The record-union., 1897-02-21

l
the entire burden of construction and
maintenance. But examination of that
proposition will develop its weakness.
| For. as a matter of fact, highways in
! q county that lessen distance by short
ening time between the place of pro-
duction and the place of market, and
| that augment ease and rapidity OF
| movement towards centers of popula-
tion and therefore towards the metrop-
oils, have for the latter a special and
| large interest; indeed, an interest far
| greater than resides in the locality
traversed.
| Every schoolhouse in the sparse
settled sections of Shasta is of as much
interest to San Francisco as commu-
1ity of the State as are any of the mag
niicent and costly local educational in
stitutions of the metropolis. San Fran
cisco has as deep and profound and as
| large a financial interest in the well
being and developed capacity of the
interior as she has in the upbuilding OF
| her own territory.
II is very true, as our contemporary
says that local self government should
| be promoted and stiffened, but surely
| rot for selfish reasons, nor to enable
communities to withdraw themselves
| from concerns of common interest. Lo-
cal self government is wise, because 1t
| places responsibility where it belongs,
| and makes a people self-reliant, While
| quickening their interest in political
| government and administration. But
local self government has never been
advocated for reasons that actuate the
hermit in withdrawing himself from
| communication and contact with his
felloWmen.
| Let us suppose, for instance, that the
State should resolve to construct for the
common use a line of highway from one
important commercial point to another,
across an intermediate territory that
could not, by reason of it financial and
Typographical conditions, contribute suf-
ficiently to pay the cost of construction
across the territory. Will it be for a
moment contended that therefore the
| two points should remain isolated, and
| State interest halt because of local in
| capacity? If it is true that Inyo and
Mono and Alpine are so weak in taxable
values, that they cannot, unaided main
tain a common school system, shall the
| IA fbarafO,.a r,ar-r11it tha xro11tb ~ tho
sections to grow up in ignorance?
| If waters of the State of common in
terest, should be corrected by the re-
moval of obstacles, and the betterment
of channels, that movement along the
whole course may be Free shall the work
be neglected and the waters degenerate
and depart from their natural purpose,
| because one section or county through
which they flow is not financially able
to bear the cost of correcting and bet
tering single stretch in the stream ly-
ing wholly within that county?
| Shall each county pay no more for
the support of the prisons and asylums
than is determined by the number of in
mates it commits? Must the doctrine
prevail that each county shall pay into
the expense and maintenance fund, in
just the proportion of contribution that
is measurable by the number of inmates
it commits?
If any such rule is to prevail we appre-
hend that San Francisco will find herself
| burdened in a sum that will amaze her
| taxpayers, while the interior counties
will correspondingly save coin to their
| terests are common. County lines di
vide us for political and convenient pur-
poses only. They cannot separate us in
interest and California remain a State,
more than in name