The record-union., 1897-03-24
Voice OF THE PRESS.
Extracts From Editorial Expression Of
Journals
OF the State and the Coast on Sub.
jectS of Living and News
Interest.

Stockton Independent: Now that the
Legislature has adjourned 1t will not
further pursue the bribery cases that
arose during the session, but the ad-
journment should not end the matter.
The Grand Jury of Sacramento County
owes it to the honest people to take 1T
up and pursue the jobbers to the bitter
end. Bribers, bribe-takers and the
agents and tools of the latter should be
dealt with promptly and severely, until
all concerned are wearing the stripes Of
convict garb.
A CRITICISM.
Tulare Register: We are not going
to join in abusing the Legislature
which has just adjourned. 1t has done
some good, some evil, and has spent a
lot of money which ought not to have
been expended, but no one who has not
fingered around the halls of a Legisla-
ture for time can understand at what
a disadvantage such a body works. The
people in the majesty of their wisdom
elect few jackals to the Legislature
and these few jackals queer every pro-
position that comes up. About third
of the membership consists also of
jackasses, and what with the jackals
and jackasses it is hard for the re-
naming good men to accomplish any
good thing. We therefore extend SYM
pathy to the Legislature which has
just adjourned. The jackals in the
Legislature were elected by jackals to
represent jackals, and it would be un-
reasonable to expect them to vote to
pay for Scalping members of their own
geological family without being given
something = to feed on. The jackasseS
were elected by jackasses to represent
jackasses, because no one but a jack
ass can represent a jackass in an ade-
quate manner. And what could the few
capable and honest members of the
Legislature do? Do not blame the Leg
islature for the folly of the last session.
Blame the people who sent them. So
long as legislator is regarded as a
failure by his constituents unless he
succeeds in gouging the State out of
something for their benefit, so long will
legislation be a farce and each Legisla-
ture a disappointment if not disgrace.
The fact is that California will not
have a better Legislature than the one
which has just adjourned until there is
a higher standard of political morals
among the people.
ACTION OF THE TELEGRAPH
COMPANY.
Stockton Independent: The Western
Union Telegraph Company is placed in
anything but an enviable light. It's
confidential relations with it's patrons
cannot excuse it from becoming an ac-
cessory to crime, before or after the
fact. In this case it has almost made
itself particepS criminis. The matter of
seizing the kilograms will probably be
it should be. There is no doubt that
Mr.. Jaynes has been acting in abso-
lutely good faith as he understood his
obligations to his employers, but no
moral consideration can excuse his con-
duct. He succeeded in blocking the way
Of the Examiner in the Senate by ac-
commodating an investigating commit
tee that did not want to investigate
and would have done so in the Assem-
bly, had not the committee coura ageous-
ly and cleverly circumvented him. Mr.
Jaynes' conception Of his duties as Su-
perintendent of the Western Union Tel
egraph Company is evidently in con-
flict with honest citizenship and the in
terests of good government 1t will be
well for the cOurts-which are never too
hard on corporations-to be given an
opportunity to lay down q rule for the
guidance of the officials of such quasi
public CORPORATIONS