Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-30
WAsHIEsfOE SEws AND GOSSIP

The state OF San Franciseo.-On our first
page will be found a full account Of the
singular state Of things existing in San
Francisco when the last steamer whose mails
have reached US, departed thence. 1t will be
perceived that the Vigilance Committee are
doing their work thoroughly, and that the op-
position which the State government has, so
far, been able to make to them, has been one
Of words only. private letter, from a re-
liable source, bears out the declarations of
nearly every one of the many published &C.
counts from thence-that so far as the obser-
vance ofSaw, private rights, and public de.
cency are Concerned, the city has never before
been in SO healthy a condition. The grand
jury, in their presentment of the Vigilance
Committee under instructions from one of the
judges, take occasion to declare their earnest
sympathy with the Committees acts, and to
add that they were wholly the result of the
sweeping corruption Of all fountains of law
and justice there, of the insecurity of life and
property. and Of the fact that perjurers, thieves
and desperadOes had obtained so complete con.
troll of the goVernmentS reorganization as that no
other defence was left for those having stake
in the condition Of society, but such revolu-
ton as had occurred. 1t is understood that
the Com pittee designed continuing in ses-
sion until it had driven from the State the
notorious desperaoGes and scOundrels who
were the chief actors in tnc occurrences that
forced it (the Committee) again into ac-
tive measures. So far, not man had psccn
molssted except those of the class to whom we
refer. Nor was there any reason to believe
that any other citizen would in any way suffer
at their hands.
We care not what may be the nominal pol
itics Of the villains thus hunted out of Cali.
fornia We rejoice that the State is getting rid Of
them on any terms; temporary revolution con-
Quoted by the best citizens, being far less
evil than the continuance of the entire control
Of their State and municipal affairs which the
hunted class had obtained by perjury, force
and fraud. We have seen no more striking
evidence Of the abiding stability of our system
Of government than is to be drawn from the
existing revolution in San Francisco, and the
certainty that those who have created it will
resign their power without having once abused
II, on the moment their patriotic task shall
have been completed.
ApropOs: A single fact which we see stated
in q San Francisco newspaper illustrates so
forcibly the state of the sources of justice in
that community and the necessity for its cor
rectioD on any terms, that we republsh it, as
follows-viz: Out of a thousand murders that
have been committed in San Francisco since
Its settlement by our countrymen, but three
had been punished under judgment of the
courts,
The Hards and softs Nothing else has
occurred since the Cincinnati Convention that
has caused so much pain to the democracy of
Congress from all quarters Of the country as
the refusal Of the Hard Central State Com
mite (of New York; to carry out, in good
faith, the pledge IN ade by their delegation at
Cincinnati TO execute the programme for the
settlement Of the difficulty in the party in
that State agreed on by that Convention
The representatives Of the Hards upon that
pledge alone were admitted on equal terms
with the Softs) over the report Of the Gre
dentials' Committee, composed of the ablest
and most considerable member of each dele
CATION, selected to dispose Of their question,
and that alone. They devoted long days
and nesrly whole nights to patient investi-
CATION Of the voluminous testimony presented
and TO carefully weighing the arguments ad-
duced, and reported in favor of allowing the
two rival sections to be represented pro rata
with their relative strength as manifested in
their average vote at each succeeding election
In the three previous years; and also tn at the
Soft organization Is the regular Democratic
organisation Of the Empire State The Softs,
however, manifested SO generous a spirit that
the majority of the Convention determined to
tax their devotion TO the cause to the extent o,
demanding that they should meet the minor
ity on equal terms in the body; and to thai
discrimination they added instructions that &
single State convention should be called.
On the assembling of the two State commit
tees recently at Albany, to the astonishmen
Of the Democracy Of the whole Union afte
what transpired at Cincinnati, the Hard com
mittes refuse TO join in that call, alleging tba
they have no authority to do SO from thei
constituents. They make this refusal on 8,
fimsy pretext, with the full knowledge tina
they are thus endangering the success of tn,
Democratic national ticket in New York
They have had ample time to obtain such au