The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-12-09
TERMS.
WASHINGTON, ID. Z.
CALIFORNIA.
,vyATRs IN 0RNIA--ORGARlzATioN of
~ THE FREE DEMOCRACY.

SACRAMENTO CITY, CAL, Oct. 80, 1852.
y, III, Editor of the National Era:
DEAR SIR: Having long acted as the agent
% your paper in Indiana, since my arrival here
have ielt a strong desire TO renew our ac-
',aintance know the deep interest felt IN
tb@ POLITICAL destiny of this State, among our
S;snds East and with your permission, will
aodeovor from time to time, to give you little
;nS;gbt into political matters here One thing
i yerv observable here-the prevalence of the
,oost extreme Southern political sentiment
mean ProSlavery principles Northern emil
rronts come here thirsting for gold South
Sru thirsting for porer The great mass of
natv. emgrants are from the North, and they
have devoted themselves to the pursuit of
wealth. with an ardor worthy .of better
cau.e Generally, they came intending to
amass fortunes as speedily as possible and then
return to their homes; so that they felt little
interest in the political affairs of the State. At
the same time, food of Southern politicians
many of them prominent men at home, have
come into the State, and finding it an easy
task, have quietly monopolzed the public
Offices. and are laboring with all their energies
b, introduce Slavery, in its despotic or some
modified form, into the State. Many of them
have openly avowed this rs their great object.
They are blinded by the apparent apathy and
Indifference of the great mass OF the people on
the subject They have managed to obtain a
CONTROLLING influence over the press and thus
not a word in favor of Freedom, or in OPPOSE
ton 70 Southern schemes, is heard from these
guardians of the peoples rights. Their great
policy has been to monopolize the public Offices,
and then quietly press some law through the
Legislature, giving the capitalist a coercive
power over the laborer and thus, under the
specous plea of affording means for the en-
forcement of contracts for service, to introduce
involuntary servitude into the State. In the
pursuit of this design, they have heretofore con-
trolled the primary meetings of the different
parties, aud thus monopolized every important
public Office in the State; and so far has it
gone, that it has heretofore been only neces-
sary for the fact to be known that an aspirant
is from the North, to insure his defeat-he
would be quietly set aside by the nominating
Convention. In pursuit of their designs, last
winter they introduced bill known as the
Cooley Bill" giving the capitalist power to
make contracts for personal service, introduce
the labOrers into the State, and then compel
them to labor for their employers whether will
ling or not 1t was passed through one House.
without any particular notice. and was about
being hurried through the other, when few
of the right sort of men happening to learn the
nature of the measure, a public meeting was
called in this city, where the Legislature was
then sitting. and the iniquity of the thing pub
lcly exposed, and the movers were severely de-
nouuced This was followed up by other meet
ugs throughout the State and the result was
that the SOutherners were compelled to aban-
don their project-they dare not pass the law
in the face of the rising indignation of the
people. The bill was therefore suffered to
quietly sleep on the table But the Slave Power
never sleeps and other schemes are being
preached, having the same object in view. But
the people are awake and as sign of improve
ment in this respect the Northerners are as
sum. x the rightiul control of the nominating
conventions they constituting the large ma
lorty OF the parties and in the present canvass
the candidates are mainly Northern men and
thus the seeptre is quietly dropping from the
hands OF the shareholders One result of this
Southern ascendency in politics is the open
and bold denuncation Of every man suspected
OF entertaining single feeling in favor of Free
dom In all the political speeches have heard
here the speakers seem to take it for grated
that there is not an Abolitionist in the State,
and the way they discharge their rheum upon
the friends Of Freedom is certainly very enter
tanning In fact, such has been the proscrip-
tive spirit manifested here, that the friends of
Liberty have hardly dared avow their senti-
ments. They have had no one to openly and
boldly defend their principles--nO one willing
to breast the Pro- Slavery tide which has rolled
over the State like dark flood. Their silence
has emboldened their enemies. IL is to be
hoped, however, that something will be done
to stem this tide of despotism, to unite the
friends of the slave in some concert Of action
by which their power can be felt A few
friends met together at San Francisco, short
time s'uce and nominated Free Soil electoral
ucket but it was without concert with other
friends In the State. Nothing has been done,
that can hear Of to call out the Free Soil
voters and thus the ticket will probably re-
ceNe Out slight support 1t is beginning,
however and we have no doubt that an active,
energetic organization will yet be formed in
The State, which will not only cause itself to
be respected, but may serve as a check upon
the schemes of the South.
rejoice to SEQ that your paper has obtained
," great a circulation, and will do all in my
power to obtain subscribers for it here OF one
tmng our Eastern friends may rest assured
mat tins State is not wanting in warm and
Jealous men, who will cooperate with them in
'he great work of redeeming our land from the