Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-18

tional power of Congress, which is not
affirmatively expressive Of any such power
in the National Legislature.
Where, then, shall the people of Okla
homa look for aid? To the people as
such, to the private benefactions of their
fellow men, and not to the sums raised by
taxation for the support of government.
The response of the American people to
such calls as are now made has never been
laggard. 1t has always been prompt and
generous, and will be now. 1t is far bet
ter for the people, the benefciaries, and
the Government, that the relief shall not
come from the public treasury. At the
very best, precedents for voting away pub
lie money in charity are dangerous. They
open the door to fraudulent practices, and
give warrant for constant disbursement
without check in that direction. If from
the public treasury the suffering farmers
of Oklahoma are this year to be relieved,
next year it may be the freezing people of
Dakota and the Northwest, the grasshop-
per afflicted people of the plains, the
burned out people of the Michigan PENN
sula, the drowned out citizens along the
great rivers, or the fever stricken people
of the Gulf. In short, there will be no
end to such calls, and no end to the drain
upon the public purse except the will, the
within and the extent of the sympathy of
the Houses of Congress.
In such sudden and great disasters as
the Johnstown food and the inundation
of the Mississippi low-lands the Govern
ment has furnished for temporary relief a
few rations, and has loaned steamers, tents
and army clothing In other instances it
has appropriated money directly, but al
ways with the protest repressed that the
appropriation had not the warrant of le-
gality. The rule for the American people to
adopt from this time forward is to allow no
appropriations from the National Treasury
for the relief of the poor or the stricken,
except they are legitimate pensioners upon
the Federal Government. The Oklahoma
sufferers are not large in number, and
their distress can easily be relieved by the
rich West out of which they came, and
which has ever proved responsive to the
piteous cry of want. If the West does not
respond the East will, and pour out a mill
ion of dollars, if need be, to save the peo-
pie from starvation. But the great cities
and large towns of the West will not fail
of their duty in this matter.
CLOSE observers of our political system
have noted the steady advance in political
party organizations in the last few years
of the spirit of independence. The recent
Republican State Convention was signif-
cantly strong in this direction. The fact
that the party representatives were indie
pendent, in a large measure free from
leading strings and'fearlessly repulsed any
attempts to dominate them, gives to the
ticket the Convention put forward, mo-
mentum rarely acquired at the outset of a
campaign. The expressions of the people
throughout the State since the adjourn
ment of the Convention testify to the pub
lie satisfaction with this characteristic of
it. Not less gratifying to the people was
the personnel of the Convention, which
was distinguished for its representation of
material interests, sobriety, gentility and
manliness. These things give the hope
for elevation of political methods new vi
talIty, and tend to inspire for party organ
ization greater respect and confidence
With the betterment of party representa-
ton, the enlistment in it of the better class
of citizenship, the advance of reform in
ballot laws, and the general tone of indie
pendence among electors, the cause of the
American system of free government is
sensibly strengthened, and the promise of
the eradication of political corruption and
bossism made more likely of realization.
THE returns of our foreign commerce
for the last fiscal year show decided i'm
provement over the preceding year. To
June 30th our foreign commerce aggre-
gated 81 ,647, 192,014, an increase of $780,
685,9S7. This does not indicate that trade
has taken any alarm in anticipation of
tariff reformation by Congress. Our i'm
ports increased forty-four and a quarter
millions, while our exports exceeded those
of 1SSS-S9 $115, 100000 The balance of
trade in our favor for the past year is $685.
$4,000, while in the preceding year i'm
ports to the United States showed an ex-
cess of S1,730000. These figures are ex-
elusive of the specie current, and include
only merchandise. The exports of gold,
therefore, which alarmists have dwelt upon
with hysterical alarm, do not indicate any
trade decadence On the contrary, in the
large excess of exports to our credit we
have positive evidence of safe commercial
conditions
EAuN PAsHA announces that in his
present African expedition he has only
the character Of an adyenturer, by which,
it is evident, he desires to remove the i'm
preston that he is serving German in
terests as an agent. But why he should
wish to repudiate such relation it is
difficult to understand. 1t is not disreput-
able for him to serve Germany, nor to re-
ceive from German capital the assistance
necessary to enable him to prosecute his
explorations. Stanley never disavowed
receiving English aid, and without it he
could not have penetrated the dark conti-
nent. That Emin Pasha should engage to
pilot German expeditions into territory
now conceded to German jurisdiction is
creditable to him. His employment in
no wise detracts from the character Of his
geographical research.
ENGINEERING science is making adj
vancement almost abreast with electrical
science. The Jungfrau Alp is at a hight
r 4 r 4