The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-06
HOW TO HELP THE STATE.
HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS TO THE
EDITORS OF CALIFORNIA.
Paper Read Before the California
Press Association by General N.
p. Chipman-The Great Cues
lions That Need Encouragement
and Education.


and Education.
Paper read by General N. P. Chip
man before the California Press Associ-
alton at it's annual meeting held at San
Francisco
Mr.. President and Ladies and Gentle
men of the California Press Assocla-
uon: l have been requested to address
your annual meeting upon the question,
How can you best promote the rem
forcement of the capital and population
of this State?''
AS a constant reader of newspapers,
fully realizing their universally reeog-
nized influence upon the judgment OF
men, and thereby upon State and ma
tional policies, 1 hope l may confer
with you freely and speak from the
standpoint of private citizen.
Your association l believe, includes
1870 newspapers in the State outside OF
the metropolis. AS proprietors and
editors of these journals you represent
every phase of political opinion and
probably every shade of religious
thought. Some one or more of these
messengers penetrate nearly every IN
telligent household in our common
are addressing yourselves constantly
to the rejecting minds of our people
They look to you not only for current
news, but in a large degree they rely
upon your integrity and honesty for a
clear and dispassionate exposition of
current thought and current opinion
upon all the multitudinous and COM
pick questions that beset the pathway
of the citizen; and, above all, they
hope to find in your editorial columns
your own candid and unselfish views
of these questions. You cannot hide
your personality behind the pronoun
I'VE" as can the writers of the more
pretentious metropolitan journals. You
speak, rather, as man to man ana
with a fuller sense of personal re-
sponsibility, and therefore, l think,
with greater force and effect II
may not be the popular belief, but II
is mine that the consensus of opinion
of the press you represent is safer
and truer reflex of the better opinion
on most public questions than is that
of the metropolitan press. l have ven
tured these preliminary suggestions 10
emphasize the thought that your re-
sponsibilities are co-extenslve WITH
your opportunities and to give you
the assurance that l appreciate the
commanding influence which you exert
upon the affairs of men and the deS-
TIMES of States and nations
We have just emerged from one OF
the most remarkable political struggles
in the history of the State. Following
upon the heels of a season disastrous
to agriculture; occurring at a time
when our people were feeling the pinch
and stress of crop failures, about to
choose State officers, Legislature.
Congressman and indirectly a United
states Senator. the two contending po-
1itical forces went before the electors
1lpon wholly irrelevant and false issues.
There were notable exceptions here ana
there. wide apart, where public speak
ers and the press rose to the higher
questions involved; and 1t was upon
this loftier plane of action that the
people stood when they cast their PAL
lots and recorded their verdict. Caiica-
ture. personal detraction, false lights
thrown l,pon the arena, all failed to
obscure the vision OF the voters, VINO
saw hanging in the balance the hlghest
and best interests of our beloved com
monwealth. 1t was not the party
slogan alone that guided this thought
full army to the polls They went there
to declare their faith in national pom
cies which mean so much to Callfornla.
Very high proof of the wisdom o. the
people is found in the manly confession
of its error made by powerful dahy
,ewsnaper of this city since the cleo
ton. and it's appeal to its party TO
make a new alignment of it's forces up
ON the broad platform of patriotism.
And Mr.. President, I see in the re-
itself by special effort to the upoulid-
ing of the State a wise conception OF
xour duty to the interests for when
Won stand as the natural and l may
saw indispensable advocates. You may
disagree upon questions of politics. bat
Won must not, and I am sure VIII not
disagree as to questions vitality arect-
ing our State.
The conditions existing in this coun-
FRY as the result of the war with SPAN
are unique and the relation OF Caliior-
MIA TO those conditions is also unique
and altogether. to our advantage
The ewes of all Europe are focused
,,oo, the great commercial drama now
being enacted in the Orient. and upon
the waters of the Pacific Ocean In this
worlds drama the United States, .Sele-
amazed and to the surprise of the civil
ized world, by the memorable logic OF
our high destiny, has been suddenly
forced TO assume a leading role lt-the
United States experienced new blrtn
nf freedom in 1865. we have leaped into
conscious manhood in 1898. and have
thrown off our panoply of isolation ana
seclusion, and have stepped out into
the worlds great arena face to face
with all the Powers of the earth, de-
nanding our rightful place in the con-
federation of nations. (Applause)
While it would seem too late now to
he called upon to justify or to account
for what has become inevitable, l can
not avoid briefly recalling page or two
of history. This policy of territorial ex-
MANSION means so much to California
that in my Judgment your first duty
toward the State. lies in. UNFOLDING
that policy and demanding that in dts