The record-union., 1895-12-09
NOTE AND COMMENT.

The Chamber of Commerce has taken
right action in protesting against the
removal of the Weather Service Office
from this city to San Francisco. The
reasons given for removal are trivial
The office is greatly more than local
convenience. Situated at the junction
of the two great valleys of the State,
midway between the coast and the
mountains, it would seem that Sacra-
mento is a most important point for
the gathering of meteorological data,
more so than any other point in the
valley. The river and frost records
alone render the office here invaluable
to all the people. While the data
gathered here may not be absolutely es-
sential for forecasts of storms and wind
currents, it is equally of high service
to the whole valley community. More
than that, the office here is the only
one that makes a speciality of collecting
and disseminating valuable informa-
ton concerning State climatology un-
der the auspices of the State Board of
Agriculture. This data is scattered
far and wide over the land, and is
sought from all quarters of the globe.
Government by the disestablishment of
the office would be but trifiing, since
the Observer would still be retained in
the service of the Government. 1t is
conceded that the services of this OBJ
server, through his position as State
agent, have been of value to the entire
State of California 1t would, there
fore. be a distinct loss to locate him in
San Francisco, where the conditions are
SO very different, and where personal
observations of valley climatology
could not be made To reduce the Sac
ramento office to the level of a volun-
tary service agency will be to do dis
tinct harm to the State, and it should
therefore be earnestly petitioned
against.
There has been no more intelligent or
devoted advocate of woman suffrage
than Phoebe Cousins. But Miss Cousins,
in an interview with a Record-Union
representative published in Saturdays
edition of this paper, confessed that in
practice her theories had not panned
out we'll That is to say, where woman
suffrage has been tried it has proved
complete failure, and now Miss Cousins
is soul-sick with disgust. She adheres to
the equitable claim in favor of un1yer-
sal suffrage, but comedies that the
women of the country are not now pre-
pared for it, if judgment is to be based
e. IN rn16 n n fO n n
what was expected of them, and their
failure in Kansas and other parts to
show that they would be Independent
of political methods and trickery. Miss
Cousins has simply landed where the
Record Union has all along contended
she and her colleagues in the scheme
would. upon these stern facts, that the
women of the country are not demand
ing the ballot, and, secondly, that when
it is granted to them they do not mate
rally change conditions or results in
governmental or social schemes.
Suppose the Board of Trustees apply
its brains tonight to an attempt to as
certain where the pull comes in that
nabIes certain property-owners TO defy
the law and the authorities in the mat
ter of condemned sidewalks-the nuis
ance at Sixth and L streets, for in
stance. Possibly it may turn out that
the board has power sufficient to un-
earth the bottom facts in that and SIM
nar cases.
The Los Angeles Times has entered
upon its fourteenth year. It is to-day
one of the most prosperous papers on
the Pacific Coast. Always outspoken
and vigorous, it commands respect for
its opinions. and deserves the warm
support it evidently receives.
The Petaluma Daily Courier has
weathered the storms and trials of four
years, and is now being successfully
conducted by D. w. Ravenscroft. Dur
ing the four years it has had several diff
ferent proprietors and editors. On the
18th inst. it published a very creditable
special edition expository of the re-
sources and advantages of Sonoma
County.
San Diego has a new evening paper.
called the Tribune, published by T. D.
Beasley and F. E. A. Kimball. 1t is a
very lively and spicy paper.