The record-union., 1899-10-12
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions on SUBJ
jects of Living News
Interest.

Hlla- "A mistaken idea got hOIu Oh the
F'1llpinoS when our volunteers We're or
dered home. Now two go for every
one returned; hence the uneasiness. II
the American people. would only quiet
down for ninety days and let the Ad-
ministration have a show, the war
would be ended The journal has
no use for Republican political meth
DDS, but is strongly in favor of stand
ing by the Government when at war,
right or wrong.
SMALL COMFORT.
Santa Barbara Press: The Democrats
who are so badly worked up because
the United States is expanding will
not gather much comfort from the loyal
and patriotic sentiments of such brainy
representatives of the. party as Henry
Watterson of Kentucky and ex-Gov-
ernor Pattison of Pennsylvania. The
Democratic anti expansionist goes
back on the traditions of his own
party, for the bulk of the additions
were made under that party; that
much, be it said, to it's credit. But,
then, the Democratic party as it was
in those days is very different from
that of to-day, both as to men and
measures.
WILL DROP SILVER.
Los Angeles Express: It begins to
look as if the Democrats are prepar-
ing to abandon free silver entirely and
make the contest for 1900 solely on the
anti-expansion issue. All of the signs
have been pointing to this end, but it
has remained for Major A. H. Kretz,
Superintendent of the Mint under
Cleveland's Administration and Presi-
dent of a national bank, to make the
following unequivocal statement, while
recently discussing the Democratic
program for 1900 at Philadelphia: ut
does not matter what they say about
free silver; that is impossible. 1t is too
big a matter to handle, even by this
country. There will be other issues.
The policy of the Administration on
expansion will be combated, as Will
also the trusts. The lines of the cam
paign will be drawn upon national
questions. It will be as straight
contest between the principles Of the
two great parties of the country as
we have had in late years. There will
pc I1O sue lSSuCS. IL 10 POSS1OlC NAS~S
sentimental politics will be represented
but that vote will cut no figure. Mr..
Bryan will be nominated for the simple
reason that no one else will be allowed
to go to the convention" 1t is diff
cult to conceive Bryan as a Presiden-
tial candidate on a platform without
silver the leading plank after the rabld
utterances of the Nebraskan three
years ago. But the farce will prob
ably be carried out; and Bryan will
tackle the job Of opposing the policy
of the Administration. The best thing
that the Democratic party can do is
to fight shy of the expansion PROPOSE
ton and try and find something else
that the people are not interested in.
There is about as much sense in going
up against the policy of the Mckinley
Administration, which is the policy of
nine-tenths of the American people, AS
there would be in man trying to butt
down a stone wall with his head.
A GOOD POINT
Los Angeles Times: Senator Foraker
made a good point in his speech at
Hamilton, O., few evenings ago when
ing in the Philippines there can only
be two sides to it, and one is the
American side. The people in this
country who are opposing our soldiers
ought to be able to see that If they
are not for the country they are
against it, and that, consequently, the
term traitor when applied to them is
not a misnomer So long as our SOL
diers are under the fire of an enemy,
we do not care whether the enemy Is
white, black, red or any other color, 1t
should be the pride of the good Amer
lean citizen to stand behind those who
are on the firing line, cheering them
to the echo at every advance they
make into the enemy's country. There
is a struggle on in the Philippines and
our men are being killed by those IN
insurrection against the flag, and, as
Governor Roosevelt says: mo man can
hesitate in this struggle and ever after
ward call himself a true American and
a true patriot"
RAILROAD MEN AND WRECKS.
Oakland Tribune: There is much
worthy OF general consideration in the
manifesto that is being circulated
among the railroad engineers of Oak
land and other cities included in this
division of the brotherhood, relative
to the accidents on the Southern IA
cific system and the tendency on the
part of certain newspapers to cast
blame where it does not belong. The
engineers speak only for themselves
and their interests in the matter, and
the point they make is that it is grossly
unfair to them to have the impression
go abroad that the trains OF the
Southern Pacific lines are manned "by
incompetents and drunken employees
who recklessly and brutally disregard
the safety of lives and property
Although the Tribune" does not de-
sire to appear in defense of the railroad
company, every fair-minded person
must admit that this catastrophe"
business is being overdone by the
newspapers. 1t is almost impossible to
operate big railroad system without
certain percentage of accidents, and
to apply the lash every time one oc-
ours, regardless of whether or not there
was any palpable negligence on the
part of the railroad or it's employees, is
Ilanifestly unfair. 1t is ridiculous TO
suppose that the railroad people would
not avoid the disasters if they could
and it is equally absurd to imagine that
economy would be practiced under con-
ditions that would make mishaps prob
able, for a big system like the Southern
Pacific is run on an absolutely business
basis and no one knows better the
falIacy of a spanpv-wjSa nOllnd fool