The record-union., 1897-04-28
may prove of service in helping to abol-

ish the evil
STRANGE LAW.
Tulare Register: 1t seems rather
strange that it should be so. but il Is
still law in Great Britain that a per-
son accused of crime can not be put
on the witness stand to testify in his
own behalf He must prove his inno-
cence by other persons if he can or
rest content to, rebut the evidence Of
feIed against him. America and all
the British colonies have outgrown such
restrictions and are more humane even
if they do convict fewer persons
charged with crime,
GREECE.
Stockton Independent: Poor Greece!
She set out upon a mission of con-
science to rescue Christians from the
Moslem yoke and in one short week
finds her own neck in danger of the
same yoke without having helped 9th
ers. She attempted just what some
misguided Americans would have this
Government attempt for Armenia and
her failure, which seems inevitable,
should cause such philanthropists to
ask themselves if it is not best for
each Government to attend strictly to
it's own affairs
SUGAR TRUST.
San Jose Herald: The worst blow yet
dealt to the promising beet sugar in
terest in California is the advent of the
sugar trust as an active partner in the
business. Conducted by Independent
factory companies doing custom bust
ness With beet-growers or by neighbor-
= i n
soon supply the local demand, look out
side of the State for a market, and de-
velop into a popular agricultural re-
source. But in the grip of the trust it
will be made strictly subservient to the
business and speculative interests of
that overshadowing combine. It's great
sugar houses in the East drawing raw
material from neighboring tropical
countries will not be made unproductive
by the development of the California
beet sugar industry to a competitive de-
gree. 1t will merely be auxiliary to far
reaching business schemes.
THE LEFFINGWELL GANG.
San Diego Union The so-called
army of unemployed that is terror
ling towns in the central part of the
State appears to be merely an organized
body Of tramps, who have banded to-
gether in the hope that they may compel
people to feed them They propose to
obtain by intimidation, through their
numerical strength. the hospitality
which they could not get as individuals.
Ii is time there were a prompt and sum
mary method of dealing with these fell
lows. OF course the chief obstacle in the
NVa Of no md
putting its members to work, just as in
dividual vagabonds are sent to the rock
pile, is the great expense which any city
or county would incur that took this
course. Still il is evident that if vigor-
GUS methods are not adopted the tramp
evil in California is likely to assume a
new and particularly dangerous phase
And yet, were LeffingwelPs gang to be
sharply rounded up, even though the
cost We're heavy, there would probably
be no more tramp armies in California
The town that takes these fellows in
hand and gives them their deserts, how
ever great the expense, will confer a
benefit on the entire State. Individual
yagrancy is bad enough, but organized
vagabonds are All intolerant evil, and
must be summary suppressed.
ENTITLED TO NO SYMPATHY.
MERGED Sun: The unemployed army
that captured a freight train at Lodi
yesterday is deserving of no sympathy
whatever from the public, Without pro-
vocation they chose to break the law of
the land, and they should be taught that
sympathy will not be extended prOmis-
cuously to law-breakers. They had not
been oppressed by corporation, or i'll
used by anyone in authority in this
country, and the authorities cannot too
soon check the spread of this disease
A DIsCREDITABLE ACT.
Fresno Republican: Mayor Phelan
appears to be responsible for the out
rage perpetrated upon Stockton in ship
ping a body of go unemployed men
from the metropolis to the former town
1t was an altogether discreditable act.
and admirers of the bright young mill
iOnaire Mayor find it difficult to believe
that he could have been guilty of such
conduct. The only excuse he has to
offer is that the men claimed that they
would scatter" over the interior and
find employment, which is no excuse at
ALL IF San Francisco is too poor or too
misery to take care of her own indi-
gents she had better pass round the hat
and solicit aims from her country neigh
bors. That would be far more credit
able than the action which she has
taken.