The record-union., 1898-03-30
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects OF Living News
Interest.

| plete programme for President McKin-
ley, his Cabinet, both houses of Con-
gress and the chief functionaries of
the army and navy, for a week III ad-
vance-eyery day but Sunday The
Record thinks it highly imprudent
for the President and all the other Off
cials to be SO confidential with the cor
respondents of these favored papers.
| II they are going to make out q diary
| of contemplated actions they should
distribute the material among all of the
press. For its share the Record
| would like to have a condensed sum-
mary of their feelings the 9th day of
next November in case they join in the
| Examiner Journal invasion of Cuba.
FREE SILVER, THEN FTATISM.
Humboldt Standard: Fiatism, which
once ruined the finances of France,
may split the silver columns. The So
called silver States now see they are
| drifting to a system of Government
paper money instead of free coinage"
Such men as Bryan, Bland, Vest and
Altgeld did not care penny for the
| silver States, but they wanted their
electoral votes. All free silver advo-
Gates are not fiat money men, but all
| fiatists were free silVerites during the
| last campaign, for it served their pur-
pose to be So The steps they would
have US take are regular in their or
der and similar in their consequences.
| First from the 100-cent dollar to the
4o-cent dollar by free silver coinage;
| then from the 45-cent silver dollar with
no gold in circulation, to the irredeem-
able paper dollar of the fiatist.
a DIPLOMATIC POSSIBILITY.
Stockton Mail: There is a diplomatic
avenue of escape from war with Spain,
and it would not be surprising to see
the President adopt it-unless. indeed,
the court of inquiry's report fixes the
blame of destroying the Maine on the
Spanish authorities, which it is not
likely to do
The simultaneous recognition by the
United States and Great Britain of the
independence of the Cuban Republic
would end the struggle in that island
without the firing Of a shot Even
Spanish folly would not dare a declar-
alton of war against two great powers
that can easily withstand the rest of
the world.
1t is ell guesswork now. of course,
but We shrewdly suspect that the pro-
longed conferences of the President
with Sir Julian Pauncefote have been
upon this very subject
FREE COINAGE AND WAR.
Nevada City Transcript: The coun-
try may especially congratulate itself
to-day upon its rejection of the free
silver proposition in 1896 What would
have been the conditions to-day, with
prospects of war, had a free coinage
House and President instead of a
sound-money House and President been
elected in November, 1896? That ev-
cry dollar of gold would have long since
disappeared from the Treasury goes
without saying. That gold would have
disappeared from the currency of the
country, meantime, is equally apparent.
That it would be impossible to sell
bonds at par or anything like par un-
der an Administration that proposes to
redeem them in silver coin is equally
evident
WHAT WE DID DO
Stockton independent: contempo-
rary argues that Spain will not dare to
declare war if the United States and
Great Britain both recognize Cuban in
dependence. This is assuming in an
indirect and negative way that she will
declare war against the United States
in case this country recognizes Cuban
independence without the cooperation
of any other country. It in fact as
sumes that a recognition of Cuban in
dependence is a valid excuse for a dec
laration of war This, however, is not
generally the case. The United States
recognized a great number of States in
Spanish America as independent with
out having a war with Spain. Indeed
friendly diplomatic relations need not
be interrupted with Spain by mere
act of recognition of Cuban independ-
ence. Tt is not hostile act-not con
sidered a hostile act by international
comfy.
LET HER QUAKE.
Tulare Register: We have mentioned
it before, but will mention it again for
fear of people forgetting it, that it is
always noticed that when things get to
be in about as bad a state as possible
they nearly always begin to get better,
and If there is anything mean that
nature hasn't thought of to do to us
this spring it is to send an earthquake.
We have not had that yet, but just
as soon as it comes we can all take
courage and hope for a general and
positive improvement of natural con-
ditions. Let her quake!
THE BURGLAR AND THE GUN.
Oakland Enquirer: The Sacramento
Record Union thinks it necessary to
point out the moral of the shooting
of a we'll known citizen by burglar,
which occurred in that city several
days ago 1t says that no one should
think of struggling with a burglar,
though it may be we'll enough to shoot
if one has the drop upon him. We
should say that the Sacramento case
was one which carried its own moral
and made it so plain that newspaper
exposition was hardly called for It is
the invariable rule that burglars go
armed and prepared to shoot Why,
therefore should anyone who is not
armed undertake to tackle them?
NOT NECESSARILY
Fresno Republican: Governor Has
tings says there will be no war, for
the reason that this country is too big
and powerful to go to war with coun-
try like Spain There is, to be sure
not as much glory in going to battle
with an inferior as with an equal, but
the necessity for doing so may never
theless be just as pressing. A malevo-
lent dwarf may require chastisement
just as much as g. giant, and the same
is true of a small or weak nation. The
logic of Governor Hastings is lopsided
and fails to convince. Spain is not too
weak to need a thrashing, and this
country is not too powerful to do the
job if the duty devolves upon it.