Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-01
THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY. JUNE l. 1884.
LIFE IN THE METROPOLIS.
Foreign Opinion of Gen. Grant-Eew
Workers and Base Ball-Notes on Other
Interesting Topics.

LIFE IN THE METROPOLIS.
Foreign Opinion of Gen. Grant-New
Workers and Base Ball-NOtes on Other
Interesting Topics.
Correspondence Of the 1foyziae Eetcs.
NEW YORK, May 29.-''It makes me
sick" said the correspondent of the Co.
penhagen Nqti0aal-tidende to me the other
day, using ''siek'' in the sense of nausea,
which Mrs. LangtFy says is its true signi-
fication, ''tO have to write to my paper the
outcome of the Grant-Ward correspond
ence. Everybody has heard Of Gen. Grant
over there, and they regard him as great
soldier, and have a high opinion of him
generally. Now, if I tell them that he is
either knave or fool, and perhaps
compound of both, they will regard us as
a nation of scalawags. They already
think badly of our mode of doing business,
and if they find him, whom they consider
the foremost man in the country, to be no
better, or rather worse, than the rest, they
will deem nothing too bad to believe about
us. hate to villify my adopted country,
but news is news and the representative
of the vikings prepared to set forth in
Danish the history of Wall street for the
previous week.
If anything were lacking to convince
the admirers Of Gen. Grant that their
idol was of clay, it has been supplied.
My Danish friend is right, there is but
one view to be taken of the Grant-Fish
correspondence. Grants reputation
hangs on the two horns of dilemma. He
is either knave or little better than a
fool. Such, at any rate, is the opinion of
all but the most hide-bound partisans,
although prudential considerations may
prevent many who so think from express
ing their sentiments. Republicans, in
deed, cannot very we'll proclaim man
cheat or dolt whom they have twice
elected President.
have heard another alternative sug-
gested, which, however, does not clear
Gen. Grants skirts, but rather fouls
them more. 1t is that he and Ward were
justified in promising fabulous gains to
those who invested in their enterprises by
I, the existence of ring which is still
rObbing the government at a rate that
more than rivals the efforts of the star
reuters and whisky ring thieves! The
existence Of such ring may be palpably
out Of the question. | only give you the
suggestion for what it is worth.
Westward with the star of empire the
politicians are taking their way. To-day
the committee of one hundred business
dent Arthur at Chicago take their de-
parture. and ''Johnnie'' O'Brien and ''the
boys follow on Saturday in a special
train, consisting Of seven palace coaches,
while between now and Sunday the other
| Republican statesmen, who are to take
part in one way or another in the delibe-
| rations which are to save the nation, will
start on their journey. Already many
have gone.
Judging, however, from the crowds
which witnessed every game the past
week, New Workers are more interested in
| base ball than in politics. AS many as
! 1900 people saw the first game between
! the Boston and New York clubs last
| Thursday, 1900 of whom were women,
| who sat shimmering in silk and satin and
! glttering with diamonds. The carriages
in which they came, blocked the street on
one side Of the PollC grounds for 8 distance
Of two blocks. The greater part of the
men who attended were also well dressed
and appeared to belong to a class Ordi-
narily not addicted to sporting" On
Friday 5000 persons saw the second game
! between the same clubs, but on Saturday
the attendance fell off to 1000, as the game
between the Providence and New York
clubs was afOregOne conclusion. For the
same reason there were but 3, 900 present
on Monday, but 5000 on Tuesday saw the
l.
first time. An aggregate of 22,500 per-
sons, at 80 cents head for five games,
certainly makes good average.
PUNCH'S OLD JOKE ABOUT TYING RAIL
WAY DIRECTORS
to locomotives in order to ensure trains
from running off the track finds continual
reason for repetition in New York. Resi-
dents along Riverside drive, in the neigh
borhood of Eighty-eighth street, for eX-
ample, bless the day and the hour when
Gen. Viele was appointed Park Commits
siOner. Up to the time of his appoint
ment Riverside Park was allowed to run
wild its entire distance from Seventy
second street to OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
fifth street. No sooner did he become
Commissioner than Gen. Viele had plans
prepared for the laying out of the park
its entire length. The only part of the
park, however, which has been laid out is
in the vicinity of Eighty-eighth street.
There, for a considerable distance, wind
ing walks, smooth lawns, carefully
trimmed shrubbery, well-pruned trees, land
beautiful beds Of bright-cOlOred flowers,
are to be met with, while all the rest of the
park is still in a state of nature. Why is
this portion of the park thus laid out while
all the rest is neglected? l don't give this
as cause, or even as a reason, but mere
ly MS a cOincidence-Gen. Viele lives at
Eighty-eighth street and Riverside drive,
opposite Riverside Park The moral is
obvious. Let the Mayor appoint, in turn,
as Park Commissioners residents in River
side drive from SeventY-second to One
undred-and-twentY-fifth street, and in
the course of time all Riverside Park will
be made to blossom as therOsel
The Board of Park Commissioners Is an
anomalous institution in other respects.
Only the President is entitled to salary,
the other three commissioners serving
nominally for nothing. The salary is
81 000. The Commissioners elect a Presi-
dent every three months, and as they elect
each other in turn, each thus receives
81 200 quarter in the capacity Of Presi-
dent, and only works nine months without
pay. Commissioner CrimmOns, however,
Is practically getting much more than a
paltry thousand dollars a year for taking
care of the city's park. He is one
of the largest building contractors in New
York, and, until he became Park Commits
siOner, was obliged to spend thousands of
dollars year in dumping far out to sea
the earth his men removed from the cell
lars Of the houses which they built for
him. On his becoming a Park Commits
siOner, by a coincidence similar to that
which causes Riverside Park, opposite
Gen. Viele's house, to be improved at the
expense of the remainder, it was dis
covered that certain gullies in Central
Park needed filling up, and for this earth
was necessary. With q generosity that
is only found to perfection in New York
public official, Commissioner CrimmOns
offered to provide the earth which was
needed free, gratis, for nothing! How
much he will save by this arrangement |
do not know, but it-cannot fail to be a
large sum, for it is a costly business cart
ing earth to sc0ws and casting it in the
depths of the sea miles from the coast.
THE FIRST REQUISITE IN POLICEMAN
is a knowledge of local geography. AT
his examination he is supposed to be call
ed upon to give the locality not only of
the principal thoroughfares, bat of the
most out-Of-the-way streets. What a
farce this examination is is shown by an
incident which happened IN Houston
street recently. A policeman, who was
appointed within a day or two of the pub
LEGATION Of the report of the Roosevelt
Committee, which set forth so plainly the
iniquitous manner in which appointments
to the force are made, came along with
his new hat and club, which he had just
got at the central Office, under his arm.
He evidently did not know where he was.
and when he reached Elizabeth street he
looked up and down that thoroughfare in
manifest perpleXity. Finally he turned
TO group of young men who were enjoy
ing the spectacle Of a policeman being
Iocf hardly mora than q bIcoI- FROM, tho