The record-union., 1897-11-08
VOICE OF the PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects Of Living News
Interest.

Riverside Press: The greatest COM
petition of the orange in the Eastern
markets last winter was the apple The
crop was the most abundant ever
| known, and fruit of the finest quality
was SO cheap that it hardly paid to
market it. Cold storage carried the
crop over into the spring months when
the demand for oranges is usually the
best This year conditions are quite
diffei ent Last year the total apple
crop was estimated at 69.SI9, 600 bar
rels; this years crop is put at 37,436,-
600 barrels, or but little more than one
half The result is bound to be much
improy ed market fer California or
anges, that viii help to make the de-
mand more steady and prices firmer.
ARE MASSES CHARITIES?
Oakland Tribune: Judge Ogden has
just handed down decision in case
the novelty of which certainly COM
mends it 10 the attention. An Oakland
woman named Margaret Haye, feeling
the near approach of death, executed a
will. She was a devout Catholic. and
in her last testament she inserted a pro-
vision that few hundred dollars be
given TO Rev. Father Serda for the pur-
pose of saying several masses for the
repose of her soul. Within fortnight
she died and her will was presented for
probate.
The statutes provide that mo estate,
real or personal, shall be bequeathed
| or devised to any charitable or benevo-
lent society or corporation, or to any
person or persons in trust for charit-
! ableness, except the same be done by
will duly executed at least thirty days
before the decease of the testator"
The residuary legatee came into court
and pleading this statute, asked that
the bequest be set aside on the ground
that the money was to be considered as
having been devised for charitable pur-
poses. The point was contested but
Judge Ogden held that it was well
taken. He therefore. declared the be-
quest null and void and ordered the
entire estate distributed to the residu-
| ary legatee. An appeal to the Su-
preme Court was then taken
The decision of the higher court
| should be an interesting one To the
| average layman it looks difficult to con-
strue bequetSt for masses to be said
for the testator's own soul as one made
for charitable purpose. Where does
the charity come in? Mrs Haye GER
tainly expected to get value received or
else she would not have made the be-
| quest, and as far as that point is con-
cerned, if the masses are to be instru-
mental in getting her through the gol-
| den gates she certainly will be more
than repaid. for the money was of no
use to her after her death whereas the
benefits are to endure for all time. In
one way 1T may be figured that Judge
| ogden, by his decision, declares that
there IS no purgatory. and furthermore.
that he DEGREES that the masses can be
OF no benefit to her soul If. however.
he is willing to admit that the Catho-
lie tenets on those points may be true.
then certainly he cannot say that full
consideration is not to be given for the
| sum bequeathed.
Meantime the responsibility of keep
! ing Mrs. Hayes soul in purgatorv
pending the disposition of the appeal
| Clearly rests on Judge Ogdens shoul-
ders. If the Supreme Court should set
aside his decree and order the beouest
to be paid, thereby ena bling the masses
to be said, Judge Ogden will clearly
nave delayed Mrs. Hayes eternal hap
piness by his construction of the stat
utes. Following the question the other
way ana supposing the Supreme Court
aff1rms the judgment and the masses
therefore are never said, where does
the responsibility of the situation then
He-in the opinions of the judges or
the trainers of the statute-the oues-
ton is one that invites the attention
Of theological students.
AN UNJUST LAW.
Red Bluff Peoples News: The Ped
ding Free Press in speaking of the
recent arrests for taking salmon above
tide water, says of this unjust and dis
eliminating law: Anybody can eat SAL
mon who can pay the local dealers. who
puy their fish at point below tide wa
ter or the City of Sacramento. but the
poor devil who cannot spare the money
to buy the fish of the dealer must be
put in Jail If he takes few for family
use direct from the Sacramento River
above tide water. This is the law: and
such law! 1t is disgrace to a civil
lied people. OF all the legislation en-
acted biennially at Sacramento the
| worst the most ridiculous, and the
most selfish class against the mass are
! California. The poor fellow gets it in
the neck all the time But thank heav-
en-, the average California jury has
sufficient common sense and fairness
left to acquit those who are arrested for
violation Of such foolish laws. What
do we have public fisheries for. If not
TO propagate salmon, and what do we
| propagate salmon for If not to eat. and
why should one man be allowed to fish
and another prevented from fishing?
II there must be close season, make
| it close for everybody, or else throw
the river wide open for all.
LOBBYING.
| Tufare Register: An agitation has
| started in Missouri for the enactment
of law to prohibit lobbying at the
State Capital during sessions of the Leg
islature. Lobbying in its original sig
! nificance is not wrong, no more than is
! the work Of influencing voters during a
campaign, but the thing into which it
has grown is an intolerable nuisance.
Everybody with a pull finds business at
the Capital during session of the Leg
islature-reformers. special advocates.
i broken down politicians and spieers for
diverse interests hunt and harry mem
bers until patience judgment and, it
may be- moral principle are torn to tat
/ ters. The army of hangers-on often
/ times outnumbers the membership of
the law making body and always is the
cause Of stories of "the sack which
constant reiteration of charges of cor
ruption with or without reason, is de-
nioraiizing to the public as we'll as rep