The record-union., 1899-09-18

liable to them. The maintenance OF
free speech in the United States is a
| matter of no less moment than the
maintenance of order in the Philip-
pines, and it is an occasion for con-
graduation that American citizens as
a body have proved equal to this test
to which they have been subjected.
The test has been a severe one. It has
cost the ardent upholders Of this war
and of the Administration of Presi
dent Mckinley something to hold their
! peace under some of the provocations
which the opponents of the war hav..
put upon them. Very many of them
earnestly believe that the attitude of
the opponents of the war is directly
and visibly prolonging it. thus multi
plying the sacrifices of the lives of the
American youth whom we are dis
patching to the Orient on this national
business, while at the same time ex-
tending the lamentable slaughter OF
those who are resisting the authority
of the United States in that quarter.
For these reasons, it becomes these
| critics of the Government to restrain
and temper their utterances and to not
go too far in trying the endurance Of
the American people. They have
duty to render to the cause of free
speech as we'll as the indulgent ma
jority have. That duty can only be
performed by their not abusing the
right of utterance which they claim
for themselves, and which has thus
far been in the main cordially conceded
to them. When a body of men and
women in a church in Cincinnati rise
and declare that it is their hope that
General Otis and the American troops
before the insurgent Aguinaldo will be
either captured or driven into the sea.
it is to- be conceived that they have
inflicted a large and serious injury up
on the cause of American free speech.
1t was fortunate that these misguided
and Incorporate people were quietly
met and reproved by that wise and
cool veteran American editor. Murat
Halstead, rather than by some hot
headed soldier. Mr.. Halstead calmly
told them that people uttering such
sentiments are deserving of the name
of traitors. The calling of names In
any controversy is to be deplored. Yet,
it is to be borne in mind by our friends.
the expansionists, that In order
not to be called the hard name OF
traitor they must be more careful than
some of them have been to not de-
serve it.
FARMERS AND MINERS.
Oroville Mercury: The farmers want
it understood, though that it Is only
mining by the hydraulic system against
which any objection is raised. Other
kinds of mining which does not injure
the rivers or valley lands have their
hearty support, but they have right In
demanding that the hydraulic miner be
! compelled to so use his own property
! that it will not injure others.-Sutter
County Farmer.
| The trouble with the valley agitator
| is that he doesn't want the hydraulic
miner to use his property art all. The
/ very mention of a hydraulic mine
! frightenS him into the jim jams. There
! are those who believe it possible to
| run the debris to the tule basin by
| canals They also believe that the
farmers would be immensely benefited
by having the rivers raised out of their
! present beds and run through the val
| ley on high land and thus made easily
available for irrigation. Such a scheme
/ is certainly worthy of careful consid-
Grafton. as it would benefit both miner
and farmer. But, although it has been
| discussed more or less for the past ten
years, we do not remember ever read
| ing a favorable comment upon the
plan in more than one or two valley
exchanges.
THE CONVICTION OF DREYFUS.
Stockton Mail: The expected has hap
pened again, and Dreyfus has been
found guilty by the court martial at
Rennes. There can be no doubt that
in so deciding the court carried out
plan formed by the army chiefs before
Dreyfus was brought back from DevilS
Island The army had no intention or
doing justice to Dreyfus, and no mat
ter what the testimony might have
| been he would have been found guilty.
A WAITER.
| Napa Register: If the man who hopes
to see General Otis keep on blunder-
| ing until he and the whole army is
either driven into the sea or captured
| is not a traitor already he has the
makings'' of what will be one in time.
We can hardly blame Murat Halstead
or any other patriotic citizen placed in
the position in which that lecturer re-
Gently found himself in Cincinnati, for
hurting out his opinion as he did, re-
gardless of the personal risk he ran in
50 doing.
| MILES AND THE PAPERS.
| Stockton Record: Now General Miles
has incurred the displeasure of the yell
low newspapers by commencing the
general management of affairs in the
Philippines by General Otis. AS a mat
| ter of cold fact. the only great military
| lights of the country are a few corre-
! spondents who know everything, and
an equal number of editors who could
not tell a column left'' from 'fours
| right"
Power to Charm Snakes.