The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-09
NOTE AND COMMENT.

| ceedS In patching up peace with Spain on
the guarantee of reform, Spain will be
held for the $500, 000. 900 of debt that Cuba
owes. But if the independence party
wins-that is, if the rebellion is success
ful-Cuba will have to lift this debt alone.
But the Cubans prefer to have their liber-
ties, saddled with the debt, than to oe free
OF that burden aud remain subordinate
| to the tyranny OF Spain. If they show as
much energy, patriotism and self-sacri-
flee as self-governors as they do as rebels,
the Cubans can better afford to take
| liberty plus the debt than autonomy
minus the four hundred millions of dol
lars burden.
VIII some one answer this conundrum?
Why will an American woman slave ten
hours day in commercial house for
four or five dollars week, out of which
she must pay her board and lodging,
when she can get the same wages at do
nestle service in addition to board and
lodging, and at the same time acquire
knowledge OF the arts of housewitery
that will ut her to be the mistress of
home?
The woman suffrage advocates in Mas
sachusetts say they are encouraged by the
defeat with which they met on Tuesday
last considering the small amount OF
money they had to work with. They
propose to at once begin a new campaign
for the accomplishment of their purpose.
Now here are lot of really cheerful
losers. How they can extract comfort
from majority against them amounting
to 1900 votes is a puzzler.
1t is surprising that any intelligence
should hail the action of jury in viola
ton of the jurors oath as triumph of
justice. II the rule is to be established
| that juries are to decide cases according
to their prejudices and not according to
the evidence, then there is an end to the
administration of justice through the
medium of the courts. In the game law
case at San Francisco there was no dis
pute about the facts, and the court so in
structed the jury. But the twelve men
good and true" rendered verdict in d.
rect opposition to the facts, aud justified
themselves on the ground that the law is
bad one. And this is hailed in GER
tain quarters as victory for justice. On
the contrary, it is a victory for lawless
ness. The law emanated from the peo-
! pie. 1t was the product Of their legisla-
ton, and for a jury to defeat its operation
is precisely off of piece with the act of
the anarchist when he commits his crime
and shouts "stab the law" Between the
two there is no discernible difference.
! The Cubans Indignantly deny that they
are prepared TO accept terms from Spain
| guaranteeing the autonomy OF Cuba.
! They declare that the mercy of Spain is
not what they want, but simple justice,
and that justice with them means indie
pendence. The cruelty of the Spaniard
| they have experienced for forty years,
and they do not think that his mercy
would be less hard TO bear. In that
| judgment all outsiders familiar with the
history of the Queen of the Antilles will
concur.
The London Globe says that neither
the United States. Japan nor Germany
will ever consent TO or permit the part
| ton of China which would render the
! Pacific Ocean Franco Russian lake and
seal the markets of China against their
! com merce. But we think this is a mis-
| take in two ways. First, we do not be-
lieve that the United States will take any
| part in the matter even by protest, and
secondly, we do not believe that any
partition will be made that will have that
| effect. We probably would not regard
with Indifference an effort to accomplish
result such as the Globe hints at. But
we would be just as quick to object to a
partition by England that would give
her commercial dictatorship. At the
same time the United States will not
hasten to make Russia an enemy, or to
prevent that nation securing a port on
an open sea on the other side. We have
very large interest in the development,
commercially, of Siberia, and would
hesitate to take any step to prevent it. If
Russia ruled in China we think that our
interests would be moro conserved than
if England dominated there.
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In,