davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
WASTED SYMPATHY.

a great deal of unnecessary gush has
been wasted over the fact that there are
several boys in The State Prison. 1t has not
occurred to one of the papers and persons
indulging in this cheap sentiment that
until they learn something of the character
of these boys they cannot form rational
judgment about them. The truth is that
age in these relations is net necessarily of
any significance. There are thousands of
boys of fifteen who are older in vice than
other thousands of men of thirty. There
may easily be boys of fifteen who are more
hardened and irreclaimable than half the
convicts Of forty in the State Prisons. To
say how old a criminal is really conveys
very little information. The presumption,
however, is, that none but incorrigible
young rascals would have been sent to the
State Prison, and we expect that the pre-
sumption is in accordance with the facts.
1t is the veriest nonsense to exclaim against
the sending of boys" to the State
Prison, on no other ground than that
they are boys. The Industrial School and
the House of Correction at San Francisco
contain scores of quite young boys who
are competent to teach half the
old convicts at San Quentin new wick.
edness. The children of the street
acquire experience very rapidly. Their
education is finished long before more for
tunate boys are sent to college. And it is
the experience OF all large prisons that
these boys are invariably the most refract.
ory and intractable of criminals. They
are far more reckless than the men, more
mischievous, and less amenable to reason
Their youth is no evidence to their char
acter. Boys of this kind are for the most
part utterly irreclaimable. They take
positive pride in criminal careers. They
have no higher ambition than to be cele-
brated thief or burglar or highwayman.
They are deaf to all the ordinary means of
addressing embryo criminals. They are in
fact as completely veterans in crime as
though they had become gray in it. To
denounce the sentencing Of boys to the
State Prison without knowing whether
this is the kind of boys concerned, can
only bring ridicule and confusion upon our
gushing contemporaries. 1t by no means
follows that all boys are too pure to be
associated with adult felons. In fact there
are many felons at San Quentin who would
have the most to fear from being associated
with many boys of the class we have de-
scribed,
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
SHARP WORK.

They try murder cases in England much
quicker than we do. LEROY, who mur-
dered an old banker in railway carriage
on the London and Brighton line a few
weeks ago, has just been tried, found
guilty of murder, and sentenced to death
at an early date. The jury were out only
ten minutes, and evidently they had before
them no battling theories of irresponsibility
for insanity. They believed that whether
the prisoner at the bar was mad or not, he
was sane enough TO be punishable, and so
they found him guilty, and there is no
doubt thai he will be duly and sufficiently
hanged when the time comes That way
OF administering justice tends to check
crime. The hanging of LEROY, if he is not
altogether sane, win serve to prevent other
half-crazy men with homicidal tendencies
from indulging them. That is to saw.
prompt punishment and adequate punish.
ment tends to protecs society, and the pro.
lection of society is the only justification
for the taking of human life by law, or the
incarceration of human beings in penal
establishments.
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12

and domineering position ought to have
the means of backing its strong words
by as strong deeds and this power
the United States does not pos
sess at the present time. To claim an
exclusive protectorate therefore is to make
demand which cannot be enforced, and
which, unless it is granted as by the good
will Of the other powers, will not be ac-
corded at all. As regards the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, it is evident that Mr..
Blaine has got himself iuto very embar-
RAISING position, for, as the Nation observes,
I" if, in reply to his dispatch, England or
amy foreign government inquiries how his
" statement of the position of the United
+" States can be reconciled with the provis-
ions of that instrument, he will have no
" answer to make )" and in all probability
the country will be driven to Withdraw
from the Clayton Bulwer treaty in man.
ner which will reflect no credit upon the
State Department, if it does not entangle
us in serious difficulties with England.
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
PAGE, spAuLD1NG g co.

