The morning call., 1893-01-04

a good deal of unnecessary fuss is being
made over the failure Of the Galla to come
to the sneeor of the Umbria. Both vessels
belong TO the same line. Had the Gallia
come to the aid of the Umbra the salvage
services would have been the same as those
earned by another vessel. A ship at sea is
in the hands OF its captain. He acts in cases
of emergency for all concerned. lie is
jointly agent for owners, conslgnors, pas
seBgers and Insurance companies. Wnen
his vessel breaks down he is Invested with
supreme responsibility His first care is
the safety of life and then of cargo. But
steamer Of the same line coming TO his
assistance is no more than steamer OF
another line. The salvage may be claimed
for service by the one as by the other up to
dollar
Four cases of cholera are reported at Dun
kirk in France. A number of cases have
occurred at Hamburg. and Russia is
breeding ground of cholera with little hope
Of amelioration in the coming spring. If
we are to keep cholera out of the United
States the measures resorted to must be
vigorous. 1t so happens that we are not
hampered except 10 a very limited extent by
native transportation companies. Nearly
all the trade across the Atlantic is in the
hands of foreign companies. and at word
from the President and Congress immigra-
ton and the transportation of cargo con-
sidered nOxious may be stopped. In an
emergency of this kind we ara bound to
protect ourselves. All other interests are
bound to go by the board compared with the
terrible eventually of an invasion OF cpl
demic disease. The steamship companies
will not relish restriction, but what is that
compared with the safety of nation.
The Mayor Of Little Rock, Ark. has
taken one of those violent steps OCCASION
ally witnessed in American municipalities
by ordering the arrest OF several principal
officials Of the State for violation of ordi-
nances. The Mayor declares that the lease
system is at fault in working conyiets on
terms Of employment. There may be some
difficulty in tracing connection between
obscure diseases and honest work. but the
Mayors action will undoubtedly have some
little effect in clearing the air. and perhaps
the conyirts will have some additional Sc
curty that their lives are passably safe
within the walls. But the arrest of so
many prominent persons In State very
likely brings justice into contempt. Prose
cutions become ludicrous when they end in
farciesl trials and liberation f0reseen from
the commencement of proceedings.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company
begins to understand that it cannot charge
all the traffic will bear when clipper ships
are coming round the Born to San Fran
cisco. Cuts in freights are now in order,
and from so cents to IS cents per hundred
pounds has been taken off certain ship
ments. This is all very WELL but the bust
ness men of San Francisco are fools stand
ing in their OVID light if they allow any such
concessions to influence them in the slight
est. Ii the clipper ship enterprise is in the
smallest degree departed from, the rates on
canned goods, beans. wool and other prod
tortlon, and the groans of commerce will
again be as loud as they have been in the
past The lesson to tina merchants OF this
city is to stand by one another, and by all
means to encourage any system of trans
portation which affords them the blessings
of competition. They should by all means
sustain clipper ships and the traffic Of the
port of San Francisco.