Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-28
UPRIGHT PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
The San Francisco Ala says, and well

Inc san francisco 4fUd says, ana wei
says:
What is reeded is trained public opinion, ar
upright public sentiment, discrimination rs 10
the equities Of public movements which affect
the trade and industries of n community, and
these can never be while n prostituted press
faunts its success and offers the bad example
on the roses aud raptures OF vice for the corrup-
ton OF others.
We suggest an addendum, that this up
right public sentiment, and which should
extend to every economic concern of ma
tional, state and municipal government,
cannot arise, will not be cultivated, and
cannSt exist, so long as the purely bust
ness concerns of the community are made
the cat's-paws for designing bosses with
which to drag political chestnuts from the
IRE. The plain truth is, we have too much
Of what in the South would be termed
low down politics. There is no PROPOSE
tion presented to the people nowadays"
that some political rapscallion does not
Jump upon it, and seek to ride it to the
goal of his own petty ambition It is very
true that the constituencies newspaper, as
our contemporary suggests, is supported by
Che public Notwithstanding it may be stab
bing the direct interests Of business, upon
the patronage of which it fattens But
behind such papers almost invariably there
is some sort of political boss, a job
broker, or a go-between for the publisher
and the " dark party" who pulls the string.
As an instance, there was q time not so
long ago when, with the apparent purpose
of boosting the political fortunes of lot of
unholy politicians riding the anti-railroad
steed to the gates of destruction, certain of
the San Francisco press were doing their
level best to cripple the construction of a
line of railroad between the great valleys
of this State and the valley of the
Willamette. Yet the people, the
business people of San Francisco sat by and
took their Cruel with meek submission
that was CALLING to sensitive natures. After
time, however and when it was too late
TO wholly rescue imperilled trade, these
people awoke to the full realization of the
fact tbat they were supporting influences
that were assailing their dearest interests.
Then the business men were heard from,
declaring that the road ought to be con-
structed, and that land grants to that end
ought not to be forfeited, even if the CON
ditions had not been strictly complied
with in all respects; and they went so fal
as to petition Congress to that effect, after
a quiescent state of some years, during
which the press they had fattened had
been telling Congressman that the State
not only did not need the road, but that
the country it was to penetrate, and the
connections il was 10 make, were of no i'm
portance to the trade of San Francisco. Il
was politics all the time behind the press
and low down" politicians behind the
politics. No, when our contemporary say.
that the terrible blunder in this regarC
was due To lack of legislative loyalty il
Congress to CALIFORNIA; best interests, i
only trims the top limbs, for the rooteC
truth is that the whole trouble began, i
and has Its ending with the contemptibl,
political trickery and unholv ambition o
political knaves at home, in whose inferes
certain of the press labored and kept il
cover by the sounding plea that they wer,
sweating for the interests of the dea
people. The business loyalty of the coun
try was cowed by these influences, and onl
on two notable occasions has it dared to lif
Its head and say its soul was its own
These two have been in the cases of tn
Hawaiian treaty, to the rescue Of whicl
the business men of San Francisco came a
the eleventh hour and the case of tn
California and Oregon Railroad, to the al,
of which they rallied after most of tn
damage had been done, and knavery ha,
had its reward. Right public sentimen
will prevail when business independents
becomes such by enforcement from all no
Iitical influences.