Butte record., 1854-05-13
Effect of Brodericks FACTION upon Individuals
and upon Public Interests

and upon Public Interests.
The existence of the Broderick faction has
exercised baleful influence upon public in
terests, and has blinded its adherents to the
light of truth. They have laid the founda-
tion of their political characters by becoming
the slaves of faction, whose interests
diametrically opposed to the wants and neces-
sites of q state they are endeavoring to con-
troll Men in enlisting in factional crusade
for the purpose of satisfying morbid hunger
for political preferment by appropriating to
themselves offices within the gift of the people,
must necessarily lose all appreciation by
which the standard of right is to be judged,
and view matters and questions in distorted
and partial aspect. ''This detection extends
not merely to questions in which the interests
of the clique are directly implicated, but to
all others 1t is moral eclipse or obs cura-
ton which throws baleful shade upon every
subject, circumscribing the intellectual Wis
ion, and rendering the appreciation of the
commonest facts, and simplest propositions
dim and uncertain. 1t is blight-a leprosy,
by which the man and all his issues dis
eased, his conscience scared, his views turned
in a wrong direction, his objects of life and
incentives to exertion are inverted, and his
usefulness annihilated. He is monster,
without being conscious of the fact, and an
enemy in the guise of friend to his race and
kind" Should they ever exhibit desire to
become useful, and obey the wishes of their
constituents, their inexorabale obligations to
their confederates, 'sdrags them back like
Samson in the mill of the idolators to their
grinding" A session of nearly five months
has been almost entirely consumed by the in
PRODUCTION of question by this faction,
which was wholly foreign to legitimate bust
ness, and which has occupied the attention of
members to the exclusion of matters public
interest What it has not wholly excluded
from the attention of the legislature, it has
so far interfered with, as to divide and dis
tract the attention of the legislature in such
manner as to render the reforms attempted,
less effective than they otherwise might have
been. The Senatorial question of itself,
doubtless, well understood by those who gave
it birth and matured the project. But by
connecting the State printing and other favor
ite measures with it, drew adherents enough
to bring it into consideration. In conse-
quence of being attached to the Senatorial
question, the efficacy of the promised reform
in the State printing was, comparatively, de-
stroyed. Paying it out to those who were so
corrupt as to sell their party for it, and sup
port faction whose object seemed to be to
array the people of California in opposition to
the National democracy, and connecting it
with other schemes enabled the faction to
bestow it upon those who had supported them
without reducing the price to the standard
demanded. Considering the circumstances
and the corruption and profigacy of those
who had managed to assume the control of the
matter. the reduction was more than was an
ticipated; but these gentlemen must recollect
that partial right is only an aggravated
wrong, and that half-doirg is often worse
than no doing.
The spectacle of men reduced to a condition
worse than nonenity, has been painfully ap-
parent in our legislature during the present
session, and has been sad spectacle to an
enlightened and democratic people. They
have based their character and standing upon
q faction, whose success would be usurpa-
tion of the sovereignty of the people. To
this faction they have paid their VOWS and
admitted their highest responsibility, and to
forward the interests of the faction and pro-
mote the views of its leader, is the para
monnt object of their every action. Is proof
required to substantiate this statement see
the disposition they made of the State print
ing, by giving it to those who had supported
their schemes, in preference to other RESPONSE
BILE persons who offered to do it at 4 saving of
20 per cent. to the State Were men pursu-
ing such course governed by desire to re-
form existing abuses or were they joined in
unholy conclave for the purpose of appropri-
ating the spoils, and fattening upon bleeding
state and burdened people. How sad and
yet how provocative of derision is contem-
plation of the fact that, there were papers
in California whose venality was such as to
induce them to sell their party for the spoils
of office! From the contemplation of such
characters, an intelligent people will turn
with lothing and disgust.
What has the legislature done to reduce