Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-05-16

The utterance OF the New York democratic state
convention on the subject OF President Clevelands
administration Is cautiously guarded IN its refer
ence TO the tariff question Even the whole of the
Presidents lOw-tarin message Is not frankly ap-
proved but only "the doctrines that un-
necessary taxation is unjust taxation; that taxa
tiOn benenting the few at the ex-
pense OF the many Is peryersion OF
the national power" that the correc-
tion OF the evils Indicated viii be the best
thing for American industry and the public inter-
ests generally; that the Treasury surplus Is q
menace TO trade; and that, ain reducing taxation
the interest OF American labor should be carefully
regarded" But the SPECIFIC recommendations OF
the message are ignored. and the convention had
apparently never heard OF the Mills bill These
are significant omissions. New York state has IN
dustrtes dependent largely on the protective
tam for their prosperity, In which hundreds
VI millions OF dollars are invested AT least two
members OF the Large to ST. Louis
financially Interested In these conceIns- 1t would
have been, perhaps TOO much for human nature
10 ask the democratic party OF the state to come
out fairly and squarely In favor OF so radical a
measure as the Mills blu The whole party could
AFFORD 10 shout aloud for tarin reform, and for the
President who urged It; but the form OF its ap-
prevail might apply with equal force TO the Ran
dali DILL or to any other which would reduce taxa
ton or dispose OF the surplus in the Treasury.
What point the exact sciences have reached
shown In very striking manner by the lively
discussion In progress among astronomers con-
cerniHg the origin and character or the canals
believed TO have been discovered In the planet
Mars. That they are canals, and not rivers Is
assumed by Schiapparelli and Perrotin from the
fact that they are parallel, straight, and that
they increase in plumber between the periods
Of observation, qualities not found In any natural
system OF water courses known TO US. But along
comes Prof. Proctor with his blunt British skep-
UciSm and attacks this pretty theory by showing
that, II the rivers OF the planet were overhung for
part Of the year, with a heavy mist, the appear
ance TO the eye OF an observer on the earth would
be just Ike that which led the continental as
trOnOmer5 TO assert the existence OF artificial
channels Some IOrce Is added to this argument,
moreover, by the circumstance that although
Mars Is only about onesixth the size OF the earth.
the supposed canals are one and two thousand
miles long and from nifty 70 eighty miles wide. To
bnng TINS home 10 the mind Of the reader, let him
imagine the planet Mars expanded TO the size OF the
earth, and the United States laid out upon its
surface; then let him fancy a canal artificially
constructed as wide as the state OF Pennsylvania
and extending lengthwise the full width OF the
United states from ocean 10 Ocean-and nOtmerely
one such canal but series OF them following par
allel lines. Another comparison Is suggested-not
10 emphasize simply the dimensions OF the canals,
but to indicate the hugeness OF the work of con-
structing them. We have learned to regard
the SueZ Canal, regardless OF the sand bed
through which most OF the excavation was made
as a splendid engineering feat Yet that is only
100 miles long and 5 feet wide at the widest part
OF the surface, and 1t took something like fifteen
years 70 build, with the best mechanical appn-
ances in use in this golden age OF invention.
What must be the strength and skill OF the IN
haoitants OF our little sister planet If they can
turn out one or more artificial water-ducts each
twenty times longer and twelve hundred times
broader than the suez Canal, during each period
Of three years In which their work is hid from our
1nspectioni For the present, 1t Is pretty safe to
say that plain, practical people Will accept Pro-
lessor ProctOrs theory In preference to that OF
Schiapparelu and Parrotin.