The San Francisco call., 1897-05-11

spring and landed with ooth feet.
The friends of Greece sympathized, but
those of Turkey lent a helping hand.
Work on the new Federal building will
surely begin this summer. The agitation
has not been in vain.
This year may not break the record for
disasters on sea and land, but it is keep
ing well up to the extreme limit.
This week will probably see the end Of
the war in Europe, but the cause of the
disturbance will remain and there will ba
another war by and by.
We have had plenty of warm weather
for City people to enjoy the picnic season,
and now we can join the farmers in get
ting up an agitation for rain.
The warm spell has been decid edly
favorable to the idea of establishing more
parks. Everybody feels the need Of the m
and is inclined to help them along.
Spain had better inform the Cubans
they are not worth the money it costs 10
govern them, and so take her troops home
and dismiss the war with Castilian scorn.
The Beers and the British in South
Africa are increasing their ornaments.
not for the purpose of making war on one
another, but as mutual assurances of the
maintenance OF peace.
The revival of business goes on SO
smoothly and steadily that few people
take note, but never theless we are rapidly
passing from the Democratic depression
10 stage of normal prosperity.
Chinese are reported to be coming in
over the Mexican as we'll as the Canadian
border, and it seems about as hard to keep
them OUT of this country as it is to keep
iackra bbits out of Fresno vineyard.
The prospects are that the brilliancy of
the approaching celebration OF the Queens
jubilee will be marred by two dark spots:
the high prices ior windows overlooking
the parade and the inevitable poem by Mr..
Austin.
The concert of Europe has developed
into an alliance of the three EN- mperors,
while the rest of Europe is on the outside
AdlOALE 4O1 tnS LuAo " " SOU dA0 hOAQeI-
ing whether there will be any part in it
for them to play.
One set of men are urging the House of
Representatives to take up the currency
question, and another set are urging that
something be done at once to promote
American shipping, so life at the capital is
rapidly becoming warm.
The movement to establish harmony
between the National League OF Musicians
and the American Federation of Musicians
ought to be easily accomplished If there is
any man in either association who is capa-
bic of striking the keynote in the right
pitch.
Omaha fought hard short time ago to
prevent the Missouri from splitting the
town in two and flowing through the
middle, but as she has now two Mayors
and duplicate sets OF officers in all depart
ments of the municipal government she
would have done better TO save her energy
and money and let the river take its
course.
The investigation of the way the civil
service was administered under the Cleve-
land administration has brought to light
many glaring instances of favoritism, and
it begins TO appear now that the best way
to reform the service would be to get rid
OF the Cleveland rules and appointments
altogether with clean sweep and then
start over again.
The Salisbury administration has not
played a distinguished part in European
a iDi0 hrf he ;Ior
party in England has cut an even worse
figure. Instead of following the splendid
lead given by Gladstone, each of the as
pirants for Liberal leadership started a
little tune of his own, and the result was a
confusion of weak sounds instead of a
swelling chorus which would have carried
all England with it.
The amount and quality of the schemes,
plans, suggestions and proposals for
restraining the Mississippi which have
been advanced since the recent floods
have so wearied the minds Of those who
live in the stricken districts that the New
Orleans Picapaae has been led to declare
that "what some people do not know
about the levee system would overflow the
river banks at any season of the year If ii
could be Jumped together and dropped
into the water"
The tax on bequests in England is said
to have yielded revenue during the last
fiscal year.of over $40, 600, coo, and the OPP
Grafton of the law is so satisfactory in
every way that some of the Massachu-
setts papers are urging the adoption of q
similar tax in that State TO the exclusion
nf al nrhQr rpre0Oal nr0nartv
The Boston Herald estimates that in that
city alone such tax without being made
too onerous would produce a revenue OF
about Sc, 1000, 900 yearly.