The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-08-09
[ From oar Special Correapondent.l
New YORK, August s, 1888

The reigning local topic-one that
overshadows politics and puts all others
in the shade, is baseball. New York
ers at moderate estimate pay half a
million dollars year for the privilege
Of seeing the Princes of the Diamond
"slug the leathern sphere into far left
garden" as the newspaper chroniclers
poetlcally express it, and now for the
first time in five years their own pet
team are at the top of the heap. of
what account is it to us Gothamites
who becomes president, just SO our own
"Giants" walk away with the coveted
baseball pennant?
Speaking of politics, there has been
lull during the past week, but they
tell US that something will be heard to
drop in the course of very few days.
1t is only once in twelve years that
the citizens of the Metropolis have the
opportunity of voting for President,
Governor and Mayor at the same
time. Tine last time it happened was
in the Tilden campaign of '76. That
is what puts such peculiar zest into the
! fight this year, and makes every stage
of the preceding we'll worth watching
1t is too early yet for the blare Of
trumpets and the booming of heavy
artillery, but if you listen closely you
will hear the sharp rattle of the skirm
ish line, and If you handle your field
glasses properly you will see that the
armies are unusually compact and that
each has entrenched itself behind its
most formidable fortiication.
Will it be Hill for Governor? The
Mugwumps say not. If 1t is, they
contend Cleveland will lose thousands
Of votes in the State, and may be de-
teated. If it is not Hill, some of the
! dyed in the wool Democrats argue that
Cleveland will lose thousands of votes
in the State and will very likely be
defeated. There you have the situa-
ton in a nut she'll, or rather the argu-
ments of either side. But it must not
be supposed that opposition to the re
nomination Of the Governor is entirely
Mugwumpian. The county Demo
cratic leaders are not making much
fuss about the matter but the belief is
general that when the time comes for
nominating the candidate, they will
be found in the anti-Hill camp. The
Kings county Democracy it is said will
train under the same banner. Tam
+ many, on the contrary, is expected to
, stand up for the Elmira statesman.
The prospect of union of the two
local Democratic factions on city Of
fices is rather more nobulous now than
ever. There was some talk from the
Wigwam of putting up Sunset Cox iol
Mayor. 1t is very likely that he would
have been acceptable to the county
Democracy, but the versatile little
statesman pumped down fiat refusal
/, thus blighting the hopes of the union
> lists. He says he thinks Congress fits
him best after all, and he has been rat
tling around the Capitol SO long thai
i be feels lonesome anywhere else. HI
does not care to become Mayor o
New York any more than ne does tc
return to Constantinople as our Am
:. bassador to the Sublime Porte.
:. HOW "FRoTECTloN' PROTECTS.
a Congressman Ford's Committee ART
is still digging away at the immigration
inquiry and will probably spend tn
,. dog days with us prosecuting thei
q labors. The chairman himself wa
e recently called away from bis labor
y by the accidental death of his sister il
. Detroit, but the work Of Investigation
2 goes right on:
This immigration problem is per
haps the most serious, save that of tax
). alton, with which our Legislators vii
n have to grapp!e. At the rate Of 80,
r 900 month foreign emigrants, largel
d of the poorer classes, are pouring int
:, this city alone thruIgh Castle Garden
, 1t has been shown them by the inves
:, tigation that 10 Italy, Germany am
e other countries Of Europe there exis
II organized societies for the importation
} of their pauper and criminal classe
= into America. Such laws as we have O
the subject are extremely defectiv
and rarely enforced. Polish and Rus
sian Jews, Hungarians, the lowest clas
n of Germans, Austrians and Italians ar
y Systematically imported by agents c
<, the steamship companies who impos
d on their credulity by glowing account
ee of the opportunities for profitable en-
Id ploymept here. When the agent land
o. his fish at Castle Garden be gets some
d thing like s., 30 per head as his pa,
pit The Immigrant having nothing beyon
4. the few dollars requisite to pass ii
:. landing officials is given the option (
5 working for the loss under conra'
at from 20 to SO cents a day or (
being left in a stra1ge country
D ! starge. 3 --A
lis species o. protection" % i