The record-union., 1899-02-04

pie does not make the path of life
smooth. ) It affords little opportunity
to drift with the popular current, but
there is no other course for an honora-
Bile man be It thurny or scented with
perfume and garlanded with flowers.
THE JUSTIFICATION BILL.
San Bernardino Sun: Senator Dick
inson has introduced a bill at Sacra-
mento to define UNSUITABLE homicide"
and among the clauses that are to make
killing lawful is When committed in
the heat of passion by the willful and
malicious publication of Hbelous matter
of and concerning the slayer by the
party slain" This makes the person
whose corns are trodden on by news
paper article the judge of what is libel
Gus, and the executioner of the law,
If he only gets in a heat of passion
He must not do it in cold blood, but
must get real angry and he is all right.
THE ROBERTS CASE.
Colusa Sun: Roberts, the Mormon
Congressman who is creating commo-
ton throughout the United States, is,
to use a. slang expression, saving
wood" Petitions to Congress asking
that he be not admitted are being cir
culated in every State in the Union.
The Eastern papers are bitter in de-
nunciation of Roberts and the Mormon
doctrine, and many Of them are calling
for the suppression of the pernicious
doctrine. One might well conclude that
we are on the eve of another religious
war. But in the meantime Roberts is
saving wood" Nothing would so de-
light the Mormon leaders as s'persecu-
tion." That the blood of the martyr is
the seed of the church is the story of
history; it is the story of the Mormon
church. As long as that church can
go along and add to it's members with
out persecution" the leaders like it,
but when there is a dearth of converts
they prefer to meet with persecution.
That is as certain to bring recruits to
the church as that it is undertaken,
and it is more than astonishing to find
Intelligent newspaper editors who
ought to know something of the history
of the world, declaring in favor of a
war of determination. War and blood
shed never did exterminate creed and
never will, To exclude Roberts would
be taken as one form CT persecution,
and he would delight in being excluded
en- religious grounds. Congress could
do the Mormon church no greater IA
vor. Men of sense should counsel the
suppression of the foolish petitions,
should let the fellow take his seat
! quietly and without the slightest no.
tice. This would spite him and his
church more than any other course.
PRISON LABOR.
| Stockton Mail: There seems a dis
| position on the part of the law makers
| to evade radical measures in regard to
prison labor; but it is a problem that
should be met and disposed Of So far
as we can judge, the general opinion
| of those who have given the matter
| special study is that convicts could be
| most usefully employed, with least in
| jury to free labor in road making. To
avoid the evils of favoritism and dis
tribute expenses properly, it seems to
US that the county which might en-
| ploy State convicts on it's roads should
pay the expense of the convicts' keep
| during the, time of their service and of
such special guards as would be re-
Quired. Even then the counties would
get their roads at low rates, and it is
possible that the new system would
have terrors for the criminal classes
that San Quentin and Folsom do not
possess. At the same time there would
be no injury to skilled labor and little
or none to unskilled