Morning journal and courier., 1885-08-19

A wild western paper thinks that if ere nation can be so arranged that the widow can ride at the head of string of forty -four hacks all the poor people in the cities will at once favor the idea.
 The rate of taxation in New York is to be raised from $22. 50 to $24. This has to be done because the millionaires of that city are so poor. Few of them found to have much property when the tax lists are made out
 Prohibition finds much favor in the South. The prohibitionists of Mississippi were so encouraged by their recent State onyention at Jackson that they have renewed their eff forts to secure candidates for the legislature in both parties pledged to favor a local op- tion law.
 The colored people of Atlanta, Georgia, have good educational facilities. They have three well organized colleges and are build ing fourth. One thousand young negroes attended the three colleges during the last term. Besides there were two thousand ne- gro children in the public schools of the city. A high standard of scholarship has been established at the colleges.
 Mrs. Lucy Stone suggests that "city week" for farmers wives would be deserved and proper return for the Country week" of hospitality which these kind and overworked women extend to the poor children who are sent out from New York and Boston. This suggestion should receive attention. The women in whose behalf it is made deserve much more rest and enjoyment than they get.
 The anti-oleomargine laws don't seem to hold. The Maryland court of appeals has just decided against the oleomargarine law of that State. The act makes it crime to sell oleomargarine unless it is conspicuously branded as such. The penal provisions of the law are stringent and oppressive. The legislature first imposed fine for every vio- lation of the act, but this was not deemed severe enough, and imprisonment was added The court of appeals holds that neither pen atty can be enforced. It says: There is 6 plain inconsistency and repugnancy between the punishment prescribed by the second and third sections. By section 3 the offence is punished by fine of one hundred dollars. and by section the same offence is pun ishable by imprisonment in the county jail. To this extent these two sections must be ad- judged invalid, because it is impossible for the court to say under which of them the party is to be punished.
 The United States government has had 8 great deal of trouble with it's fiscal agents in New Orleans since the war. Two sub-treas- urers, May and Whitaker, were short $700,- 900 after they closed their accounts. Wal ton, Whitaker's successor, paid forged check for $12, 1000, which he had to lose. Congress made up loss of $5, 700 to his suc- cessor Clinton, and now Herwig loses $12, 900 by the dedication of his clerk. In the in ternal revenue collectorship General Benton was short $250, ,0O0, General Steadman the same, Smith $5O,O0O, Chapman $2O,0OO (made good by his bondsmen), Rice $12, 900 (the only one who went to the penitentiary for it), R. T. Beauregard $9,300 (collected of bondsmen) Assessor A. w. Norcross de- faulted to the amount of $175,000, total loss Postmaster Swallwood lost $40,0 900 by clerk, and was ruined in making it good; Postmaster Taliaferro $12 1000, made up by his bondsmen, and their successors have had to make up considerable amounts. Alto gether, the government has lost about $1,- 500, 900 in twenty years.
 A writer in the Building News makes the curious statement that one of the properties specially conducive to durability in timber IS its odoriferousness-woods which are of this character being the most durable. The same authority states that the increase in strength due to seasoning in different woods is as fol- lows: White pine, 9 per cent; elm, 1928 per cent; oak, 26.6 per cent; ash, 44.7 per cent; beech, 61.9. The comparative value of different woods, in respect to crushing strength and stiffness, is thus shown: Teak, 6,555; English oak, 4,074; ash, 3,571; elm, 3,46S; beech, 3,079; mahogany, 2,571; spruce, e,5se; yellow pine, s,19s; sycamore, 1888; cedar, TOO. Regarding the relative degrees of hardness. shellbark hickory stands highest, and, calling that 100, white oak is S4: white ash TT: dogwood, 75; scrub oak,