New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-05

/ nv Surrogate Rollins, printed on another page
of THE TRIBUNE. Mr.. Rollins was District-At-
| torney once and knows what he Is talking
about. He says that when there were only two
! .Judges in the Court of General Sessions they
I opened an additional part of the court In the
| City Hall. Later this second part was perma-
nently established by law. Now that there are
three judges in this court he does NOT see why
they cannot open another part under the o'u
statute and bring the excise cases to trial. Inc
Judces do not have to write long decisions, and
probably have time enough to do this nat IL
| to prevent che suggestion from beng acteu vi
Mr. Robert p. Porter in his letter to lHE
TRIBUNE this morning tafes the reader Oh
wall, throuob the busy manufacturing city OF
| Ioods nointin0 ont some of the principal feat
| rres of that great manu- featuring centre. There
ara many great factories some fine public build
inps. handsome private dwellings, for the rich,
and n beautiful park. Nowhere, however, TO
| be seea is a single house, even the most num-
BILE. owned by workman engaged IN the III
dustries for which Leeds is noted and yet III
| the Mace there are 100000 skilled and thrifty
artisans. Such house may exist there, put
even the Inspector of Police, who for fifteen
years has been studying the condition OF the
noorer classes, was obliged to confess to Mr.
Porter that he had never found one. This Is
an extraordinary and suggestive fact. Leeds
has great mineral wealth and numerous other
advantages close at hand, and il workmen can
thrive anywhere under trade rule they
onybt TO thrive there. 1t is safe tn say that
there ia no manufacturing town or city in this
tha
hardest, in which there are not several work.
men who own their own homes Perhaps some
free trader can explain why the American
workman is so much better off than his English
brother, and will undertake to prove that at is
not due to a pr elective policy.
Public attention has been so much taken up
Of late by Congressional legislation that little
note has beeu made of the doiDgs OF state
Legislatures. They have been active, however
Tennessee, for example, has made considerable
advance in the work of robblng Der
creditors. A bill was introduced in the
Legislature 10 last week providing tor the
settlement of her obligations Inc
estate debt proper" the bonds held by the
widow of President Polk and educational instl-
tutions are funded in full with the contract rate
OF interest four years interest being deducted
The rest of the debt, including the railroad
bunds. is funded at fifty cents on the dollar with
3 per cent interest. While the whole proceed
ing is shamelessly dishonest, the reputation OF
the railroad bond Obligations is particularly
scar lalous letter to the Editor OF The
TRIBUNE, which we print elseW here, throws
liz ht on this phase of Tennessee reputation.
The writer traces tie development OF the spirit
of dishonesty which has ended in the asser-
ton that the railroad debt is not part OF the
State debt proper and he shows that TO part
of the obligations OF the Commonwealth Is more
sacred The clear gain to the State because OF
the roads is equal to the value of the roads and
their equipments and enough over to pay the
State debt twice. And still the liberal conces-
sions which the holders OF these bonds offered
would not satisfy the Readju'ting Democrats
They will not even pay the sixty cents OIL the
dollar which was once solemnly agreed upon.
Half of the debt only will they pay, with 3 per
cent int crest The clearer the situation be-
comes the more apparent is the disgrace OF the
State.