El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-09


would be used for a war record, HANDY
for t1e officials to have in case there
W as draft.
John Y. McKane is once again a free
man and an inhabitsnt of Gravesend,
where once he was boss. He is au in
habitant, bnt not a citizen, for his four
years in States Prison deprive him OF
the political privileges of citizen.
But he returns with some remnants
left of his former influence. Many OF
his friends continue to be his friends,
and it is not unlikely that he will again
be power in the Coney Island district
of the metropolis. He was the most
absolute ruler of one town that the
United States has over held. With
anger education he might easily have
become ruler of the state and the ma
Jion. AS it was, governors and Sen
ators were eager to court his favor, and
it is believed that he changed the re-
suit of one Presidential election. He
held the vote of Gravesend in the hol-
low of his hand. McKane comes out
OF prison looking exceedingly we'll, al
though when he sought pardon some
mouths ago it was said that he could
not live his term out.
There could hardly fail to be I'M
favorable comment on the practically
unanimous action of the Seventh in
voting not to volunteer, this action
being taken before it was Known
that the regiment would not be called
out. The officers and friends of the
Seventh give many reasons for its
action, which certainly required moral
courage to take, but in SUCH q time as
this people are not inclined to accept
reasons but results. The going to the
front of the Seventh regiment in the
civil war was the occasion of great
popular demonstration, and the
Seventh g present action is of course,
compared unfavorably With its pstriO-
tic conduct in 1861. The excuse that
the men could not volunteer as indi-
viduals without imperilling the regi-
ment rs a separate and distinct organ
izatio is met with the criticism that
national gusrdsmen have no right to
dictate the terms of their service, and
that they have displayed more loyalty
to the regiment than to the country,
These criticisms may be more severe
than the facts warrant, but it is ma
tural that people who do not inquire
closely iuto motives and conditions
should feel this way. The Seventh
will for some time suffer in reputation,
perhaps unjustly, from this cause.
Comptroller Coler has made public
his long expected statement of the ia
ancial condition of the city. The
statement is part of the Tammsny
scheme to prevent the consummation
of underground rapid transit and to
get rid of the contracts. 1t pictures the
city as practically bankrupt before
Tsmmany came into power, and this
will look we'll in Tammary campaign
literature this fall. The comptroller
reports that the former city of New
York had on January /, 1898, exceeded
its constitutional debt limit by S24,-
224, SIG, and that the outside territory
then consolidated with the old CITY
had exceeded the limit by $25 1913, 246
The present city, therefore, is $780,
1913, 246 above its constitutional debt
limit. The comptroller makes out
that the old city of New York had ex-
ceeded it's debt limit by adding to the
amount of outstanding bonds all of the
public works entered into or authorize
ed, although many of them would
take years to complete and would re-
quire but moderate issues of bonds at
present. In other words, the old city
was $40, 900, 900 under the debt limit,
judged from it's total bond issue, but
by adding S64, 900, 900 of contracts,
lands and work authorized, the comp
troller is able to make the city out to
be millions above the debt limit. TIE
corporation counsel has ruled that this
must be done. The courts will be ask
ed TO pass upon the question, and the
comptroller hopes they will act upon
it speedily.
The State of New York has now six
ty-one counties, Governor Black bav-
lug today signed the bill creating tie
county of Nassau. The new county
comprises that part OF Queens county
not included in the city of Greater New
York, and is % miles long and Is miles
wide, embracing the towns of Hemp
stead, North Hampstead and Oyster
Bay. Queens county. thus divided, was
first created in 1853 by the then Colon
ial legislature.
The bankers here have conferred in
formally in regard tC the situation, aud
are agreed it is said, that there is no.
thing to call for severity in the MAX
ing of loans for legitimate business
purposes. While rates are firm. mer-
chants real needs will be supplied.