The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-07-08

most thoroughly. The prevalence OF
these diseases so early In the season
shows that the conditions are favorable
TO their spread, and II behooves the au-
thoritles, and citizens as well, to LOOK
well to the sanitary condition OF their
surroundings. Careful attention to
cleanliness and diet will, in the major
ity of cases, act as preventative, and
at all events 1t can do no harm to en-
force all the rules for the protection Of
the health of the community, and with
this purpose in view vast amount Of
good can be accomplished.
IL FORTY years the social status and
appreciation of craftsmen generally have
advanced" says the Mechanical En-
gineer. Legislation has had no part in
this. Men cannot be voted into intelli-
gence, and an ambition to learn the why
and wherefore of their callings. Ex-
have raised the mass. Men have emu
lated the efforts OF others who rose from
poverty to afiluence by hard study.
The improvements in machinery have
also aided the multitude, and the trades
stand higher, are more intelligent, more
economical, better citizens in short,
than their fathers. Three other great
levers have lifted tradesmen out of
darkness into light-the free public
school, the untrammeled press and the
protection for home labor against the
entertainments of mere brute force and
lower social conditions. These three
last named are truly the ramparts ofour
beloved country, and every man who
loves it will do his utmost to uphold and
strengthen them"
TIE New York Tribune, speaking Of
the business failures on Wall street,
says: at is not surprising that the
failures for the first half Of 1884 reach
5510 in number, and sl2I,30l, 2s2 in
amount of liabilities, as the Mercantile
Agency reports. Though the number
exceeds that Of the first half of 1888 by
only 473-about 10 per cent.-the amount
Of liabilities is nearly double. This
shows how largely speculative opera
tions in few of the chief cities have
contributed TO swell the record Of COM
mercial disaster. In the city of New
York alone the increase In amount OF
liabilities is SAG, 0O0, 900, and in Boston
there is an increase of $4,000, 600, and in
San Francisco and Philadelphia of over
Sl,000,000 each. The average of liabili-
ties of firms failing suddenly mounts
from Sl5,3l7 each in the first half Of
1888 to ,033 in the first half of 1884.
In short, the record shows what the
daily journals have been showing-that
the late disturbance has been essentially
n rich mans panic. The working peo-
pie and the small property owners have
had little part in it,"
The people of Galveston may well
feel proud Of the success OF the Eads bill
for the Improvement OF their harbor,
and the progress made at this session of
Congress for it is almost an assured fact
that the bill will pass without any trou-
BILE at the next session. The following
are the main features of the bill as re-
ported upon by Senator Coke: sit is
proposed to make channel thirty feet
deep at a cost of S7,75O,O0O, exclusive OF
the cost Of surveying the Galveston bar,
harbor and adjacent waters. Captain
Eads and his associates are given au-
thority to construct the jetties, bikes,
levees, ETC., necessary for the work,
which is to be undertaken within eight
months. The navigable channel is to be
deepened at least two feet in two years
and at least one foot per year thereafter
until the required depth is reached. One
million dollars is to be paid when the
channel has been deepened one foot
another million for the second foot
$500, 900 for the next two feet, and $780,,
900 each for the next two feet. For eact
Of the next five feet S350,000 is to b,
paid, and 100000 each for the Twelfth
and thirteenth feet. When the deptl
has been increased to twenty-eight fee
$3.50, 900 is to be paid, and a similar sun
when the maximum channel of thirtl
feet has been secured. Tie remaining
100000 is to be considered as earne,
when CHANNEL has been obtained hay
ing depth Of twenty-six feet, not les
than 200 feet In width at the bottom
with n central depth Of thirty feet. Tn
money is not to be paid, however, unit
the expiration Of ten years, as securit,
for the maintenance Of the channel, in
terest being paid by the Government a
the rate OF per cent. For maintaining
the channel during the decade Captai
Eads is to be paid 100000 year."
The Gulf railroad scheme at this tim
has been popular because the people @
San Antonio begin TO realize the neces
sty Of such an enterprise and the bene
fits to be derived from 1t. The subsoriI
tons to the capital stock have bee
made by men Of small meaps--men who
/, in fact, would not be benefited eKcepr |
, an indirect way by the completion Of tn
road The bankers and the monied me
, Of the city have, so far, not swelled tn
subscriptions in proportion to the
means, and for that reason, the propos
I tion lacks the complete and necessar
: enthusiasm it should have. The CON
, mittee appointed TO visit Rockpprt, Arar
r sas, Corpus Christi and other points o
| "a n -. "a 4 n