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BOSTON POST, SATURDAY MORNING, Asections include in their operation the entire foreign commerce of the country.It is unnecessary to point out that this is in effect a transfer by Congress of its most important powers to the executive branch of the government. The President is created a dictator, with practically unlimited authority, over commerce and trade between the United States and the rest of the world, lie may stop it altogether, direct it into one channel or another, create a “corner” in any article by a stroke of his pen, raise or depress prices, and, in short, affect the material interests of the people of the United States in a manner which has never before been possible except through deliberate legislation. There was never such a power created under our form of government. In oidy one direction is there a limit to the absolutism which this bill sets up; namely, the President, while free to obstruct trade, cannot remove t he obstructions which the legislation of this Congress has created. Already the handi provisions of the administrative customs bill have called forth protests fromFrance and other friendly nations, and it* 7will he strange if retaliation does not follow. In such an event, the Presidentwould he powerless to propose an amicable remedy, but would be all-powerful to act in a way to intensify the hostility. It is a dictatorship for evil and not for good which this extraordinary billestablishes.DU. FREDERICK II. IIFDGEThe death of this eminent divine,which was announced in yesterday’sPost, takes away one of our most nronii-• *nent intellectual landmarks. Dr. Hedge for at least two-thirds of the century lias been prominent in New England life and thought, lie has been eminent as a scholar, as a thinker, and as a preacher, and his work has been fruitful in literature, in philosophy and in theology. It is impossible to identify him exclusively with any one of these departments; hehas been st rong and vigorous in each one. IPs earliest contribution was the part which ho had in the introduction of American readers to German literature, lie was educated * in Germany with the historian Raxukoft and wavs accomplished in German before he was graduated from Harvard. When the men s11bsequontly called Transcendcnta 1 istsbegan to gather for conference on literary and philosophical subjects, Dr.11 edge was one of the foremost in the little company. He was as well acquainted with the scholarly mind of that period, and was as much of a leader among them, as Mr. Emerson was with the spiritual movements of thought and the way in which different minds were $$tking them up.It was as a liberal thinker that Dr. Hedge gained his earliest position, but he was not simply a man of letters or a philosophical thinker. If it is proper to say so, lie was a constructive teacher of Unitarian theology. lie was liberal, and yet conservative. He had thought his way out of the woods so vigorously and with such independence that ho could afford to he tolerant of others who were working in lines different from his own, and his work in theology has made perhaps a stronger impression than his contributions to philosophy or to letters,where he had less opportunity to show his strength of thought and conviction. Though he was well stricken in years, he has so long been a name to conjure by that he will he greatly missed. The public is never ready to loso the men who have been its benefactors.US K FOR AHA N DON ED FARMS.New Hampshire people arc congratulating themselves on the fact that, whereas there wore last year 1‘luo aban-4'doncd farms in that State, the number has now been reduced to lOijO. This improvement, as some persons wouldconsider it, has been accomplished chieily through the efforts of a new officer, appointed for the purpose, whoseiirst annual report has recently been published. He began by ascertainingthe exact number, situation, extent andgeneral condition of the abandoned farms in the State, and then publishedbroadcast the information thus gathered,«• ■inviting correspondence relating to it. The result was an immense number of letters of inquiry, of which, oddly enough, Massachusetts contributed a larger portion than any other State or country. A few came from Loudon, some from Canada, a large number from .Yew Hampshire itself, and others fiont all parts of the country, even from such far distant places as San Francisco.The commissioner, Mr. IIaclikudkk, reports that of the newly-occupied .‘»U0 farms, a good part have been purchased by city people in search of a summer residence, and lie gives it as his opinion that the future prosperity of the agricultural districts of New Hampshire will he derived largely from this source. The statement is, perhaps, calculated to shock some old inhabitants, and it certainly seems odd at first thought thatthe soil of New England, which was once the support, almost tin* sole support, ol Yew England people, should becomo a playground for “city folks.” However, as Mr. Uacueudkr points out, the city people come not to make money, hut to spend it: they bring a few new ideas, such as they are, with them, and they contribute in many ways to the prosperity of the villages whore they live. On the other hand, the advantages to the urban colonists are obvious. They can secure summer homes in most beautiful and healthy situations at a very moderate cost. A farm with excellent buildings can be bought for $1000, $1200 or $1500, and it is not necessary to till it. The land can be allowed to relapse into pasture and woodland, and then an excellent crop of blackberries and whortleberries can be secured, the gathering of which will amuse the children. Taxes are light, and such repairs as are necessary to preserve the house and barn can be made far more cheaply than in thecity* Moreover* as heads ox familieswill no: need to be told, a summer spent in this manner would be an economical one in many incidental respects. No tine clothes would be required, bowling and billiards would he impossible, hops and candy would not. deplete the family purse, one horse, kept at an expense of about $2 per week, and taken care of by the hoys, would represent livery stable expenses; and all, or almost all, of these economies would also result in an increase of health and strength.On all accounts, then, the conversion of the abandoned farm to a summer home for city people