The Nevada journal., 1853-08-19
Bigler Meeting.

the meeting that listened to Messrs Wells
and Weller on Friday night last. Ii those
gentlemen desired their efforts to be under
stood as directed to the support Of Bigler
and his policy, they must have deemed their
silepsnia reference to him better for his
inf ~ chan the telling of what they knew
of ffs administration would be. We shall
not notice Mr.. Weller's speech, for he did
not touch upon state politics, and it is only
with state reform that we have now to do.
Judge Wells did not discuss Biglerism
only to pay high compliment to Judge
Heydeneldt for his scrupulous honor and
pure patriotism, and Immediately to say
that that gentleman, democrat, is lone of
the most bitter opponents of Bigler in the
state" The speech Of Judge Wells may
be divided into three parts : lst, explain
ing why he left his duties at San Francisco
for which he is paid $25 per day, to cleo
tioneer for himself; I'd, abusing the press
of the state generally, and this one partic-
ularly +; Sd, defending his recent decision
that we charged was to be employed as an
entering wedge for the sale of the mineral
lands.
With reference to the first, if judge
cannot show himself on the bench as an
upright man, and thus win the confidence
of the people, he will not better the matter
by assuming the airs of demagogue.
AS to the second, if the judiciary would
be little less abusive of the press, we dare
say the press would save the necessity for
such whining about abuse of the Judiciary.
1t is well known that corruptions Of every
name at one time infested the whole system
of justice in the larger cities, especially in
that of criminal jurisdiction, so that the
spirit of justice departed from the dead
form of law, till resurrection was effected
though vigilance committees. For up
holding the selfdefensive action of these
committees, judge Wells assailed the press,
and thus identified himself with the cor
ruptions those committees eradicated.
The third point requires further refer
ence. The learned judge complains the
Journal cited no law, and then set the ex-
ample by quoting law. He told what
Blackstone and older English authorities
of the common law eXpounded as relating
to the case, and then ruled them all out
Although judge Wells, in his slavish re-
gard for precedent, quotes in nearly every
decision these very authorities, and bases
his judgment upon them, when it suits his
purpose to make a little capital he is per-
fectly oblivious to their application. Af
ter quoting so much law against his deci.
sion he referred to certain statutes passed
in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
assuming the control of the mines within
their borders. But he forget to tell his
audience that the government of the Uni
ted States never owned one foot of the land
thus taken-that there was no similarity
between the ownership of lands by the
state government and by the United States
as affecting the right of sovereignty. II
he had told them this it would at once have
upset his decision. No state has ever at
tempted to control the lands of the United
States of any character, and if California
does it, misled by this glaringly false and
stupid decision, it will be enacting sheer
notification.
But as we said in our first article on this
subject, the weight of the decision is moth
/ ing beside the motives that influenced it.
We charged that the design was to estab-
lish the fact or the impression that the
mineral land were in the control of the
Legislature, and that these spectators
would scheme and fight for their possess
ion, regardless of the rights of humble mi
ners. Judge Wells denied the impeach-
ment, and asked where was the motive for
it. He forgot himself presently, and told
the motive. He boasted of the vast wealth
''this decision, if sustained would bestow
upon the state!" But is wealth to accrue
to the state from the freedom of the mines
more than when in the hands of the gener-
al government? The only way the boas-
ted revenue can be derived is by sale or
lease of these lands-both destructive of
existing rights and prosperity. He COW
cred his track with all his skill, but the
snakes eyes peeped out in spite of him. He
has struck the first blow towards turning
these mines over to scheme for vast state
revenues, and we all know where California
revenues go to ! The Bigler faction sup
mort this man and are thuS identified with