Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-01-31
CALIFORNIA AND the UNION.

When the thirteen original States
federated. says The Wall Street
Journal. Europe was great deal
farther on than II Is now aud China
was an interesting but remote remi.
nisconce Of the captains Of American
built tea ships. with fabulous stories
Of their run from China 20 the New
England ports. The possibility Of one
particular State involving all the rest
in outside trouble does not seem Co
have been considered By the states.
men OF the Revolution. The Cana
dian border was almost trackless for.
est. The Rocky Mountains were a
vague geographical expression. while
border States bordered on nothing
presenting elements Of danger
The steamship has changed all that.
and while the United States grew
larger the world grew smaller
When California emerged from the
mlsts Of Spanish history we were al
ready within ten days Of European
civilization. Our Canadian neighbors
had to be thoughifully considered
Texas had come into the Union but
a few years before. and the Mexican
border was In a state Of continued un-
rest Yet with all OF these POSSIBLE
tiles Il never seems TO have occurred
to our statesmen. in the course OF ter
ritorial expansion. to restrict the pow
er Of the constituent States Of the
Union In their relations with the
outer world.
The japanese agitation i'm California
has never possessed any more re-
spectability than the President gave Il
when he consented To negotiate with
Mayor Schmitz OF San Francisco. at
that time under indictment for va
riOus Offenses. Opinions may differ
about the dignity OF his course on
that occasion. He has always had a
tendency 60 play politics and make
bargains, probably arising out Of
sincere desire TO get something done
along the line OF least resistance.
However the situation may have been. |
IL has at least given a noisy and ill., |
element In California an ex- /
aggerated idea Of its own importance. |
When We complain that the out |
slider does not understand our |
institutions We ought to re
that the argument cuts /
both ways. II was all very well for
rs TO explain TO Italy that the pecu-
liar character OF our constitution /
made IL impossible TO interfere in the /
State OF Louisiana over the Italian /
lynchings in New Orleans. How
long would We have tolerated that ex-
cuse from a power much smaller than
We rejected il on one oc-
casiOn when prOffered by the MikadO
Of japan, who prOfessed 20 be un-
able to control certain feudatories Of
his. We sent a naval expedition and
convinced the particular
iaimiO that his independence OF the
MikadO did not warrant an aggres-
sive policy toward outsiders.
AS We stand at present any sea
board or border State can plunge Us
INTO serious outside trouble. and we
have no direct constitutional method
lf dealing with the case. The Presi-
Dent has to go hat in hand to the
element OF San Francisco. TO
he derogation Of his Office and the
OF the rest OF the United
States. Japan Is I'm no position 10
make military demonstrations now,
nor Is she al all likely TO be for ten
years TO come; but this does not alter
he anomalous condition now obtain
ng. good many Of Us look with
suspicion on the extension Of the
Federal power. but I'm this respect
here seems room for constitutional
amendment