is a thing to be desired. Nor is there any lack of choice. There are many abandoned farms in Maine, in Veimontand in Massachusetts, as well as in New Hampshire. In the northwestern part of this Si ate, (‘specially, in Uerkshire and Franklin counties, where the air is most salubrious and the scenery most line, deserted farms are abundant. In fact, the hilly and therefore the most healthful and beautiful regions are precisely those which the country people desert and to which the city people are attracted. Thus opensa new career for agricultural New Eng-laud.Although the danger seems by no means imminent that cholera will find its way across the ocean, too much care cannot be taken by health officials in all our seaports to keep it out. In London a malady very nearly approaching cholera has appeared, many of the police having been stricken with it, and a general tendency towards such disorders is noted by physicians, a condition which would favor the spread of true Asiatic cholera should it appear. France is already on the alert., and will, it is reported, establish as strict quarantine against Eng and as already exists against Spain. Should she enforce it travel between the two countries would be greatly reduced, for few would care to submit, to the annoy-ance and detention which it would entail.This much is certain: Asiatic cholera ol a vorv marked type exists in Egypt and has appeared in Spain, where it is epidemic in some localities. and sporadic cases are reported in England. I nder these circumstances the authorities iti this country are clearly justified in taking all possible precautions, at no matter what inconvenience to people coming from abroad, to keep it from getting a foothold here.In days not so very distant a large section of the western part of this country wa# designated on tin* map as “the great American desert.” Since then a number of sovereign States have been carved out of it, and the school boys of todav have no acquaintance with it. in the same wav, although ton less degree, the Desert of Sahara seems likely to turn out a trail 1. The fact seems to be that there is a great deal more “oasis” and a great deal less barren sand than w© have been led to suppose, and that the real reason why it has not been more thoroughly explored is that, it is inhabited by savage nomadic tribes, who are always ready for plunder and murder. The French government is now pushing its plan to build a railroad across it from Algeria to Lake Tchad, where there is a large settlement of Mohammedan traders, and t hus establish commercial relations with the interior of the continent, d ims will the Sahara be opened to enterprising settlers a fine opportunity to “grow up with “rhe country.1 {'’publican politicians in Now Hampshire are engaged in an interesting attempt, to estimate the exact number of “soreheads” in the Granite State. Senator lt;Ni \ndli t; says there are only (lire?, but a “Republican from Wuy-“back writes to the papers that there are, or soon will be, unless the sai-l ( iiamm i.k re-iorms, ROOD soreheads among New Hampshire Republicans. Hie Manchester Press (Ren.), which is supposed to represent the young Republicans of the State, takes very nearly the same vi*w, describing Mr. ('hand ia r as “the concentrated essence of spleen, “bitterness and selfishness, alluding to him irreverently as “Rill,” inquiring if he is “the “same sort of a coward” that lie was on a former occasion, and advising him, in conclusion, more forcibly than elegantly, to “get, back to“Washington and keep his mouth shut.” This want of harmony is deplorable, but, even New Hampshire politicians lose their tempers when Win,t\M E. t man pi.kk returns from Washington and stirs them up with his long pole, the ( uncord Monitor.The brick famine with which New JYork lias for a week been threatened is apparently not to be avoided. I be bricklayers, it will ho recalled, sought to boycott tin* bricks from tin* Verplank’s L'oint manufacturers, and set their walking delegates to watch for them. The next move was by the brick manufacturers who supply Now York, Jersey Uily and Rrooklyit, NO per cent of whom announced last night, by way of retaliation, that they would ship no more brick to either of thoso cities until the boycott was formally taken off. Should they persevere in this the bricklayerswill bn the chief sulfcrers, because without brick they cannot work, and they will have the satisfaction of knowing that their enforcedidleness is the result of tlieu own action, aMclear case of “the biter bit.The canny Scots are receiving Mr. Uvrnk-gij. with almost royal honors as he travelsfrom town to town. The magnates turn outin all t he glory of red gowns and gold chains to bid him formal welcome, and oiler the most liberal hospitality. Of course they are proud of a fellow-countryman who has made bis way in the world so shrewdly. Hut that is not all. He has a habit of giving away libraries and founding all sorts ol public institutions, and there is always tbechance at least the hope that he may have one about his person ready tlt; bestow hi case lie should be especially pleased in any place. And so they seek toplease him especially.Mr. I\»WDi;m v went out of his way when he told the public in bis recent proclaim tion that, whereas the founder of the \ ANDUU-nti.T fortune had known what it was to he poor and had earned money by hat'd work, those who now controlled it got- it by inheritance. What, possible connection has this undoubted fact with the question at issue -whether a corporation niay or may not discharge a man from its service wit bout being accountable to any one? Mr. Powokkuy lias been credited with a fair amount of eommonsense. '11m role of the demagogue ill becomes him.The famous Saxe-31 einiiigen company,which has perhaps done more lor dramatic art in its day than any other single organization, will probably soon disband. It has not been a success financially, and the Duke of Saxe-Mf.ininokn is said jto ho tired of paying the bills. This is a great pity, especially as we in America have long been anticipating a visit from it some day. Hut here, too, audiences . would probably prefer vaudeville or farce# i
Newspaper Details
Boston Post
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Sat, Aug 23, 1890
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Charles F.
OH, USA 07 May 2019
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