The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-31
WHO IL RESPONSIBLE -!

When intelligence reached The States last
summer, of the proclamation of General Riley
his disregard of the local legislature of San Fran
cisco his assertion of the claims of the Govern
ment de tdc,O, his assumption of the functions of
Civil Governor in virtue of a Mexican law or
usage his notification of the times and places Of
holding elections for delegates to the Convention
called by him. we could not help denouncipg
what we regarded as usurpation of power. We
did not then know who WAS responsible General
Riley, or the Administration that appointed him.
Since then, the present Administration has been
condemned by some of its opponents, for its pre-
sumed sanction of his acts and the call of Mr.
Venabe upon the President for information was
designed to bring to light all that had been done
| in California by Presidential sanction, so az to
furnish grounds first, for an attack upon his Adj
ministration, and secondly, for successful resist
ance to the admission of California as q State
Could it be proved that the People Of that coun-
try had been constrained so that the Constitution
adopted was not one Of choice, but necessity, the
Slavery Extensionists calculated, doubtless, on
being able to unite the South and enlist some
Northern Democrats in opposition to her appli-
cation for admission.
After the first intelligence of the calling of a
Convention in the Territory, we carefully exam
ined the accounts by every arrival anxious to as
certain whether there was n general and cordial
concurrence in the measure. That there was
such concurrence, our readers well know. The
San Francisco Government, while protesting
against the arbitrary assumption of power by
General Riley, agreed to waive its objections, on
account of its devotion to the great object aimed
at by all parties. And after this, no constraint
was imposed upon the People they elected whom
they pleased no attempt WAS made to influence
| the deliberations Of the Convention--in word
from the election Of delegates to the promulga-
| ton Of the Constitution by the Convention and
its final adoption by the People, they were en-
trely unfettered in the ex preston of their will
The Message Of the President, disavowing
interference with the independent action of the
People of California, must be satisfactory to all
except TO those who hoped to find some valid
ground for contesting its claim to admission The
Message and accompanying documents show that
the preceding Administration and the officers
listing state of things in California.
The first assumption of civil authority by any
military officer in the Territory was made by
General Mason, August 9TH, lsls, the day after
the intelligence of peace reached him. The
proclamation in which he assumed civil powers
was communicated to the War Department on
the 23l Of November, lSlS and acknowledged
without comment, on the eth Of January, 1919
The Administration of Mr.. Polk, after having
the subject under consideration two months thus
virtually sanctioned his acts, and assumed the re-
sponsibility of them.
In doing so, it pursued the policy disclosed in
the letter of Mr.. Buchanan, dated 18th Of October,
1913. "The termination Of the war" he writes,
left an eFiSimg GorsrHmaa-a Gor1nnlem de
laeto-m FIJI operation; and this will continue,
with the presumed consent of the People until
Congress shall provide for them Territorial
Government. The great law of necessity jusiifes
this conclusion The consent of the People Is
irresistibly inferred from the fact that no civil
lied community could possibly desire to abrogats
an existing Government, when the alternative
presented would be to place themselves in state
of anarchy beyond the protection Of all laws
and reduce them to the unhappy necessity Of sub
hitting to the dominion Of the strongest
Again:
"The President urgently advises the People OF
California to live peaceably and quietly under
the existing Government lie believes that this
will promote their lasting and best interests II
it be not what they could desire, and had rgh