The record-union., 1899-08-26
VOICE OF The PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on Sub
jects of Living News
Interest.

/ WIN II dIl Underground mines ana III
all smelling works in the State. This
law came before the Supreme Court Of
the State for review and was sustained.
The Colorado Legislature enacted a
precisely similar law and it has recently
been declared invalid by the State SUI
preme Court, the court ruling that the
| law is class legislation and deprives
certain laborers of property or the op-
portunity to acquire property without
due process of law. The Supreme Court
of Utah ignored this contention and set
1t aside, insisting that the police power
Of the State extends to the protection
of the health of citizens, and that the
/ health Of miners and smelters is seri-
ously affected by long hours of labor
underground or in an atmosphere laden
with gases and smoke. The Illinois Su-
preme Court not long ago overthrew a
State enactment limiting the hours of
labor of women in factories, upon the
same ground adopted by the Colorado
court But the Massachusetts Supreme
Court has upheld the legislative right,
In the exercise of the States police
power, to regulate the hours of labor.
PRACTICAL FORESTRY.
/ K
most practical step yet taken in the
direction of forestry was the organiza-
ton of the redwood men to assist the
head forester of the United States in
the reforesting of denuded land, The
cheerfulness with which. these owners
of redwood timber land contributed
money and guaranteed transportation
and board of forestry agents corrob-
crates what the independent" stated
some time ago, that the most active in
terest in the conservation and restora-
| ton Of forests is that of those engaged
in the utilization Of forests and who
| find the pursuit profitable. The lum-
/ Der men are not anxious to kill the
goose that lays the golden eggs. On
| the contrary, they are anxious to per-
| petuate the species. And the more
valuable become the eggs, the more
careful are they to protect the goose.
But of course it is not really the red
wood men and the redwood forests that
/ the people of this State wish to reach.
Redwood forests do not burn down, and
1t takes centuries to rot them out
They are chiefly located in a portion of
the State that has abundant rainfall
Instead OF their being in any way re-
sponsible for the water supply, they are
the direct product of an excessive water
| supply. Furthermore redwood forests
reproduce themselves without replant-
! ing and without extraordinary precau-
! t1ons. The timber can be killed by cut
/ ting the tree, but the stump remains
alive and exhibits its vitality through
a hundred sprouts. Then the water
/ conservation to be effected through the
reforestization of redwood lands will
| be Of no material benefit to the parched
portions Of the State.
| But in addition to the utility in con-
serving a lumber supply, the action of
the redwood men is important, because
it sets a force at work in behalf of re-
forestry that will be of great moral
force to the State. What the redwood
men have cheerfully undertaken the
pine men should now be induced to
promise. The Sierra forests are the
| ones to preserve and Sierra lands are
! the ones that should be reforested
| THE POLITICAL TIDE.
| Ukiah Republican Press: No calamity
| party is in sight for next year. It's
| foundation has gone to pieces. Ne
! braska banks report deposits amount
| ing to $21 100000 In the dark days of
| the Cleveland failure and the Bryan
scare, the Nebraska bank deposits
amounted to only S11, GOO 900 They
/ have doubled under a Republican ad-
| ministration. Bryan, if renominated,
will be pushed hard in Nebraska.
Though State pride is enlisted in behalf
! of a second trial, the Republican vote
| has grown since 1896. The fusion plu-
rality last year was only 2,721 for Gov
ernor, the Republicans carrying the
| Legislature and gaining a Senator.
Bryan has no certainty in Nebraska in
| lJ00. In fact, the chances are the
other way. Some of the Western States
| in his list are sure. to go against him
next year. One of these is Washington
! Bryan's anti-expansion views alone set
tie that. Washington is for CONNER
| cfal development on the Pacific It's
Republican plurality last year was
S,O23, quite a change from Bryan's
! Il, ,493 in 1896.
Kansas has parted company with the
silver party. Its Republican plurality
last year was 1870. Kansas and
Washington combined take fourteen
electoral votes from the Bryan column.
!
have given Nebraska and South Dakota
to the Republicans. The gains of Re
publican Congressman in the Trans
Mississippi States last November We're
remarkable, and had the high distinc-
| tion of saving the house. All of Ne
braska's neighboring States are as
prosperous as itself, and can match it's
increase in deposits. Speaking in the
light of mathematical facts, Bryan S
! prospects in the States west of the
Mississippi have generally faded. Fig
ures of all kinds prove it. Nor can he
count on gains east of the Mississippi,
unless in Kentucky, in which the Dem
ocratic party at present is more seri-
ously divided than in 1896. The facts
! in the case suggest a change in the
Democratic candidate, but even that
might cost more votes than it would
gain. Prosperity, expansion and sound
money are winning combination.
OUR EXPORTS TO CHINA.
San Jose Mercury: Evidences of gain
in American exports are constantly ac-
cumuating, one of which is found in
the recent figures on the trade of South
Africa. The British and South African
Gazette publishes a series of articles
on the imports into South Africa, in
which it shows that American imports
+! are making a greater proportion of
| gains than those from Great Britain.
The exports of British manufactures to
South Africa in February, 1899, are
shown to be So, 800 in excess of those
| for the same month of 1896 while our
/ p,.st; f~;o