The record-union., 1897-08-20

DOGS IN DEMAND.
Chico Record: The rush to the gold
fields of the north has had the effect
of giving people an increased apprecia-
ton of their four footed friend the dog.
As a beast of burden, the dog is well
adapted to that land of ice and snow,
while the horse is unfit. Many horses
have been shipped to Juneau and Dyea,
but it is predicted that they will gen
orally be killed before winter is over
and their meat fed to the dogs. That
| is the fate which has overtaken most of
the equines heretofore taken to Alaska,
and, through feeding on horse flesh dogs
are kept in fine condition, so that they
are ready for work as soon as the spring
OPENS. The dogs are used in drawing
the sleds, and one of the correspond
ents writing from Dyea remarks that
it is surprising to see how team of
dogs appear to relish the prospect of
this kind of work, as they will dance
about wagging their tails and barking
jcyfully While the sled is being packed
and the drivers are preparing for the
Journey Any one who owns a large
dog now finds that it is worth money,
even if it never was before, and in san
Francisco persons are watching the
public pound in order to get possession
OF every dog large enough to be SER
viceable for work in Alaska.
CONVICT ROAD MAKING.
Stockton Recrod: Very interesting
data regarding convict labor on roads
have been gathered from the expert
ence of counties in North Carolina. 1t
is found that convicts can be kept more
cheaply when at work out of prison
than when idle in prison. 1t was found
by the returns Of eighty counties that
the cost of keeping convicts confined
in the County Jails exceeds 30 cents
day The returns from all the counties
which employ the convicts on the public
highways show that the average cost
is about - cents a day.
1t is peculiar of the experiment in
North Carolina, which has not been in
operation quite a year, that although
the working conVicts are not guarded,
nor confined at night and are allowed
to go to their homes, there has not been
an escape nor an attempt at escape.
The reports are unanimous that the
health of convicts is better, their con-
duct better and the cost of mainte-
nance much reduced.
The law of North Carolina provides
/ that all Jail prisoners and all offenders,
who might be sentenced for a term not
exceeding ten years, shall be sentenced
/ by the court to hard labor on the public
roads in such counties as choose to
make provision for their employment
The plan is paving North Carolina high
ways and has been 50 successful that
| it merits investigation by the authori-
| ties of every State.
| WHAT DID 1T SETTLE?
San Diego Union: The duel fought
yesterday between the Prince of Or
! leans and the Count of Turin, if not
actually ito the death" was about as
sanguinary as any modern barbarian
could desire. The cOmbatants certain
| ly did their best to commit murder, and
| the Italian appears to have come very
near to success. All Rome has gone
wild over the result. But to matter OF
| fact people on this side of the Atlantic,
who cannot appreciate the principles OF
honor supposed to be involved in these
! carving contests, the very natural query
lncw arises, how has the question OF the
courage or cowardice of the ltahan
army during the late Abyssnian cam
paign been settled by the success OF
the Count of Turin in letting daylight
| into the abdominal cavity of the de-
scendant of the royal house Of Or
leans?
BUY AT HOME.
! San Jose Herald: A dispatch from a
| grain growing section of Santa Barbara
County says that with big wheat crop
and high prices money is coming into
circulation and business is healthy We
shall be getting such items of news as
this right along now until the wheat
shipping season is over. We shall also
have a similar experience here in the
Santa Clara Valley with plenty of
fruit and good market. Our returns
will naturally fall in a little later on
some crops but 91ey VIII get here just
the same OuE merchants would dc
well to get ready for a good fall trade
and a brisk holiday season. The better
arrangements they make to meet the
demand the less excuse our people will
have for buying in San Francisco. And
they ought not to seek any such excuse
ONE OF THE BENEFITS.
Tacoma Ledger: One Of the benefits
of the rush to the Klondike is that to
the laboring men, as we'll as proprie-
tors of steamships and merchants. The
exodus has made scarcity of labor on
the Pacific Coast, which has had the
effect of materially advancing wages
of all kinds That this result would
have obtained under the conditions re-
sulting from the general establishment
of confidence and improved business is
true. but the change would not have
come so rapidly or generally As it is
everybody is happy, for with the in
creased business and better prices fo1
products, employers do not feel the ad-
vance in wages.
WILL BE WISER.
Alameda Encinal: The choicest as
sortment of ''tenderfeet" that was evel
collected on the face of the earth is
that now going Klondikeward. There
are lot of women in the crowd whose
only idea of the trip is that it affords
them an opportunity to look picturesque
in their Arctic costumes and get theil
pictures in the paper Most of then
never walked ten consecutive miles il
their lives, and not a soul of them has
the faintest conception of what pedes-
trianism in Alaska means. But they
will be wiser after awhile.
DUELING.
Alameda Argus: That dueling has
fallen to a low estate in the estima
tion of the people is not proven by tbs
pages of reports and pictures of the
meeting of Prince Henry and the Coun
of Turin, which took place yesterday
morning. There is evidently HI
greatest interest manifested in thi:
i
of this democratic country that is pop
lIlarly c11npocad to Spprp bOth title a1f