Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-25
THE sPRAGUE CASE.

The Bee last night observed Our
..morning contemporary is the only jour
..naI in the State, so far az we have OBJ
a served. that is thirsting for human blood.
II insists. with terrible vindictiveness,
"that poor Sprague shall be hanged. 1t
.eyen went so far, before having heard
the evidence to be presented to His
+" Excellency, as to attempt to bulldoze
him in the premises" If our contem-
porary had reflected little it would
hardly have been so rash as to charge the
RECORD. UNION with being " the only jour-
"nal in the State that is thirstlng Tor
"human blood" For it is not week
since the Bee itself editorially approved
and deliberately advocated the assasslna-
ton of Irish landlords and land agents.
The position of the Bee on the land ques-
ton appears to have converted 1t to the
doctrine that the murder of landlords is
always justiiable, and perhaps this IS the
reason why it sympathizes SO strongly
with Sprague. The REcoRD-UNIoN dis
claims any vindictiveness in the premises,
and does not think it necessary to deal
seriously with the malicious but silly
assertion that it has attempted to bull
doze the Governor, by reviewing the
ascertained facts in the case dispasslon-
ately. The readers of this journal would
not be complimented by any endeavor on
our mart to convince them that our course
is governed at all times by a sincere desire
to subserve the cause of truth and justice,
and we shall therefore attempt no demon
stration of that kind. In whatever we have
said of the Sprague case we have relied
only upon properly authenticated evidence.
We have endeavored to present the lead
ing features of the case fairly and plainly,
and nothing that has thus far been elected
during the informal rehearing of 1t before
the Governor is of character to
change our opinion. This informal
rehearing has been what it might have
have been expected to be under the clrcum-
stances a sort of extra-legal extravaganza.
Governor Perkins has very evidently been
inspired by commendable desire to get
at the truth, and has necessarily allowed
great latitude to the counsel for the de-
Tense. In the absence of all real response
bility, however, without any of the re-
straints which properly constituted courts
place upon the assertions and the general
proceedings of counsel, the most extraordi-
nary things have been said and done. 1t
had been intimated that new and I'M
portant evidence was to be brought for
ward. but we have failed to detect any.
thing of the kind. Mr.. Raymond has
taken the opportunity to assail the men,
ory Of Judge Fawcett in man.
ner which would have been indie
cent had that gentleman been liv'
ing. and which, under the circumstances,
was simply atrocious. He has further de.
nounced every witness whose evidence
inculpated his client, and has accused
several people of lying. He has mixed
up the evidence in three or four cases
in an ingenious and bewildering way, and
has INDUCED in a great deal of strong
language which, however, is not evidence
We are quite willing to admit that he has
exerted himself unsparingly on behalf o.
his client. but since loud assertion and
vituperation is not evidence, and since the
facts of the case remain precisely what
they were before he began his " argument,
we cannot admit that he has changed the
aspect of the situation.