The San Francisco call., 1898-04-24

take desperate chance of approaching some of our seaports. IT they do this they court certain death, but so strong
 is the war feeling in Spain that the army might as we'll die in futile fight as 10 go home beaten, there to De de- spised and plunged straightway into domestic struggle as bitter as any with a foreign foe.
 Several persons have asked why l do not notice a certain anonymous assail- ant who is achieving great delight by his weakly attacks upon me. The req son is plain. While controversy with a gentleman of intelligence may be seemly and mutually beneficial, l have no time nor words to waste on a 1ool'
 Even the San Quentin convicts want to enlist It is not surprising that they should, and while longing for liberty may be a principal motive, it is fair to suppose that many a convict retains an interest in the country whose laws he has transgressed. It does not seem to me, however, that convicts as SOL diers would be regarded as fitting com rades by others in the ranks. Such an emergency might arise as to make their services necessary, but 1t has not arisen yet, and there are no indications of it. However, there is parole syS- tenn in this State which permits the release on certain conditions of we'll behaved prisoners. It might be proper to extend the operation of this some what man who is willing to shoul- der musket and take his chances in Cuba could be of greater service in this way than while eating his head off in the penitentiary.
 The first and only good act Of the School Board so far as the public has been permitted to know was in grant ing holidays to the pupils on the days the soldiers started away. In token that this white spot in their records Is appreciated | hope the penitentiary terms likely to be meted out among them will be somewhat short of life
 One of the rumOrS which had the honor to be conspicuously printed Sat urday morning was of a running fight between a gunboat and a monitor, the latter being in the capacity of pur- suer Each craft had "bone in its teeth" I hope the correspondent who sent the story will get bone in his throat and quit the business. The mon itor is not constructed so as to chase gunboat. As we'll might a wheelbar- row set out in wild and thrilling ef- fort to overtake bicycle. The moni- tor has uses. but it does not enter speed contests.
 Compliments to the evening papers and a humble suggestion that if they were to use smaller type they would have room for more lies. The stories they print now are for the most part ridiculous They take a rumor which has about it nothing of probability and flare it up as truth. The result is that people are losing confidence in the evening papers, a circumstance sad to contemplate.
 I read with regret that Editor Orth Stein of Atlanta, who was recently as- saulted by Judge Berry, is recovering. The pleasure of Berry's acquaintance . is not mine, but the pang of knowing Stein has left an indelible scar. If Berry had good cause for making the assault, a matter concerning which there can be no reasonable doubt, there can be no justification for his having made it in a manner so mild that the assaulted could, by any craft of the doctor, get over it. Stein is everything that is bad and nothing that is good. He has been guilty of stealing shirt and guilty of shooting a man in the back Yet he has never been in jail long at time and he has never been hanged. It happens that he is as bril- 1ion expected for years to hear that he had received a life sentence or been sent to the gallows. One fate or the other awaits him, unless some valiant Judge Berry shall intervene with club.