The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-19
WASHINGTON, ID. C..
ENGINEERING IN CALIFORNIA.


The late arrivals from California bring ac-
counts Of most remaIk able state of affairs
Various parties Of American citizens are openly
attempting to obtain possession CT Sonora,
State belonging to Mexico, and annex to it to
the United States Cap. Walker as has already
been announced, has made descent upon ii,
with handful Of followers, set up Govern
nent, organized Cabinet. and adopted the
civil code Of Louisiana. Mr.. Emery, Secre-
tary Of the sham Republic, having returned to
San Francisco, has been raising recruits. Cali
fornia is in state CT high excitement; the
buccaneering spirit is everywhere aroused the
flag of recruiting station has been hoisted in
San Francisco. Bands Of armed men embark
in broad daylight, and more than q thousand
adsenturers have sailed to reinforce Walker,
without molestation from State or Federal au-
thorities More atrocious violations Of the
rights Ct friendly nation have Fever been
committed. The whole scheme from beginning
to end Is one Of robbery and murder. 1t is a
damniDg disgrace to the people Of this Union,
and TO the Government, which from remiseness
or connivance has failed to curb it. Had it
been less engaged in crushing out the free spirit
of the country, it would have had more time to
devote to the suppression of these buccaneering
projects.
A San Francisco paper says that tie depart
ment of Sonora comprises 5000 square
miles-about one half as much as the area of
California-and that the population is estirna-
ted at from 10000 to 100000, including 10 900
or $4,000 Apaches, and other wild Indians.
A portion Of the country is susceptible Of till
age, but its great attraction is vast mineral
wealth-the plains and the region near the
mountains Astounding in mine5 Of silver and
god. The same Journal adds:
There are seVeral good ports on the Gulf
Guayamis is the best. If Sonora should &c
annexed the CHA route would rise IN import
ance, and the Pacific railroad would necessa-
-riy 90 thither. Sonora is nearer to the Mis-
sissippi Valley than California, aud would, per-
haps, attrac: more immigrants. From Santa Fe
t. the nearest mines is $50 mica and to Quay
arnas = about $50 miles. The annexation of
Sonora would make FL Paso a place of import
ance. which IS only about $50 miles from
Guayamas and would be on the ma n route
10 the Mississippi Valley. Guyamas is about
900 miles from this city By the land trail"
0ae fact i5 overlooked or suppressed in the
ACCOUNTS generally published in the newspa-
pers this side Of TIE mountains: it is, that at
the bot:om Of all these bucoaueering projects
lies that root OF evil, that ever-working ele-
ment Of violence, discord, and ruin-Negro
Slavery. Tue same sinister influence which
planted Slave Labor in Texas, brought about
war with Maxico, has repeatedly intcrfered
for the purpose Of bolstering up Slavery in
Cuba, forced upon the country the Compro-
mises of 1850, and il nov demanding entrance
into Nebraska, has originated the piratcal
movements against Sonora. To prove that We
do not speak at random, We copy the following
from an editorial in the dita California Of De-
cember l5.h The Oldest journal, VIC believe, in
That State.
AS long ago az last winter, there was
great scheme in the process Of formation, for
the purpose Of taking the State Of Sonora, and
planting tho institution of Slavery on the Pacific
The headquarters of these manifest destiny
men, who foresaw that the people of the Uni
ted States mGss carry the principles Of liberty,
equality, and republicanism, to all parts Of
North America, was BeDicia. A delectable
crowd of hangers. on were about the capital,
whose chief object was TO mature their plans
for this campaign. They saw the duty clearly
before them to carry the glorious institution Of
Slavery into territory now free from il, at the
a. :, ~ the bayonet To perfect their plans
- met at Benicia, and, ike prudent and SEN
sibie men as they were got clerkships in the
Legislature and, without doing any duty, they
got from SO 10 $50 each, Per day. Since then,
they have been at work cautiously and adroit-
ly arranging their plans, and the ball has now
opened. The great work has begun, and our
citizens are rushing to the scene of action to
share the booty, the beauty and the glory.
1t is a well-knogn fact that for years there
has been class of men in this State who have
= been wild to get Slavery introduced, and who
have devised various projects by which to effect
that most desirable object But they have
failed -signally failed; and though men of
great energy and talent have been engaged in
1T, with wealth az homo and assistance from
the older States to help it along, their labor
has been lost. On q direct vote, VIC venture to
assert the Slavery propagandists could not get
one vote out Of seven throughout the State.
But they were not so to be baked. If they
could not get what they wanted here and could
get it in the reig hboring State of Sonora, it
would spread from there, and gradually crawl
mp in the direction. If foothold could once
lie obtained on the coast, they fancied it would
spread, and the broad flag Of Slavery encircle
n its glorious folds a large part of our coun-
try's possessions on the Pacific
Such was the object, in its incipiency, of
the expedition against SoHora. What are the
probabilities Of It's success!p
II proceeds to say that the People of Cali
forpia, when fully awakened to the true nature
of this scheme, will ovcrwhelm it with their
indignation
"They are decidedly and uneqaivocally op-
posed ID Slavery on the Pacific, ~ they have
repeatedly shown on various occasions And
when it shall become known that this crusade
ia for the purpose of thwarting their wishes in
this particular, the whole scheme will appear
most darnnably wicked in their eyes. A howl
Of Immigration viii go up from one end Of the
State 10 the other against it, and against all
who have favored it, and the people will not
calmly look on and sec organized companies
go forth on 50 Cnrighteous a mission. lt will
give rise 10 q fierce and bitter war at home
against it and whoever shall be found linked
in with it had best join in, ard go to the scene
Of acicn himself. He will be utterly repudi-
-ated here, and from thenceforth be mai ked
man, who had sought by stealth to set at
naught the great principle of republicanisn,,
that the voice Of the people should be the voice
of authority aad rule throughout tho land.
"Three-quarters Of our population are North
ern men, aud Of those from the South the ma