Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-05

The wholesale murder of Chinese miners in
Wyoming Territory calls for the most vigorous
action of the local government The central
authority has also a pressing duty in the case
as from an international standpoint it alone is
responsible tor the maintenance of order I'm our
domain. The massacre must necessarily be
made the subject of diplomatic action Mona
tiOn can afford 10 have its subjects slaughtered
in this ruthless fashion. Nor can any nation
afford To ignore such crimes i'm its borders. even
81 they are passed by without a protest from the
injured government. We owe it to ourselves
well as to our neighbors that such an outrage
be Sternly dealt with.
The incident will revive the old-time excite
ment over the question of Chinese labor. II is
pretty evident that the western people are de-
fermined To shut out Monaghan competition by
law If possible and by violence if necessary
And IL is a case where il is extremely difficult
10 cope with the trouble by law. 1t has passed
Into proverb that we cannot indict a whole
people. Where public sentiment is practically
unanimous on matter held to be of vital con-
sequence to the community the machinery of
the law and even of military force breaks down.
History Is full of examples to show how futile
are courts and troops alike to force commune
ties 10 comply in good faith with obnoxious
regulations.
1t now becomes important to ascertain what
a
evading the immigration laws 1t has been
said that coolies have been smuggled across
the border and been admitted into the ports
false certificates. If these charges are well
founded they have n moral bearing in the case
though not affecting its legal aspects. If il be
true that the Chinese are still brought into the
country by surreptitious and illegal means to
compete with native labor, IL will give the
miners some hold on popular sympathy.
There are very few persons so wicked and de-
graded that they are willing to admit their
villainy To themselves. On the stage. indeed
the villain exults in his crimes, and in long
and blood-curdlng soIiloques takes the
audience into his confidence tn tell them he is
scoundrel OF the deepest die, and chuckles a
fiendish chuckle as he advises them of new and
worse crimes he is about to commit. But in
real life. the most vicious have kind of re-
hgiOn or philosophy OF their own which serves as
a buffer between them and their conscience
Here, for instance. is the notorious Tim. Nc
earthly. the keeper of the wretched olive in
New York. whose place has just been closed by
the police Mccarthy, il seems, Is very indig-
nant at this persecution. He declares that he
i the victim of a foul conspiracy. "My respec-
table business he says, lis broken up by
pack Or women who go around telling lies on
me, and the policemen who want to have me
hanged"
So, too, the Davis brothers. Tom and The
had their religion, and Mr. Holland of Abilene.
the slayer of Davis. probably has his, and the
miners of Wyoming probably have theirs
No matter how weak n mans power of reason
ing may be, there is always one person
he can convince and that is himself; and when
he sets out To do so he can generally persuade
himself that he is a pretty decent sort of a man,
and that il is society and not himself that is to
blame in any collisions which may take place
between them.
Serious trouble is brewing between Germany
and spain. 1t looks to-day very much as if a
war between the two countries was impending
over the right to the Caroline Islands, In that
case great crisis might be precipitated in Er-
rope as France would be apt To seize the
opportunity of striking back at her enemy
One interesting feature OF the struggle would
DE the test 1t would furnish of the practical
value of the modern ironclad. AS the war
would center about the possession of a group of
islands in the Pacific, series of naval comtats
would be very probable, and both Germany
and Spain have strong ironclads. built on the
most approved plans of naval construction an
opportunity would be given to see how these
ponderous vessels behave in actual combat
Mr.. E. Berry Wall, of New York who earned
the title of King of the Dudes by the superior
idiocy with which he spent his fathers money
has now, 1T is said, been deposed. Like his
royal cousin, the King of Bavari "a, he has ex-
hausted his cash and credit, and now that his
money is gone he must resign his proud titles
and dignities- II is painful to have to record
that Mr. E. Berry Wallis check for S25 was re-
Gently thrown out at a bank as worthless In his
palmy days, Mr.. Wall was said to possess five
hundred pairs of trousers, and the other articles
OF his wardrobe were on an equally liberal
Scale. He owned fast horses and bet on them
and he was great admirer of ladies who have
acquired reputation upon the stage. But now
he has sold his horses. he is not setting up the
champagne after the play, and he is overhaul
ing MS stock OF trousers and silk stockings to
see II he can raise the wind with the old clothes
man