New-York tribune., 1883-11-05


One Of the great drawbacks to the growth ana
improvement of Brooklyn has been the enormous
legacy of unpaid taxes and assessments the fruits
of Democratic ring rule. Ont of S3,5OO,OOO OF as
sc,smcnts remaining unpaid at the beginning OF
Mayor Lows administration $1,1S226i was can
ccllcd because fraudulent and irregular. The men
who were responsible for the great burden under
which Brooklyn Taxpayers grOaned 50 long, are
lhc men who nominated j. c. Hendrix for Mayor,
and who will profit in case of his election. But he
is becoming so well known that his chances of sue
cess have about disappeared. 1t is now known
that he ha, been a resident of Brooklyn only since
he became a reporter for The San; that he was no'
graduated at Cornell for reasons best known TO nm
self: that he is interested in the banking business
al his old home in Missouri, and that he Is not
public speaker like Mayor Low or particularly iahl-
iliar with Brooklyns municipal affairs In tact al
the advantages that were claimed for Mr liendrIN
hv his friends are shown to be mythical Is II
likely that the voters of Brooklyn will exchange an
able faithful and tried servant like Mayor Low lOr
a person of Mr.. Hcndri1s qualifications
About this time of the year large number OF eX-
ccllcnt aud cl-mcaning friends OF temperance be-
Gin their periodical and fruitcSs discussion about
the wine, of the Bible. This is to he regretted
while there is 80 much valuable and practical work
to be done. Whether the wines mentioned i'll the
Bible were ferncnted or not is OF little Importance
and were it proved that they were merely sugar ana
water il would have no effect upon the modern evil
of ntcmpcrance. Or the other hand, 1t Is very
foolish to argue rs some appear to do, that because
the people mentioned in the Bible drank mtoXicat-
ing wines it is necessary for people nowadays to
do So In fact this whole discussion about Bible
wines is utterly trivial The one thing certain Is
that the Bible advocates temperance; ana Whllc IL
may be admitted that temperance with some Is quite
compatible with the moderate use OF alcoholic
drinks there are Others to whom total abstinence Is
necessity, whether tho Bible advocates 1t or not.
The Episcopal Church Temperance Society seems
thus far best to cmbOdy these views but there is no
reason why they should not be recognized by all
! temperance societies.
OF course the arbitrary conduct of Inspector
! Byrncs in arrcsting dozen two well-known
! criminals who have been making their presence OBJ
noxiously public in the principal streets will meet
with criticism from many persons and probably
! some newspapers. We hope he will again give good
| occasion for grumbling on their part. Quiet ana
lnw.ahiding citizens are particularly eager to see
lust such evidences of arbitrary and tyrannlcal
conduct Oh the part of the police. There is on the
statute books a law called the lIabtual Criminals
Act" and We should like greatly to record few
score more OF less convictions and sentences under
it, Try again, Nj Inspector. The Supcrintendency
of Police is ycaming for just such dcSpOtic uncon-
stitutonal informal lawlcss, Out-of-Order, eccen-
| tric exceptional monster you may develop INTO
II is long step toward it to find the thieves burg
| lars lottery dealers and gamblers denouncng you
And il roconcics citizens to the possibility OF al
early vacancy in the Superintendency to find the
present incumbent explaining the Inspectors action
by saying that no does not know anything about 1t
| Try to learn something about police affairs, Mr.
| Walling The public trusts in your honesty; 1t alSt
shares with you the opinion that you do not kno"
all that you should about what is going on in youI
department.
What a strange, uncarthly gathering that bal
which it is proposed to hold in Richmond at the un-
yelling of the Lee monument will be! The men ar,
to wear Confederate uniforms. the orchestra vii
play rebel airs and the Confederate flag will form
the chief decoration of the ballroom. 1t is evi
dcnce of how thoroughly the Rebellion was sub
ducd, of how completely all that pcrtaincd to i
has ceased to exist as n living principle, that th
gathering can be allowed without exciting anything
more than a smile and look of wonder. 1t will b.
no more to the Government than are the ghOstl
armies of Attila combating above the plains o
Chalons to the French Republic. We can magin
the faded uniforms of gray moving through tn
figures of some forgotten dance to tunes the word
of which have lost thormeanng, while above ther
nags that have long ceased to wave or shor
= rustlein the midnight breeze. And when the worl
is waking into life again, busy with the affairs
5 to-day and rushing to the greatness of to-mO
row. the speoros will start like guilty things at tn
f light of the sun and steal away to their home
Such must be the last ball of the Confederacy. An
the world can say as it looks on:
, "ThOu art phantom
A shape Of the mist;
Day dawns and thou art not"
a PERSONAL.