The record-union., 1898-05-07
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSION.
State and Coast Opinions on SUBJ
jects Of Living News
Interest.


quently expressed in the papers. The
insurgents are made up mostly of ma
tives and half-castes, who, through
| hundreds of years of Spanish barbara
ties, have been wrought up to the high
| est pitch of retaliation, and who have
had the bloodthirstiness Of the Spanish
| grated and confirmed upon their saw
age natures. The ferociousness of the
| Spanish authorities in putting down
the frequent uprisings in the islands
| has been almost past belief, from ac-
counts that have come to the outside
world Notwithstanding the habit the
| Spaniards have of suppressing news.
| There is, unfortunately, danger of eX-
cesses when the American fleet, in con-
junction with the insurgent army, get
possession of Manila The latter will
no doubt try to even up in a few hours
or days the outrages their people have
suffered for a hundred years.
SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN.
Los Angeles Times: A few years in
| States prison would appear to be the
right thing for the newspaper CORE
spondents who made public the secret
mission Of Lieutenant Rowan to Cuba
They have not only endangered the life
of that gallant officer but have jeop-
ardiZed the success of the movement
it was his mission to inaugurate. The
prompt banishment of the smart young
men who gave this information to the
Spaniards would produce a good effect
on the enterprising 'gernalists" who
have a tendency to get fresh
PUMPING FOR IRRIGATION.
Fresno Republican: Evidence is
multiplying that pumping for irrigation
is a success in any locality where the
water supply is near the surface and
| cheap power is obtainable. The report
has come to the Republican" from an
! authentic source this week that farm
ers southwest of Fresno have thorough
ly irrigated 1000 acres of grain at a
cost of 20 cents an acre. This is prac-
tical demonstration of the claim that
the cost of irrigating with pumps is
but slightly in excess of irrigating from
canals which divert water from flowing
streams, and cheaper, evidently, than
the system in vogue in Southern Cali
fornia of impounding water by the con-
struction of expensive dams and reser-
voirs in the mountains.
A PECULIAR WAR
Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Chris
| tian people throughout the world have
! for many years held to the hope that
the reign of perpetual peace among CIV
ilized nations had commenced, and this
war between Spain and the United
States is, of course, an unwelcome blow
to that hope. But there is a widespread
faith that the present conflict may in
the end strengthen the influences that
are at work to maintain peace among
| the nations.
1t is certainly such war as has
| never before been waged by any coun-
try; it is struggle, the sole purpose
of which is to end the barbarous deeds
of a nation that has not kept step with
the march of civilization and coun-
try that insists on blackening the rec
ords of the nineteenth century with the
story of the cruel practices of the dark
ages.
The war gives fair and sufficient
warning to the world that there is one
great nation which so firmly believes
in free government and individual lib
erty that it is willing to make heroic
sacrifices to aid neighboring people te
free themselves and to enjoy in peace
the fruits of their labor. Even more
than that it means that there is one
great Power ready to use its ships and
to contribute volunteer armies in the
effort to establish justice among the
nations, and to assist in the struggle
toward universal enlightenment
The war will certainly add to the al
ready tremendous moral influence of
this country and of it's free institu-
tions in the affairs of the world, and
hereafter, when any fragrant act of in
justice is contemplated by any nation
against another, the question of what
the United States win do in the mat
ter will always enter into the decision
of the case.
PURPOSE OF THE WAR.
Los Angeles Express: Some of the
leading daily newspapers at the East
are still disposed to confine the oper-
ations of the war to the original pur-
pose Of intervention, that of securing
peace and quietude in Cuba, and thus
give the parties and factions on the
island an opportunity to determine their
differences by free ballot. Among these
hesitating newspapers is the New York
Tribune which, it should also be said
has all along doubted if there would
be any war, and insisted that inter
vention such as President Mckinley
contemplated would not necessarily
lead to a rupture of all relations be-
tween this country and Spain. 1t now
declares it is intervention that this
country has set itself to attempt, and
is committed to accomplish, and that
it's only purpose is to give the people
of Cuba a chance to vote upon the
question of what form of local gov
ernment they would have. OF course
it assumes that in the process Spain
will lose even the semblance of sover-
eign control But what if the assump-
ton should not be borne out by the
resultant facts? 1t is true that inter
vention, even the armed Intervention
that was proposed by the President, is
not the same thing as war, and thal
it might somewhere take place and
war be averted rather than brought on
There is abundant reason to believe
that Mr.. Mckinley hoped that the
threat he made of armed intervention
would be enough; that Spain woulo
hasten to make concessions that wouic
satisfy the Cuban patriots and appease
the just wrath of the people Of the
United States. But he soon shook him
self out of that frame of mind. He
made no remonstrance, and accepted
the situation as it was made for him
by Congress. He went further thar
Congress had done. and required from
that body a formal declaration of war
What. then, can the New York "Trib-
une'' mean when it says that it is still
intervention only?
NOT FLURRIED.
San Jose Herald: Bradstreet's re-