The record-union., 1897-01-21
Voice OF THE PRESS.
Extracts From Editorial Expression Of
Journals
or the State and the Coast on Sub
jectS of Living and News
Interest.

vice to gossip with her lady friends.
We have her here in Stockton in larger
numbers, we believe, than any other
town. May her tribe increase.
PLAIN SPEAKING ABOUT RAIL
ROAD DEBTS.
Portland Oregonian: The truth is, ev-
cry private interest in touch with the
| Pacific railroads is opposed to the fund
ing bill. That measure is purely and
solely in the public interest, and that is
why it has such hard time. 1t is not
III the interest of the railroad COM
panies 1t was forced upon them by
| the Frye committee, and represents the
utmost they would concede as an
alternative to foreclosure, even before
bankruptcy of the Union Pacific. The
| Callfornians oppose it becaues they
want a free Government railroad. Wall
street interests oppose it because they
want to get the property under the
! first mortgage No one is interested
to favor it but those members of Con-
gress who think it is their duty TO
serve the public and save the taxpay-
ers' money. Legislation with no strong
er support than this seldom comes to
maturity.
|
| Kern Echo: The Delta" of Visalia
| is of the opinion that this State has too
many eleemosynary institutions. That
/ is to say the Delta" thinks they are
scattered unfortunately, when they
should be grouped. The Echo" shares
| the opinion as expressed by our es
| teemed contemporary. California has
not too many public institutions for the
| care of the unfortunate INDECENT but
| they are scattered when they might be
grouped. 1t is unfortunate for it is eX-
| pensive. Perhaps this State suffers from
| this cause owing to the pull that GER
tain towns or localities have had. 1t
will cost more than one-tenth as much
to care for 100 indigents, or convicts, at
| Los Angeles or San Quentin than it will
| to care for one thousand; and the at
| tention that that hundred will receive
will not equal per capita that paid the
thousand. The larger these institutions
the more economically they may be
maintained. This has been proven
time and time again. 1t is often the
case that public institutions of this char
acter are scattered here and there in
various parts of State when they
could be much more economically sup
ported, and handled to much better ad-
vantage, both to the State and to the
unfortunates who are maintained at
public expense, if all were in one insti-
| tuition.
| Some States are now making their
convicts self-supporting in fact some
even are turning revenue to the State.
IOf course our insane will doubtless never
| be self supporting, but the load on the
public shoulders may be lightened and
| the INDECENT and insane better cared for
| by grouping. The force required to care
for them may then be reduced, the sup
plies secured in larger quantities, and
| even much in the way of produce, fruit,
etc, might be grown by the State. One
| Superintendent might take the place of
| two or three and in many ways the ex-
penses curtailed,. and at the same time
the unfortunates of our State could be
| better cared for.
CONSTITUTION PATCHING.
| Stockton Independent: If the State
Constitution needs as much amend
| ment as legislators seem to think 1t Is
about time that a convention should be
called to make thorough revision.
Every person who finds the Constitu-
ton standing between him and the ac-
complishment Of a pet scheme wants
that instrument altered, but not all al
terations are amendments.
WE'RE THEY HUMBUGS?
San Jose Herald The President, it |
Is said, has assurances from two syn |
dicates that if the Pacific roads are Of |
fered for sale under foreclosure bids |
will be made enough in excess of the |
first mortgage bonds to give the Gov |
ernment a fair return for its advances. |
Should this prove true it would be |
great stroke Of good luck to the Gov |
ernment. But If we are to credit the |
assertions of those who have been loud |
est and most persistent in urging fore |
closure, what will be the effect on the |
people of California. We have been in
formed all along that this State, and |
others tributary to the roads, would be |
numerically cinched to pay the prin
cipal and interest of the debt under |
any refunding proposition. Yet now |
we are bidden to congratulate ourselves
and the rest of the Nation on the fact |
that certain syndicates stand ready to
assume all those debts with interest
thereon accrued and to accrue, and to
pay themselves out of the business of |
the roads. What we are curious to
learn is whether this does not promise
to amount to the same old cinch talked
Of by the advocates of foreclosure. In
fact, does it not seem to imply some
thing worse than that? The present
managers, of the Central Pacific at
least have California interests which
would influence them in the manage
n1ent of the road. An Eastern syndi-
cate on the contrary would be likely to
make the road merely tributary to
Eastern interests. and impose upon CAL
ifornia the task of supplying the funds
to cherish those interests. If there was
any truth or sense in the outcry of
these advocates of foreclosure it is now
in order for them to foam at the mouth
at the bare idea of being bound to pay
off this gigantic indebtedness with in
terest to an Eastern syndicate. If there
was no truth or sense in their outcry
then they were merely blowhards and
humbugs. Which horn of the dilemma
do they propose to take?
1T IS TIME.
Oakland Telegram: Is it not time to
somehow reduce taxation in California?
Thetevelation that during the last two
years the people have been called upon
to pay into the treasury more than a
million of dollars above the needs of the
State Government suggests that it is
none too soon to make the visits of the
Tax Collector less burdensome.
BILLY PATTERSON
Jacksonville Transcript: Many per-
sons regard the old saving s"yyho !