The morning call., 1893-11-03


port arrive with very few passengers.
considerable proportion of travellers ap-
pear to prefer the northern route. This
is not as it should be. but travellers have
their vagaries and assert their lndepend-
ence. Had there been legitimate competi-
ton from San Francisco across the Paclnc
the type OF steamers in use would long
ago have been improved. Even the City
OF Peking, elegant as she was when she
came aronnd the Horn. is somewhat out
OF date. San Francisco should also be the
leading port for Australia. The Hawaiian
route is preferable TO that through the
Suez canal and Red Sea, and Australian
travellers do not hesitate 10 say so. Ihe
Red Sea is almost unendurabl because OF
iurnace-like heat. untempered Dy oreath
Of cooling wind. Passengers have dread
ful experience, and those who are In poor
health are much prostrated. When the
Nicaragua canal is finished good deal OIL
the Suez traffic will be diverted.
Arrangements for the Midwinter Fair
are advancing so well that 1T will evil
Gently be- nice question what to accept
from exhibitors and what to reject. There
cannot be room for all who show a desire
to come. This augurs we'll for fair con-
tanning very little of paltry or meretr-
ciOus character. Despite the 1000 miles
of distance between Chicago and San
Francisco the exhibitors there are vnlun-
teering to send portion of their exhibits
here with remarkable eagerness. The
European countries can have very little
o bjection to come further west as goods
can aflerward be shipped by sea II not
sold. The fair will thus be means Of
ditfusing in formation as to California in
cause cf the greater distance Of this coast
from tie ports where immigrants land.
California profits very little from the i'm
migration tide. The weathier class Of
settlers who have money enough to take
up land may receive encouragement from
the fair to regard California with favor.
An exhibition in winter is novelty, both
In the United States and Europe. and that
of itself will produce good impression
The Traffic Association is about 10
make an effort to increase the capital of
the North American Navigation Company.
This, on the face of it, should be az easy
task, for the excellent reason that without
competition by sea our merchants would
be again exposed to eXtortloD. The COM
pany's steamers have saved hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars on transportation
rates both directly and indirectly. by COM
pelling the railroads 10 modify their de
manGs. Undoubtedly the result is bene
fetal to trade. II was very troublesome
thing to establish the Panama route Oh an
indei endent footing, by getting rid of the
Pacific Mail and it would be a ludicrous
example of folly to allow matters 10 re-
turn to their old groove. There will be
money enough to enter upon new con-
tract when this one expires, II our mer-
chants have not lost their senses. The
products of California are now OF char
acter to support such a line OF steamers
with all the freight they need, and the
tendency is to expand in our fruit and
wine tr de. Ten or twenty years hence
wheat will be needed at home, IL grown at
all in this State.
The Matabeles are so sadly worsted by
the Mashonalanders that they are COM
pletely at the mercy of the Chartered Com
pany's forces. The c0mpany's agents have
contrived to make Lo Bengula the ostensi-
BILE aggressor, and yet In verify the very
opposite is the fact. The greed Of terri
tory and the policy of founding new colo
nies in the only continent now open to the
European nations give the only real ex-
PLANTATION of hostilities. Mercy will show
itself in the appropriation of the fairest
| portion of this ha bitab BILE, temperate re-
| In abundance. Most of the invading force
consists of volunteers who have sharp eye
| for their own interests. 1t Is curious fact
| that Lo BeDgula five years ago sent COM
mission OF natives t. Europe to report on
the home Of the people who we're crossing
his borders. They visited England and
saw a great deal of the country, about
which they presented wonderful report.
but the Matabees doubted everything
| they SAID about cities, ships and masses of
people, and to this day probably LO Ben
! gula has notion that iron steamers must
be propped up from the bottom of the
| ocean.
The fighting in South Africa illustrates
in very black contrast the superiority OF
modern weapons of precision and rapidity
of fire over mere bravery assisted by
spears. The Matabeles attack with as
segais in the manner Of the Zulus by
making a lush. If they have cover this
rush may be effective in breaking the
| lines or a square, especially IL the troops
be raw and panickv. but IL the latter have
nerve to keep their ranks and continue
| firing the slaughter is frlghtful. 1t must
have been murderOus work TO shoot down
5000 of these dusky Matabeles and only
have few men wounded with assegais in
return. 1t is not fighting to be proud OF.
any more than bringing down q herd of
| buffalo.
The trainhands who relentlessly turn
tramps off the cars when stealing ride
have some redeeming qualities of chivalry.
Between Portland and Sacramento three
women who are in search OF employment
and have only the misfortune to be poor
climbed upon freight train and began
their journey south. When the brake
men made their rounds they politely
doffed their caps to the fair sex, and in
stead of compelling them to alight did
what they could to render the journey
| easy.
PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT.