Morning journal and courier., 1885-12-11
EDErORsAL NOTES.

Massachusetts politicians and newspapers are busily engaged in discussing the ques- tions of biennial elections and biennial ses- sions The last legislature took the initial steps towards the adoption of amendments to the Consultation providing for both of these changes, and the pending question is whether the new legislature shall advance them stage further by sending them to the people. The advocates of the reform have all the argument on their side. Massachu- setts is behind the times in this matter. She is even behind Connecticut.
 The municipal authorities of Atlanta evil dently do not believe that people who are found dead in hotels ''blow out the gas' Somebody has told them that one-half the proprietors, and they have made law that economical landlords shall not turn off the gas from the meter at night. A large num- Der of travellers leave the gas burning dimly when they retire; then the hotel man cuts off the gas. He turns it on again for early rising travellers, and the others, if they sleep late, run risk of death from suffoca- tion. Travellers should turn the gas com pletely out before going to bed.
 The Hoar bill ''to provide for the perform ance of the duties of the office of President in case of the removal, death, resignation or inability both of the President and Vice President" would make the line of succession as follows: The Secretary of State, the Secre- tary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Postmaster General, the Secretary of the Navy and finally the Secretary of the Interi- or The bill provides that if on the accession of any Cabinet minister to the Presidency Congress is not in session or will not meet within twenty days it shall be convened in extraordinary session. No member of the Cabinet shall be eligible to the presidential succession until his appointment shall have been confirmed by the Senate.
 During the Antwerp exhibition, just closed, the pickpockets seem to have flour ished. An interesting document referring to the number of these characters arrested with in the precincts of the exhibition has just been published. Altogether 57S men and women have been interrupted in an untime- 1y manner in the pursuit of their handicraft. Chased by nationalities, the Belgians occupy the post of honor with 234, but they are run hard by the Germans with 211. Then follow 63 of Dutch, 35 of English and 14 of French nationality. The English offenders were, as rule, fashionably attired and were all found to be lodging in good hotels, while their com petitors of other nationalities had to be traced to the slums of Antwerp.
 Members of Congress, journalists and pro- fessional men of Oregon are about to petition the President to set apart Crater lake as 8 public domain. The surface of the lake is (, 1900 feet above sea level, and it is about eight miles long and six miles wide. It con tains circular island six hundred feet high, on which is found en extinct crater which is ninety feet deep and four hundred and seven ty-fve feet in diameter. In another portion of the lake is found conical-shaped rock, which is perpendicular and rises to an altitude of 200 feet above the waters surface. Other rocks of remarkable form and elevation tower high above the lake. The lake walls are near ly perpendicular and vary in altitude from 1 ,0O0 to 2,000 feet. Adjoining the lake and guarding it's approaches, the mountains all rugged and of great altitudes-one summit being 9,950 feet above sea level.
 The English commission, at the head of