The record-union., 1897-09-16

Chicago the other day and when MS
returns came in found himself in debt
$50 for his enterprise. He now writes
10 the Express" to suggest that an
honest man be secured somewhere and
shipped into Chicago and hired to live
there merely as an example to the 9TH
ers.
THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY.
Oroville Register: Monday was La
Dor Day in this State and we are conf
dent the only ones who really observed
the day We're those not Of the working
or laboring classes. The bankers. the
State and county officials and the
courts observed the day. but the great
masses of laboring people paid no at
tention to it, The day is a farce so
far as they are concerned and ought to
be abolished. We now have a surfelt
Of holidays in the fall. National Labor
Day comes in October, Admission Day
comes this month, Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Years all follow in
quick succession. AS a large number
Of men work by the day and do not get
paid anything on holidays, these mean
a direct loss to them. Perhaps in one
or two of the larger cities in California
Labor Dag was yesterday marked by
procession and speeches. In no other
places was the day remembered save
by the closing Of banks and public
offices.
A MISAPPREHENSIO
Woodland Democrat: Some of our
cotemporaries are protesting against
any more river surveys and clamoring
for the Auditing Board to begin 10
throw mud. All this is done, we be-
lieve, under an entire misapprehension.
of the facts.
The Auditing Board has not author
lied or directed the Commissioner of
Public Works to make any additional
surveys of either the Sacramento or
the San Joaquin River. At its last
meeting it indicated in an unmistaka
BILE way that if the farmers living along
the west bank of the Sacramento River,
in Yolo County, would guarantee to
construct and maintain leVees at
proper hight, and to furnish a right of
way for the overflow, the board would
authorize the construction of dams
closing up the big breaks and the put
ting in of Weirs or easements which
would allow the escape of surplus wat
er in extraordinary flood seasons, and
before the danger points to the levees
are reached.
There is nothing unreasonable in this
demand. Indeed, it would be money
thrown away to close these breaks un-
less the farmers agree to maintain their
levees. For several miles north of
Washington the levees are already in
good condition and sufficiently high,
but from Gray's Bend to the Butcher
break the levees are nearly all gone,
and it would be necessary to repair
them in order to make the construction
Of dams and easements a beneficial and
effective feature of river Improvement.
Anticipating that the farmers would
do their part, the board authorized the
Engineer to make such surveys in the
vicinity of the Elkhorn ranch as would
determine where the easements would
best serve their purpose the cost of the
same, the cost of filing in the breaks
the plans upon which it should be done
and the hight at which the levees
should be maintained. Any man of
ordinary intelligence ought to know
that this preliminary work is absolutely
necessary. But little time will be re-
quired and the work can be completed
before the farmers can organize and
furnish the required guarantee. The
expense viii be trifling, as the services
of only three or four additional men
will be required
As for the survey on the San Joaquin
River and Stockton and Mormon
sloughs. none has been ordered and
none will be made The United States
Engineers agreed to furnish the nee
essary data. The outlook is that the
Auditing Board, Commissioner of Pub
| lie Works and the United States En-
gineers will agree on the Improvements
to be made on Stockton channel. and
that the expense will be divided be-
tween the State and the United States
The Engineer of the Department of
Public Works has been directed to ex-
anime the proposed location of these
improvements and to estimate the cost
| This work will require three or four
| days and will be done as soon as the
| United States Engineers furnish the
necessary data. That is the situation
as We understand it.
| NOT ACTING.
/ Santa Ana Blade: 1t is not observed
| that the countries which We're making
| that terrific protest against our new
| tariff three months ago are putting any
| of their implied threats into execu-
! tion. They know now what they
/ knew then, that the balance of trade
was in their favor, and that they could
not afford to carry out any of their
| threats.
! WORKING THEM.
Ventura Independent: 1t looks as
| though some of the Alaska gold pros
pectors regarded the working" of the
gullible investors in this country as
more promising of large profits than
wading for gold in the icy waters of
| the Yukon.
AN INTERCOUNTY ROAD.
San Jose Herald: The State Bureau
of Highways seems to be looking for
! State action to build a boulevard from
San Francisco to San Jose and thence
around the bay to Oakland. The con-
struction of such a road would do more
than anything else to reconcile Santa
Clara County to the efforts that have
recently been made to furnish other
! counties with roads at our expense af-
ter we have provided our own There
| is more reason why the State should
build such an inter-county highway as
this than for the construction of a
boulevard from Sacramento TO Folsom
Santa Clara would doubtless be will
| ing to pay its share of the cost of the
bay boulevard.
GOODROADS.
Oakland Enquirer: The California
Goodroads League has been organized