The Examiner the other day published
what purported to be an interview with
Mr.. Spaulding, in charge of the Sub Treas.
ury of the United States at San Francisco,
concerning his removal of several office.
holders in the SUBJ Treasury without cause.
According to the Examiner Mr.. Spaulding
denied that he had been compelled to
make these removals by Congressman
Page. but maintained that he had a perfect
right to make clean sweep on going into
Office, though he admitted that none of the
removals referred to had been made for
cause. OF course this is preposterous
theory. It is the old familiar spoils theory
over again, but it derives new offensiveness
from the fact that it is put forward under
the mark of Civil Service reform. The
Ecanainer might perhaps have invented
some of its alleged interview, but it could
hardly have ventured to fabricate the letter
which it prints copy of, from Secretary
Window to "The Assistant Treasurer of
" the United States, San Francisco, Cal, /"
and in which Congressman Page is referred
to as having communicated to the De-
partment "why the changes recommended
sin your letter should be carried into
"effect. and in which the obliging Secre-
tary goes on to say that these reasons
"being deemed sufficient" the nominations
which follow are approved. Now it is, we
think, evident from this letter that Con.
gresham Page has been asking the removal
Of officials against whom no charges had
been preferred, and that he has sought to
remove these persons, and to put in others
of his selection, not at all in the interest
OF his constituents, not at all because he
believes that the public service will be
carried on better, but solely because he
thinks he can strengthen his position and
improve his personal prospects, by making
these changes. And thus we see that
first Page, and then his appointee, Spauld-
ing, undertake to make use of the United
States Treasury precisely as though it were
their private property, and reward their
friends out of the public funds with
q perfect Indifference to the claims of the
country. This is the spoils system in its
most impudent and revolving aspect, and
it is necessary that the public should un.
derstand how these things are done. 1t
is by this indecent and shameless traffic
in public offices that men who have no per.
sonal fitness to recommend them, and who
are not intelligent or able enough to pro-
tect the interests of their constituents,
seek to maintain themselves in Congress
in defiance of the popular will. That kind
of usurpation, however, has been carried
too far, and the people will no longer
tolerate it. Mr.. Page would do better to
try and demonstrate his right to the posi-
tion he holds, to the satisfaction of his cen.
stituents, than to manufacture material
wherewith to pack conventions, while in.
juring the public service for his selfish ends.
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
BISMARCK.

A rumor of Bismarck's intention TO re.
tire from public life comes very appropri.
ately to cap the intelligence of the German
elections. The voting has gone against the
Chancellor's programme, and he finds HIM
self with an insufficient backing in the
Reichstag. 1t is not the first time that
this has occurred to him, and each time he
has proposed the same course, though he
has never yet followed it. In doing this
he really manifests sort of sub-eonscioug.
ness that Prime Minister under parlia-
mentary government ought not to remain
in office after his party has been defeated
at the polls. A Minister who feels him
self under obligation to try to govern
the country without parliamentary ma
jority is from the very nature OF the situa-
tion certain to employ arbitrary methods.
1t is impossible to take a moety of the par
liamentary system and moiety of the au.
tocratic system, and join the two together
in working scheme. Either the parlia-
mentary requirements will overcome
the autocratic, or the latter will get
rid of the parliamentary system.
Prince Bismarck is always impelled
to the latter course when ne is beaten at
the polls, but before he proceeds to govern
without a ministerial majority he always
offers to resign. If he were taken at his
word, and if another German statesman
were permitted to take his place for a
time, the change would, we think, be
equally beneficial to himself and his coun.
try. As it is, he has grown into belief
that he is necessary to Germany as no in
dividual however talented ever was neces.
sary to q country, and therefore he thinks
that all systems and constitutions must give
way to this imperative requirement. 1t is
no more probable that he will retire now
than at any former time, but it is truer
than it has been before that he has lost
ground in public confidence that his in
trigues with Rome have brought him only
loss; and that his fantastic commercial
and fiscal experiments have both injured
the country and crippled him politically.
Under the circumstances therefore he has
a very difficult prospect before him, and
more timid man might well think seriously
of final retirement at such a dispiriting
iuncture,
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
DIR. pLATT's GLOOMY VIEW.

