Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-28

The excuse made By the House committee for
negiecting TO include In the river and haroor
pfi An appropriation for the improvement OF the
Potomac nats-that the title Is perhaps doubtful,
and that it would be a bad plan for the Govern
ment TO spend money on the improvement Of prop
erty which 10 Is not sure it owns-seems TO rest on
no better foundation than the omission OF the At
torney General TO answer an inquiry on that topic
sent him some weeks ago IL will devolve upon
the senate once more 70 SEM the bill back TO the
House with the desired item inserted This battle
uore and shuttlecock treatment OF matter Of
vital interest to the capital city OF the nation Is
not creditaole 20 our lawmakers The Attorney
General might II Is true. have answered the ques-
ton OF the committee more promptly, and he
probably would have done % II the committee, In
It's request for Information had specified limit OF
time within which his answer would be required
As II Ia, the bill which viii be presented to the
HOUSE contains appropriations TO the amount of
between $40 100 600 and 500, 600, 600, and-unless
II b far In advance OF any that has yet been
framed-includes a number Of little streams and
Ravens, almost wholly local in their CONNER
cid relations. and on which the Governments
nc.-v Is hardly better thar thrown away,
while the improvement most sorely needed In front
OF the only city ruled by the whole nation is liz.
n0red- There IL no good reason why the House
committee should be so frightened at the pugaboo
Of these shadowy claims as to place any obstacle
In the way OF this important Improvement The
section OF the river upon which these claims rested
or over which they foated has already been filed
IN under the opinion OF the Attorney General that
they were no bar to the prosecution OF the work
The improvement OF the sections Of the fats about
which there Is no dispute whatever should not be-
delayed Until the work is fully completed there
Will be danger from Hoods TO the land already re-
claimed A haggling. Quibbliny, procrastinating
policy may lose TO the city and the nation the
feu NJ huu r,ads of OF
ready spent, and postpone indefinitely this mag
niacent improvement
King Frederick III. OF Prussia is at work, so It IS
said, on constitution for his people OF which the
chief feature promises TO be more liberal organ
Hation for the herrenhaus or house OF peers The
abuses which have sprung up In that body since &c
became q mere mouthpiece OF the throne are
enough 10 stir the blood OF a sovereign as broad
minded as Frederick. but the fact that the
persistent warfare waged In the court
circle against his wife and her English
influence Is traceaole largely to the machin-
ations Of the leading members Of this upper legs-
latiye chamber, has added rest TO ms purpose to
make q sweeping reform. Meanwhile The political
eartoonists are busy, and turning out scurrilors
caricaturcs Of the King and queen by the cart
lOad 10 the delight of a certain part OF the popu-
lace. Why this sort OF thing is allowed under the
very nose OF Prince Bismarck who once refused a
the German mails because II made sport Of him.
self on particularly sensitive point is incompre-
hensible on any theory other than that the chan
ceilor has seen the error OF his ways or that the
new ruler sets out on his reign with some very
modern ideas in regard to the liberty Of the press
n the sccount given by Marshal Meade of hts
treatment by the Mexican authorities Is correct |
Minister Bragg will not have to wait long for ex-
perienee In the art OF practical diplomacy. The
marshal says, in brief, that he was notified OF a !
train robbery on American territory, summoned |
posse and started In pursuit OF the thieves. The
latter crossed the border and he and his men fol-
lowed Although aware that 1t would cost them |
good deal OF valuable time and possibly lose them
their game, they went out OF their way TO q
Mexican frontier settlement, sought out the ON
Gers In authority and reported what they had
done. MI. Meade even offered II he could get the
Mexicans 10 hunt down the robbers to joln In the
chase and TO pay all Its expenses. The only re-
Spouse was the prompt arrest OF himself and his
party. They were detained fourteen days, obliged
10 pay for their own board at exorbitant rates,
and then had their horses and arms conflscated,
and had 20 work their way back to American soil
As best they could This certainly seems to be a
case Tor careful scrutiny BY the state Department
The Presidents message recommending leRis-
lation for the exclusion of French and German
swine from American ports will not create a great
stir in the pork market here. In the year 1887 the
pork products imported into the United states
were too Insignificant in amount to be specially
classified In the statistical tables and the total
import Of meat products for the twelve months
only slightly exceeded four hundred thousand
dollars In value. During the same period the live
swine brought here from other countries were
included In general classification Of .all others
as distinguished from CATTLE horses and sheep,
and the value OF the total did not reach three
hundred thousand dollars. such a discrimination
As the President proposes, nevertheless would be
gratifying 70 the patriotic feelings OF many Amer.
leans, who have not forgotten The unjust treat
ment of American swine and pork by the two
nations specially aimed at
The Bell telephone decision has nowhere aroused