New-York tribune., 1894-04-15

cheney of their missionary operations
The indications from the elections last No
vember and this spring ought to convince al
the bosses that It is time fer them TO retire into
obscurty The voters have no further use Tor
them.
4 bill has been laid before the Legislature
which proposes to introduce the novel idea Oh
the referendum into the law-mak!ng OF thls
state The referendum has long been in use In
Switzerland and is highly regarded. 1t Is the
principle of submitting to popular vote I'M
portant pieces OF legislation, which do not De-
come laws unless a majority OF the people Vote
I'm favor of them. 1t appears that there Is IN
this country a league formed for the purpose OF
promoting the adoption Of this idea In the sew
eral States and in Massachusetts the platforms
Of both parties last fall contained declarations
in favor Of the referendum They were Inserted
however without full consideration. The SUBJ
iect Is a suggestive one but do rot believe
that the people Of this Stale are yet ready to
adopt H. It's discussion will do no harm, but
good rather. and the bill JLst introduced Will at
least have the effect Of setting the people to
thinking.
It Is not likely that Tammany Hall will ever
nominate Assistant Distrct-Attorney Barlow .
Weeks for Dlstrict-Attorney. If he should be
nominated he would be a good man to beat
The Tribune prints in its news columns this
morning a statement from Ex-Governor Charles
H. Sawyer President Of the Sawyer Woollen
Mills of Dover. ~ H.. ia regard to the contracts
recently made by the Postofiice Department for
Iettor-carriers' uniforms. Governor Sawyer de-
claresthat any intimations from any quarter that
the cloth which mis- mills manufacture for these
uniforms IS OF inferior quality are utterly with
ont foundation. He says that his mills have
been IN the wolen business for nearly three-
quarters Of century, and their reputation ior
honest goods has never been questioned. lie
insists positively that the goods which are
being made (or the letter-carriers are equal. II
NJ. superior. to any cadet goods on the market
Tho reputation Of the Ex-Governor and OF MS
mills is OF he highest. and it was never IN
tended In The Tribune u intimate that Gov
ernor Sawyer had done anything or permitted
ANYTHING which could be in any way discred-
liable 10 him or to his mills.
Senator Urs speech on the Revenue bill re-
veals A higher order Of ability than many people
have supposed him to possess. Such speech
cannot be without influence even In the Senate
and outside OF that body 1t will command wide
attention.
Congressman Dunphy's scheme for transcon.
tlnental boulevard is nothing II not magnhcent'
Whether the idea was suggested to him by the
construction OF the Harlem River Speedway we
do not know. but II that Is the case no one VIII
be- inclined 20 deny to Dunphy all the credit to
which he is entitled for the evolution or the Gre
| alton OF an original conception. Dunphy Is no
longer connected with Tammany Hali--hls resig-
nation recently brought him prominently before
the public-but 1t is certainly characteristic
Tammany notion which the Congressman gives
| currency 10 when he says that his principarpur-
! nose IN this vast undertaking is To supply work
| for the unemployed on large scale. lhis iea0-
ure will be sure 10 make the plan popular In
| East Fourteenth-st.. Notwithstanding Dunphy
late detection from the Wigwam. The cost OF
! the proposed boulevard is $lO0,OQO,Vo. or perhaps
| q 600 900 ooo-but that is n mere trihe compared
| with the benefits that would ensue. Just "here
this sum Is to come from Dunphy does not say;
| but IT is only fair to suggest that perhaps he
hasn't consulted the Appropriations Committee
vet in reference to so trining matter of detail.
Coxey's army Is unlucller than any other or
ganza,ion in this country, except the Demo
cratic party.
IL there any Democrat In New-Jersey sanguine
! enough to expect that the Republicans Will not
carry the state in November by an overwhelming
majority? II any such person can be found from
Hoboken to Cape May, he must be utterly blind
10 the signs of the times. Any such distraught
and distracted Democrat should reflect upon the
| figures OF the city and town elections in New
Jersey this week.
District Attorney Ridgway. OF Brooklyn. has
at length returned from his prolonged vacation.
which has taken him as far from home as Flori-
IA We do not recall just how long he has been
away. but since the election in November he has
done comparatively nothing in return for the
handsome salary of $4,000 year which is paid
him out OF the treasury OF Kings County. Since
the appointment Of special prosecutors TO take
charge of the Gravesend cases. Mr.. Rdgway has
been lying back on his oars, taking things easy
IL was one OF the severest rebukes that could
have been administered to a public official when
he was told that the people were unwilling to
trust these prosecutions to him; and during his
absence another rebuke has been visited upon
him in Judge Cullen's decision that the District
Attorney wholly wrong in the advice which
| he gave to the Grand Jury few months ago
and which saved Mayor Body from indictment.
| Mr. Ridgway is serving his fourth term in his
present office, and II he ever was go ne Is not
| now thn-s skinned. II he were. his present posi-
| ton before the community would be highly en-
| barrasslng.
Brooklyn policemen will gradually revise some
OF the ideas learned during eight years OF Ring