The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-06
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on sub-
jects of Living News
mr.
Interest.

| SOSS0 % AA4vAAA6 4NOWo
Interest.
Los Angeles Herald: The attention
of observant people has lately been at
tracted by what is apparently rapid
growth in the percentage of arrests of
youthful criminals. Petty larceny is
the most common offense, but there are
others, and in some instances evidence
of extreme depravity is shown. Boys
OF most tender years are arralgned Tor
judgment in the Police Court side by
side with hardened criminals. Friday
morning three boys were thus ar
raigned, their respective ages being u,
ID and 8 years. The oldest one had
stolen a watch The other two, who
were brothers, had burglariously en-
cles. A Brooklyn magistrate, in re-
Gently passing judgment on a group OF
seven young criminals, said: Il am
unable to understand the large per-
centage of crime among young boys in
the City of Churches. For the last
three weeks, while I have been On the
bench in this court fully three quarters
of the prisoners brought before me
have been boys under the age of IT.
years I repeat cannot understand it..
There must be something radically
| wrong in their home surroundings
WILL LEARN.
Los Angeles Times: Shooting edu-
cation into people is a trifie rough, we
must admit. but there are some who
are unable to be got at with the BLDG,
the bath tub and the school book any
will
"bymeby'' what we are driving at then
! for smoother sailing, with something
IN the dimpling waters besides Dewey $
| bulldog battleship. monitors and gun
| boats. go !
NO IMPROVEMENT
San Jose Mercury: The Sacramento
| Record Union points out that the an
ti-cartoon law, which provides penalty
not exceeding $500 or Imprisonment not
exceeding six months, in effect repeats
those portions of the old libel law re-
lating to libel by caricature or cartoon
which fixes a maximum penalty OF
| S.. 600 or one years imprisonment. SO
that. as a matter of fact, the ne" law
greatly reduces the penalties provided
by the old-something which the astute
lawyers of the Legislature are aston
ished to learn.
| HE'S ALL RIGHT.
Los Angeles Times: Admiral Dewey's
statement that he would, under no CIR
cumstances, accept a NOMINATION. lor
the Presidency insures his holding po-
sition permanently as the one man III
all the world who has no critics, no
detractors, no enemies and no rlVais-
It also shows that he has surpasslns
wisdom. for the Presidency coulo aod
nothing to his fame and to achieve lhe
position would bring him toll anu
| anxiety. Wise cousin Cargo.
VOTING DANGERS
| San Jose Herald: There is great
deal said about fraud in casting ana
| counting votes and sometimes there IS
something done in that way. But the
DEVELOPMENTS of the recount In this
county show that there is much more
to be feared from the ignorance and
stupidity of voters and officers OF cleo
tion than from fraud. 1t appears that
with all the light thrown. upon the SUD-
iect by official instruction and newspa-
per information, a large number OF our
| electors are unable to mark ballot so
that it will pass muster in a contest
| or even so that it can be understood by
the clerks of election. Also a consid-
cradle proportion Of the election officers
fail to do their work in such a manner
that there is any certainty Of the result
in a close election. One of the lessons
of the recount is that a contest is al
ways in order unless the victor on the
face of the returns has a decisive ma
| jority.
n RI
| we cannot depend upon our elections on
account of the inability of officers and
electors to vote and count correctly. It
makes one wonder whether we are quite
as smart and intelligent as we are ford
of calling ourselves. But the fact re
mains The voting machine is intended
| mainly to prevent fraud in voting and
counting and to facilitate the result.
How much it will tend to save electors
| and election officers from the results
of their own stupidity should be close
! ly considered in choosing machine.
If it will not do that it will fail in what
now appears to be it's most essential
function.
CONSENT OF. THE GOVERNED"
Fresno Republican: Not that the
fears of the tirnid are opening the ears
of many to anti-expansion arguments
| to which their hopes once made them
deaf, we are hearing more and more
about the consent of the governed" as
| If it were fundamental axiom that no
man could be governed without his con-
sent AS a matter of fact no govern
ment was ever established by the con-
| sent of all the governed. and most gov
| ernments have been established without
| the full consent of any of the govern
| ed. The very authors of the Declare
| ton of Independence would have re-
garied any man as insane who should
propose to establish government on
the consent of the governed even to the
extent it is found in Wyoming to-day.
The American Government was founded
on the consent of only small part of
the governed. and all preceding gov
ernments had been founded on the con-
sent of few or none of the governed.
Government is a necessity among
men, The worst government is better
than none, and the best government is
| an impossibility almost everywhere.
Nations have no more right than indi-
dividuals to govern themselves. The in
| dividual is governed throughout child
| nOOu WllnOul Ills ONll COiisClit, dlio OiiiS
when he reaches manhood is he given
the chance even to try whether he can
govern himself And even in man
| hood without his own consent, and only
is governed by others, by force, if need
| be. He must be governed in a certain
way, and he earns the right to govern
himself only by governing himself in
that way.