The morning call., 1893-12-22

a iuhntuVeT 10 hamper progress With the
Nicaragua canal. Any project of trans
portation the least plausible is warmly
recommended which may take public at
tentlon off the one great achievement
which would improve traffic between the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 1t is quite
clear there is no need of both ship rail-
way and canal. The canal must be
made. and when opened il would stop
business on any ship railway. No ship
owner would care 10 run the risks OF
stralnlng his vessel under haulage when
he could for less money and with absolute
safety send 1t through a deep-water canal
without delay. The railway is perhaps
quite feasible. Engineers would make it
successful, but they would have hard
TASK during certain seasons to carry a
great ocean liner or battle-ship through.
lt is safe to say the railway will never be
made. 1t might have had chance were
the canal out of the way.
The telegram from the Governor and
other officials of Utah that poygamy is
dead and is condemned by the church so
strongly that Its votsries would be ex-
communicated will have to be judged of in
relation TO other evidence of the condition
Of morals in the Territory. The Mormons
are possibly sincerely repentant for two
reasons. They cannot maintain the pecu-
liar institution without getting into
trouble at present, and have not the
power to uphold it against the revolt of
remonstrant wives, who will no longer be
the slaves Gf the saints. They also see
clearly that Utah can never be State un-
less II renounces the abh0rrent practice
and from the worldly point of view they
would prefer to emerge from territorial
pupiage. 1t would Do very awkward.
however, If polygamy were not dead and
Utah entered the union of States.
The situation in Hawaii is not opera
bouffe, as some may be inclined to think.
A resOlute front is presented by the Pro-
visiOnal Government in defense of what it
deems its rights. When the Corwin was
sighted off Honolulu the bell on shore
sounded, and every man in the fighting
force of President Dole's Government was
under arms IN tWinkling. What would
have been the consequences If United
States marines had been landed may be
lett 10 conjecture. There might have been
warm Work.
A railway from Salt Lake to Los An
geles is promised. If there is more than
promise in it the State should be delighted.
Once it got to Los Angeles, there might
be some lnducement TO come to San Fran
cisco. Meanwhile, the trading CON-
munity is not likely to desert the North
American Navigation Company, which
keeps the sea route open, and is as effective
In competition as an overland trunk road.
President Harrison does not exaggerate
when he says the working people of the
United States generally reject the teach
ings of anarchy. The anarchists are with
little exception filled from the ranks OF
foreigners who have known something of
repression and deprivation of political lib
erty in the mother country. There is
little likelihood of our wage-earning classes
drifting into property destrOyers. In every
State there are thousands who own their
own homes, and very large percentage
have money in the banks. The carpenters.
masons, engineers and mechanics o. Europe
very rarely get the length of owning
house. and in old age large proportion
become dependents
The cruiser New York has achieved the
triumph of being able to cross the sill of
drydock, but she had little margin to go
upon. The captains toes might have been
crushed by the keel had he been able to
watch the operation below water. 1t is.
after all. not of so much consequence tn at
she should be an inch or two deeper in the
water than was reckOned upon. The great
requirement Is that she should be other
wise up to contract outside drydock.
The grip is doing deadly work abroad.
tits general in the large cities of England,
and has not spared the members of Par
lament. who are now anxious TO get
through their work lest worse befall. In
the press gallery OF Parliament there are
many victims. All the reporting CORPS
are weak, and the various correspondents
who gossip on politics and the tattle cf the
lobby are LAID up. The doctors are busy
everywhere, but they do not seem to have
got at the secrets of the inalady yet. 1t
comes and goes as through a keyhoIe and
there is very little to be done but stop
work, lie in bed and keep warm.
The relief measures to provide work for
the unemployed of San Francisco are TAX
ing shape in proper manner. By the
careful registration which is now proceed
ing it will soon he ascertained who are the
deserving AID willing, and how mapy
there are. There is abundance of charity
in the city and It will flow toward such an
object IL there is the certainty that the
money will be well spent in relieving
genuine distress. That is the point which
must be kept in view.
Frederick May almost owes his adventur-
GUS career, his doughty deeds of valor and
heroism, to the fact that he thrashed
policeman in New York ten years ago.
He fled and exercised his prowess in direc-
tions altogether commendable and worthy
of special commemoraton in medals. His
courage in Chile was OF great service TO his
countrymen. and his feat in saving the
lives of seven shipwTecked persons on
board the steamer John Elder was noble.
The policeman may in fact be proud of
having been thrashed by such man, and
a fine of $500 on plea of guilty is suffi-
cient atonement. But not every one who
wollops policeman would do likewise,
and 1t would be rash to in fer that heroism
is an inherent quality in the genus
The saying, "Like good wine, it need s
no bush." has hardly any meaning in
America from customs. 1t has really a
pagan derivation connected with the
worship of Baechus. A bush was hung
over the places where drink was sold, and
in parts Of Europe this custom still pre-
walls. 1t is common throughout Brittany
in France TO see great boughs of mistletoe
suspended over the doors Of wayside
auberges. Not one in a hundred knows or
thinks about the origin Of the custom, and
1t is somewhat remarkable relic of pa
ganism III province which cingS de-
a. r.