The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-09-27
RANDOM SHOTS.

NeW spaper no W dearly lOVes sensation
Newspaper Row had one during the past
week, one which stirred It from one end to-
the other, sensation which formed the
burden OF many special and was sown broad
cast over the country in paragraph sent out
by the all-embracing press associations. 1t
was romantic" story, ending In a tragedy.
1t was not new story-only the old one Of
love anu passion and death. An old story--a
woman dead, man dishonored. The closing
OF her eyes In death opened the eyes of the
world TO his double life. And she had in
tended that It should. The strange change
which made the poet exclaim "Hell hath no
fury like woman scorned,' had come over
her. Deserted, she sought peace in the grave,
laying bare her own life that the world might
see the secrets of his. Truly IA subtle and
most womanly revenge. The story has been
told In all the newspapers, but told as one
performs an unpleasant duty. There was no
vivid coloring, no wori-painting, no adiec-
uves. No essays were read to the public, no
lecturing was INDUCED In. No attempt was
made to compel this tragedy to adorn tale
or point moral. Only the bare facts were
laid before the public. No effort was made
to sway opinions or arouse the prejudices of
the public. There was no trial by newspaper.
Why! Because the man in the case was him
self a newspaper man, the associate, the COM
panion, the comrade Of the men whose painful
task it was to chronicle the story of hie
wrong-doing. One touch of nature makes the
knows the meaning Of the poets utterance.
Balmaceda, defeated, is dead by his own
hand, execrated by his countrymen and his
name byword among the nations. Diaz,
successful, is supreme in his own land and
honored throughout the world. And yet Bal
maceda only tried to do what Diaz did, He
failed and is suffering the penalty of failure.
Dtaz reached the presidency only after years
of rebellion and revolution. He 'pro-
nounced" against the Government of Juarez,
the Washington of Mexico, and drove Lerdo,
the lawful successor of Juarez, from the pres
idency and into exile. Thus he became presi-
dent When his first term expired he retired
for one term until he could be constitution
ally elected again, putting his own man, Con
zales, in to keep the seat warm. When his
second term expired he did not retire again.
He had the constitution changed so as to
permit him to be legally elected his own sue
cessor. The scheme worked admirably in his
case, but it failed miserably in Balmaceda's,
and the world, worshiper of success that 1t is,
has no forgiveness for failure.
So the United States Government is going
to join in a naval demonstration against
China, to compel the Chinese Government to
protect foreign missionaries in the Middle
Kingdom. We ought to be pretty well con-
WINGED by this time that Christian mission
aries are welcomed among the Celestials very
much as Chinese are welcomed amongst us.
Suppose the Chinese and Italian Govern
ments had Joined In demonstration against
us to compel US to protect the subjects of the
Emperor of China and the King of Italy liv-
ing in this country. How would we have
liked that? And why is sauce for the Chinese
goose not sauce for the American gander?
Again, why this tender regard for mission
aries on the part of people who stand calmly
by and permit missionaries of another
religion to be maltreated, whipped, tarred
and feathered ridden on rails, and driven out
of the country with threats OF worse If they
dare to return? And these not members OF
an allen and hated race, but of our own. Is
There no lesson Of toleration to be learned in
the history OF Mormonism? The story of the
Normons, driven from Ohio to Missouri, from
Missouri to Illinois, and from Illinois over
trackless plains and through rugged mountain
ranges to the sage deserts of Utah, whose
territory at that time belonged to a foreign
country, surely should teach us moderation
in judging the Chinese in their attempts to
expel from their country a class whom they
hate as much as but probably not any more
than we do the Mormons
When the Italian Government complained
that some OF the subjects of the King of Italy
has been put to death by amob for crime of
which they had been pronounced not guilty
by a jury OF court Of law of the State OF
Louisiana and demanded redress therefor, how
quickly we-thati is, the General Government
sought shelter behind our dual system of
government, and how loudly we disclaimed
all responsibility for OF control over the mob
1t was State affair, we said, and Louisiana
alone had Jurisdiction. Italy knew nothing
Of Louisiana. There was no treaty between
Italy and Louisiana. There was treaty be-
tween Italy and the United States in which
we agreed to see that the subjects of the King
OF Italy residing or sojourning in this country
should be protected. But when the occasion
arose we shuifled and said we could do
nothing because iJ was matter affecting
Louisiana alone. No wonder Italy was dis
gusted. AS for us,.we complacently damned
the ignorance of the foreigners. They ought
to understand our institutions. Well, here
comes In another case of sauce for the goose
being sauce for the gander. China, too, has
a. peculiar and complicated system.
Why should the Chinese change their
ways to please the ''foreign devils 2"
They got along very well without us for some
thousands OF years, and would be glad to try
to do so again. In short, as we exclude the
Chinese, why shouldn't the Chinese ex-
clude US?
The Hams verdict continues to be a sub
ject OF comment, mostly denuncatory. |
think myself that young Hams should now
be pulling ball and chain around, instead of
carrying a cane up and down Connecticut
avenue. Nevertheless don't see any burn
Ing occasion for denouncing the jury. The
trouble Is that the prosecution tried to do too
much They insisted that the verdict must
and could only be either conviction of mur-
der In the first degree or acquittal. 1t was
acqulttal. Then was seen q singular spec
a of laoe lv,6{ 90