The record-union., 1896-02-17
TAKING TOO MUCH FOR GRANTED.

TAKING IOO MUCH fOh OhANAGO'
The visalia "Times" is edited by a
careful, conscientious and able man.
We have not the slightest fault to find
with our contemporary because it may
entertain views differing from those en-
tertained by u.s. We do not agree with
Mr.. Bierce and the Examiner" that
differences of opinion between men
necessarily involve the charge of Grim
fnaI audacity in having views" But
we call the attention of our esteemed
contemporary to the illogical position it
assumes in discussing affairs in this
Congressional district. 1t declares that
Mr.. johnson was known to be friendly
to the railroad corporations, and that Mr..
Ceminetti, his competitor for Congress
sional honors, was known to be their
enemy It declares that Mr.. Johnson
was known to be friendly to the
funding bill and that Mr.. Cami-
netti was as well known to be opposed
tc it. It then continues: with these
facts before them the people elected
Johnson and retired Caminetti, whose
attitude on the funding bill admitted of
no question. Johnson is now fighting
for the funding bill in Congress, and
Caminetti on the outside is fighting
against it as one of the committee of
citizens. The people knew this to be the
position of the two men before election
and yet they preferred Mr. Johnson and
retired Mr. Caminetti''
What is this but another way of say
ing that the people of the Second Con-
gressional District were friendly to the
corporation, and therefore elected
Johnson; and were not friendly to the
enemy of the corporation, and therefore
retired Caminetti. WHAT'S it other than
declaring that the majority of the
people of this Congressional district
were in favor of refunding the Pacific
railroad debts and therefore elected
Johnson; that they did not want to be
misrepresented by one who was opposed
to the refunding scheme. And yet our
able and esteemed contemporary
seems to think that the people are op-
posed to refunding, and it cites the
most convincing instances which would
test the actual opinion of the electors
OF this district.
After making this very peculiar
admission, the '@rlmes'' proceeds to
say: How can they (the people, say
to any reasonable thinking man abroad
that they are honestly opposed to the
refunding bill?" The answer to this is
not far to seek. The Times man
ought to perceive that its own state
ments are such that the people do not
want to say to any reasonable thinking
man abroad that they are opposed to
the funding bill, because they are not
Our contemporary has made a state
ment which as clearly declares that the
majority of the people of this district
are in favor Of the funding bill as could
possibly have been formulated by any
assemblage of words in the English lam
guage. He declares that Johnson was
known to be in favor of the funding
bill and was therefore elected; and that
Caminetti was known to be against the
funding bill and was therefore retired
If these things were already known to
the electors, then it is not reasonable
that they want to say TO any reasonable
thinking man abroad that they are
honestly opposed to the funding BILL
And yet it says that when they cast
their votes they knew full well that they
were sending to Congress a friend of
that bill and retired an enemy It is
one thing to assert the existence of pop
ular opinion and another thing to prove
Its existence. The best proof of the ex-
istence of popular opinion in any direc-
ton is supplied by the ba1lot-box. and
the visalia Times declares that the
verdict of the ballot-box in the Second
District was in favor of the funding bill
by very large majority. We say by
a very large ma jority because Mr.. John
son was elected by over 1000 majority,
and in district which in the immedi-
ately preceding Congressional election
had given Mr.. Caminetti nearly 1000
majority.
The frank, candid thing for our es-
teemed contemporary to do is to say
that the people of the Second Congress
sional District favor a refunding meas