The morning call., 1894-02-10

|
| Wheat is at such low ebb in price from
the market constantly falling that farmers,
In California at least. must bethiDk them
selves of some more profitable CROP The
rancEer of the valley lands of California
mas not the excuse that he can 90 nothing
else but plant cereals, which is practically
all that the farmers of the Northwestern
States are permitted to do by the climate.
| lney can grow almost any crop IN per1ec-
tion, and may abandon cereals altogether
except for local supplies and devote tnelr
| skill to the cultivation OF the sugar oeet.
the raising of fruit, cattle. sheep, swine
ana anything else that is peculiarly Call
Iornlan and promises TO pay. In Chicago
| yesterday the lowest quotation known Tor
wheat was reached. The rate for May fell
10 6OB, which is about 2 cents below the quo
tation of Thursday, the lowest recorded up
TO that time. The decline has been going on
| from season to season, and there Is no
hope that wheat will for years to come
| return TO the prices, now regarded as hlgh,
which prevailed some years ago, but
winch were then looked upon as unsatls-
factory Dy farmers. Steam transportation
| now enables the whole globe TO be ran
sacked for supplies whenever there IS
market scarcity in any country, ana tnus
prices are forced down and equaliZed.
The announcement that the Italians have
got perfect submarine boat. available
for torpedo practice beneath the bulls OF
noble ironclads, will not be accepted with
out some verifcation. 1t is said the boat,
with an admiral on board. performed q
voyage up and down gulf beneath the
surface of the water. Ii it could perform
feat of this kind for even twelve hours
and be navigable readily In any direction
the warfare by means of ir0nclads must
undergo another revolution, and the best
OF all revolutions would be to abolish
them. A reliable submarine boat, equipped
with number of adjustable torpedo
charges, or even good gun capable OF
sending a she'll few hundred feet through
the water, would play havoc with any fleet
In few hours. No crew would have con-
tdence in ship which, without warning,
was liable TO sink in a moment as II 1t
we're dead weight. Italy would not long
be In exclusive possession or such lear
full engine of warfare; but were all the ma
tons alike prepared the Inevitable result
would be to make maritime fighting too hOr-
rible to be practicable. A shudder would
pass through the civilized world il hosti IL
ties meant general death and few sur
viVors. Some other way would be found
to settle quarrels.
A United States revenue officer has done
neat thing at Berkeley by calling upon
various thrifty people who were selling
liquor without paying the Government
license, and who Were at the same time
defying the law which requires that no in
tOxicant shall be sold within a certain dis
lance of the State University. In one in
stance the agent proved the liability by
calling for bottle of wine at dinner, with
which he was duly accommodated. Pre-
sumably there will now be prosecutions
for contravention of the law.
The navigating officers of the Kearsarge
must have been badly out of their reckon
Ing. Under such circumstances. in known
waters and properly charted. there cannot
be much excuse for losing a vessel of war
we'll found and provided with steam
power. But q storm had prevailed with
terrific sea, and there may have been little
to go by but dead reckoning for some DAYS.
An error In fixing the position might thus
easily arise. Still there was good daylight
up 10 the moment of striking, and had any
lookout been in the tops land would have
been sighted six or seven miles off. The
hearssrge had no head of steam up, which
was poor economy. and under sail she
rapidly went 10 destruction. The disci-
pine after striking was admirable.
In their new naval programme it is said
the British Admiralty are resolved to spend
seven millions sterling this year in add.
ton to the ordinary naval estimates,
which gre about $4,000. 600. The other
powers are also launching into huge expen-
diture, and there seems to be no limit TO
the struggle for mastery on the sea- Here
after new rule is Co be applied in Egg
land both in the Government and private
ShtDDnll0lDC-VQr1G No m ba
permitted to go through the plan and
draughtiDg lofts. But it is next to impos-
slble 10 stop the leakages of information
giving. Every country somehow gets hold
OF details of ali projects intended to be
kept secret by others.
Sc there is no truth In the report that all
foreign canned meats are to be excluded
from the French war supplies. 1t Is not
easy 10 see what gain there could be to
France from such an order, as the native
beef is far inferior to that raised in the
eorn-feeding regions of Western America.
Had the prohibition gone into effect ii
would have been possible to retaliate In
KIND. Any regulations calculated 10 keep
French sardines from consumption. or
many preserved fruits which command
high prices. would have illustrated forciby
how the bitter may be bit.
IWo steamers of the White Star Com
pany, the Britannia and the Germanic,
have completed 400 voyages each across
the Atlantic between New York and
Liverpool. This is remarkable testimony
to the strength OF construction of modern
iron ships. The mileage of each is about
1.5O0. 600, and the number OF passengers
carried in safety is 100000 In the saloon
and 100000 in the Storage. Bnth vessels
have their original engines and boilers.
They were considered very fast when
built, and still make creditable voyages.
but have long ceased TO be marine grey
hounds.
Louis Kossuth, who was reported to be
sinking, was seen in MIDI an ary by a
correspondent, to whom he confided the
information that he has nearly completed
history of Hungary. He was vivacious
In conversation ana apparently In excel
lent health. but his doctor has quite con-
trsry opinion, and expects to see him over
taken by an attack similar to one which
lowered him recently. The career of the
ancient patriot has long been closed, and
his voice, as it were, comes from the