The reports of the proceedings of the
Prison Reform Convention in the San
Francisco papers are SO meager and unsat-
isfactory that it is nearly impossible to as
certain from them what is being done. If,
therefore, we should do DR.. Platt any in
Justice in what we are about to say, we
must ask him to charge it to the lack of
journalistic enterprise on the part of the
press of his city. From all we can gather,
however, il appears that he read paper
before the Convention on Thursday, in
which he took the ground that as rule it
is hopeless to attempt the reform of GRIM
inals, and that on second conviction they
should be sentenced to life imprisonment.
We are encouraged to believe that DIR.
PIatt did say this, or something like it, by
the assertion that his paper produced quite
CONSERVATION in the Convention, and
was freely dissented from and even de-
nounced as "worse than the Calvinistic
"hell." We gather also that notwith.
standing DR.. Platt's extremely gloomy
view of the condition of the criminal
classes, or rather of the convicted criminal
class, he made many statements in regard
to the relations of the criminal with the
world which cannot be controverted.
1t is, for instance, perfectly true that the
world never willingly fcrgives a man
who has been convicted of crime. The
recognition of this depressing fact was the
originating cause OF the institutions known
as Discharged Prisoners Aid Societies.
Society is very irrational in this, beyond
doubt. 1t tolerates men whom it knows
TO be criminals, and even gives them all it
can confer of honor and external respect.
But if man is unfortunate enough to be
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
wANTED-A CHRISTMAS STORY.

The RECORD UNION will pay fifty dollars $50 for
the best Christmas Story, not less than ten nor
more than fifteen columns in length. To assist
competitors in gaugHg the length of their compost
tions, We may as well state that column of the
type in which the story is to be set contains about
1900 words, and that legal folio contains 100
words Those who wish to compete for the prize
VIII be free TO choose their subject and to place
their stories wherever they please. The stories
must be delivered at the RECORD UNION office by the
18th of December, in order to allow sufficient time
for their examination. This is good opportunity
for aspiring authors who feel that they would be
the better for little extra pocket-money at Christ
r,aa
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
BLAINE AND THE ISTHMUS QUESTION.

The Nation directs attention to circum-
stance which shows that Mr.. Blaine's cir.
cular ON the isthmus question has COM
mitted him, and through him the country,
to a perfectly untenable position. Mr..
Blaine has taken the position that the
United States cannot consent to joint
protectorate over the Panama Canal, and
has declared that this country intends to
control that enterprise. In saying this
however, he has also declared that it is
"not the development of a new policy, !"
but that &C it is nothing more than the pro.
"nounced adhesion Of the United States
"to principles long since enunciated by the
"highest authority of the Government,
"and now, in the judgment Of the Presi.
dent, firmly invoven as an integral and
important part of our national policy. :"
Now of course if this is traditional
policy with the United States it must be
easy enough to prove that fact. But un-
fortunatelysfor Mr.. Blaine's theory all the
proof is in the opposite direction. The
evidence of the past policy of the United
States is to be found in our treaties with
New Grenada (now the United States of
Colombia) in 1916, and with England, by
the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, in 1850. Ac-
cording to the provisions of the last
named treaty, the United States and Crest
Britain jointly guarantee the neutrality
of any canal made across the Isthmus Of
Panama, and not only that, but expressly
invite other powers to join them in this
protectorate ''to the end that all other
States may share in the honor and ad.
vantage of having contributed to work
"of such general interest and Importance. y
This treaty is still in force, and as has
been shown, it traverses in the most de-
cided manner the position of Mr.. Blaine,
at the same time proving that he has made
most extraordinary blunder in claiming
the new policy as traditional with the
United States. Of course it is not possible
for our Government thus coolly to ignore
the existence of its own solemn treaties.
It must stand by its own voluntary en-
gagements, or if it sees reason for chang
ing its foreign policy, it must declare its
intentions frankly, and state why it pro-
poses to withdraw from its previous en-
gagements. In the present case the inter-
ests of the United States in the Panama
Canal are undoubtedly great, though we
do not aglee with the position that they
are SO very much greater than those of all
the rest of the world as to warrant
US in insisting upon an exclusive pro-
tectorate. We think, moreover, that a
country which intends to take so naughty
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
THE "wEExLY UEIoN "

