The record-union., 1891-05-25
THE REAL ENEMIES OF THE
STATE.

California claims to be the first horti-
cultural State in the union. Pretending
to this claim, National Commissioner
secured the appointment of man to the
headship of the Department of Horticult-
ure of the Worlds Fair who is not a
horticulturist. This treason to the
highest interests Of California shall be
persistently and mercilessly exposed.
Nothing could be more fatal to the main
tenance of the reputation of California as
horticultural country than the appoint
ment of one of its citizens to the headship
of the Department of Horticulture, who
is ignorant of the subject with which he
has to deal. He will stand as the ex-
ponent of California intelligence on the
subject of fruit growing. He will come
the world, and in their presence his
ignorance wouldl be the humiliation of
this State. Against placing California in
this humiliating attitude, the protest of
every honest well-wisher of the State will
be launched. Behind this contemplate,
outrageous appointment, the parties re-
sponsible for it attempt to shield them
selves by the cry that California must
accept this, incompetent or fail to get the
position at all. Let her fail. Her self
respect demands that she shall fail. And
&C.
stake.
When unfit men are named for Office,
they are generally defended in the name
of patriotism, justifying the definition of
DR.. Johnson, that patriotism is the last
refuge of a scoundrel" California has
everything to lose and nothing to gain by
the exaltation of ignorance to the control
of the great department in which it has
such vital interest. Opposed to this Los
Angeles coal dealer were the names of
men who created the fruit industry of
California. Such names as A, 7. Hatch,
w. L. Buck, j. De Barth Shorb and n. P.
Chapman stood in the list of available
candidates. Their intelligence, their
manly character, their well-recognized
position in the science of horticulture
went for nothing, and small pot-house
politician, ignorant Of the great subject to
be placed in his charge, is to be selected.
And this outrage is defended on the
ground that an ignorant politician was
the only available material! in the State,
and that the State must accept him, fall
behind him, and confess that he was the
exponent Of its intelligence ion the great
subject, or lose the position altogether.
Is this the measure of California's inf1u-
ence with the National Commission? Are
we to believe that incompetency alone
from California could receive the homer
of an appointment to high administrs-
tive place?
The statement itself is an outrageous
libel on the intelligence of the Director
General and on the other Commissioners.
We are disposed to characterize it as it
deserves-as ridiculous and absurd.
Rendered into plain English, it means
this: The Director General of the
Worlds Fair at Chicago was willing to
make an appointment from the State of
California of candidate VIGOROUSLY dis
qualified, but he was wholly unwilling
to make any more available selection
and he was thrust into this position by
reason of the attitude of those who de-
aired the appointment. His capacity for
administration stands impeached if this
Is true. 1t amounts to confession on
his part that he was willing to relegate
the control of great department to in
competency simply TO satisfy the clam
orous demands of friends OF a single
candidate. Director-G General Davis should
be defended from this outrageous libel.
He is certainly not so weak and con-
temptible as this representation would
make him appear.
What the people of California demand,
and what they will continue to demand
TO the end OF this controversy, is that one
saG their leading horticulturists shall re-
ceive this honor. California has right
by reason Of the primacy of her position
in horticulture to the appointment She
would have received the appointment
but for the selfsh:aims of designing men.
She can thousand times better afford to
lose the appointment altogether than to
have her knowledge of the subject so
grossly discredited by the appointment
of Mr.. Maxwell.
Another phaseof this.question deserves
notice. Whoever is appointed to the
headship of the Department of Horti-
culture of the Worlds Fair must do the
whole world exact justice, and the State
from which he comes should reap no
special advantage or benefit by reason of
his appointment. The supposition that
any State is to gain an advantage by rea-