The morning call., 1893-01-15

Garroters and wielders of sandbags are
becoming very audacOus in this city.
Hardly night passes but there are some
victims knocked down, manned and left
unconscious. Sometimes these robberies
occur at the very door Of the unfortunate
person waylaid. Garroters always hunt in
couples. or threes, and they stand about in
quiet corners on quiet streets until some
likely citizen passes by. If the citizen is
in the smallest degree under the influence
OF liquor. he is all the more easily overmas-
tered. These crimes can be suppressed IL
the law is put in operation firmly. man
may be rendered miserable throughout life
by one of these dastardly assaults. Some
physical retribution should be inflicted
upon these wrongd0eIs. Mere impTison-
ment, accom- panied by sumDtuOus meals
and large allowance of liberty, is utterly
insufficient. The Legislature might pass
law requiring garroters 20 be hogged.as we'll
as imprisoned During an epidemic OF
garroting in England, the Judges were EN-
powered to order from eighteen to three
dozen lashes with the cat-of-nine-tailS The
remedy was etfectual Those who had
once tasted the punishment kept clear OF
robbery with violence atterward.
II is said the San Francisco and Salt Lake
Railroad Company has completed its sur
veys and that ground can be broken forth
with, provided the public subscribe the
money and show confidence in the enter
prise. That, after all, is the real test Of the
situation of bringing a fresh railroad Into
California. 1t is nOU 8 buutantiy clear that
a new railroad need not be very expensive
IL honestly capitalized it may be constructed
for one-thiTd the money on which the
Southern Pacific exacts rates and fares.
Merchants must look at the situation with
an eve to the savings they will effect in the
future by obtaining their goods cheaper
They can afford to wait for the dividends
Tie transportation of goods at fair rates is
equivalent to a dividend. Thus far there is
confidence IN the enterprise. and it may be
hoped work will be pushed ahead vgor-
ously this year.
The proposal to amend the marriage law.
by requiring olemnizaiion and record, as
well as consent, is reform to be COM
mended. When marriages are secret there
is often fraud committed. The wife is
never sure that she is married, and the hus-
band is possibly in the same predeament
IL without the foregoing requirements mar
riages are null and void. a great step will
have been taken to prevent complications.
Another vessel coming round the Horn
has had a terrible time of it. She was
knocked about off Cape Horn like cork
with head westerly winds, and had mar
row escape from laundering by being
tOfONU Oh ftI Dtfin tBu9. IuCiuQibe n
period spent for repairs at Valparaiso the
total duration OF her voyage is 203 days.
At the present rates OF freight the owners
are badly out OF pocket by this voyage. A
sailing-shp rarely ventures to come through
the Straits of Magellan, where the seas are
quiet, but winds and currents are battling.
The day will come when, with the opening
of the Nicaragua canal, the Cape Horn route
will be altogether abandoned.
There seems to be good prospect for the
southern part of the State this year in send
ing oranges to- market. According to the
president of the Earle Fruit Company the
crop will attain the colossal figures of 1000
carloads. Including a large proportion of
the Washington navel variety. The oranges
of California can 0utmatch those of the
world. and at least there should be an ac-
tive demand for them all over the East.
The fruit-grower In the south has the
chance of competition in transportation
rates. That is a privilege denied to the
culiivators in the northern part OF the
State. In tie East there is also a demand
for our winter vegetables. This trade
should be encouraged. Our State has a sur
plus of food of almost every kind and much
OF it is recklessiy wasted.