Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-10
TO Correspondence.

TO Correspondents.
Those who send items OF interest or news which
they wish 10 appear in the columns OF The STAR,
notified th &c all such must be accompanied by
the name and address of the contributor, mot for
publication bat for rerifcation, If thought neces-
sary,l and sent in at cary hour In the MORN
Ing as possible Fer want OF the observance OF
these two rules much matter Is excluded which
would otherwise appear.
m
HishonGred state.
The contest over the state debt and its settle
ment In the Tennessee legislature during the win
ter OF 1SSG-S1 resulted in a victory for the debt
payers. The repuiaton:sts resorted to every
means to compass their end, but the debt-paying
democrats, aided by the republicans, after a
memorable struggle, succeeded in passing law
providing for funiIng the entire debt into bonds
to run ninety nine years and bear three per cent
interest. just half the rate or the then existing
bonds This acceptable TO the creditors, and
every believer in public honesty reJoiced in the
hope that it had triumphed. and that Tennessee
had been spared the disgrace OF reputation But
the regulators were not content to abide by the
action OF the representatives, of the people.
They carried the contest against the law
into the courts, and In the natural
course of such suits 1t finally reached the Supreme
Court OF the state. That feeling OF confidence in
the integrity OF the judiciary, and especially in the
higher courts OF the land, which pergadeS this
country, Inspired belief outside of Tennessee, at
least. that the credit OF the state safe in the
hands Of that court. Neither lawyers nor laymen
could, from comInon-sense stand point, discover
any valid reason for decision against the law 1t
hadbeen enacted after due deliberati0n and ample
discussion. The legislature which passed the act
contained number OF lawyers, some OF them very
prominent ones, familiar with the constitution and
laws or the state, and IL Was not to De supposed
that they would bungle in their work When the
question Of the validity of the act was raised the
ablest legal talent OF the state expressed the
fdent opinion that no flaw Of that nature could be
found in 1T. But now, according to press
dispatches, which assume to foreShadow the
decision of the Supreme Court, the labOrS OF the
deOt-payers were all in vain. 1t IS stated that the
decision, which Is not to be formally rendered
until tomorrow, virtually suStlin5 the repudia-
tiontsts and makes the debt-5ettlement law
nullity. The principal reason assigned for this
decision is that, in the opinion of the court, to
make the coupons OF the new bonds receivable for
taxes (Which the law doeS) for ninety-nine years,
or any other period, would be imposing unjust
burdens upon posterity. This looks more like
pretext than reason, asst ned by high court
seriously for its conclusion in an important case
1t Is possible OF course, that this Information
corning the conclusion of the court may be In
correct 1t is sincerely to be hoped That it may
turn out The courts are not in the habit of
letting their opinions out In advance OF delivery,
especially WHEN it is decision that must neces-
extent. Very naturally this news deprecated the
value Of Tennessee bonds, and it may be that It's
publication originated In a stoek-jobbing scheme
for that purpose.
The experiment OF lighting railway cars with
electricity has been tried In England, and
though it was by means a pronounced
success, 1t has turned the attention of
Inventors in this country to the subject The
plan OF making the engine supply the power
n no O ejfx for yic-rf
ing has been abandoned, as the current would
cease With each stop OF the locomotive and
thus extinguish the light The idea now being
worked upon Is TO stare electric energy In a
box or some other vessel in the cars. This plan
may afford light, but 1t may also furnish
ignorant or meddlesome passengers with the
means OF doing considerable mischief by turn
ing this "stored power" loose in the wrong
direction.
Capt Eads scheme to transport loaded ships
across the fsthmuS OF Tehuantepec in railroad
cars Is all very well, experiment. II he or
his friends who have such sublime confidence in
the project viii furnish the money test 1t prac-
ccally; but il Is entirely too uncertain an invest
ment for the United States government 1t ia
proper enough for the government to encourage
scientific and engineering experiments where the
results are likely To prove beneficial, but Capt
Eads puts too high price upon his scheme. He
wants the government to endorse bonds to the
amount OF millions of dollars, and the impression
is that TO endorse these bonds Is 10 pay them In
the end The ship-railway plan 10 connect the two
great oceans does not strike the average mind as
practicable.
Judge TOurgees new literary weekly paper, en-
titled CeT Continent is out 1t Is hard 10 tell what
IS in store for anything, nowadays; but it is our
Impression that the journalistic undertaken Will
soon nix his cold glittering eye on paper which
adopts the style Of heading affected by this yen-
ture, and whose editor, In his salutatOry address,
says: ''We shall so into the market ouvert for
what we believe our readers most desire In art or
literature and get it II We can" The public may
want good deal of ouvert, but We doubt it.
The hope OF finding Lieut. De Long and his as
sociates alive has been very generally abandoned,
and the most that is expected from the search In
their behalf, Is that IL may determine what their
unhappy fate WAS The forest In which they are,
according 10 all evidences, Is but eighty miles
long, and IL can be thoroughly searched In a few
days The report that the forest Is entirely destt-
tute of game has been confirmed, and therefore
BESIDES the risors OF the climate, they were sub
Jected ID the danger OF starvation.
Whatever grievances Mr. SOteldo may have
had against the Republican, he made the great
mistake,-especiany for 1ournallst,-of seeking
redress pistol in hand. In the depIerabIe rasuI
the public will only recognize the fact that he
suffered the penalty he invited by deadly per-
sonal assault This style OF settling newspaper
dincultles should be relegated 10 outskIrt
civilization.
The impression that Gen H. f. Butler contem
plates making another effort, In the approaching
election, 20 reach the executive chair of Massochu
SETS, Is gaining ground, particularly in that state
The democratic state committed at Us annual meet
ing In Boston the other day. elected Officers no are
all friendly 10 Gen. Butler. The chairman has been
pronounced Butler man, and it is conceded that
the party machinery Is now all in the Generals
hands
REMEMBE4