The record-union., 1897-01-18
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
Extracts From Editorial Expression Of
Journals
OF the State and the Coast on Sub.
jects Of Living and News
Interest.

cisco Gail was reVellnS In the a1rSIup
sensation it took particular pains to
assure its readers editorially that it
neither affirmed nor denied the exist
ence of the airships and simply re-
| ported the statements of those claim
ing to have seen them. 1t would have
been prudent at the beginning of the
/ Senatorial campaign, which closed
yesterday, if this enterprising newspa-
per had stated that it did not guaran-
tee editorially that Samuel NJ. Short
ridge had any BOOM but simply pub
| lished the fantaStical lubrications Of
those who thought he had. But the
| Cali left itself no loop hole of escape.
1t vociferated up to the day of election
| that Perkins chances Of election had
gone a glimmering and that brother
Samuel was sure to win. Just before
the vote was taken, however, Mr..
Shortridge'S Senatorial airship col
lapsed with no more noise than the
explosion of a toy balloon, and its frag-
hents We're put in a pill box and sent
to San Francisco, where 1t is presumed
| 1t Will be given an honored place in
the museum OF newspaper fakes soon
10 be started in that city. When the
ballot was taken he did not receive a
single vote. Samuel NJ. Shortridge is
an able. lawyer and an estimable gem
| tleman, but he never had any more
show of being elected Senator than At
torney Hart has of blowing Cuba into
1nch pieces with a dynamite bomb
from an afrship. The Calls" conf
dence IN his success and its f1amboy-
ant claims of everything in sight and
out OF sight have been almost ridicu-
lous enough to be pathetic.
SUGAR GROWING.
Dixon Tribune: The Sugar Beet"
a journal published In the inter
est of sugar beet culture, speaks
hopefully of the future of North
ern Solano in regard to that in
dustry, based on the experiments
conducted in this vicinity. Discussing
the present agricultural situation,
the paper wisely remarks: "Ona hears
the constant complaint that the yield of
cereals has fallen; that the selling price
is below cost; that wheat, ETC.. are in
the hands of jobbers who control and
Icofner the market; men complain that
they find very little or no work on the
farms in the winter; they leeave for the
cities, where the sufferings are still
greater, etc. Let them look into the
sugar beet cultivation more thoroughly
and they will then discover that
through it alone can their social con-
dition be bettered.
WHEAT AND ORANGES.
Bakersfield Echo: 1t Is rather disheart-
ening to know that, when wheat is SO
very high as it is at present, California
really has none to spare, has barely
enough in stock to supply her own peo-
pie until the new wheat crop comes In,
but such is the case. Suppose that Cal
Iifornia had five or six millions of peo-
pie to feed, would her wheat fields feed
them one year with another!-Tulare
Register.
Well, we rather think they would,
but whether they would or not it mat
ters little. If California never raised
another bushel of wheat her people
would not starve-they would not even
suffer. OF course when the price of
wheat climbs up to one dollar and a
half and fingers around that mark
when it has been so very much lower,
it makes us all want nice big granary.
But the great variety Of products
which Californians may raise success
fully ought to relieve that aching for
wheat. And Is wheat as profitable
a crop as oranges, or olive oil, or lem
ons, or peaches, or prunes, or raisins,
or potatoes, or even small fruits? We
think not, take one year with another.
Let us not cry on account Of the wheat
shortage, but on the other hand let us
be thankful that we have shipped over
5000 carloads Of oranges before all
fools day rolls around, and then clap
our hands for JOY. That's the way to
look at the wheat shortage
STATE ROADS SUGGESTED.
Stockton Record: Governor Budd
does certainly voice one good sugges-
ton in his message to the Legislature.
He indorses the plan for a State system
of highways, and asks the Legislature
to formulate some plan by which the
State may gradually undertake the
task Of providing permanent hard
roads for thoroughfares. The Governor,
| however hedges his recommendation
with so many precautions about econ
orny that 1t loses all its force. Be
sides the ordinary supervision Of high
ways, the principal one In favor of
highways built by State taxation Is
usually lost sight Of Country roads
are now built almost entirely at the
cost of country districts. If the State
built expensive roads the cities would
be taxed to help pay for them. 1t is
right that cities should help pay for
good country highways.
The State is expending 81, 700. 600
annually on country roads, and Is tax
ing the farmers for 1T. There is no ap-
parent Improvement. Yet this amount
Of money judiciously expended would
co,, etr.,1ct 240 miles, nf crouaa ..aexnx5a ~,