The record-union., 1896-02-06
NOTE AND COMMENT.

Ine san Befnafdln0 sun did not
fall in with the studiously worked-up
ciamor against the railroad funding
bill, and in favor of Government own
ership of railroads. 1t investigated and
soberly gave its reasons for looking at
the matter as a business proposition.
That led it to believe and say that the
wise thing to do is for the Government
70 secure its money by funding the rail-
road debt. Now, the sun" is complain
ing that certain people on the streets
are denouncing it as a railroad organ,
because it has had the courage to be
true to it's convictions. This is very
bad, very. What right had you; neigh
Dor, to think? What right have you to
entertain an opinion, much less express
it, that is not in accord with fanati
cism, anarchy and ruin? Who gave you
liberty to think anyhow, and by what
warrant did you dare to say your soul
is your own? You Internal idiot, did
you not know that a lot of bowling
fanatics with axes to grind and re-
Venges to accomplish have whetted their
knives on envy, malice and jealousy,
and many of them because their de-
mands for blood money are ignored,
have gone upon the warpath out of
pure revenge, and that it is your duty
to join the gang and whoop it up lively?
You cannot expect to be in the swim
and take to the deep water of reason.
You must wade in the Swallows and roar
about octopuses and things, if you
want to be popular and be beloved of
Sutro, or have a hand in hosting into
place the plastic marble statue of Estee.
No, esteemed contemporary, in this
day and this corner of Gods footstool
you should wag your heels in shallow
waters, kick up a froth and roar Justify
against the railroad, if you want to be
reckoned a patriot by the calamity
crowd But if you prefer to be at peace
with yourself, and with thinking people;
if you are such consummate ass as to
think; if you are such an idiot as to
reason, have opinions and express them,
you must be content to be called a rail-
road organ, a tool of the octopus, a
creature of monopoly, a thing of service
and prostitution, and the like. OF course,
If you believe in truth and the right,
and that they are mighty and will pre-
vail you should stick to your last and
hammer away.
Score one for the Oakland police.
Tuesday night a store was burglarized
within one block of the Central Police
Station. In the block three officers,
regular and special, were patrolling; the
block fronts on one of the chief bQsi-
ness streets of the city and is in the
heart of the town. In the dead hour
of night the store was entered and an
exceedingly large charge of dynamite
placed in front Of the safe and exploded.
The shock rocked the building, burst
open the safe, wrecked several pianos,
smashed great sheets of glass, over
threw and broke furniture, and the re-
port was like that of q heavy piece of
artillery. Yet no one in the Central
Police Station, none of the officers on
the beat or off of 1T heard the noise, or
had their attention drawn to what
was going on. The burglars seem to
have not been at all alarmed by the
noise made, but went on with their
"burgling' and got away, with several
hundred dollars and a lot of jewelry of
much value. Indeed UP to late morn
ing hour the Oakland police, it would
seem, knew nothing of the occurrence,
for the proprietor of the establishment
was the first to discover the wreck of
his establishment wnen he came to
business after breakfast. This takes
the palm If there is any police force
that can show a better record for deaf
ness and incapacity it should imme-
diately put in it's claim.
The ragman who refused to buy old
paper any longer was level-headed in
his response to the housewife, who asked
him why he changed his custom: "Be-
oapca rpasaTn finds 7 Saves money bV
buyin' the Sunday newspapers" There
is whole sermon on modern journalism
in that reply.
The Fresno Interior" for January
and February is work of great beauty,
being devoted mainly to an account of
the Fresno Citrus Fair. The numerous
illustrations are from fine photographs
and are all in the best style.
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EVERYBODYS COLUMN.