The record-union., 1897-11-04
VOICE OF THE PRESS
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on Suo-
jects of Living News
Interest.

Interest.
San Jose Mercury: One of tie most
| eloquent and forceful facto,s in the
Eastern campaign is the ,aagnihcent
burst Of silence with wh3zh Statesman
David Bennett Hill. w,so long. long ago
coniidentiaily ins0rmed the public that
he was p Democrat. ever and anon
shattess the atmosphere. Mr.. Hill evil
dsD.iy is enc Of the most ardent sup
4 pgrters of Judge Van Wyck, Mr.. Low
and Henry George.
( THE CIsNEROS BOOM.
Oakland Tribune: VIII this Cisneros
boom never cease? 1t was all very we'll
in it's way for a while, but so much
of il is nauseating. Furthermore the,
I edge has been taken off the romance
/ of the escape by its being shown
/ that she walked down the public streets
of Havana in broad daylight the day
/ after she left the prison, and that there
was no question that the Spanish offi-
cials knew where she was, but did not
interfere. because they wanted to set
white elephant off their hands.
ILL-DIRECTED TENDERNESS.
Stockton Independent: Contrary to
all expectations and contrary to good
moral sense, there appears to be con-
siderable sympathy for Williams and
| Schlegal, the young men under life SEN
tence for attempted train wrecking.
When the sympathizers reflect that
train wrecking almost invariably in
wolves murder and often the sacrifice
of many lives valuable to the world
they will not consider the life SEN
tence too severe a penalty. Now they
consider only the youth of the criln-
inals and what appears to be the un-
usual genius and ability of Williams.
They seem not TO remember that MS
genius and ability render him an unus-
ually dangerous person to be at no-
tv. When he has shown himself sucn
a monster in youth what would he De
if his criminal tendencies should be al
Ilowed to develop and harden in the ma
turity of middle or old age? AS Tor
Schlegal on the best showing made for
| him, he is a person so destitute OF NOR
| al stamina that he radily adopted the
| criminal plans of Williams and joined
in his scheme to get wealth at the
probable sacrifice of human life IN Ut
ter disregard of the age, sex or condl-
ton of his victims. Ill-directed ten
derness to such miscreants is far
worse form of cruelty to the pupllc
than life imprisonment or instant
death could do them.
PHILADELPHIA AND LES M1SER-
ABLES"
Los Angeles Times: A good deal OF
fun has been poked at the Philadelphia
fAf q a.
cent ruling of that board, to the ef-
feet that Victor Hugo's great mover,
| Les Miserables,' should not be used
as a text book for the study OF French
in the Girls High School class. 1t Is
true that most of the criticisms passed
! by the press upon this ruling have oeen
in the nature of "squibs," or mere hip
pant comment, but in some instances
| attempts at serious criticism have been
made. AS regards the latter, they ap-
pear to have been based upon mlsap-
| prehension.
There is no denying that victor
Hugos greatest work of fiction is
masterpiece of literary excellence; nor
can the high moral purpose or the
work considered as a whole, be sue
cussfully assailed. But it must be SAID
in candor and in truth, that 1t is
work which can be understood and ap-
preciated only by men and women Oh
mature minds To such it appeals with
potency and purpose But from the
very nature Of the book, It might prove
q stumbling block rather than beneht
TO young persons of either sex, whose
minds are immature and whose charac-
| ters are uniformed.
1t appears as a matter or TACT, thdl
the action of the Philadelphia Board OF
| Education does not in any wise coh-
template the exclusion of the pooh
| from the general reading pubic, nor
| does il attempt to say, even, tnat young
! girls may not read it at their hofnes'
provided their parents have no opJec-
tions. It simply declares that IN the
education of girls ranging in age from
! ~ to II years, in the Philadelphia Hlgh
| School Les Miserables" is not TO De
included in the works which the stu
dents Of French are required TO STUDY
| SPAIN AND FILIBUSTERING.
San Diego Union: If it is true, as
reported that the Spanish note In reply
IN Minister Woodford's recent commu-
nication. lays especial stress on the
failure of the United States to sup
nress filibuster.ing expeditions to Cuba,
tba p,,ruose of the Madrid Government
is plainly to cause a diversion from the
main issue, So far as filibusters are
concerned. this country has certainly
nut forth strenuous efforts to enforce
the neutrality laws. 1t has gone to
| great expense, not merely in heading
| off vessels designed to convey mum
| tions 10 the Cuban rebels, but also 10
running down false clews furnished by
| Minister de LONE. The latter Tor
| months has been in the habit or no
tifving this Government of every wild
rumor coming to his ears about sup
| posed filibusters, and this has been 1oi-
| bowed by efforts to catch the supposed
law breakers. who in many cases were
certainly ima ginary. In fact, it is hard
ly 100 much TO say that for a year
or two a very considerable portion Of
the United States Navy. and small
army of Federal officials, have been TO
| all intents and purposes at the beck
and call Of the Spanish Minister at
! WASHINGTON Under these circumstan-
ces this country will hardly be very
patient with the Madrid Government IN
its attempt to befog the real situation
by talk about aid given TO the Cubans
from this country The matter of these
fiubustcrs is one that can be adjusted
in the future.
CAN ACT ALONE.
Riverside Globe: The truth is that
the United States is better prepared
at this time to stand independently
/ Ixr