New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-13
BITS OF TALK ON LOCAL TOPICS.

II
Ex-senator B1by, one of the shining lights of the
Citizens" Committee. asked the other evening
If his organization intended to support Henry George
tor Mayor. Not much,r was his reply why, is
he not enough of a reformer for youP Oh that Is
all right but think il is time that some solid
citizen filed the position some man who has property
interests in the city, OF the ldashioned kind you
know" swell, whom you going to settle on, Mr.
Cooperl' Mr. Cooper is good man and If he had
more backbone and some of Mr.. Grace's cheek he
might do We want a man with a good spinal
column, one who won't allow any to rus him." In
reply to an inquiry to who being talked about
for the Office he mentioned Frederick p OlcOtt and
Andrew H. Green with several others. " think we
ought to run a Democrat" he added, and one that
knows what he is about There is use putting
good. inexperienced man in such position. Such
man will do far harm tnan the worst politician
ofteutlmes. What about Mr. Grace Oh, we coildnt
touch him all He is not even on our list
Dr. Edward Sptzka is still experimenting with
hydrophoba The last Of the six dogs which he inocu-
lated last June with cllrs spinal marrow, soap and
other substances died the other day after exhibiting
many of the ordinary symptoms of the disease Five
other dogs 9 inoculaied with some of the spinal
cord of this first lot and of them has already
succumbed to its effects Many people to think
disease a. hydrophobia This is mistake. lie is
simply endeavoring TO demonstrate that NJ Pssteur >
sweepinr conclusions in regard to incubation as a
preventive Of the disease based upon insufficient
premises Pasteur produced hydrophobia. or what he
considered hydro phoba, by inOcuatng healthy dog
with the virus from known to be mad. DR.. SpItzka
has produced he claims the same effects with all
sorts of foreign substances including ordinary washing
SOAP.
The general adoption of the metric system in this
sountry seems to be almost far Oft ever notwth-
standing the efforts that have been made in its behalf
by the Government the schools and the advocates oil
the system Outside of scientific circles few seem
even to understand much less practise it, In speak
ing about this the other day Mayor Cleveland, of
Jersey City, who is president of the Dixon Lead Pencil
and Crucible Company and believer in the decimal
system of weights and measures sad If the metric
system is ever adopted here it will only be through
educating the coming generation up to it. You can
never get grown people to make such change. I've
tried such experiments myself too often stove pollsh
is put up in boxes holding gross To carry out the
decimal idea ordered folks to put it up in boxes
holding hundred. We put them on the market, but
do YOU know it impossible TO sell Them even
when we offered them at "A lower price than IN gross
lots The dealers had grown 20 accustomed to reck-
onng by the gross couldn't get them TO think
IN any other way. But this every day. by
IA sugar sold by the three and half and seven
poundsl Simply to suit the notions of those old
country customers who brought up TO reckon by
the stone and half-stone. You can't get them to
reckon By tho single pound. 1t Is like rowing up
Narara TO bring about reform that compels people
to think for themselves especially there is no money
in it for anybody
could write q volume about the cranks nave
been brought in contact with since became Sub
WAY Commissioner said Jacob Hess There ID moth
ing that seems to develop them like piece of public
work which Is Ia a measure a novelty They have
fairly swarmed around Us, and the persstency with
which some of them have urged their claims is aston
ishing Even men who appear to be sensible III other
matters lose their heads in this work. Why one OF
the men whose patents were rejected after the fullest
examination Of their merits used to to my house
every morning as regularly sunrise and talk to me
by the hour until 70 preserve my health. was com
pelled To shut dOwQ him. lie wdS 80 confident OF
his material being adopted that he gave up an MS
other business. brought his family to New ork, put
I'D at a motel and owes a board bil OF nearly
SO 600 Yet he is a man OF Intelligence and aDlliy'
but 40 wrapped up in idea that he can take a
s1uare business view OF hardly anything else Ihere
are dozens and dozens more just IKE him."
CONGRESSMAN Negey. OF Pennsylvania, surprised
grouo of polite ans at the Hoffman House the other
evening by claiming that Pttsburg had greater
TONNAGE than Now-YorA and Brooklyn combined. Il
caonot recall the exact figures III the ease he added
but vou will find by consulting the last census
renorts that am right 1t il the immense coal trade
that makes the amount OF shipping at Fittsburs so
heavy.