The record-union., 1898-04-10
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects of Living News
Interest.

Interest.
San Diego Union: The New York
Legislature has recently passed a good
roads law that contains some mover
features. 1t provides, among other
things. that for the construction OF
model highways the State SHAH pay
30 per cent. of the cost, the other hall
to be charge on the county In cases
where property owners petition for the
road they bear 30 per cent. of the
county's share, but if the county takes
the lead abutting property owners pay
but - per cent. OF the cost BY the
time the California Legislature gets
around to goodroads legislation, 1t
will probably know the results OF TINS
New York experiment. Unfortunate
ly, it looks very much as though Cali
fornia wanted the benefit of the ex-
perience Of all the States in the Union
before attempting solution OF the
goodroads problem.
THE PRESIDENTS AUTHORITY.
Stockton Record: In onevery material
sense the position taken by President
Mckinley is much more pronounced
and radical tina. that of the horde of
noisy congressman who committed
themselves to a certain line of action
while in a white heat and now maintain
that position from mere obstinacy. The
Presidents plan of intervention with
out specific declaration of Cuban in
dependence is a truly American stand.
1t contemplates the essential right OF
America, after intervening and saving
l.n ;~Jo, tbA h of
strife and starvation, to become the
supreme authority in establishing
stable government.
The Record" has contended all along
since the real crisis began that the
only effective intervention by this coun-
! try would be by taking possession of
! Cuba in behalf of civilization and hu-
manity and keeping a standing army
there until the island is thoroughly pac-
! flied and civil authority guaranteed.
This could not be done if our Govern
ment starts in by recognizing an au-
thority superior to itself. If we recog-
nize Cuban independence as the initial
step toward intervention then the
| armies and navies of the United States
sent to Cuba to fight Spain must be
placed under orders of the Cuban Gov
ernment that we recognize. And even
were no friction of this nature to occur
during the actual continuance of war,
much more serious questions would
arise when the period of reconstruction
came.
PEACE AND WAR SHOUTING.
Ell Dorado Republican: The proba-
bilites are that the Eastern sugar trust
has had more to do with setting on
foot this war agitation than any other
factor in the United States. The people
howl about the iniquities of sugar
trusts and bondholders, yet they per-
nit themselves to be excited by the
| holding up of a red flag of a Spaniard
into serving the sugar trust by war in
the first place and by creating more
! bondholders for the future to meet the
expenses of war if one should occur.
| What benefit the masses expect to Sc
cure from war is hard to understand.
They have to do the fighting, bury the
! dead, protect the widows, feed the or
phans pay the swindling contractors,
pay the bondholders, and, in the end,
pay the pensions
The destruction of the Maine can be
settled without reference to Cuban
warfare Few men will dispute the
morality of the Golden Rule. If that
be observed let us suppose a Spanish
ship to have been blown up in an
! American harbor, there being no evil
| dence as to the cause except the con-
dition Of the wrecked vessel and the
| conclusions to be drawn from it. I'm
der such circumstances, would this ma
ton consent that the opinion of a
| Spanish board of examination should
be the final verdict, and that we be-
come responsible for the damage that
was done without some further inves-
tigation? Any man will at once de-
clare that we would go to war before
submitting, yet here are people de-
manding immediate war upon Spain
because our board of inquiry has regis
| tered its opinion that the Maine was
destroyed by an external explosion The
editor believes in a firm position on
the Maine affair, but not in excitable
nonsense