Butte record., 1853-12-03
and fifty miles to attend Court, as witne

crime either in great measure goes unpua
ished, or is punished by ''.no5 Lar and wei
have oftentimes calmly reasoned, which is thd
better of the two; and from the known facd
Of the difficulty and delay attending all ju-
dicial proceedings where the execution of ju-
icial process is 50 far removed from the seat
cf Justice tends to increase the commission of
crimes, as the chances of the escape of the
criminal from punishment are always greater
than those of his being brought to justice.
Forit is a well known maxim in legislation,
that it is not the severity of the penalty, but
the certainty of its infiction, which prevents
the commissio- of crime.
With a new county struck off from Butte,
with the dividing line in or near the range of
hills, aforementioned as for instance, begin
ming on the southern line of the county al or
near the north east corner of Yuba County,
and runing thence northerly, or few degrees
west of north until the line intersected the
North Fork of Feather River, leaving Rich
Valley to the east, aud thence on in north
erly direction to the southern line of Shasta
County, with the county seat at some point
near the centre of territory or Of population
for as to the particular point we should not
care, that being a matter to be settled by them
selves. We believe that the commission of
much crime would be prevented, and that, not
prevented, would with far greater certainty
be punished Communication could be kept
open between all the principal settlements and
the county seat, during the severest winters,
and at times when it would be absolutely i'm
possible to reach the present county seat from
that portion Of the ounty.
With the division Of the county would cease
another effect of its present extent, which par
ticularly effects the County Treasury AL
though the law must necessarially be very i'm
perfectly administered in the remote portions
of the county, still the very attempt to ad-
minister them is attended with very great
expense. A sheriff cannot travel a hundred
miles 20 summon witness or a iuryman with
out being paid for it, neither can a witness
or a juryman travel hundred miles to at
tend court in obediance to such summons
Of these remote regions, eonclous Of the in
competency of the law in the protection of
their rights and property, complain, and in
some cases absolutely refuse the payment of
taxes for the support Of those laws On the
other hand, the citizens of the county in the
western portions complain on their side, that
they are taxed for the support of laws among
people who will not pay for it themselves We
believe the division Of the county would at
once obvate all Of these complaints; we do
not doubt, but the people of the new county
would cheerfully pay the necessary taxes for
the support Of civil officers elected from among
themselves, while the people of the other por-
tion would cease to complain of supporting
them.
As to politics, we might notice the effect of
division, although this question should not
be used in effecting that end. In the past, we
can safely attribute the severest defeat the
Democratic party has yet sustained in Butte,
to feeling of jealousy existing between the
different portions of the county.
The Democrats of the mountains, charge,
that the vast majority of the offices have been
given to citizens Of the valley, and that they
of the mountains did not have fair show,
in proportion to their democratic vote; while
the citizens Of the valley contend, that Off
GERS should not be selected from among peo-
pie who are unwilling to pay for their support.
We believe the division would make two DEM
ocratic counties, and although the majorities
would be small, that very fact, being known,
would only make the party more active in ex-
ertion, which would render the result more
certain, and prevent that remissness, which
sometimes suffers most signal defeat where
the party was reposing in the quiet enjoyment
of a fancied security.
We have been informed, and no doubt COR
rectly, that the whole representative ticket
elected at the late election, are pledged to the
support of a bill for the division of the coun-
ty. The citizens of the eastern portion of the
county will no doubt take active and efficient
measures for their aid as is shown by the
meeting at American Valley, and the resolu-
ton adopted for the preparing petitions to
the Legislature on the subject; and if the cit
liens of the western portion do not co-ope-
rate with them. we do not suppose single act
will be done, to frustrate the attainment of
the object.
That there may be some disadvantages ari-
o., III