The record-union., 1897-04-01

ment of labor and money.
CIVIL SERVICE AND SPOILS.
San Diego Union: Whenever the Sen
ate has little spare time on it's hands
nowadays, it appears to be regarded as
the proper thing for members to assail
the civil service law. Polished shafts
of satire are leveled at the Act, which
seems to be regarded as a permanent
target for the wit and delicate humor
that come SO naturally to plump, we'll
nourished members of what may now
be termed the patrician branch of Con-
gress. Undoubtedly these playful flights
of the Senatorial fancy are invited by
defects in the law and abuses that have
crept into it's operation. Still the broad
fact remains that the purpose OF the
Act is to substitute merit and compe-
tency in the civil service for the old
time plan of parceling out offices to
men on the sole basis of their services,
disreputable or otherwise, to the sue
cessful party. Whatever may be the
errors of the law or the absurdities and
abuses of its enforcement, it will hardly
be denied that it has effected very
considerable measure of reform. In
principle it is admitted to be right. In
stead of devoting their efforts to ridi-
culing it, Senators would do better to
amend it-give it a thorough overhaul
ing, if necessary. Almost anything
would be better than to allow the Re-
publican party to incur the stigma of
having inaugurated a return to the
spoils system.
BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.
The Pajaronian: One of the most
important features of the sugar beet in
dustry is that no element that i'm
poverishes the soil is taken away from
the valley. The sugar, which is the
only product shipped away, is derived
from air and water only; and the min
eral elements of the beet, which alone
impoversh the soil, can be all regained
from the refuse of the factory and cas-
lily restored. Every carload of fruit,
potatoes, berries, grain, hops, in fact
of any agricultural produce exported,
contains a certain proportion of these
mineral elements which are lost to the
valley and constitute a heavy drain on
its fertility, drain which some day
will necessitate the Importation of cost
ly fertilizers The culture of the beet
involves no such loss if farmers will
take the waste products of the sugar
factory and restore them to their lands.
THE ANTI CARTOON BILL.
Alameda Encinal: The public policy
of the New York anti-cartoon bill may
we'll be questioned. A cartoon never
hurt a just cause nor a good man.
Chronicle.
The Chronicle" must have a poor
memory indeed. The vile and untruth-
ful cartoons circulated during the
Blaine campaign were one of the lead
ing causes of his defeat. The same
thing was a prominent cause in the pit
iful death Of poor old Horace Greeley,
While who shall tell the hidden pain
caused by similar efforts of the utterly
unprincipled man who prostitutes his
art to such uses?
PEOPLE AND LEGISLATURE.
Los Angeles Express: The attitude
taken by the people of California tow
ard their lawmaking body is wrong,
almost from the beginning. The duty
imposed upon these gentlemen is a
most serious one. calling for a large
acquaintance with the interests or re-
sources of the State, a technical knowl-
edge of law and legal methods, broad
judgment and unquestioned integrity
Those qualities are naturally not to be
secured in each and all of the legisla-
tors chosen, but the body as a whole
ought to possess them. The constitu-
ton of the State provides for a small
compensation and a limited time of
service-too short to accomplish with
care and intelligence the amount Of
work there is to be done. In some sec
tions Of the State, however the idea
seems to prevail that anybody will do
for a member of the Legislature, and
the voter gives the matter less atten-
tion than he devotes to the smallest To-
cal office. 1t is, therefore, on the
whole, surprising that the Legislature
is as good as it is.
Immediately upon the assembling of
the Legislature the newspapers of the
State, with q few honorable exceptions
begin off hand and without evidence
to charge it with all sorts of folly. ex-
travagance and corruption. The pa
tient, conscientious work done by a
large number Of members and the hon
esty and fairness of at least a majority
of the mall, is lost sight Of in the
out-do one another in abuse Of the
unpopular body. If anything could
put premium on the very abuses that
it is proposed to remedy, such indis-
criminate criticism would do the busi-
ness.
The Legislature, which recently ad-
journed is neither much worse nor un-
fortunately, much better than those
that have preceded it. Its expense of
organization was altogether too large.
though not more than customary; but
for the first time active steps We're
taken to bring about a reform in that
direction. No charge of bribery was
proven against anybody although in
vestigations were held on all charges
made by responsible parties. 1t was
shown by the kilograms in the case of
the coyote bill that a noted lobbyist
had made his client believe that money
was needed to carry through the meas
ure but whether he actually distrib-
uted the money or pocketed it himself
is yet to be shown. A lobbyist gets all
he can, and gives it out If he finds it
! absolutely necessary. There may have
| been corrupt legislators, but certainly
many who voted for that bill must
have done SO because they believed it
to be a just measure