Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-19
Whatever may be the merits Of the rathel


ether daily papers here added together.
Whatever may be the merits of the rather
complicated case of the American fishing yes:
sci Adams, seized by the Canadian government
several days ago, the question raised by the
seizure of the Doughty Is as clear and direct as
Fit had been specially make up for the pur-
pose Of testing the issue between the two gov
ernments. The Doughty was seized for buying
bait at q dominion port Her master does not
deny the charge. but maintains that the right
TO "touch and trade conferred on him by his
clearing papers involves the right to buy bait,
like any other commodity. This puts every
thing just where our government wants 1t to
be. There Is no disagreement between wit
nesses as TO the concealment of the vessels
name and nationality or the cause Of her cap
ture. The whole matter is removed from the
domain OF fact to the domain of pure law, and
both governments know what they will be
called upon to prove. The legal argument,
moreover, Is all on the side of the United States
as any one can discover for himself who will
take the trouble TO search the records of the
administration Of President jackson, in whose
time the retaliatory barriers between the two
powers were thrown down. If Canada sees fit
20 build them up again, 1t will be at her cost,
not ours. Our fishermen could subsist IL the
whole Dominion market were wiped out of
existence tomorrow; but the Dominion fisher
men would either have to emigrate or starve
to death IL our country closed its market to
imported fish. There is no reason to suppose
that they will be called upon to face this alter
native. They will do what they can to bring
their rulers to a common sense view of the>sit-
uatton. Wha: their persuasion does not accom-
piish, the commands of the home government
are likely to. However pusnacious Sir John
Macdonald may feel at the present moment,
Mr.. Gladstone certainly is not seeking a quar-
rel with the United States. He has studied the
careers of his predecessors in office to some pur-
pose; and he knows that, when the American
people fail to convince their opponents in a
controversy by the usual method of citing his
tory that Is already made, they stand ready to
make a little more OF q sort which Is sure to
carry conviction.
The alleged confession of Hugh NJ. Brooks.
who is now on trial for the murder of c. Arthur
Preller at st. Louis, does not agree with some
of the facts published by authority soon after
the discovery of the victims body. The con
fession, for instance, represents Brooks as
having removed the contents of his own trunk
and put Preller's body into ii, whereas among
the discoveries of the reporters and police last
spring was the dealer who sold Brooks the trunk
on the Monday following the fatal admins
tration of chloroform. There are other discrep-
ancies which 1t does not seem probable would
have occurred had the prisoner been drawing
wholly on his memory, and not at all upon his
imagination, for his statements
If the confession be genuine, two of the most
serious STUN bling blocks in the way of the pros
ecution are removed by it-first, the absolute
Identification of the victims body, and, second,
the proof that the chlorOform was administered
by the prisoner. On the other hand, the neces-
sarily circumstantial character of the evidence
for the state the lack ofegal sanctions attending
the confession, and the tact that the jury must
IND no room for reasonable doubt in order to
convict, combine to offer the accused man at
least fighting chance for his life.
From the course of the heirs of the Pennsyi.
vania millionaire, John Dubois, who began
preparing for fight over his estate before the
first shadows OF sunset had fallen across his
new-made grave, Assistant Secretary jerks re.
signed his office and hurried home not a day
too soon. Mr.. Dubois had taken extraordinary
precautions TO prevent a contest over his will
and assigned his entire property, while still
living, to his favorite nephew. The fact that
there Is to be a contest, after all, goes to show
how futile even such foresight must be as long
as the laws of Pennsylvania and the majority
OF her sister states remain as they are at pres
ent- 1t emphasizes, also, the wisdom of the
Michigan statute, under which a testator when
he draws his will and files it for probate, noti-
ies his heirs; and they, without knowing the
provisions of the instrument, are bound to
come forward with any reflections they may
wish TO cast upon his sanity and have the
whole question settled by jury while he is
alive and capable of examination. If they
neglect the opportunity thus given they are
estopped from a contest afterward. This ar
rangement has worked well for everybody ex.
cept the lawyers. 1t has proved especially
gratifying to those persons who. having spent a
lifetime in accommodating property, feel not
unnatural desire To have something to say
about its disposition after their death.
W lille bumptuOusness is a fault to be avoided
certain amount of spirit Is essential TO the as
sertion OF selfrespect. II Mr.. Smiths children
are il-treated hen they go into Mr. Browns
house, nobody blames Mr.. Smith for closing the
doors of his own home against Mr. Browns
Children So, when Canada proposes to confis-
cate American vessels for no worse offence than
trading with the people OF the Canadian sea-
coast, IL Is only right and natural that the
United states should close every port In their
jurisdiction against Canadian vessels The
Frye amendment TO the shipping bill will there
fore meet with approval.
The < bolt which is threatened among the
democrats IL Speaker Carlisle's district because
he saw fit 10 exercise his own discretion in the
matter OF a recent appointment may amount to
something, or Ii may not. The man who has
least reason To feel alarmed about it is Mr.. Car
Isle himself If his constituents can afford to