OF last week was shown by the indices published
last Saturday morning 10 contain over l,5oo DIS
tinct articles. But that was only an average num-
Der. Frequent numbers surpass it, in variety and
importance The new serial story now running in
the WEEKLY UNION is developing in interest, and
promises TO be not only deeply entertaining, bat is
profoundly philosophical and instructive, and in
more ways than one gives insight into "The
Ways Of the World" The WEEKLY UNION is issued
in two parts each week. each Of eight pages, and
the whole is mailed, postpaid, to any address foi
one year for 81 So Its subscription list is con
stantly enlarging. and every day the verdict is
peated, 1t is the best family paper on the coast.
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
THE communrsm OF THE LAND Acr.

When we hear it said that the farmers
OF Ireland would do well not to accept the
Land Act, and when it is spoken of as an
imperfect and unsatisfactory concession,
we feel it necessary to point out that this
law is the most revolutionary and COM
munistic measure the world has seen dur
ing the Christian era. It is also proper to
state that there is nothing ike it in the
United States, and that it is based upon
principles which, if proposed in this re-
public, would be at orce denounced as
striking at the very rosts of society. Our
Constitution expressly prohibits the enact
ment Of any law inpairing the obligations
Of a contract. A copy Of the Irish Land
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
THE BELIEF IN THE SUPERNATURAL.

Belief in the supernatural has remained
unaffected by the advance of knowledge.
1t has possibly been abandoned by CON-
paratively small number Of followers of
the most modern philosophy, but it has
not been shaken in its hold On the masses
of men. The rapid growth of Spiritual
ism, and the solidity of its structure not
withstanding the assaults of Science, show
how firmly implanted the tendency to be-
lieve in the supernatural is, and how little
reliance is. to be placed on the common
expressions of incredulity which most men
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12

A detachment of the Fourth Regiment,
U. s. A, while en- route East had free
fight among themselves at Colfax. One
private was s'ashed with sword, others
were bruised, window-glasses were shat.
tered, and more damage would have re.
sulted if outsiders had not interfered,
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12
TO AGENTS.

Large extra editions of the issues Of the WEEKLY
UNION and the daily REcoRD-U UNION, containing the
opening chapters OF the serial story to be CON-
menced November lst, will be printed. Back num-
bers of the the story from its
mencement can therefore be had at any time during
its publication
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12

The WEEKLY UNION is the only paper
aehich employs first cless literary ability in
a0ritin0 original storiss. The nert serial sto,y
seiU be entitled "TEE Ways OF THE
W0RLD."
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12

A farmer at San Rafael, this season,
,aised eighteen pounds of potatoes from 9
single plant.
Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-12

The City of Peking arrived at San Fran
cisco from Hongkong and Yokohama Thurs
day evening. On October 18th the Mikado
of Japan issued the following proclamation
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-07-15
Good Summer Drinks.

Bits of cracked ice in a pitcher of
water, when and where good, cool
spring water cannot be had. Iced tea,
with slices of lemon cut in; no sugar is
needed, and no milk need be used.
Coffee, ice cold, can be prepared in the
same manner. Milk set on ice is good.
Sour buttermilk, sweetened with nut
meg grated in for those who like it, is
wholesome.
A Good Strawberry Sherbet. Crush
one quart ripe berries, add the juice of
lemon, two teaspoonfuls orange-how-
er water, and three pints water. Let
them stand several hours, then strain
over three-quarters pound sugar. Set
in ice an hour or two before using.
Soda Water. Take four pounds of
coffee sugar, three pints water, three
or four grated nutmegs, one ounce gum
arabic, flavor to suit, and well beaten
whites of ten eggs. Mix and heat over
slow fire half hour. Take from the
fire and strain, and divide into two
parts. Put into one part eight ounces
bicarbonate soda, into the other six
ounces tartaric acid. Shake well.
When cold put in three or four spoon
fuls from each into separate glasses q
third full of water, stir and pour to-
gether. Another ounce tartaric acid,
one ounce bicarbonate soda, divide each
into twenty-four parts. Dissolve in a
tumbler half filled with water. aod the
acid and drink while effervescing.
Root Beer. er.-Sarsnparilla root and
;assafras bark and wintergreen, equal
quantities, some hops Boil in wafer
until the STRENGTH IL spXtractad To
every three gallons of liquor add one
quart molasses and cup of yeast
Strain and bottle. 1t will be good for
use in two or three days.
Mead.-One part honey, three parts
polling water, flavor with spices, add a
little ground malt piece OF toast, and
small cup of yeast. Allow the whole
70 ferment
Lines. lemons and citric acids are
invaluable in preparing summer drinks.
In lieu of them, the pressed juice from
acid berries can sometimes be used. =
Christian at Work.
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-07-15
Keeping Butter.

