Polynesian., 1854-03-25

cious capitalists withheld investments !; prudent
statesmen denied protection cautious editors at
home set their warning types, and issued their
|" gory-lock" bulletins. Our mountains of gold
were bubbles; our valleys of Sunshine unsubstan-
tal dreams, and our vauntsd resources but the in
genus conurations Of ienceless spectators.
Worse than this: scoundrel, away up in the dark
ravines Of the Sierra Nevada, demands the purse or
life OF the adventurous miner, and we are all high
waymen; dusky Sonorian steals horse from an
obscure "corral," and we are all horse-thieves; a
william fells drunken sailor with slung-s shot at
midnight, and we are all lawless; an incarnate
devil fires house and involves city in ruins, and
we are all incendiaries an unfortunate, sometimes,
but too often dishonest debtor, 'incontinently
does his creditor, and we are all swindlers; in
short, In the opinion Of these croakers, there is
neither law, order, religion, morality, decency,
honor, nor honesty amongst US, from the Bay Of
Humboldt to the mouth of the Gila, from Pah- Utah
to the Pacific.
But in the teeth of all this we have steadily
nay rapidly progressed We have founded schools
we have erected churches, we have formed social
organizations, temperance societies, se,cing socie
ties mot the least ciriii-ing, by any means, reli
gious associations and we have established and
endowed institutions for the sick, the blind, the
sane, to say nothing of the wicked and the vicious
for whom ample provision is made in the way of
county jais and State prisons. In addition to this.
We nave IOfibeu COOe OF laws 10 Suppidnt
entirely dissimilsr; we have wrought system out
of confusion; We have practically legislated for
interests, and benefcally, too. which could not IN
the nature of things be at once thoroughly ascer
tanned and comPrehended; and we have done
great deal more than elsewhere could have been
accomplished in a quarter of century. 1t was
and is to be expected that ont of the incongruous
materials which the discovery Of gold, the occu-
patton OF new territory, the settlement of a new
world had collected here, conld not immediately be
wrought perfect, entire. symmetrical edtce. mo-
rally or politically. Rash and reckless adventur-
ers, men without character principle despera-
does and outcast>, were, Of course, amongst the
emigration lured hither by what first seemed tabn
lous stories of the golden treasures concealed in
the bowels of prolific mountains. Some of this
character yet amongst us, but their ability To
do evil grows 'smlll by degrees and beautifully
less higher moral sentiment begins to obtain,
a purer public opinion begins to prevail: and as
consequence, back to their dens and hiding places
begin to skuK these lawless, reckless rufans who
were wont to stalk abro1d at noon-dav and mike
the early history of State hideous with their
cursed revels. / am not disposed to disguise it
that we have much to do-moralIv socially and po-
Ilitically-before. about the home of onr adoption.
cluster the eevating, refining. purifying influences
that rake glad the home of our nativity. | know
that there are still bad men here who exerting
bad influences that the standard OF public morals
is not vet the pnrest; that entirely healthy and
controlling public opinion is not yet forme !; that
virtue is not vet the bright particular star of
earnes: worship, nor vice yet become that