The record-union., 1899-02-07
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS. FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects Of Living News
Interest.

Los Angeles Herald: We note only
one objection to that Assembly resolu-
ton which requires the Committee on
Attaches ito ascertain what attaches
are on the pay roll whose services are
not required. and to find out those of
them who are Sinking their work
This opens an interesting inference of
the way business is conducted in the
Legislature. But the objection to which
we allude is one that can easily be rec
titled by amendment. After attaches"
| insert land members
TOO MUCH LEGISLATION.
Los Angeles Times: 1t is one Of the
evils of the democratici form of govern
ment that the statute books are bur-
dened with a great amount of ill-con-
sidered, crude and unnecessary or pos
itively vicious legislation The legisla-
tors of the several States-and the
same is true of our national legislators
seem to vie with one another in an
effort to introduce and "put through"
a large number of bills, restricting,
this or that action on the part of indi-
viduals, associations or corporate COM
munities. These over Jealous ''sta tes-
| men, proceed upon the assumption, ap-
parently, that the more bills a member
can introduce and have enacted into
law, the greater is his ability as a
legislator. The result of this perverted
view of the case is the flooding of leg
| islative bodies with great masses Of
nascent legislation, based, not upon
any public need or demand, but princi-
pally upon the desires Of parvenu
statesmen to exploit their ideas, or lack
of ideas, on the science OF civil gov
eminent.
NEWSPAPER OUTLAWS.
Placeryille Democrat: The Record
Union" of the 31st ult. has a logical and
forcible editorial on the anti-cartoon
bill which has passed the Assembly
by a majority of more than three to
| one. 1t makes a clear distinction be-
tween what is harmless in satirical and
humorous caricature, and the vicious
and malignant cartoon, which falsely
presents a man to view as boodler a
thief, a robber, an oppressor of the
| poor, an octopus, a sneak and a Paul
Pry; a man unworthy of confidence or
respect, and SO on With discriminat-
| ing sense it draws the line at what is
inoffensive and harmless: and beyond
| that it gives the pirate who owns a
paper no license to ransack the homes
of people for their pictures, nor to faisi-
| fy them in counterfeit and lying car
| ICONS.
! In this connection to dwell upon or
binary newspaper twaddle about the
| liberty of the press, were to lavish upon
| it more contempt than 1T merits. TIC
| grant a lot of social outcasts and
| shaek-nasty artists liberties not claim
| ed by ordinary blackguards, were to
| invoke the shotgun as a last resort
| That or penal statute that shall su-
persede the natural right of self-de-
Tense, is the only adequate or desirable
remedy for the scandalous and coward
| ly assaults of the clustering, beastly,
| Matchmaking press. And to say that
any man, the sanctity or aspirations OF
whose life, home or social relations
have been want only assailed by defam-
atory cartoons, may avenge the wrong
with absolute impunity, is bur to credit
| the people with their proverbial COM
| mon sense. Even the Dickinson bill
to sanction the killing of a newspaper
outlaw against private rights as justi-
| fable homicide, is in line with the
higher laws of self-defense that have
had their popular origin in the jury
| box.
A DANGEROUS PROPOSITION.