Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-16
EDITORIAL NOTES.

Julia Ward Howe says that it is only a question of time when women shall "wield the ballot" Julia will scare the men with that word "wield" if she isn't careful.
 Lieutenant Wyse, who received from the Colombia government the original conces- sions upon which De Lesseps based his Pan- ana canal company, believes that the com pany has mismanaged it's funds so as to get rid of about s7O, 100000 with little to show for it. It is becoming clear that the great scheme is not yet on the road to success.
 Senator Fryes bill to provide for the ap- pointment of commission of five per sous to investigate the alcoholic liquor traf- fic is a comprehensive affair. The bill makes it the duty of the commission to in- vestigate the alcoholic liquor traffic, it's re- lations to revenue and taxation, and its economic, criminal, moral and scientific aspects in connection with pauperism, crime, social vice, the public health and gen. eral welfare of the people; to inquire and take testimony as to the practical results of license and prohibitory legislation for the prevention of intemperance in the several States; and to report the result of their in- vestigations to the President to be by him transmitted to congress. And for the ex- psnse of this undertaking the bill sppropri- ates ten thousand dollars, which will not go far toward what the bill proposes.
 Muzzafer Eddin, the lately deceased Emir of Bokhara-a khanate which contains scarcely 2,000,00O inhabitants-had at his death one of the largest domestic establish ments in Asia. His household consisted of seven sons and nineteen daughters, 2S0 wives, 200 female slaves, ten female barbers, nine female cooks, four midwives, twenty two needle women, and forty washerwomen. Among his male attendants there were three astrologers, six private physicians, seven chaplains Qmans), and forty four eunuchs. The new Emir, Abdul Ahad, has instituted drastic reform in the palace expenditures. He has pensioned his fathers wives with free dwelling and daily sum of rupees apiece. This may seem a small sum for the widow of monarch but in Bokhara it is re- garded as 0 handsome maintenance.
 The report of steel production for 1885 is very encouraging. It appears that the pro duction of steel ingots was larger by 16l ,162 tons than in 1884, and larger than ever be- fore, for in 1882 the output was l, ,696, 450 net tons and in 1880 it was 1,701, ,757. Pennsylvania reports n product larger by 175, 900 tons than in 1882, while Illinois re- ports smaller product by 31 ,000 tons, and the other States smaller product by 139, 900 tons than in that year. The most inter- esting fact of the report however, is that the production of Bessemer steel rails was only 1 ,074, GOT tons, and 364, ,000 tons lees than in 1882, the output also being less than in any year since 1880. Hence there re- mains a vastly increased product of Besse- mer ingots which was used otherwise than in the making of rails This enormous expan- sion of other uses of Bessemer steel, even in times of great depression, is 8 sign of promise.
 The Hon. Tom Reed of Maine has been mentioned a good man to make Presi- dent of, and a frank statement of his "views' indicates that if his boom comes to naught it will not be his fault. He says: I believe in giving every man equal rights and fair show. I believe that it is the duty of congress to pass judicious silver bill, and am in favor of revision of the tariff which shall give satisfaction to the capital and labor employ ed in the manufacturing industries of the country, and at the same time place the lux uries as well as the necessaries of life within the reach of all. I believe that every man, woman and child should receive a pension who is entitled to it: that every just claim upon the government should be promptly and fully paid, with interest to date; that sectional strife should be smothered in fra ternal love, and that the dead issues of the war should be deeently buried at government expense. am in favor of applying the prin- cip1es of civil service reform to all the offices of he government, so as to give entire satis- faction to those who are in as well as those who are out, and that all legislation intended to promote the prosperity of the country should be promptly enacted by congress. On the labor question am as sound as an oak saw1og, and urge upon congress the passage of a bill that will forever settle and set at rest all controversies between the employer and the employed. And l further desire to say that if have omitted to decla1e my position on any interest repre- senting considerable number of votes, it shall be my earnest endeavor to amend or enlarge my platform accordingly. The mot to on my escutcheon is, 'I strive to please" and my aim is to merit the appreciation and secure the support of the Republicans, Dem- oc-ats and Mugwumps. I desire to be con sidered a purely non-partisan candidate, and T L tion should be unanimous.