The record-union., 1893-01-26
AN APOLOGIsT FOR sHORT-sIGHT-
EDNESS.

The San Francisco Bulletin in its apol-
ogy for the piddling policy of the COM
mercial classes, said in its issue of
Tuesday evening that sit may be replied
truthfully that the merchants of San
Francisco have their own business to at
tend to, and that the development of the
interior is for the men OF the interior to
work out" We had not expected from
any non-progressist of the metropolis so
frank a confession of the selfishness of
spirit and short-sightedness characteristic
of the course of commercial interests in
that city.
The reply comedies all that the interior
has to complain of against San Francisco.
1t is directly in line with that devil-take-
the-hindmost argument of the Bulletin,
which, in the name of San Francisco. it
has preached to the State for years rela-
tive to the school fund-to-wit, that every
district in the State should wholly sun
port the schools therein, and receive no
assistance from the common fund to
which it contributes.
1t happened for number of years
and will happen until the State has at
tanned greater strength-that San Fran
cisco paid more into the school fund than
it drew out, and this fact has torn the
bowels of that city until the Bulletin has
howled in an ecstacy Of agony. It is bat
blind and wholly insensible to the State
wide policy of this and every
commonwealth in the Union, re-
garding the common schools-that
they are the wards, not of districts, but
of the State; that the children living in
sparsely settled section are entitled to
just as much aid in the matter of educa-
tional privileges as those resident in cen
ters of large population. So it is that
this same paper, representing the COM
mercial interests of San Francisco, is con-
slant and persistent in its assault upon
the school fund, and has never wearied
of effort to destroy it. and reduce the
common schools to the level OF local and
district capacity.
In pursuance of the same hide-bound
policy the Bulletin has within the month
advocated what the financial spirit of
San Francisco holds, that no matter how
good the security the surplus interest
earning school fund shall not be invested
in irrigation bonds to enable vast terri
tory to be brought into the realm of pro-
duction and create transportation, new
values of State wealth and money to be
reservoired in the vaults of San Francisco.
Continuing in its apology for the mer-
chant class Of San Francisco, the Bulletin
says, referring to the men of the interior,
and assuming that they have not done
and are not doing their utmost to develop
the State: "If in that work they require
funds in excess of their means, their re-
course is to San Francisco banks and
capitalists, not to our merchants, whose
capital and energy are required to carry
on their own affairs"
This is pitiful begging of the question.
In criticism of the penny-wise policy of
the metropolis, the capitalistic class is in
cluded in the commercial class. If these
have promoted State development in any
considerable measure we are unaware
of it. If San Francisco capital, to
any considerable degree or beyond
a tri,let of suburban roads hos
invested in interior enterprise, we
are unable to find the record. Some
thing has been done in the way of estab-
fishing branch shops as feeders to San
Francisco supply establishments; some
few loans have been made. perhaps, to
here and there praiseworthy effort