The record-union., 1898-12-14
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub-
jeots Of Living News
Interest.

should be encouraged and aided by
public money. With good books as
cheap as they are now, there could cas-
lily be public library at every county
seat, to which all Of the people of the
county outside the incorporated cities
and towns should have access.
SHIP CHRISTENING.
Stockton Record The Record is in
hearty accord with the 'Record-Union."
We fail to see what there is of virtue
in bottle of wine broken over a ships
Prov. Good old-fashioned water, it
strikes US, is whole lot better for bap
tismal purposes, and, furthermore, it
is cheaper. The custom should be dis
carded. On this point temperance peo-
pie and bibblers will agree; one of the
parties on moral grounds, and the other
because it is a waste Of liquor.
THE NEED OF A REAL ARMY.
Portland Oregonian The lesson of the
was is that, for effective, economical
defense or attack, the State militia or
National Guard organizations are
worthless in any serious war with
nation possessed of any respectable
number of trained soldiery. This fact
was known to the educated officers of
our regular army when war was i'm
pending last spring, but sensible pro-
ject for putting our regular army on
high plane of strength and efficiency
was successfully opposed by the parti-
sans of the National Guard, as not CIV
ing the State militia organizations
enough of a chance in the fighting. SO
when the President made his first call
for volunteers he expressed a prefer
ence for organized State militia forces.
The test Of war has proved beyond rea-
sorable dispute that the National Guard
was little better than a mob of raw
"cornstalk" militia and flood wood vol
unteers." 1t had to be drilled; it lacked
efficient officers. Had Congress made
proper provision for the regular army
SO as to make it as perfectly pre-
pared for action as our navy, we could
have taken Havana within two weeks
after the declaration of hostilities, and
ended the war in six weeks or two
months at the utmost The contest
would have been closed before the rainy
season had set in. The volunteer or
miltiaman at his best is no fit substi-
tute for a regular army soldier and
the volunteer or militiaman has not
been at his best in our recent war with
Spain. An officer of high rank in the
regular army, who was a volunteer in
the civil war from 1862 until he was
severely wounded at Cold Harbor in
June, 1864, a West Point graduate after
the civil war, who was wounded three
times at the battle Of Big Hole in 1877,
writes:
ST have seen great deal of the VOL
unteers, have paid communication to
more than 5000 of them, and they are
very different from those we knew.
They went into the war without any
guiding principle; thought it a military
picnic, and kicked when they found the
pie was left behind. The officers We're
the offspring of fuss and feathers, ;"
and not up to the standard of those
whom we elected. Then, there was no
iron hand to keep politicians and State
officers from meddling."
WHAT 1T MEANS.
Stockton Independent: American in
vestors are ready to embark for Cuba,
Porto Rico, Hawaii and the Philip
pines as soon as the grip of Uncle Sam
begins to be felt in peace and stability.
Meanwhile we have loaned our surplus
to Great Britain, France and Germany
until brighter advantages present
themselves in other directions. AS long
as war continued or as there was a.
prospect Of war or disagreement over
the Philippines this capital would not
venture in commerce. The risks Of the
sea are always great and in war are
simply prohibitory.
But the signing of the peace treaty
will be the stimulus that will evolve
the greatest period of shipbuilding ever
known In America. There are numer-
Gus other causes besides the releasing
Of husbanded capital that will con-
tribute to this. The Alaska develop
ment first came and absorbed all the
spare shipping on this coast and drew
heavily from the Atlantic. The war
followed and the demand for transports
thinned out the available steamers on
both oceans, and most of these will be
employed for long time yet, and some
will never be released. Then came the
recent fearful storm and piled up the
Atlantic coast feet in mass of wreck
age. Now comes expansion in the di
rection Of insular possessions on both
sides Of the world. Whether or not
the Federal regulations for coastwise
trade be applied to these new posses
sions 1t will call for enormous expan-
sion Of our merchant marine. All
these causes will combine to keep ev-
cry ship yard in the country busy for
months and years to come.
ADMIRAL AND VICE ADMIRAL.
San Diego Union: On one portion of
Secretary Longs recent report Con-
gress will probably act very promptly.
This is his recommendation that the
grades of Admiral and Vice Admiral be
revived. The purpose, of course. is to
afford a way to honor with substantial
promotion Rear Admiral Dewey and
probably one or two other naval officers
who rendered especially valuable SER
vice during the late war. As to the
latter, there may be some difference
of opinion, but the entire country
would be glad to see Dewey receive the
highest rank an officer can obtain In
the naval service of the United States
He should be given the full grade of
Admiral, and there should be no delay
about 1t, as he will reach the retiring
age in the course of another year
AFFAIR PROPOSITION.
Oakland Tribune: The appeal of the
Chinese Minister that the operation of
our exclusion law be not extended to
the Philippines seems fair one. The
archipelago lies not far from the Chi
nese coast, and a great deal of busi-
ness is carried on with that country,
in addition to which there are many
thousand Chinese settlers in the ISL
ands. As the Filipinos have heretofore
raised no objections to these Mongolian
invasions, it certainly would seem