Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-05
HOLDING TIE BALANCE EVEN.

HOLDING TIE BALANCE EVEN.
From the beginning of the contest over
the debris question, the RECORD UNION
has set before itself clear and well-dehned
policy, and has adhered to it through good
and evil report. That policy was to seek
the greatest good of the greatest number
to advocate whatever WAS best calculated
to preserve all the interests involved, and
to deprecate whatever course seemed TO
tend solely toward the destruction OF
either. We never ignored the difficulty oil
this policy. We fully perceived from the
yery outset that resolute determination
to hold the balance even would bring
down upon us the anger of extremists on
both sides, and that it would be impossible
to satisfy the expectations OF either fools
or fanatics by such a course. But we had
sufficient faith in the ultimate soundness
OF the popular judgment to feel confident
that q journal which labored in single
minded and Straightforward way to secure
the best that the situation afforded for both
sides, with a dominant view To the best
good OF the entire community, would be
appreciated and given credit fer honesty of
purpose. We have thus far had no reason
60 doubt the justice of our provision
We have as we expected, been misrepre-
sented, vilifed, accused of selling out,
6rst to one and then to the other party.
But what comforts us in the midst of ali
This hubbub of paitry detraction is, that
however much we have been abused, our
positions have never been confuted.
1t is not to extremists that We address
ourselves, but to that cool and dispassion.
ate element which constitutes the stamina
of either party. To this element we have
been content to appeal. and because we
relied upon its sagacity we have felt strong
enough to ignore and pass unregarded the
buzz of journalistic gnats that cannot dis
tinguish between impartiality and venality.
The position of the RECORD UNION on the
general issue has never been ambiguous,
however. We have never doubted. or ex-
pressed doubt, that the hydraulic miners
were bound to take care of their tailings.
We have always maintained that the resi-
dents of the valley were entitled to pro-
lection against the injurious deposition of
mining debris upon their lands. We have
always denied the right of the miners to
destroy the navigability OF the rivers. But
we have not gore with those who, in the
absence of all evidence, have jumped to
the conclusion that no remedy remained
but the absolute and perpetual cessation Of
hydraulic mining We have recognized
the equities of the miners as well as the
farmers, and we have insisted that, if
possible, some method should be devised
which would afford the farmers protection
without necessitating the abandonment of
the mines.
70 this end we indorsed and warmly
supported the Drainage Act, which we
still hold to have provided the only rational
method of dealing with the debris ques.
ton that has yet been devised. And be-.
cause We knew the uncertainty and
tediousness and heavy expense of itiga-
cation, we deprecated that course, and
when the Drainage Act fell through we
suggested a compromise outside. of the
| Courts. In all this we can fearlessly refer
the public to cur record, and assert that
we have never take any position which had
not the most powerful considerations of
public interest to justify it, and that from
first to last We have pursued course
which has had for its object the best
good of the whole community. We
have invariably and unhesitatingly told
the truth as it appeared to US at
all times. When the miners under
took to defy the iniunctions of Court
of law we censured their course, and
gave them to understand that they could
expect no help from this journal under
such circumstances. When fee-hunting
attorneys attempted to saddle heavy costs
upon this community, and to line their own
pockets by taking advantage of the popu-
lar sentiment, we exposed the selfshness
and insincsrity of their programme, and by
so doing saved many thousands of dollars
to the treasury of Sacramento county. We
have had no sympathy either for miners
who violate the law, for lawyers who seek
to enrich themselves at the expense of the
public, or for farmers who permit them
selves to become fanatics, and clamor for
the destruction of the mining interest. In
the pursuit OF Justice we have been com.
PEELED to walk in different path from any
of these
And we shall continue to follow the
strait and difficult path we have marked
out for ourselves. 1t is not our purpose to
pause for the sake of defending our
selves or attacking our assailants. We
trust to our integrity for final vindication,
and to our power of presenting the truth
intelligently for popular assent to our
positions. OF course it would have been
much easier for US to have chosen parti-
san role. We should in that case have
been in harmony with the extremists on
one side, but we should have been doing
mischief instead of good. There is always
a strong enough tendency to fall into par.
tisanship in controversies of this kind, and
therefore there is the more need that one
journal at least should undertake to hold
the balance even. Perhaps it is not every
journal that could afford to assume this
impartial attitude, but the RECORD UNION
belongs to the whole State, and not to one
locality, and from the very breadth of its
clientage it is in measure bound to take