The morning call., 1890-09-28

Catch questions viii not receive any attention.
NO opinion Will be given in this column regard
ing the reliability or character OF any person or
firms in this city or elsewhere.
Questions, answers TO which are In the nature
OF an advertisement, Will not be answered.
Every inquiry must have the true and full
name OF the sender, as well as the correct resi-
dence. Any inquiry that has not the cor
rect name and address OF the sender Will
be treated as IL 1t was not signed, and the
writer need not expect answer.
HssfANTI-PoLYGAMY LAws-D. K. H..
{EAfa Montville Col. Senator Edmunds
4<A Anti Polygamy Bill was intro
duced in the Forty-seYenth Congress,
passed by the Senate in February, 1882,
by the House on March 14th, and ap-
proved by the President eight days
after. The special features of the bill, be-
sides re-enacting the then existing statutes
against plurality of wives, were the olsen
franchising of the offenders and the eStab-
lishment of board of five persons, invested
with pienary powers over the registration OF
voters, the polling of votes and the canvass
ing OF returns. The act was upheld by the
United States Supreme Court in decisions
rendered on March 90, 1885, in series of
five cases, in which the right of the Commits
soners to exercise the powers conferred UNI
der the. act was contested. The bill
was enforced with as much vigor as
possible, but it was felt that it was
insufficient for the case, and a more stringent
measure introduced by the same author
passed the, Senate on January g.. 1856.
amending the act of 1882. The judiciary
Committee of the House reported this meas
ure In January, 1887, with substitute.
which was slightly amended on motion OF
John Randolph Tucker of Virginia and
passed without division. The Senate nom
cOncurred in the House amendments on
a Zoo
was appointed, which on February 10Th rec
commended the passage of combination uf
the two bills called the Edmunds-T Tucker
bill, sections Is to 18 inclusive OF which re-
late to lands or property. The House
adopted the report on February 18th, by q
vote OF 2O2 ayes, 40 noes, IS not voting, and
on the following day the Senate-S ayes,
Ii noes, % absent-and the measure became
law without the approval of the President.
1t annulled all Territorial acts incorporating
the Church of Latter-day Saints, and also
the Perpetual Emigration Fund Company,
and empowered the AttOrney-General to
dissolve the said corporations and wind them
up by process of law AS these corpora
tionS controlled large wealth and through
them the MormOnS were enabled to carry on
their proSelyting work with great success
their abolition was felt to be the most effect
i've blow that could be struck against the
continuance OF the Mormon religion. In
lawyers who prepared the bill asserted
" that it is no violation of the Constitution
of the United States or of the principles of
civil liberty or religious tolerance upon
which this Government Is founded" though
Senator Call Of Florida took quite the oppo-
site view. An appeal to the United States
Supreme Court on the constitutionality OF
the act was taken, and the Judgment OF the
Territorial District Court Of Utah affirming
It's legality was sustained.
THE USE OF FoRKs-J. W., Alameda, CAL
Forks were introduced into England in the
sixteenth century. The custom Of using
them was introduced from Italy. In the
Travels Of Thomas Coryate of Odecomb
near Yeoyil," 1911, essays: "The Italians,
and also most strangers that are commorant
in Italie, doe alwaies at the meales use a
little forke when they cut the meate. For
while with their knife which they hold in
one handle, they cut the meate out of the dishe,
they fasten their forke, which they hold in
their other handle, upon the same diShe.
Queen Elizabeth was the first English SOW
ereign to use fork. Her mobiles aud people
thought it n piece OF great affectation on
her part, and the example was only very
scantily followed. So great was the preju-
dice against their use, even among educated
people, that a bold divine of those days
preached a sermon against the practice of
using them, saying sit was an insult to the
Almighty not to touch ones meat with ones
fingers" Forks, however, came slowly into
use; but even so late as the reign of George
| they were so little known that but few
inns provided them for the use of guests, so
that it was customary in travelling to carry
portable knife and fork in case.
THE SALE OF LAND-R. E., Oakland, Cal
The first sale of land Of which there is any
known record is that mentioned in the 23d
chapter of Genesis. The transaction ap-
pears to have been simple. Abraham wished
to buy field for burial place for his
wife. Ephrou, the owner, valued it at
400 sheckels-ahout S2J0-and this amount
went to the gate of the city and weighed the
money. which he paid in the presence of
all that went in at the gate of the city,"
This simple ceremony, without the interview
ton of lawyers or other officials, made " the
field and the cave that was therein, and all
the trees that were in the field, and in all the
borders round about" sure unto Abraham
for possession.
BoARDING-HoUsE LAw-B. II. K, City.
The law relating to hotels, inns, etc, passed
by the Legislature as its last session is as
follows:
SECTION /. Any person who obtains any food
or accommodation at an lun or boarding h0Oe
without paying therefor, with Intent TO defrand
the proprietor or manager thereof, or who OBJ
tains credit at an Inn or boarding house by the
use OF any false pretense. or who, after obtain
ing credit or accommodation at any lnn or board.
ing house, abscouds and surrepiitlously removes
his baggage therefrom without paying for his
food or accommodation, is guilty OF u misde
mean0r
FLOOD AND O'BRIEN-O. T., City. The
late James c. Flood and William S. O'Brien
were pioneers and in 1919 were living on
a corner of Pacific aud Mason streets. In
1850 Mr.. O'Brien was a dealer in produce,
then very profitable business, and after
that he became proprietor of the United
States Hotel. Then he went into business
with his old time friend, Flood, and was en-
gagged in that business on Washington street
at the time the Washoe excitement broke
out.
PEELERs p. o., City. The term
"peeler," applied to policeman, is an
English one. In 1929 the Metropolitan Po-
lice Force of England was established by an
act OF Parliament, and the force was organ
lied by Mr., afterward Sir Robert, Peel. At
first the members of the force were nick
nanred Bobbies," diminutive of the
Christian name of the organizer, and after
that they were called "peelers." because
they were selected by Peel.
PRINCESS ALICE DIsAsTER-P. K, City.
On the 80 OF September, 1875 the Princess
Alice, an excursion steamer on the Thames,
carrying 700 passengers, mostly families
with mothers and children was run into by
the iron serew-collier Bywell Castle and
nearly GOO persons were drowned within five
minutes, only about 100 being saved.
EFFECT OF SILVER CoINAGE-G. S. D.,
City. Your queries concerning the effect of
silver coinage on savings bank deposits and
whether with increased discount the coin
deposits will be repaid in gold or silver
were submitted to well-known banker, who
confessed his present Inability TO answer
them. What he could not do the O. C. will
not attempt.
LEE All CHUcK-F. H., City. Lee All
Chuck was not hanged for the murder COM
mitted by him. He was twice sentenced to
be hanged, but on the third trial granted him
by the Supreme Court he was found guilty
of murder in the second degree and SEN
fenced to imprisonment at San Quentin for
fifty years.
Otis AN I'LL WIND"-W. J. B., Redding,
Cal. "'Iis an i'll wind that blows nobody
any good" is probably taken from Five
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