There are two ways for butter makers
to get over the troubles of the hot sea.
son. One system, adopted by some
good dairymen, is, not to make any
surplus butter at that season, but to
have their cows go dry the 1st of July,
and come in again in September and
October. In this case they produce
butter only at the seasons that com.
mand the best price, and the cows go
dry at the busiest season, giving the
dairyman more time for his harvest.
Less butter is consumed during the
three warm months, and, under the old
system, more is male than in any other
three months. The second way is, to
make only the very best quality of but
ter, even in the hot season, and pre-
serve it for three months or more by
excluding the air from it.
If butter is put up in the best con.
dition, and kept from the communicating
contact OF air, 1t will come out as rosy
in colo", and fine in flavor, in October
or December, as when put up in July
and August There have been different
ways devised for excluding the air; but
perhaps the best way is to suspend the
Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-07-15
The Grain Weeyil.

The weevil (Calandra granaria), ia.
miliarly known as wheat weevil, grain
weevil and barn weevil. preys upon all
kinds of grain in the bin and the corn
crib. This weevil being quite small, is
liable to be overlooked, particularly in
a dark bin. Its mode of operation con-
sists in piercing minute holes in the
kernel and there depositing its eggs,
from which are Matched small maggots
that eat out the heart OF the grain. The
danger makes itself apparent by a
minute white dust spread over the
grain and a peculiar odor that perme-
ates the bins. On pressing kernel
between the fingers it crushes readily,
exposing mere shell partially filled
with dust instead of round, plump
grain.
When possible avoid storing grain in
bins that have been infected. When it
is inconvenient to change the place of
storage fumigate the granary thorough
ly with burning sulphur. Fumigation
should not only be done before the grain
is placed in the bins, but repeated in
the course of Il month or two after it
has been stored.
The larvae of the weevils that are in
the grain may be destroyed by heating
the grain where one has ovens or
kilns at hand for the purpose. A lit
tie kerosene oil poured into a tight
barrel with grain is said to destroy the
weevils, but this course is practicable
when the grain is required for seed only,
us the kerosene ipjures it for making
flour. In addition to the precautions
mentioned is that of changing the place
of storage to u cool locality and fire.
quently moving the grain from bin to
bin.
The grain weevil is often confounded
with the larvae of the corn moth that
also attacks stored grain, and with the
orange-c colored maggots of the wheat
fly that are found in the ears of the grow
ing wheat. The true wheat or grain Vice.
vii is slender beetle about eighth
of an inch long. This insect both in
the beetle and the grub state Injuries
grains. AS has already been explained,
the female deposits her eggs in the
grain after it is housed, and the young
grubs hatched therefrom burrow into
the heart of the kernel. In due time
these grubs undergo transformation and
come out of the hulls in the beetle
to lay their eggs for another brood.
To recapitulate, when possible avoid
storing grain in bins that have been
infested with this pest. Ii said bins
must be employed, fumigate thoroughly
with burning sulphur. Ii there are
indications OF the pests presence, kiln
dry the wheat and destroy them. IN.
Y World.