Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-04
FEBRUARY 4, 1884.

~-S ~~~~AASA All of it had been given to railroads to en- courage building, and the conditions under which it was given had not been fairly com- piled with For instance, one grant was to the Vicksburg and Ship Island road. It was shown that this road had never laid a mile of track in the twenty-ssven years since the grant was made. Yet the Mississippi con- gressmen fought hard to save the grant. There are other bills agreed upon by the public land committee which are expected to forfeit about thirty millions acres more.
 The NorthwesterH Lumberman vigorously defends the operators in the lumber business from the charge that they are reckless tree destroyers, with cruel and relentless vigor cutting from the ground every tree, and shrub. and bush. with the one unswerving purpose of accomplishing desolation, pro- ducing rainless areas and annual floods. It is we'll to have the lumberman's side stated. His defense is that operators only selec merchantsble lumber. Trees are not hacked' down indiscriminately; underbrush is not torn up by the roots, and trees and brush heaps are always left in sufficient q uantity to woo and retain bountiful supply of need ed moisture. The Lumbsrman suggests, too, that our rivers, long before the axman began his work upon primeval forests, overflowed their banks repeatedly. as the Indians and early settlers testify. This is perhaps all very true, but therais no doubt that our forests are being too rapidly destroyed.
 Chicago is very wicked city, and much of it's wickedness goes unpupished. During the past year there were forty-three murders and homicides committed in Chicago, and not single conviction for murder in the first de- gree. Twenty one of the number were tried, and of these only two were given sentences exceeding ten years in the penitentiary, while many ,who could boast of political influence or social sympathy, were acquitted in the face of the most palpable evidence. Of the twen- ty-two who escaped the greater number did so through the weakness or the corruption of the police, and the result of the whole busi- ness is that homicide can be committed with practical impunity in Chicago. The cause is due to the weakness and corruption of the county and city governments, in the quality of the officers who select the juries, in the low character of the magistrates and in the ineficiehcy of the police appointed by cor rupt political machine and in alliance with the criminal classes.
 Some interesting facts concerning Japan have been published. The total debt in 1883 was e67, ora, ,23S. against !e72, OOO GOO in 1880. In the past three years nearly e3 900, ,O0O have been spent in withdrawing paper money from circulation. In 1882 the exports were valued at e7,447, 155, and the imports at e5, ,83S, sos. Of the total exports in 1882 e6, 400. 900 were exported by foreigners, and of the imports e5 60O GOO imported by for eigners. Of the total exports about e1 ,O0O,- 900 went to Great Britain, e2, ,S5O, ,00O to the United States, e2, ,0o0, 900 to France and about e1, ,OOO,0 ,00O to China. Of the imports, e2, 800, ,OOO came from Great Britain, e62O,- 900 from the United States, e29O,O 900 from France, e24O.OO from Germany, el,27O,OOO from China and e46O, 900 from India The construction of railways in Japan is proceed ing steadily. In 1880 there were seventy six miles open, and in 1883 22O. Already there are 4, 733 miles of telegraph or 12,470 miles of wire.