New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-07

the galows with lie upon his lpsf 1t Is
painful TO think that New-Jersey justice may
have erred in this instance, and yet there arc
no doubt many persons in whose minds the
testimony and the verdict of the jury Will be
outwcighed by the solemn protestatons OF
Kinkowsli made TO his pastor and to his
wife on the morning of his execution, and
repeated while standing on the scailold, that
he was guiltless of murder. The evidence
against him was all circumstantal, but twas
very strong. and, combined with the fact thaC
there was plainly a motive for him to commit
the crime. left no doubt in the minds OF the
jury. II is strange that a guilty man. race 10
face with death, should hold up hls hama anu
protest his innocence before Ood; puV
it must he remembered that murder
ers convicted on overwhelming testimony
have done the same thing. Possibly there Is
a hope IL such cases of a reprieve at the last
moment, if the plea of innocence is persisted
| in.
The message of Governor Cameron, the new
| Chief Magistrate of Virginia, abOunds IN llo-
| cra ideas, and justifcs the confidence telt IN
| him during the recent campaign by the friends OF
| Southern regeneration. He favors the repeal OF
| the capitatiou tax qualification on the suffrage
! adoptcd bv the BourbOns TO reduce the negro
| vote advocates the establishment of state
normal school for coI0red students, urges the
| need of greatly improving the common school
system so as to fit for the responsibilities oil
| citizenship the large class of voters upon whom
| its privileges have recently been conferred,
| and makes other excellent suggestions IN the
! line of fairness and progress. Upon the deDt
question, Governor Cameron stands with the
! ReadiuSters. and favors the per cent pian
! the whole debt plus accrued interest to be hrst
! aSrertainGt, the Just proportion OF west VIZ
! ginia 70 be set of, and new bonds bearing )
] per cent interest issued in full for the re-
mainder.
! One of the last Official acts of ex-Postmaster
! General James was to write the letter TO the
| President which is printed in another column,
calling attention to the need OF such char &c ID
| the laws about mail contracts rs Will justify the
! rejection If the bids OF a man who has pre-
viously furnished worthless securities. Mr.
Jamess letter is accompanied by one from
! Special Counsel George Bliss, and by report
! from Inspectors Tidball and Shallcross. The
! INSPECTORS have been investigating the doingS
of A. E. Boone one OF the star Route contrac-
! tors. who furnishes a striking example OF the
way the bogus bond business is carried on.
| Boone put in 1910 bids during the past four
| years involving %S,OS4,452. He seems to
| have been in the habit of bidding for every
| thing. He actually obtained 29G contracts re-
curing bonds for 500, 800. With perhaps
few exceptions. say tine Inspectors, ms bonds
! turn out to be utterly worthless. There is to
| De another extensive letting of mail routes
soon. and Boone is preparing to food the De-
partmcut with fresh bids BY II singular defect
! i'm the law, which Congress should make haste
! to remedy, the Postmaster-G has no power
! to throw out Bo0nc's bids on the ground OF his
! dishonest behavior in tie past. It looks as II
some of the postal statutes had been IN
| gcniously manipulated to make them shield
! raSCAlIty.