The record-union., 1899-04-23
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on SUBJ
jects of Living News
Interest.

San Jose Mercury: Although the in
dications are that California will grow
this season the largest fruit crop in her
history, growers should not fail to bear
in mind that the Eastern and South
ern fruit crops of all kinds, except ap-
PIES have been destroyed by frost, that
consequently there will be a big demand
for California fruit and that profitable
prices can be obtained notwithstanding
the heavy crop. This year. at least, the
question of overproduction will not be
a factor.
THE NEWSPAPER SIGNATURE ACT
San Jose Herald: 1t is reported from
Havana that hereafter the editors of
newspapers will be held responsible by
Governor General Brooke for articles
published by them. Therefore indivd-
ual writer's have been held legally ac-
countable and the editors have hired
ScapegOats to serve out the sentences
imposed for articles contrary to the
law. General Brooke is trying to es-
cape from the very predicament into
which California is thrown by the pas
sage of the Morehouse signature BILL
which will go into effect in a few days.
1t is probable that a test will be made
of the constitutionality of the law at an
early date. We do not propose to an
ticipate the decision of the Supreme
Court. Until that is rendered the Act
will be the law Responsible editors of
newspapers win do as they think best
about observing it. But assuming that
it is enforced, the situation will be very
much as it has been in Cuba or as it
used to be in the hydraulic mining dis
trict. When the courts stopped hy-
draulic mining the Chinese companies
used to violate the law with impunity.
When hauled up in court they would
produce some ten-cent cOolie to repre-
sent the company and serve his term
in Jail in accordance with the sentence.
If the law holds. the newspapers Will
probably follow some such tactics. They
will hire some impecunious individual
as Signature editor when they have
occasion to lash rascality by name or
to fix the responsibility for wrongdo-
ing Evidently General Brooke's expe-
rience with ''scape goat" editors in
Cuba has not been favorable. He pre-
fers to hold the editor, publisher or pro
prietor, under whatever title, response
BILE for the conduct of the paper, and of
course that is the only sensible way in
which the matter can be arranged.
THE AIR-VANDERBILT WEDDING
Los Angeles Record: The Fair-Van-
derbiIt wedding has occupied more
space in the leading newspapers of the
country than is usually devoted to mat
tiers of national Importance. If Miss
Fair or Mr. Vanderbilt were extraor-
binary geniuses or had performed any
remarkable service for their country,
the deploitation of all the little Incl
dents connected with their wedding
might have some justification. But as
the matter stands, the only explana-
tion of the abnormal interest taken by
the newspapers of the country in the
marriage of these ordinary mortals lies
in the fact that there was a big public
demand for all the news about the
wedding presents, the trousseau, young
Mr. Vanderbilt's farewell bachelor din
ner, the plans for the honeymoon and
the various trivial incidents which make
up the lives of mortals.
The attitude of the newspapers, which