The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-02-26

lHt ltRltluluIfs lbbhiNk " NV fNHa
ment Of train wreckers, Is n move In the
right direction. II provides that "any
person who shall shoot into car, re-
move rail. or place any obstruction on
the track whereby any damage shall be
done the road or cars or any person,
shall be. on conviction, sentenced to the
penitentiary, for not less than five years
nor more than 10 years; and II any life
Is lost, said person shall be guilty OF
murder" The passage of such law
and its prompt enforcement. will do not
little towards thinning the increasing
number Of such evil minded persons In
Texas.
WHATEVER may be said about the abil-
ity OF the present Legislature, 1t GER
tainly lacks only the opportunity to par
Awe the railroad Industries Of the State,
not because OF alleged wrongs or abuse
of public and private rights, but simply
through pure prejudice and absolute
Ignorance. II is one Of the curious
anomalies In human nature that man
who handles his own interests and busi-
ness creditably and well, becomes an
ignorant blgot and n narrow-minded
partisan when he IL placed in the posi-
tion of representative Of the people. 1t
Is n matter of record, Ms shown by the
journal and by the speeches of the menu
bers, that less than n bakers dozen of
all the men who comprise the Legisla-
ture, know next to nothing about the
railroads or their management, and yet
not one among them but who feels per
| fectly competent to draft bill that will
give the people any and every relief de-
sired. There are a dozen projected rail
road enterprises in the State to-day
whose existence hangs upon a thread
through the mario w-minded policy ex-
hibited by the Legislature, and the
greatest good that body can do the
State is to draw their pay, adjourn and
go home.
DIR. JonN +. NAGLE, Deputy Register
Of vital statistics, Of New York, on the
subject OF Government hospitals for con-
sumptives, gives his opinion as follows:
Government hospitals, for the treat
ment of persons suffering from consump-
tion, ought to be ESTABLISHED at military
posts in Texas, Colorado and Southern
California, where the conditions of alti-
tude, mild temperature and dryness Of
the air are unexcelled. Such stations of
observation ought to be under the SUI
peryisiOn of the National Board of
Health, in order that the best possible
use could be made of information which
might be obtained. II IL probable that
valuable discoveries regarding the ma
ture and progress of consumption would
be made If physicians were constantly
observing cases of the disease under
favorable conditions. Consumption is
such n scourge to humanity that any
means of abatement cannot be consid-
cred too expensive. In New York more
than One-seyonth of the deaths are
caused by consumption, and OF grown
persons more than One-ilflh die of the
disease. The Government is ready to
take extraordinary measures against a
threatened epidemic of cholera, which
could destroy only n few thousand lives
ut most in this latitude. 1t ought TO do
something to check the increase of a
disease which kills over 5000 persons
each year in New York"
PRoMPT conviction and actual punish
ment is the only restraining influence
upon criminals, This is the experience
and testimony Of penltentinry wardens,
and men who look after law breakers.
A man who voluntarily commits II crime
Is generally beyond the pale of kindness
and devoid Of gratitude. His hand is
against every man and he expects every
mans hand to be against him. On this
subject the Austin Sun has the follow
ing; pitts and Yeager were fair and
not an exaggerated type of the crimi-
mails that fill our penitentiaries; slightly
more desperate, perhaps, than the aver
age, but surprising only in boldness,
not in deyiltry. Such characters are to
be controlled only by the application OF
the most rigorous discipline; the sooth-
ing syrup correoives which some critics,
and unfortunately they are not lacking
in the Legislature would ndminis,er
simnlv excite their rldIcule and con.
temnt They are suscen,ihle to mo arm.
ment save nunisbmart Hal cosi,n1
blass.d ba his memorya ,,an,n,ad
ha ios, his uca ma 800 " S',e . "nu