Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1891 — Page 4 Advertisements Column 2 [ADVERTISEMENT]

it reminds him too much of witched riding a broomstick. As it wps perfectly appropriate for witches to ride broomsticks in olden times, the Bishop’s objection will not hold water. American women look well on bl? cycles, and that is what they ride them for. . Papa Kiep, of Sturgis, Mich.,stopped at the altar the wedding of his daughter, a belle in the German-American society of that community, because he had suddenly found out that his intending son-in-law did not pay his bills. If all fathers, under the like circum-! stances, had Papa Kiep’s decision of character there would be fewer wrecked; lives and homes, and fewer unhappy! marriages for the divorce courts to undo.

Hebrew resentment over the definition of “Sheeny, a sharp fellow, hence a Jew,” is wholly just. That editorsi of the “Century Dictionary” should, permit so gross an error to deface s' page of that work is as surprising as it is censurable. The slang epithet is by no means limited to one race, but has been vulgarly applied to persons of various races. In revision of the work into which it has slipped by unintentional oversight its offensive restriction will be, of course, expunged. Womanly devotion to an unworthy scamp was never more forcibly instanced than when the deserted wife of Letter-Carrier Barlow, of Chicago, tearfully pleaded with the authorities for leniency for her disgraced husband. Barlow had deserted his wife two years before, had ill-treated her while he did live with her, and in many ways had forfeited all claims upon her respect and affection; yet, when ho was detected in his thieving, this devoted little woman was the first to offer him comfort and to intercede in his behalf. Truly, the depth of woman’s lovo is yet unfathomed.

Away with such a hybrid, such a monstrosity, such a Frankenstein freak of a word as “electrocution” for inflicting the death penalty by electricity. It is an etymological absurdity, because the criminal is not “cuted” by electricity or anything else. He is not even executed. It is the sentence of the law that is executed, as any other sort of authoritative order is executed.; Some punishment fitting the crime] should be devised for the man who in-j vented the words “electrocute” and “electrocution.” They should be boycotted by every speaker and writer of good, honest English.

The landing of 95,000 bushels of wheat at Liver; 00l in unbroken bulk from Chicago is an interesting event in the history of international transportation. It saves elevator charges at Buffalo, canal or railroad freights to the seaboard and the heavy terminal charges there. If the exploit of the Wetmore could be repeated safely and reliably throughout the reason of navigation there would certainly be a field for a fleet of such vessels, and the effect upon the Liverpool wheat market would be pronounced. The Wetmore is a credit to Michigan enterprise and to the skill of her b uilders.

Within the memory of a multitude of living people it was the custom of Americans upon all festive occasions to boast that “America was the land of the brave and the home of the free,” and they rejoiced over each ship-load of immigrants that reached our shores. But times have changed. There is no longer any rejoicing over the incoming multitudes, but a sober reflecting on how immigration can be reduced in quantity. The immigration for the current year will doubtless reach more than 600,000. Over 400,000 reached the port of New York alone. Those that have been returned as unfit for citizenship are so few as scarcely to deserve notice, while the number wholly lacking in all essentials of the American citizen were undoubtedly greatly in the majority. What will happen if this class continues to pour in upon us and increase with the years it is not difficult to surmise.

Official secrecy has no place in a popular government. In a despotic country, where the sovereign is the state, his majesty’s counsel is necessarily reserved to himself and his cabinet. Under the rule of an aristocracy the purposes of the rulers are shrouded in darkness, and the blows of the Senate of Borne or the Council of Venice were accustomed to fall without warning. But, under a system founded upon the intelligence and choice of the whole people, it is monstrous, it is intolerable, that any act of any public servant should be kept from general knowledge and shielded from investigation. Especially is this the case when the state exercises its authority to take the life of any man, though the very humblest member of the community. The law of the State of New York, so far as it enjoins or allows the putting to death of criminals in secret, or in the presence only of a few witnesses pledged to secrecy, is capable of abuse, discordant with our institutions, violative of private rights, restrictive of a free press, and unworthy of this country and this age. It must be amended. The people must have light. They must know what the public servants are doing. They must know whether cruelty and torture are perpetrated. The four men who died at Sing Sing were executed by command of the sovereign people of the State of New York. And the people want to know in what manner it was done.