Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-24

testimony Of two comrades was not given.
Commissioner Tanner has granted the pen.
sion and says in such cases the testimony of
one man is sufficient. There are hundreds
of cases like these and it is for such that
Commissioned Tanner is being so severely
criticised and that suoh q combination
has been formed to hound him
meritorious tho case, ran the office In the
interests of red tape technicalities, reform
and free trade. Corporal Tanner, If the
case is meritorious, cuts through the red
tape and technicalities, and orders the man
paid.
WILL KEMMIER HANG.
The general impression among New York
men who have been in Washington within
the last week is that Kemmler, tho Buffalo
murderer, will escape death by electricity.
1t is the general belief that the agitation of
the subject of electrical executions which
has occupied the attention of electricians to
such an extent lately, will result in convinc-
ing the courts that the New York state ex.
ecution law is unconstitutional, and that
under the present state of electrical science
it is more than probable that the punishment
can be considered cruel and unusual,
This case, which owes It's celebrity to the
fact that 1t is unique, has succeeded in bring
Ing to the front young Buffalo lawyer and
in placing his name in almost every
Charles Hatch, the attorney for the
condemned man, was few years ago
an universalist minister. He abandoned the
cloth for the study of law during the term
of his brother as district attorney for the
county of Erie. His connection with the
courts in his home city soon brought him
into very good practice, and when he was
assigned to defend Kemmler his opportunity
was complete. The connection of the Hon.
w. Bourke Cochran the eloquent ex-member
of congress from New York city, with the
case, promises to to make it one Of the most
interesting in the annals of crime in New
York state when the argument shall be made
before the court of appeals. Kemmler, the
murderer, will undoubtedly suffer for his
crime, but he will probably eventually die
by strangulation instead of electricity. AT
least that seems to be the opinion of lawyers
and laymen in Washington from New York
state
TO REGULATE EXPRESS COMPANIES
A very decided effort is to be made in con-
gress the coming session to extend
the interstate commerce law so that 1t
will take in the express companies. While
that law has compelled railroads to carry
freight for short distance for as low a rate
as it carries it for a longer one over the
same route, the express companies are still
exempt, and their extortions are still car
ried on.
A case in point, which will be used as a
strong argument why these powerful corpor
ations should be brought within the pur-
view of the interstate commerce law was
brought to light recently. Two shipments of
gOOuS were maze on INC same uay, eaCn
shipment weighing seventy-five pounds.
Both packages went over the same route,
but one came to its destination sixteen
miles nearer Washington than the other,
1t happened that the package going TO the
nearer place was destined for small town
in which there was no competing express
company The rate charged for the package
going the longer distance was Sl.50; that 60
ing over the shorter distance was So. 40.
There is no earthly reason, except the greed
of IN q yuh m
happens to live in town which has only one
railroad passing through it should be COM
PEELED to pay 80 cents more than his neighbor
living in more populous place for exactly
the same character of service.
Thousands of instances of this character
could be cited to show that the express COM
panies are fit subjects for national legislation,
and if the interstate commerce law is consti-
tutional so far as it applies to the regulation
of railroad freight and passenger traffic, it is
certainly applicable to those other common
carriers who do their business over these
same railroads.
HALF-CENT COINAGE TALK.
The movement in behalf of the recoinage
of the half-cent piece, which seems to have
started up in New England, does not appear
to meet with very prompt support in Wash
ington. Among the few members of con-
gress who are now in the city the idea has
not been seized upon with much eagerness,
and the treasury officials have not demon
strated any desire to recommend to congress
the legislation necessary to bring the coin
into use.
While the one cent coin of the United
States as the minimum token of value has a
greater face value than many of the coins of
European powers, there has never been any
demand for dividing into halves by the peo-
pie generally, In fact it was only within a
very few years that the one cent coin itself
has come into general circulation throughout
the entire area embraced within the limits
of the republic. While the movement in be-
half of the reissue of fractional paper cur
rency may be successful before long, it is
not at all probable that the half cent scheme
will attract enough attention to put it on
successful footing in congress for many
years yet, if it ever does.
PoRVER ON BUTLER.
When Admiral Porter was asked tonight
If he intended to reply to General Buffers
last attack, he replied:
mo. 1 have nothing to say. The way to
hurt Ben most is not to notice him."
UNIQUE ALTAR
Lincoln post No, 8, G. A. Il. of this city,
has perhaps the most unique altar of any G..
A. r. post in the country. This altar, which
| is both novel in construction and beautiful
| in design, Is a number of cannon balls. upon
which is placed thin platform. Upon this
has been placed two large drums, parchment
| up, fanked on the ends by knapsacks,
| blankets up, with knapsacks filling the
| interstices made by the curvIng faces of the
| drums. The commanders desk Is similarly
constructed Lincoln post is the largest in
| this department, having 525 members.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Colonel Frank Wheaton, Second infantry,
commanding the army post at Fort Omaha,
| Neb., IS spending short leave in this city.
Mr. +. w. Treat was appointed compost
| tor in Ramsey's division.
A Large Deficiency.