigate VI omit punishment for such bribery,
II HVgc sehH D. ~ favorable time to take a
reckoning I'll 4rB>rs WetkLy.