The record-union., 1898-03-09

a new experiment for keping her clu-
zens sober Every man who drinks VIII
be required to take out q license cost
ing So a year Unless armed with TINS
document he cannot get drink at
any hotel or saloon, for it is penal
offense for the proprietor OF THESE
places to sell to a person without
the names of persons taking license
is published in the local paper, so the
public will know who is authorized 10
drink. IT is an i'll wind that blows
nobody good-this law will make busi-
ness for the local papers in publishing
the long list. 1t would be a big thins
in Petaluma.
THE PRESENT CRISIS.
Placer Argus: As mere sentiment,
ripe in every American heart. the pros
pect of removing Spanish domination
from every acre of American SOIL is a
consummation devoutly to be wished
There are, however, many things 10
seriously consider and for our part we
feel like commencing President Mckln-
ley and the Cabinet for their course
in the Maine disaster. Action on thS
part of our Government that couiu
have no other ultimate than war Win
Spain is a matter of very serious Hlo-
ment After thoroughly sitting the
headlines and filings of the JinSo pa
pers the indications are that the Mai4'e
was blown up not by accident pul Wy
Spanish hotspurs. We have no douoe
that the present Spanish officers IN Ha-
vana can prove that they We're not
conspirators in destroying our snip oi
war and in killing the 2uo brave
American sailors. The fact. however
will remain that the responsibility rests
with Spain unauthorized though II may
have been. If it shall be proven thas
Spanish explosives destroyed the Name
it will be difficult for our Government
to avoid the hard necessity OF war Inc
least that can be done Will be an uit.-
matum that the conflict for the SUD-
iugation of Cuab must cease.
GRUB STALKING.
Oakland Tribune AS there is lot OF
grub stalking going on just now in con-
nection with the Klondike rush 1t is
welr for those engaged in backing pros
pectors in this way to keep themselves
up to date as regards the law on the
matter. Several decisions have al
ready been handed down on the subject,
the latest being by Federal Judge Han
ford Of Seattle, who DEGREES, Grub
stake contracts will be enforced by the
courts, but only as other contracts. 1t
is not enough for partners to assert
that they have rights in order to Sc
cure legal protection, but they must
be able TO prove in each case clear
and definite contract and by terms and
;-, ,,lie tharpUiIh the
rights have become vested.
CRIME AND ILLITERACY.
Ukiah Press: If there is any one prop
osition upon which sociologists and ed
ucators are agreed it is that crime is
largely the fruit of ignorance; that IL
literacy and lawlessness go hand in
hand and that society can only pro-
tect itself against the criminal and VI
cious by educating them. But the rec
ord does not run with this theory. Ihe
worst of crimes are not committed
by those who have no education. The
prisons and jails are not the most
crowded in States that have the great
est proportion of illiterates; and GER
! tainly crime does not diminish with the
increase of school privileges. The epi-
demic cf murder which swept through
California last year, startling people
nearly every week with some new hor-
ror. cannot be charged to a lack of ed
ucational facilities, nor to neglect 10
improve them: neither can the man
slaughters, burglaries and felonious as
saults in other sections of the country.
nor .he lynchings of which there are
so many in the South.
THE PEOPLE UNITED.
Vacaville Reporter: The Maine hor-
ror brings this country face to face with
the probabilities of war. We have
waited hoping that our interests would
not necessitate action which would
| bring on war, and for years have seen
our large interests in Cuba gradually
| being wiped out We have spent nun
dreds of thousands Of dollars to prevent
! the smuggling of munitions OF war 10
the insurgents; we have seen our people
| denied the protection of Spanish laws
| and treaty rights, and now comes the
destruction of the Maine to emphaslze
| the futility of a peace-at-any- price pol
| icy. We are not prepared for naval
contest, possibly no more so than Spain.
| But The issue cannot be avoided and
Will be met by an undivided people. The
| Administration has not gained credit
| by its pusillanimity. The insurgents
are belligerents and have been for sew
eral years If the Administration had
taken counsel of its national platform
declarations. or the people of the Union,
instead of Wall street, it would have
occupied a more creditable position. If
while it sought for peace it had pre-
| md hrOt1C11f the naEV
up to a higher condition of efficiency,
the end sought might have been at
| tanned. 1t is not time, however, to
regret past errors, but to prepare for
| the present and future.