The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-19

California.
Recent events in California deserve a more
attentive consideration than they have received
from the public press. No community, equally
civilized with the people of California, have ever
experienced such injury to person and property
as is produced there by robbery and murder, anc
by Lynch law. Nor has 30 large proportion
of the property of any people ever been de
stroyed by fire.
The institution of slavery was spurned from
California as immoral and impoverishing Ye
II is now quite clear that African slavery woult
have operated powerfully to prevent the very
evils California has suffered. If considerable,
portion OF her emigration had been slaveholding
it would have formed permanent settlements
there: for those who would have taken large
amounts Of property, would have gone with the
intention of remaining-and would have pro-
ceeded ut once to cultivate the soil for their own
supplies For this obviously the most
profitable course to take but it was not near so
practicable for white men who went there to
labor alone, nor had they the means of buying
land and procuring implements Of agriculture.
A Southern emigration would therefore, have
located the principal part of its property, taken
not in towns, and hence could not have suffered
so enormously by fires.
If agriculture had been promptly and extern
sivey introduced into California the profits of
the gold digger would have been three times
great as they have been; for it has thus far
taken an enormous proportion of his earnings to
supply himself with the necessaries of life, in
consequence of the great expense and loss in
importing them from other countries Slave
holders would have gone to California with
families and would have promptly established
a society there. But, as it is, what can be ex-
pected from country of temporary male resi-
dents in pursuit of gold, without home, without
society, and without comfort?
If shareholders had gone to California, it is not
probable that the emigration from the North
would have been less than it has been. Nay, it |
would have been greater, for California would
have been more attractive and prosperous. AS
IL 10, Tie olsdstcro tuetc W HE anu property, VI
which every steamer brings us such terrible &C
counts, must deter multitudes in the North from
going.
We can now zee the consequences of the |
policy pursued by the North. Such is the retribu-
ton which has fallen on her. 1t is sometimes
practicable for States and sections to evade
their political duties, and to escape the punish
ment but the moral laws of society and of man
are not to be disregarded without suffering the
consequences.
Notwithstanding the large aggregate supplies
of gold produced by California, the average
nett wages of the diggers do not reward labor
better there than on this side of the Rocky
mountains, when allowance is made for ex-
penses sickness, risk, and cost Of going and re-
turning. We have repeatedly heard it asserted
by persons from California, that one-half of it's
population would forthwith return to the Allan
tic States if it had the means.
Meantime, we can see no prospect of an early
establishment of order there. A population SO
largely transient, and almost exclusively male
all in pursuit of gold, is the most difficult ma
terial TO subject to the restraints of morality and
law, that can be found on the face of the earth