Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-01

infaut soul, Is abhofrent Is Insulting to
the memory of the patriot fathers who
sacrificed and fought and endured pain, hui
initiation, poverty, loss of property, station
and often life to give to Us g heritage fairer
and better and richer than ever descended
to any people,
The idea of stimulating tcade and in
cressing gains and enlarging enterprises
and extending commerce and all that, is
right, proper and tie be encouraged when
related to public demonstrations gotten up
for the very purpose of inviting the people
to the city, or, indeed, OF Turing them to
the CITY with the hope of securing material
advantages by their visit We should
have more demonstrations of that char
ter-there is profit in Them as St
Louis, Baltimore and New Orleans have
proved. But in the name Of at least the
form Of patriotism, let us preserve the an
niversary of the birth of the republic from
the faint of the shop.
In saying this we have not the slightest
intention of suggesting any doubt of the
patriotism of the merchants and tradesmen
On the contrary, we have reason to believe
that they agree with the expression:
herein contained. We know them to be 8
loyal, liberty-loving, open-handed anc
free-hearted people, to be just as deeply at
tached to the principles of a republican
form of government as are any men. The
trouble is that they have for years beer
ridden by conventionality, and have al
ways been FESTIVE under it. They have
been, year after year, assessed for the
Fourth of July celebration without regard
to wise distribution of the tax. They
know this, every man of them. The non
resident property-owner and the small tax
payer contributes nothing to these cele
bratiOns except the money is taken from
the public treasury. From that source i
should come, and the whole of it. The
burden will then be equally distributed
The whole people interested will contrib
ute to it, and it will be in every sensC
the peoples celebration.
Let US have done with the Inequality
of the past, and hereafter make our Fourtl
of July celebrations city observances-paic
for by tax collected, not at haphazarC
and BY wearisome and half the time
humiliating and coercive solicitation but
raised as are other taxes and bearing with
some degree of equality upon all the peo-
pie,
OF course the Fourth" should be oh.
served; the REcoRD-U MON permits no one
to Guido it in patriotic observances. 1t is
a matter of sincerity with it, and one
purely sentimental. 1t believes in the re-
public and in the duty and privilege oil
annually reviying at the altar of the
country's natal day the fires of devotion
to the principles of free government. But
as we said some days ago, there is no need
this year to raise or expend a large sum OF
money. We can have thoroughly good
celebration without the annual row over
fireworks. Prescott declares that history
proves as peoples take delight in pyrotech-
mic displays their forms of government
become enervate and decay. Honestly, we
believe we shall gain by utter abandon
ment of these pyrotechnic displays-at
least such as we have been compelled to
put up with because of inability to expend
a sum necessary to command tirst-class
exhibition.
One skilled as Marshal of professions
writes to us to say that the RECORD
UNIONS suggestion of fine military and
civic procession is feasible beyond ques-
tion-that is, for the bare cost of music.
Let us, then, have the procession-an old
fashioned and hearty gathering of the
people-an eloquent speaker to deliver a
fitting Grafton, suitable music, the reading
Of that charter Of our liberties the Dec
laration of Independence, poem and
any other literary exercises. Let us re-
fuse to raise cent for hackmen or deco
rators, paper balloon men or float :"
builders, secretaries or regalia, fanciful
and worthless invitations and host Of
like expensive attachments to the present
style Of celebration. If possible, let the
Trustees take the money from the public
funds and name the citizens to disburse it.
as Is done in San Francisco and we shall
have celebration that will be matter Of
local pride, an honor to the city, and one
that will testify for once to the fact that it
has no relation to the shop"