The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-02
A PitiabIe Spectacle.

\ SHEtfACAN"
What pitiable spectacle the members
of the lower branch OF the general assem-
bly, of New York present! In the recently
adopted constitution of that state it Is
provided that free railroad passes shall
not he accepted by members of the legis-
lature and other state officials. on Tues
dav. by a vote Of 90 to 30, the House
passed a bill to defeat the anti-pass pro-
vision of the constitution. The purpose Of
the bill is to compel the railroads Of the
state to carry members of the legislature
and all other state officials free of charge
The House, by this act, shows an utter
disregard for the will of the people. The
anti-free pass provision was put into the
constitution after very careful consider
alton of the evils OF the free pass prac-
tice. and the people approved what the
constitutional convention did. The pres
ent legislature is the first one that has
assembled under the new constitution and
! the House has disgraced itself by passing
a bill to require railroads to carry the
members OF the legislature and all other
state officers free.
1t is not to be wondered at that the
people become Disguised with their law
makers. What right have members Of
the legislature to compel railroad com
panies to carry them free Of charge? Is
not legislation of that kind robbery? Are
the men who voted to nullfy the will of
the people in the matter of free passes
any better than train robbers? If they
can by legislation make railroad com
panies carry them free of charge why
cannot they with just as much proprety
grab perquisites from all other companies
that are chartered by the state?
The present legislature Of New York is
said to be a reform body. 1t looks like
it was a legislature of Doodle grabbers.
A Kansas electrician, who has been at
Sandy Hook, n. Y, experimenting fol
several months. has perfected plan fol
telephone connection between ships an
chored at sea and the land. The difficulty
heretofore has been that no permanent
means OF connecting the seward end OF
the cable to the telephone aboard Tho
vessel had been found. The constan
swinging and riding of the vessel would
invariably break any wire leading NJ
from the cable to the vessel. This diff
Guilty has been overcome by sending tho
current through the vessels anchor chair
and a short chain beyond the anchor, tC
the submarine telephone cable. The onl!
means of communicating with the light
ships off the coast has been by boat. y.
some of the ships are a long ways off shor'
the difficulty of reaching them has beer
great, especially in bad weather. Witt
the lightships connected with the shore b!
telephone-and it is said the government
contemplates establishing such communi
cation on all of its llghtships-the light
shin keepers viii be always in touch witt
the world, and much marine intelligence
, of Importance can be received earlier an
with greater accuracy than heretofore
, For instance, had the lightships off Ne1
York been connected with the shore b
phone at the time of the La Gascogpe ex
citement, the safety of that ship woul
have been known to the world probabl
half day earlier than it was.
{
Y The death list Of the congress now draw
ing 10 a close Il Aol d. Aohs a. - tlla' U
the last congress or the one before it. Su
= the rate is too high. There were fourtee
Il deaths OF members during the Fifty-nrs
, congress, the same number during tn
f. Fifty-second congress, and eleven death
= during the Fifty-third. There is no jok
$ about the malaria" of congressman
There is bad air. or bad water. or some
thing about the capitol that kills.
r If Mr. Tom Watson succeeds as We
e as a peacemaker as he did as a fomente
$ Of strife, we may presently expect to Sc
t the Tenth district in a love feast, and hea
$ OF the booking of d wholesale order 10
wines.