Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1898-01-27
Our Correspondents.
For THE PRESS, ]
This and That.
BY A, B. MACCURDY,

lhto anu Ahdts
BY A. B. MACCURDY.
Within few weeks there will be
another change in the colors of our
postage stamps; this time the col
ors are expected to be permanent.
The postal congress held at Wash
ington last year decided that the
three principal stamps Of all coun-
tries in the Universal Postal Union
should be uniform in color; green
for the one-cent stamps, and cor,
responding values of other coun-
tries, which carries newspaper.
Vermilion for the two-ccnt, or let
ter stamp; blue for the five-cent, or
foreign stamp. Tho new ones and
fives are already being printed in
large quantities and will, no doubt,
be put on sale soon. The change
is made for the purpose of conve-
nience, because both postal officers
and the public will, in the case of
foreign letters, be guided by the
color without regard to the print
ing on the stamp.
There has been a good deal of
talk lately about publishing the
pension lists in order that such pub
licity may help in the detection of
frauds. 1t has been decided that
full publication would not be Of
much service, because it would
SIMPLY help certain class Of pen
sion attorneys to make more fees
out OF confding pensioners by prom
ising increase or other benefit. But
this pension problem seems to be
growing every year. IL is now a
full generation since the close of
the war. The pension list is stead
lily increasing; it now amounts to
about $l40,000,000 q year. This
enormous sum is not being paid en'
tirely to veterans who are prevent
ed by wounds or weakness con-
tracted during the war from earn
ing their own full support. Against
such pensions I offer not word of
protest. Neither is it confined to
such pensioners and to widows who
come within the spirit Of pension
legislation. I do not believe that
there is much actual fraud in THO
pension system; that is, many pen
sions that have been awarded on
false testimony. But I do think
that a vast amount Of money is now
being expended in a way that no
true patriotism, no sound national
policy can approve. What is want
ed is not 50 much revision Of the
pension lists as amendment of the
laws.
1t is not my custom to have much
to say about murder trials, but oc.
casionally a case becomes so infa-
nous by the perversion of public
justice and the vulgarities of some
publications, that it seems as if ST.
lence were mark Of Indifference.
Theodore Durant, the San Francis
co murderer, convicted on over
whelming evidence, was sentenced
to be hanged nearly two years ago
after a fair trial full of delays.
From that time on the measures
taken by his attorneys and permit
ted by legal system, which seems
to be faulty somewhere, have been
almost public scandal. The ap-
peals, the motions for stay of exc
cution, and the legal quibbles which
have sufiiced to postpone, and did
postpone the execution until Jan, 7,
1898, leave no room for doubt as to
one source of crime. The courts
not infrequently help to make
crime. | make this charge with
great hesitation, because it is to the
courts that we must look for help
in improving the public morality
1t is coming to be the settled opin.
ion Of thousands of plain citizens
that law, though it can not always
secure justice, ought at least not to
thwart justice.