The Washington critic., 1886-08-27

portant object, the American obsery-
ers have made the most perfect appar.
atus possible for the purpose.
THE coon HOPE sINSERs.
If the Distric, Commissioners wish
to do a very sensible thing, they will
pardon the twcntysiy colored men
and women who were fined in the Po-
lice Court yesterday by Judge Harper
for selling food without license ON
Good Hope Hill last Sunday. The
Good Hope Methodist Church is hold
ing Its annual camp meeting on that
hill, and last Sunday there were some
thousands of people in attendance.
Everything was orderly and the ser
vices were listened to with great utten-
tion. But human beings cannot
worship all the time and pay no at
tentun whatever to their physical
wants. Even pious people get hungry,
and the conductors of the services very
properly gave an intcrmission that their
lambs might feed themselves. The nat
urul CONSCIENCE was a large consump.
ton Of watermclons, sandwiches, both
ham and tongue, pie, ginger ale and
other things which refresh the inner
coloIed man and woman and sustain
life.
Tie worshlpers were in the midst
OF this worldly enjoyment when there
appeared upon 'he scene two Vgilnn'
police oIlic'ls, Who proceeded Mt once
TO arrest all oi i,l' pr'pIr Who IN tSolI
the refreshments referred ID, by virtue
OF an "ij ANA '''N' To- Ice deu AN /
buried, az 1t oa@ai - h" statute, ap'
plying - the county. nnd proniGl'lnF
the sale OF merchandise GA Ihe
sabbath
pcorlc who hud rrallv brpn the bnnp.
factors of the w,r.hip,rs present an !
whose services were next 10 iplispens.
able, and we canuo, see ,Gnt any aonl
purpose was yul.pry,l IN .o doinr. In
fact we nrc n,lincl 10 doubt that anv
arrests would have been nude had the
offenders been white people insrcal Of
black, because at the very time this
unholy traffic was going on at the
Good Hone camp mcclinr. there were
white people In the city Of Washin rton
selling and Luying Intoxicating liunids
in all their forms without interference
and in conflict with laws that much
more deserve to be enforced than the
absurd and efTete regulations broken
by the pie and watermelon venders
whose location was deemed worthy of
constabulary raid
There Is reason in all things, 1t is
said; but we doubt it. There is no
reason to Justify straining at gnat and
swallowing a camel.
IN OUR CRITICISMS upon the arrests
maue aI ihe Ioou hope camp-meetlhg
stood MS opposinr the enforcement of
anv law which tends TO the elevation
of morals and the preservation of rood
order. Major Walker certainly has
the support of ali good citizens in
whatever he NAV do to prevent vice
and immortality, and especially to cur
tail the evils of Sabbath. breaking, and
herein there is n biz field for reforma.
tory discipline; but no doubt very
much, if any, GOOD is to be accom-.
plished by rcsurrecting dead letter laws
in order to make a case against offenders
who really commit no pernicious or
demoralizipr act. Laws that are of
vital, opera,iye force must be enforced
and il is the duty of the authoritie, TO
see that they are not violated with i'm.
punitv. There are cases. however
That appeal TO our reason, as well as
sympathy, to be dealt with charitably;
and such we conceive to be the case Of
the poor people who sell cake and
'''''0"""' W " o"'" 'i'oo,'"5'
The Russian Government denies
that it had any hand in the recent over
throw of Prince Alexander of Bulga-
ria; nevertheless, the Russian Govern.
ment not only had hand in it but
really set on foot and carried out the
conspiracy that brought about the re-.
suit. 1t should be borne in mind that
Russia always denies everything. The
Bulgarians undoubtedly want their
Prince back again, and they hold the
place open for him. 1t, therefore,
looks as if the stdtu qu0 ante might be
..s,oieu' .,, pus NAV D aopcnos al'nosI GU
uie'y upon "hu' huSs,a ,I uoes' AS 10 10