The record-union., 1897-09-24

1t reminds US that we are only fourth
class Power; that we have lost all
sense of proportion and forgotten that
we play only a minor role in the affairs
of the world.
We think, on the contrary, that we
are playing a star engagement on the
American stage, and that is the only
theater of operations in which we take
much interest. Several prominent
London papers have had a good deal tc
say in this line lately. 1t does not dis
turb us or our relations with the Brit
ish Government; so if it affords them
any satisfaction they are welcome to it
THE EQUALIZATION MATTER.
Colusa Sun: The San Francisco Cali
is making an able argument-that is, as
able as can be made in that behalf-in
favor of the election of Board of
Equalization by the whole State instead
of by districts, as at present. The argu-
ment against the present arrangement
is that the member elected by a district
is partial to that district, and like a
member of Congress- he feels bound to
do the best he can for his constituents.
| This may be to a certain extent true,
but with all that it is a fact that San
Francisco has never been brought up
to the interior by 30 per cent. While
the land in Colusa County Will not sell
for more than the assessment. there
is no doubt of the fact that the average
lot in the city could uot be bought for
double the assessment. And what store
could be bought for five times the as
sesSment? The material in the sun
office is assessed at the full amount 1t
would bring-aDart from any paper
after thirty days notice; what of the
great dailies of the METROPOLIS? Now,
an equalizer who would go in for max
ing a property owner in the city pay
one-half as much as the country pays
could never get another vote in that
city. Beamer for example, has never
tried to make the assessment of the city
one-half what it ought to be in proper
ton to the country, and yet If he were
to run for the position on a general
ticket his name would be Mud" in that
part of the State; his party would not
| think of putting him on a ticket. No
injustice has been done under the pres
ent ARRANGEMENT, and it had as we'll
remain as it is.
! TWO SCHOOLS OF JOURNALISM.
Eureka Californian: The San Fran
cisco Wasp" pays legitimate journal
sim a compliment in the declaration
that one of the traditional newspaper
men of the old and honored school had
| the temeritv to declare the gold find
| in the Coffee Creek country a fraud.
| Whereupon our esteemed contemporary
| the Record Union" intimates pretty
| broadly that the only distinction be-
tween the old and the new journalism is
that the first-named shows enterprise
in obtaining truth and the last-named
i'll inventing lies The Record Union
then proceeds to affirm what newspa-
permen of California generally know
to be so; that the stories of Coffee Greek
were very largely invented in the offices
of the San Francisco press; that, while
some of them did come over the wires,
they were nevertheless sent by men who
knew not one thing of the gold finds
of which they wrote; that the reporter
stationed at Carrville or Trinity Center
knew that his paper would much pre-
/ fer fiction than nothing at all, and there
| fore to avoid discharge he chose to send
fiction.
The declaration of certain newspa-
per Of the San Joaquin Valley that
while exposure of these inexcusable
| frauds was merciful, it was impolitic,
the Record Union" denounces unspar-
| ingly. 1t takes the ground that never
before in the history of journalism has
the statement been put forth in de-
fense of MISREPRESENTATION and fraud
that while it may be merciful to the
people to be deceived by it, yet to for
| bid the deception to proceed would not
be good public policy. Doubtless, to
modern Journalism alone is the immor-
ality of this position directly traceable.
mo editor of twenty years ago." ex-
claims our contemporary, would have
declared that it was far better to hear
untruthful statements made daily than
to have them corrected"
BY such tactics as it has latterly seen
proper to pursue are the Examiner
and other sensational journals losing
caste and credit The number of people
that nowadays believe a thing simply
because they saw it in that newspaper
is growing smaller by degrees and beau
tifully less They are more apt to say
Maybe so.' 1t is legitimate journal
ism to furnish the news, but it is not le-
gitimate journalism to misrepresent
and mislead to print lies to arouse the
angry passions of the multitude or tC
make a paper sell. 1t is not legitimate
! Journalism to traduce, to blacken char
acter, to pry into a mans private af-
fairs, to levy blackmail.