New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-25

The President recently rebuked the Democratic
press for the reckless habits of defamation by
which bis own election was largely secured NE
be his settled purpose to dlscOuntcnance political
agencies by which lie himself has prohted' why
does ne not with raw tho nomination OF Southern
balIot-box suffers and outrage-mongers They
also helped 70 elect him by suppressing the Repnb-
lIcan vote of tho south and by prOmschous
cheating. Lot him pillory the Groomes, anu
Richardson's aud Bookers, as he has branded the
Democratic editors instead of setting his otic'al
seal Of approval ulon their works.
The talk Of taking from the Mayor the power OF
appointing members Of the Board OF EdncatIon VIII
not have a pleasant sound in Mayor Graces ears
but he has ony himself 10 thank forr
,.n.rictous excess of zeal is shown by THE TRIBu,E
ne Post ana other ucwsp pcrs ~ defending the Bell
rlepnoi,r Compdry.-lNew-l Crk Graphic
TnE TRIBUNE has not defended the Bell Tc'e-
phone Company at ail-whether with suspicious
zeal or otherwise. Neither, 80 far as we have OBJ
served mas Inc EreniHg POST What we have done
~ to consure the indcrcncv of the action against
the company by a Cabinet member with million
and half of rival telephone stock in his pocket
given rm for the express aud ayowed purpose OF
securing his Official action and Influence IN the
interest of thatrlvaic company. The GrdihicdsplayN
suspicious excess of zeal IN avoiding that point.
Connecticut man drank some oil of ytriol in
mistake FOR whi>kcy. and it killed him. This shows
the value of training. Colorado cowboy would
have done the same thing without even discovering
ui, eror.and he would have conquered the Vltrol
rather prime article OF =" chain hs'tnIhg' OF
,uecpherdcrs delight
A singular action was tried in brooklyn as'
week. Some time ago the city authorities. IN order
10 increase the water supply, constructed some
,rIyen wells near Spring Creek. The wells consist
of two inch iron pipe, thrust lnto the earth from
th,rty-aye 10 siXiy-iyc feet The one nearest To
the creek u Do ieot away. miller on the creek
sued the city for $50 600. claiming that the wells
drew on water from the stream and 80 materially
damaged his mill property The jury gave HIM
- $50 An appeal is To be taken. The case has
,ouc novel features, and the final result will have
an important BEARING upon the sources from which
a city may draw its supply Of water.
4 Chinese lawsuit is something new here. Yet in
their own country the Chinese are most htgioHS'
ana their passion for law has made the fortunes OF
scores ot English solicitors and barrsters III Hong
KonE Ina California they 60 not nse the American
courts 80 much though they to he found IN them
far TOO olt,n for the convenient dispatch OF tie
general business.
Mr. Geodc having practically tested the illegality
of ssur-hallots which he IL said 10 be one of the
original pajentces is now laboring IN the interest
Of "A telephone ring to demonstrate the iliegahty
OF the Bell patents.
Mayor WGitncy says Of some of the Civil Service
Commissioners that me has just appointed that he
knew nothing about tnem. but that they were
recommended t. him. That excuse Will NOT
avail m the ease of such violent Democratic par
t,san as ex-C ounty Clerk Herman. Herman has his
drawbacks to be sure, but he cannot be said to be
unknown Quite the contrary. He doubtless was
recommended, though-by " Boss" Mclaughlin
The yororlty of Mayor Grace and Company knows
M hounds. Now his intimate friend and former
secr.tary W ON he appointed City Chamberlain
bo. secured the position OF Judge Aforementioned
from Governor Hill. The appointments is much
criticised by National Gnardsmen. No wonder
Grace and his adhercnts want to grab too much.
I'm, of the severest critics of THE TRIBUN:
Almanac is n shrewd Ncwyork lawyer who has
rep,arl,,bly accurate memory and a genius for
statistics. We never dare to draw a long breath
and TO pronounce this political marital free from
crrors until he has had leisure 20 It's pages and
IN pont ont detects. This year he sends 80 brief Il
~ ,morandum rs To ovcrwhclm us with sclt-satSfac-
tou He finds only two nee Hell point flaws namely
"Isaac c." in place of unadOrned =" Isaac in one
instance aud Edward" instead of Edmund III
another proper name These. with q ranspoStion
of figures for New Lots and Flatands in the Fourth
senatorial District. are the only blemshes which
he has discovered in a hundred pages crammcd with
political information.
There is ono thing to be grateful for III the results
of the recent phenomenal storms They have
co,pnIetelv poralvZed the "Oldest inhabltant,"
DESTROYED his authority made hum look ridiculous.
and in short dcthroned him from the bad ennence
be had occupied 80 long. For this rellcf much
thanks. The tyranny of the oldest iuhabtant ~
in the matter of weather has been intoerabic, and
there is poetic Justice in the fact that the weather
has caused his downfall
| International ethics present queer features
| Germany steals samoa, which, to start with al
! incontrovertible fact properly belongs to tic
| Samoans England grOwls nc this appropriation
! holding in q general way that nobody but herself
has any right to annex other peoples countries
! Then to bo perfectly fair, Germany suggests thai
the Samoan Islands. to which none oil them have
any equitable tile. shall bo divided between herself
EuglaLd and the Unltod States If such transac
ton occurs i'll social life say that robbery ha
been committed in the first place. aud that then th'
thief has tried to brbo the spectators with share
of the plumber. Can any one say why, when th
field of action is enlarged, wholly different view
should DO taken of the principles inyoyedf
| The Tarrytown burglars appear to have beer
decidedly picturesque, though SO decidedl!
unpleasant tor tho victims The burglars seen
to have belonged to the old school, and to hav