The morning call., 1892-03-12

on the American continent We have SUBJ
jugated the Indians, and we initiate them
into our civilization on the reservations;
the roaming buffalo has been replaced by
the peaceful steer; wild animals of the
fierce kind are disappearing fast, and the
last wolf and the last bear will be shot
down some day. But the sparrow has taken
up its abode with us and means to stay.
Originally introduced because of its risky,
fearless and familiar ways, it has now be-
come obnoxious because of its vast num-
bers ana its appalling depredations in the
wheat-fetdS and barns. Illinois may give
up the forl0rn task of determination in de-
spair. Nearly half million of the impu-
dent aud audacious creatures have been
killed in three months for the reward of
cents head and the effect on the lively
flights remaining IS hardly noticeable.
Some other remedy is possible. Why not
encourage the breeding of owls. They
would be servceable at least in the twilight
hours. The hawk tribe should also be pro-
tected from the fowler's shotgun.
Comparatively little complaint is made Of
the sparrow in England itself. 1t is numer-
Gus and aggressive, of course, and very fond
of home in the farmers stockyard. as we'll
as in the caves of city houses, but whether
by cats or owls or climatic conditions it is
kept down. and is not quite the intolerable
pest 1t has become with Us. All expert
ments in accmatization should be under
taken with caution. The rabbit In Aus
tralia is one of the terrible exam
upon the increase of rabbits has been dis
| covered at the Antip0des. Pasteur offered
to take the matter up but was not allowed
free hand. The importation of weasles
and ferrets has proved detrimental to hen
roosts, and bunny has not been seriously
driven from his pastures. Poison is a
dangerous expedient. both for sparrows
and rabbits, because domestic animals also
| partake of food thus made deadly. There
| are no natural checks against the excessive
| propagation Of the rabbit in Australia, and
| 1t has come to be as much dreaded as a
plague of rats. II has. however, provided
! the Australians with a canning export
| trade.
If the facts are as represented, a new
| trick in smuggling was revealed in Chicago
the other day. The allegation is that lady
who owns a cOstuming business on Fifth
avenue, New York. and branch establish
| ment in Chicago, was in the habit of going
10 London and inducing employees to emil
| CRATE under promises of work and liberal re-
Enumeration. and when they sailed handed
| over 10 them. as part OF their baggage Osten-
| sibly, trunks filled with dutiable goods,
| which were afterward passed through the
| customs. Perhaps there was no positive
| engagement OF the persons so emierating to
| bring their case within The contract law,
/ shown by subsequent employment The
| real motive, ii is alleged, was to smuggie.
y young woman who has five trunks in her
| possession may not apparently have too ex-
| pensive a wardrobe in these days of violent
| struggle to live up to the fashions, and i'll
| the usual bewitching manner she may per-
suade the officers TO clear her baggage with
| only glance at the surface-layers. but 1t is
quite another thing when the trunks and
| their contents belong to some one else craft
| lily hoodwinking the Government. Snug
Cling never can be eXtinguished, but looked
at morally it is simply form of cheating.
Too much credence should not be at
tached to the alarInlst lingo reports that
reach US from London on the Bering Sea
| question. Correspondents and editors must
| write on something, and too often the bell
| clinks what the fool thinks. 1t is very diff
I cult in England to get at authentic official
| information privately, and especially from
| the Foreign Office. No man In authority
| will talk indisereetly and wildly about
| threats or intentions. and as all the under
| ling officials are permanent they are chary
| Of utterances which might bring down CEN
| sure upon them. Club gossip flows and
| ebbS, and is also unreliable. The best indi-
| cations OF ministerial attitude are afforded
| in Parliament ITSELF where, ii questions are
! shaped properly. they must be answered by
| Ministers. To suppose that Lord Salisbury
| VIII at this stage withdraw from arbitra-
| ton under the belief that his change of
policy would be popular with the country
is TO carry credulity to the verge of blind
| ness. Whatever a few rabid Tory poll
ticians of no responsibility may be. the Eng
| llSh people as people are friends of Amer
| lea. and Lord Salisbury would but court
| defeat 10y empty iingOism.