Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-08-30
Vigilance com mmittee.

mittee have issued an address to the gel
eral Committee on the occasion of the
temporary suspension of business. 1t is "a
diarrhea of words and constipation OF
IDEAS" chiefly devoted to the laudation OF
the Committee, extolling the purity and dis
interestness of their acts, and assuring tie
public of what the Committee might have
done had they been disposed. We have rot
the least doubt but that the public duly ap-
preciate the position of the Committee, and
have a very general understanding of their
acts, if not of the motives which prompted
them thereto. We doubt not the public
duly appreciate the cowardly prudence
which which prompts the Committee to re-
tain the arms which belong TO the State,
while our citizens are being murdered by
savages and plundered by organized bands
of robbers. We doubt not the public duly
appreciate the act of The Committee in plum
deriny the State Of arms furnished by the
General Government, and selling them TO
| their hirlng soldiery at S4 apiece. Why
should the Committee attempt to deny their
interference in political matters, when their
prominent members figured at the different
"..resignation" meetings held in San Fran
cisco, and when their minors marched off
to the Vigilance rooms, az prisoners. those
who ventured to vote against requesting the
officers to resign Why talk about the
generosity and .manliness of the Committee,
when they manacled and marched through
the streets of San Francisco men whose only
offence was that of obeying the call OF the
authorities, and volunteering to sustain the
laws and constitution of their country
Why talk about the purity of the ballot box,
when it is watched and surrounded by an
armed and self constituted body of men?
Let the Committee retain tn e arms belong
ing to the State for the protection of their
own worthless carcasses, and thus aid the
organized bands of Williams to plumber the
miners in the mountains, and the Savages
to murder defencless families, and then in
suit their victims by publishing to the world
that no one opposes them but politicians,
and men who have no permanent interest
in the country.
The Committee having adjourned will
only be called together when in the judg-
ment of the Executive Committee, occasion
may require, and: they announce that such
occasion may arise
1st. Upon the return of any person you
you have banished; or upon the necessity
Of enforcing any sentence already passed.
ID. Upon the necessity Of protecting any
member of the Committee from violence or
malicious prose eution, arising ont of any act
performed by authority of the Committee.
3D.. In event OF any assault upon the life
or liberty of any citizen, should il be appar-
ent that the laws, are insufficient for the
protection of the citizen or punishment OF
the offender.
4th. In case Of any violation of the puri-
ty of the ballot box or the sanctity of the
elective franchise.
Let this committee continue their organi
cation, if they think there is no limit to hu-
man endurance. BelshaIaar continued his
niquties much longer than the Committee
have, but was ultimately compelled to seek
shelter amongst the beasts of the field.