The record-union., 1899-07-24

cured as many as 100 in one Week II
lappears that under the law by which
certain counties of Washington We're
formed into the Olympic Forestry Re
serve, any owner Of a claim within the
reserve who has secured a patent for
his land, may exchange the same Tor an
equal number of acres of Government
land anywhere in the United States.
| 1t is stated that the firm referred to
is buying these claims for the purpose
of exchanging the land for desert land
in Southern California. suitable for lr-
rigation. They expect to get ABOUT
$4,000 acres in two Washington coun-
ties which land will go into the re-
serve, while patents representing the
claims will be used as scrip In Cali
fornia.
Commissioner Herman in his last re-
/ port recommended the repeal of the
act allowing the exchange OF land IN
the reserve, but Congress was too busy
with the Spanish war and did not act.
| The law should at least be changed SO
as to limit the relocation of land to
| the same State or Territory. 1t is
great wrong to allow this scrip to be
located in California, where 1T is sim
ply used to make speculative filings
which cut the heart out of the pest
propositions left for irrigation develop
ment on large scale. The locators
of the scrip will never do anything
with the land, but will wait for the
Government, or some one else, to make
| it valuable.
An effort should be made in the
next Congress to obtain a revocation
of this law, if it is not then too late.
THE YOSEMITE ROAD.
| San Jose Mercury: u is almost GER
| tain that the Government will build
| free road into the Yosemite Valley, and
that the road will be model of con-
struction. The commission authorized
by Congress has begun it's investigation
of desirable routes and grades, and it's
report will form the basis Of favorable
action by the Government. Owing to
the difficulty and expense of entering
the valley, the privilege of seeing this
sublime natural wonder is practically
| denied the great mass of the people
on this coast.
THE MANILA CORRESPONDENTS
! Stockton independent: The corre-
spondents were sent to Manila because
conditions there were such as to war
| rant military rule. Were civil law in
| full operation not a salaried corre-
spondent would be kept at Manila.
This itself should suggest to the public
that the correspondents have rebelled
at conditions of their own seeking. It
should be further observed that thera
is no public demand for the publication
of news whether it be fact or fake
| that will injure our Government or OR
cause or will help the enemy That
demand is entirely a newspaper de-
mand and it is a private interest.
| 1t is idle to say that eleven coTre-
spondents, of whom John P. Dunning
is perhaps the best known figure on
this coast, know better what is inju-
| rious than the army officers. 1t is
idle to urge that any correspondent or
! all eleven correspondents, could know
as much about the conditions as a
whole as the commanding general. 1t
would be just as sensible to say the
man who drives through our San Joa-
uuin wheat fields knows more about
! the wheat crop of the world than
Bradstreet's or some authority that
gets it's returns from everywhere, yet
sees no wheat growing.
But the worst possible mistake mad B
| by the correspondents and by shallow
writer's at home is to suppose that II
all the correspondents would tell whas
| is true it might not be hurtful. In fact
their very argument shows in itself
| that it would be most injurious and
might be disastrous. For if the in
surgents are as strong and unusubdued
as ever, and our troops are decimated
by sickness and prostrated by the
weather, a reiteration Of such facts
would not only encourage the rebels
but might incite them to bold stroke
that would bring victory before rein
| forcements can reach the islands.
THE FIRST GUN.
| Alameda Argus: 1t may be said
without a very great stretch that the
| first gun of the Presidential campaign
of 1900, on the Democratic side, has
been fired away off in the Philippines
by Aguinaldo. In a bombastic address
| to his followers he declares that the
great Democratic party of the United
States is with the Filipinos-that it is
opposed to the national administration
which is trying to subdue the lnsur-
gents in the Philippines. Aguinaldo is
little premature, and may embarrass
the Democratic brethren more than
little. While the party has not for
mally pronounced against the Philip
pine policy it has been making ready
! to do so awaiting favorable oppor-
tunity for it to make political capital.
The party may now have to abandon
| the idea or at least it is not likely to
! find telling slogan in the anti-imper-
| ialistic cry There is healthy patri
otic sentiment that politicians must al
ways deal with.
EDITORS TOO CRITICAL.
| Vacaville Reporter Dem.): Many
Democrats seem to be inclined to dis
pute the fact that we as a nation are
enjoying very prosperous conditions 1t
seems to be a common error to regard
it as essential that active members of
political faith should continuously
and persistently maintain that what is
not; and when tn fact things are show
ing a wonderful Improvement, that ma
tionally we are going to the sdemnitlon
bow-wows, as Mr.. Mantilini would put
it. In viewing the general situation
we must examined average conditions.
From the standpoint of the individual
no correct judgment can be formed.
Taking average conditions throughout
the United States, we are nationally
very prosperous people. Nor is there
any apparent probability that the ac
tivity which is visible in every direc-
ton will suffer any check for some time
to come. Now why deny a situation
which is apparent? We do not believe
it is a good party policy. The Democ-
racy must quit it's practice of eternal
criticism. If it desires to maintain