The record-union., 1897-01-17
AND THE STATE AS A
UNIT.

| To those who contemplate state as
a nnit in national society, a community
whose interests ought to be and are
common and one nothing is more re-
grettable than to hear from any mem
Ter of such community the remark tha'
this or that concern OF the state l.
not a concern of his section, coun-
tv or district, as the matter In hano
does not Immediately and directly oper-
ate upon his political section in tan
| gible way. Therefore, as an individual
il is argued, he has little or no interest
in the matter and such as he does man.
ifest and such concessions as he makes,
are patronizing and in a spirit of char
ity.
This disposition is, though we con-
| cede often manifest unwittingly, the
| outgrowth of grossest seahshness ano
| the narrowest possible conception OF
| what constitutes State. In a State OF
such territorial expanse as California
| it is and always viii be impossible for
| the immediate and direct effects of all
activity in one county or section to be
beneficially felt in another and distant
one. This grows out of natural and un-
changeable conditions.
1t is certainly true that, viewed from
| a CONSTRUCTED and purely local envi-
ronment the people of Kern have no in
terest in the development and promo
ton of mining interests in Trinity; that
the people of San Diego and of Hum
| boldt have no interest whatever In the
conservation of the navigabiHty of the
two great waterways Of the State; that
the citizens of the State resident in
Sacramento have nothing whatever
with which to charge their consciences
in the matter of irrigation in the south
or harbor Improvement on the north
coast, or timber interests in the coast
range, or desert land reclamation in
the arid regions.
But in the broad and true State sense
every section is directly, keenly inter-
ested in whatever concerns the pros
perity of any other section, in whatever
inures to State wealth, State prosperity
| and growth, and the settling of our area
| by desirable and sufficient population.
Moreover, there are reciprocal relations
| existing between the sections of so large
| a State that cannot be broken or dis
| turbed without injury to the whole. We
| in Sacramento are concerned in the
| southern sections because they are a
part of the family that goes to make UP
| being concerns US, because they
| concern the State. They are interested
in the salvation of mining interests and
| the preservation of the navigability of
our streams, because these are COM
ponent parts of that which make up the
State and tend to give it stability,
wealth and make 1t desirable for its
people.
| In financial sense, too, our interests
are common. Whatever benefits one
section by inducing it's healthful growth
and development conserves the inter
ests of all other parts of the State, be-
cause Of the enhancement of taxable
values and the consequent better distri-
| button of the burdens common in a
State, and necessary to the maintenance
of its independence as one of the factors
in a national commonwealth.
He whose horizon is limited by the
| confines of a political division Of the
| State is no true citizen. He who op-
poses the betterment of any section
proposed in reason and with due regard
/ to economy and common responsibilities
and duties, because such betterment is
not to be made Immediately manifest at
! his own hearthStone, is a stumbling
! block in the path OF progress and civil
ization. Yet 1T is common, unhappily
and shamefully common, to hear citi-
OF view, speak of their particular coun-
ty or political division as having no in
terest in measures or policies operating
| Immediately upon the people of another
GCGN4O4l, EACdollS
selves from activity or interest In the
matter.
Indeed, and we speak within bounds,
this has gone so far as to lead not a few
| men assuming to exercise influence in
State affairs, to openly give over-con-
Germ in State propositions and affairs
to propose to barter their influence for a
price utterly regardless of purchaser or
purposes. and to excuse themselves for
this misuse of power on the ground that
it would make no sort of difference to
their sections what was the outcome of
the matter in hand.
Such manifestations are nothing less
than shameful, and are morally crimi-
nal. They are born of selfish spirit
that will justify theft and excuse pill
fering from the common treasury. On
much the same plane of moral sensibil-
ty are claims Of sections frequently
advanced for the expenditure Of COM
monwealth funds for the location and
maintenance of State institutions.
Often the chief concern seems to bs