The record-union., 1898-03-05

VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on Subs
jects of Living News
Interest.

play iilS d SuidIl pOlillcdI lIich WHICH
involves a violation Of sound princi-
pie has been made manifest in Illinois.
Last year the Republicans, who con-
trolled the Legislature, passed a law
which was intended to discourage fu-
sions, like the fusion of the Demo-
Gratis, Populists and Silver Republic
ans in 1896; they prohibited the print
ing upon an Australian ballot of the
same name more than once or the use
of more than one party designation af-
ter a name. This was supposed to fix
the Populists and the Democrats But
now the citizens of Chicago desire te
defeat some of the Doodle Aldermen by
concentrating all honest elements on
opposition candidates, and this stupid
law stands in the way. In other words,
partisan prejudice works directly in
the interest of boodleism
ZOLA'S CASE
Alameda Argus: Zola went hunting
for notoriety and found it. He is now
to serve year in prison and to pay a
fine into the bargain for libeling Off
cials of the Government in connection
with the Dreyfus incident. The YER
dict seems to be popular in Paris,
thuosn you cannot judge of the situa-
ton from this distance. The French
people flash up Unexpectedly on a pub
lie question, and change base as swift
ly as the wind shifts What is popu-
lar satisfaction over Zolas sentence to-
day may tomorrow be a fierce clamor
for mis- relief and glorification of his
martyrdom
THE PRESIDENTS FOLLY.
Stockton Mail: That the killing of the
negro Postmaster, Baker, in South Car
olina was an inexcusable and coward
ly murder no one will deny. The out
rage has excited deep Indignation and
bitter resentment in the South as we'll
as at the North. But while the murder
is to be deplored and condemned, it
ought not to be forgotten that the pol
icy of the President is largely respon-
slble for the affair
President Mckinley is a weak man
how weak the country has Just begun
to learn-and like all weak men he is
stubborn. He has made up his mind
to jnf1ict negro Postmasters upon
Southern communities, a proceeding as
unnecessary and insulting as would be
the appointment of Chinese Postmas-
ters in California.
The social status of the negro in the
South is very like the social status of
the Chiraman in this State And this
IS Tot to be wondered at, since the
Southern negro is, in everything that
goes to make manhood, the decided in
ferior of the Chinaman The few ne
groes in the North and West are not
fair specimens of the negroes of the
South Those we see about us are as
superior in education and manner to
the millions who curse the Southern
States as We are superior to Cinnamon.
ENGLISH SYMPATHY.
Los Angeles Times: The recent trag-
edy in Havana Harbor, by which the
lives of more than $50 brave men were
sacrificed, and by which the United
States lost one of it's finest battleships,
has evoked many expressions of SYM
pathy and coincidence from the other
side of the Atlantic. Among these
kindly messages, none have been more
generous; nor apparently more heart
felt, than those which have come from
England. The Queen, the Prince and
Princess of Wales and many high Off
cials of the English Government were
prompt to communicate their feelings
Of horror and regret because of the
disaster. And the English press, with
out exception SO far as the dispatches
have indicated, has evinced a spirit of
genuine sympathy and regret, and gen
erous as it is acceptable to the Ameri-
can people. Similar expressions, it is
quite true, have come from other ma
tions of Europe, but these have been
more formal, more perfunctory than
the expressions from our brethren of
the English-speaking race
WHY WILL THEY?
Stockton Record: The yellow "Ex-
amienr" has stretched across its second
page this morning the ominous declar-
alton: President Mckinley About
Ready to Declare War If the "Ex-
aminer's' headline expert would only
read the Constitution of the United
States through once he would learn
that President Mckinley has no power
to declare war That power rests with
Congress alone, and Congress is entire
ly too sensible to declare war before
any cause exists. Why will sensible
people take seriously the trash that the
Call" and Examiner" are publishing
every day? The most casual perusal
by an intelligent person discloses the
fact that it is chiefly faxed The head
lines are no indication whatever to
the matter contained in the dispatches.
and The dispatches themselves bear
abundant evidence of their untruth.
ENORMOUS FIGURES.
San Jose Mercury: More than 81, co.,
600 pounds of prunes have been ship
ped East from this county since the be-
ginning of the prune season of 1887,
and considerable quantity remains in
the valley. although 1t is going out rar-
idly. nearly a million pounds having
been shipped last week. Since last
July nearly 100000 pounds of wine
have been shipped out of the county.
and the weekly shipments continue
large
A QUESTION OF PREPARATION.
FL Dorado Republican, The acts of a
few lawless, destructive people of any
nation who infiict injuries upon another
do not constitute a cause for war ur-
less they are defended by the Govern
ment in violation of whose laws they
are committed If it be discovered that
a plot existed among citizens of Ha-
vana. unauthorized by the National
Government, to destroy the Maine. that
fact in itself will be no cause for war;
and II the Spanish Government should,
as it naturally would, disclaim the act
and proceed to prosecute the offenders
we would then have no national act
to complain of, but merely a demand
for reparation for our losses. 1t is true
that the lives of our sailors cannot he
restored. but that never results when
murders OF any kind are committed.
If the guilty parties can be reached and
punished. we'll and good: but there is