New-York tribune., 1884-02-20

I mt the dinner TO the Chamber Of Commerce. He
| spoke of the United States as exemplifying what
the colonies Of England may come 10 IL they not
wisely treated" The Spectator inquiresi Are
there not at the present time colonies of England
which pondering that very question under
| tho irritation Of needless unmeaning, and even
| unintended, but not unresented neglect" The
recent proposal to give some of the colonies repre-
| sentation in the Imperial Parliament does not APP
pear to have been received the light of boon and
tho colonies in in population and prosperity
the consciousness Of their weakness as compared
with the great powers appears TO be the strongest
influence still binding them to the mother-cOuntry
If, however Professor Seeey's forciblc statement
of the colonial question in his recent book, THE
Expansion of England" is not sufficient to rouse
fthe British Government to the necessity of broade
colonial policy what is now but vague dissatisfac-
tion may ripen into q spirit similar to that which
brough. about tho independence Of the American
colonies.
Naturally enough Democratic editors throughout
the state are laboring TO convince their readers
that that nebuous Buffalo mares nest is trcmep-
dous political portent. IL is to be remarked, how
ever, that even the most creiulous of the marines
now indulge in tie laugh Of rank scephcism when
their attention is directed to the nest.
1t is impossible to conceive of more criminal reck
lessness than that of the who checked q vaiise
containing forty pounds of dynamite the railroad
between Bradford and Olean. That the man is " a
prominent citizen" only makes his offence tue more
hcnous, and he cannot be supposed to have been
ignorant either of the consequences of explosion
or Of the habits of the genus baggage-smasher 1t
is indeed extraordinary that tho stuff did not eG-
plode for it scarcely be doubted that il received
proyOcation enough on the way But no excuse
Il lif,1
and the man who did not care whether he blew up
train full of people should be made to smart for
his brutal stupidity and Indifference.
"Fe is this sort Of a man. said the witness about
the prisoner; 'if were chicken and he was in the
neIghborhood I'll roost mighty high The colored
race entertains the same opinion Of Do
mocracy, and with reason. The Democrats
who constitute the majority of the Ohio Legisa-
ture lately tried their hands at currying favor with
the cOlored voters of that State. They passed an
alleged Civil Rights oil. But they did not succeed
in curryng the favor. The chickens continue to
rOost high At a meeting Of cOlOred citizens held in
Cleveland the bill received severe handling, being
denounced insult to the cOlored people OF Ohio
THE Morgue" Is the highly appropriate name of
a downtown dram-shop 1t is suggestive Of the
close association of the groggeries with the Pot
ters Field.
From the fact that three Russian army contract
ors have Just been arrested on charges of swindng
in their contracts, it looks if serious effort
being made at last to reform the abuses which have
prevailed in the army cOnmissariat for long |
period. During the Russo-Turkish war many of |
these abuses were brought to light but it is doubt
ful if anything was done TO prevent their recur-
renee. The fact is, corruption has so honoycombed !
Government affairs in Russia that it has been diff
cult to know where to begin reforms Even Grand |
Duke has been implicated in army contract frauds,
and at one time IL was quite common for brigade |
to be concerned in these swlndles. 1t |
is to be hoped that the present Government will |
have more success than its predecessor in putting
stop to these evils.