New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-01

Highest, CO. lowest, 40: average OIL.
There is little probability, unfortunately,
that the owners of the dam at East Lee Mass,
will be held responsible for the loss OF life and
property which followed a break in the struct
ure. There are too many of them Yet there
never was a clearer case OF responsibility. The
dam was weak and the manufacturers were
told so. But they did nothing to strengthen it,
although good repairs could not have been
expensive the first cost of the dam being only
$1,000. 1t is hard to see where word OF
defence for such cruel neglect can be found.
II looks as if Chicago would be the city of
strikes to-day. Several large bodies of men
stopped work there yesterday on various pre-
texts but the leading grievance of the en-
ployes in the railroad shops, packing houses
and furniture houses is now the eight-hour
question How serious that is we shall know
soon. Probably most of the employers will re-
fuse to give ten hours pay for eight hours
work. The reasons why such demand should
not le granted are so simple that if employers
wouid only take the trouble to explain them
fully, their employees, we believe, would soon
see the force of the objections.
This is somewha singular. A Liberal men,
Der of Parliament, David Davies, from Cardi-
ganshire, Wales, has resigned his seat because
he is opposed to Mr.. Gladstone's Home Rule
proposals. What is.the .matter7 Why doesn't
Mr.. Davies stay in his place and oppose the
bill Or has he heard that his constituents are
in favor of it 2 That might furnish consci-
entious opponent of Home Rule with a good
reason for resigDing; but the hypothesis is
hardly in harmony with the alleged opinions
of Liberal constituencies either in Wales,
England or Scotland.
1t was a good idea to place the financial
affairs of the Dock department in the hands of
the Board of Estimate and AppOrtiOnment.
But why the Assembly should have suggested
increasing the salaries of the Dock Commits
sioncrs to 5000 we fail to see. To do is
to play directly into the hands of Mayor Grace,
who put Koch into the Dock Board III order TO
have an obcdent political servant there. Still
as the bill now stands the Board of Estimate
and ApportOnment will have something to say
in this matter. In view of the declarations OF
It's majority in favor of economy, we are led to
hope that Mr.. Koch's financial aspirations will
Ne nIpped.
There does not seem to be any dOubt that the
new Chinese Minister was rudely treated when
ne wanted to land at San Francisco. Whoever
was responsible Tor it certainly supposed he
would find favor with the people of the Pacific
slope by doing so. That is where he made
mistake. The California people did not want
the Minister insulicd and they will surely
agree with the Senate Committee on Commerce
that the officer responsible for the discourtesy
ought to be held to account. But who was
primarily responsible9 The officer on the pier
who acted under orders, or the man who gave
the orders or failed to revoke the ones that
Should not have applied to the Ministcr7 This
is point for tie committee to LOOK up.
The decision OF Justice Wcde that there
is 10 legal authority to prevent boycott
ing Is not considered TO be good law by
the members of the Grand Jury. On the
contrary. they say that the decision was due
t. ignorance OF The law. If one could for
get the clear language of the Penal Code in
regard TO a conspiracy to interfere with trade,
this condemnation would seem severe. OF
course the Grand Jury is not u court Of last re-
Sort and the friends Of the police justice proba-
bly, hope that his opinion will finally be vlndi
Gated rs correct; however that may be, there ]