The morning call., 1892-10-24

The road agent is once more a parsonage
prominent in the eyes OF society. One very
clever member Of the fraternity has broken
out OF jaal, and viii, in the natural course
of events. soon be heard from as a robber OF
express-eaTs. Young Oliver Curtis Perry
carried out single-handed one Of the most
daring robberies known since train-robbery
began. His pluck was admirable. He did
not halt the train in the orthodox manner
He set about his robbery while the train
was going full speed, using rope-laddeT TO
get into position from which he overawed
the messenger he was man OF resources
who might be usefully employed during
wartime. When about 20 be arrested at a
station he defed the crowd with couple OF
reVolvers, jumped upon locomotive and
steamed away. BE was followed, run down
| aud captured But he has evidently no
| resignation for prison life. and prisons are
| so constructed that clever man, If given
| time. can usually bore his way out OF them.
| Perry has now fresh career for either an
| honest life or more villainy.
Il cannot do harm TO trade should the
news be true that the Pacific Mail Com
pany and the Panama Railroad Company
are about to separate. The close relation
ship between the two companies has long
been detrimental to business. and especially
so between New York and San Francisco
The isthmus has natural advantages for
traffic of which it cannot be deprived. Had
the company encouraged trade by keeping
clear of entangling engagements in the in
terest of a monopoly the flow Of business
might have been tripled. The proposed
new railroad in Honduras will be more than
double the length OF the Panama route
Provided It becomes genuinely competitive
with the Panama route some good will &C.
crue from its construction, but that is
doubtful If the Pacific Mail controls the
bargain. Still later there is prospect OF
seeing another trans-oceanic railroad in
operation across Mexico, and that is route
which the Mexican republic intends to
keep in its own hands. The hopes of I'M
fettered transportation are therefore bright
ening.
A professor OF marine architecture in the
University of Glasgow has been visiting
this country and has been in consultation
with the newly organized company which
owns the City of Paris and the City of New
York, both of which vessels he designed.
He speaks enthusiastically of our progress
in shipbuilding, both for commerce and for
war, and declares that we have no need to
90 to foreign countries for ideas. This is
an obvious conclusion to any one who re-
fleets upon the rich endowment this e0un-
try has in all the raw materials needed in
Shipbuiidng and the construction of en-
gines. We may not launch vessels as
cheaply as on the Clyde or Belfast Tough.
but in the matter of design and speed
there Is no reason why we should not sue
coed. The time has come when America
NAV hope to wrest some of the Atlantic
traffic from European competitors. 1t would
be reflection upon our enterprise IL the
present one-sided arrangement were TO be-
come permanent.
In the United States we can scarcely
realize what drain it is upon a popula-
tion's energy to require $4,000 recruits TO
join the ranks of the army per year. This
is said to be the number which Germany
now proposes to raise, being an increase of
10000. No wonder there is much agitation
as well as anxiety about the terms of the
new army bill Such an increase is not
only huge draft upon the nations man.
hood and industrial pursuits, but a
monetary tax grievance to be borne by a
country too poor to afford this luxury OF ex-
cessive soldering. The effect will be seen
in increased immigration to the United
States, where at least the Teuton is IN
disturbed by preparations tor war. The
little army we have Is in general quite suffi-
cient for its purposes. How long the
monster armament of Europe will last 1t is
come as relief when they attain the pro-
portions which they now possess.
The feat of the cavalrymen who rode
from vienna TO Berlin mas been somewhat
discounted by young English woman, who,
riding one horse. has made journey OF 22C
miles in sixty-seven and half hours. Even
this does not appear a very startling per-
Torrance. In such exploits ii Is desirable
TO know how much time is extracted for
rest. A good pedestrian might almost cover
the same distance. and certainly bicyclIst
on roads Of ordinary smoothness would not
, hesitate to undertake much longer jour-
neY 1t would be an interesting thing 10
, discover what good trotting horse could
do in week. The trotter has much greater
powers OF endurance than saddle horses,
ana IS advantaged by drawing his weight
instead of carrying it.
Rnmor is rife that the Gladstone Cabinet
} Will make an effort TO provide free break
| fast table Tor the masses in the sense of re-
moving customs duties from tea, coffee and
cocoa. 1t would certainly be a popular stroke
of policy. But there will be no redundancy
of revenue this year and soma nav no eta a,