Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-01
A MATTER OF LOCAL PRIDE.

1t is to be hoped that the Mayor will
not call meeting Of citizens to arrange
for a Fourth of July celebration. The
Trustees should do as is annually done in
San Francisco set aside such 4 sum of
money for the purposes Of the celebration
rs they deem fit; then name-say 100
citizens as committee to carry out the
celebration. This is far better than to
trust to the chance of a called meeting.
These calls with rare exceptions, are
meagerly responded to. We have attended
not less than ten of these in Sacramento in
the last twelve years, and with the excep-
ton of the Centennial year there has al
ways been experienced great difficulty in
getting citizens to attend, and greater diff
fculty still to induce them to work 4
few "standbys" always come, and can be
relied upon; the men interested in con-
tracts are always there; the fireworks men
are invariably represented; the Mayor is
there, of course, but nearly always with
protest and bored" plainly written
upon his countenance; but rarely indeed
are these meetings what they should be.
Let us be honest with ourselves and con-
fess to each other the truth-this begging
about the streets for pitiful sums for cele-
hrations that should spring unbdden from
the enthusiasm and patriotism of Ameri-
cans, is a bore, and no man ever vet served
in the capacity of a collector of this kind,
who has not vowed in his secret soul never
To do it again.
The ardor of the collection and execu-
tive committeeman is invariably cooled
soon after they enter upon their tasks, by
The facts with which their duty
makes them acquainted They see
behind the subscriptions, in nine cases out
OF ten, the most selfish, not TO say the
meauest of dispositions We shall be told
probably that this Is an outrageous SANDER
upon our citizens, but ii is the simple |
truth and every person who has served |
upon Fourth of July finance committee !
VIII bea5 us out. \ portion give because
Others il business ask ii; another portion !
give because a rival has given; still an
other portion give a mere 1.-THE of what |
they should, and generally this class Is the
very class @. all Others most to profit by
1he celebration. & class Of givers contrib
ute simply because they expect to get it
back with added gaigs from the crowd that
IS to be drawn k;ther. Some giyers attach
stlpulations: the fireworks must be down
town or up towns there must be a regatta
or certain lot Of pot-houses on Front
street will refuse their aid The massinc
OF the people must rot be too far east. or
the west-end saloons will refuse to smile I
upon the patriotic enGeavor; not too far
west or the east-enders sill give nothing. ;
A large class give because they cannot
help 1.-THE conditions surrounding the
ratification coerce them. 4 few give sim
ply, solely, heartily because they believe
such commemoration of patriotic memoir
les to be sovereign's dear privilege; an
TO impress patriotic lessons
upon the youthful mind right thing, a
glorious thing, and one Of the regalia Of the :
freedom.
Behind the whole collection business for !,
,ur Fourth-of-July celebration the selfish |
motive has in the past too largely operated :;
Is a motor. 1t has been the common plea Y
we must celebrate finely to draw outside fl