Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-08-08
The a Revolution In San Francisco.
Official Report of Major General Volney E. Hoacaro
tn Governor Johnson.


to Governor Johnson.
Maior.General volney E. Howard has made
LENGTHY report TO Gov Johnson of California, OF the
proceedings in San Francisco The report IS pub.
shed officially in the Sacramento State journal.
After giving minute account OF the arrest OF Judge
Terry and the capture OF the o1a'e arms IL poceeoS
I to comment as follows
The circumstances connected with this movement
are such as to leave no doubt on my mind that the
insurgents aim at nothing less than an entire over
throw of the State government and secession from
the Federal Union. If il had been their purpose to
dsband in short period, they would not have COM
mted piracy by robbing vessel OF small quantity
of arms upon the bay They would not subsequent
" have levied actual war upon the State by sur
rounding the armorie< by large military force and
Selling the State arms, and making prisoners OF the
men guarding them-especially when they knew
that your orders that should act on the deen-
sive, and that had no power or means to pursue
any other line of conduct 1t must be obvious to all
men of ordinary discernment that this awess asso-
citation has proceeded from crime and outrage 10
another, until they have arrived at the conclusion
that there no safety for their leaders but in revou
ton and separate government on the Pac'hc--they
have committed treason, murder, piracy, and the
felony of kidnapping.
They have violently and with force of arms trod-
den down the authority of the executive and the ju-
dietary. They have at the point of the bayonet, re-
sisted the execution of the writ OF hdbedS corpus
for ages justly considered the bulwark of personal
county of San Francisco large numbers of armed
men, and planted cannon against The front, and
thus compelled the surrender of two persons therein
detained in the custody of the law, whom they have
since put tc death without legal trial the forms
of judicial proceedings They have. without war.
rant any other process of law, forcbly searched
the houses of honest and peaceable citizens at the
dead hour Of night outragng families and terrifying
defenceless females For nearly six weeks they have
trampled down, by an armed military despotism in
! b.
the citizens by Magma Charter and the Bill! of Rights
They have robbed of the heritages earned for
by the labOrs and suerings OF the sages and patriots
of 1776. They have erected in the heart of the COM
mercial metropolis fortfcation filled with armed
men to overawe the citizens and the civil authorities
By day and night they paraded in the streets large
bodies of armed men, and San Francisco presents
continually the appearance of city in the possession
of foreign foe-and it is so practically. 1t is we'll
known that the Vigilance Committee ha armed and
hired large body of foreign mercenalifs 10 shoot
down the officers and citizens of the State in dis
charge of the duties cast upon them by the laws and
their oaths of office
| Men who have committed such crimes as those
against the State naturally hurried by fear and
speration Before them is the abyss of revolution
and secession behind the halter. They dare not re-
turn under government of honest judges, with a
prospect of fair jurors who will administer the laws
without the commission of perjury. 1t is fact
worthy OF notice. that during this whole excitement
|
Francsco-lhe highest judicial officers in the city,
both as to civil and criminal jurisdiction have not
even been assaled. Their purity is not questioned
To escape from the consequences of trial before these
officers, members of the Vigilance Committee, through
their mouth pieces-lhe press have constantly clam
ored for their resignation.
| They have demanded the resignation of the May
or, Sheriff, and all other city and county officers, on
the avowed ground that the Vigilance Committee
could not dsband with safety, until these Offices
filled with creatures of their own. Failing in this
object, they see no safety but in revolution. Know
ing that the Executive dispatched by the last
a requisiton the President of the United States
for The necessary means TO put down the nsurrection,
and perfectly aware that the President under the
constitution and the acts of Congress has discre-
ton, but is bound to furnish not only arms but to
employ all The land and naval force of the United
States for that purpose, they perceive that their pun
shment is inevitable; that it is a question of
time, unless they can throw off the authority of the
Union and ter California from the constellation of
States, They that under the laws of this State
there is no limitation of the time within which they
may be prosecuted for murder; that so long as Cali
fornia is in the Union and they may exist and remain
within its limits, they liable prosecution and
the lgnominious penalty OF the gallows They have
safety therefore. but in drawing all their fellow
citizens after them into anarchy and disunion They
seek 10 pull all down TO common infamy of crime.
is doubtless true that up 10 the time of the refu.
sal OF Gen. Wool to grant to the State, had he
complied with the requsition, that they would have
disbanded within four days, and order would have
been restored without the firing of gun But the
knowledge that the State comparatively destitute
of arms, is the key 10 all the recent high handed
measures outrages and crimes. They use their mo-
mentary power to gloat over, insult and trample
upon the people of the State.
If crime is not published in San Francisco, it is
not for the want of able and upright judges. 1t is
owing to the corruption of the juries. 1t will be ad-
united that the jury system in San Francisco has not
always been remarkable for purity But whose fault
is 1T That OF the very merchants and shop keepers
who now mainly constitute the Vigilance Committee.
They decline shirk the duty of serving juries
on any frivolous pretext. 1t is we'll known that a
distinguished judge in that city not long since al.
slckened with hearing business commit perjury
in swearing to excuses to evade serving on juries
AS TO the election frauds-bribery and ballot-box
| stufing-there is doubt that it has been mon
strous evil in San Francisco. These crimes have
been resored TO to frightfu extent by all political
parties; but the punishment has fallen exclusively
upon the offenders in one. Some of the most notori-
GUS perpetrators of election frauds prominent
members of, and sympathzers with the Vigilance
ommittee. They are honored and protected mem.
bers of that reasonable association. Since they
have created punishment unknown to the law
that of banlshment--why do they not mete out
equal justice to all parties.
Neither these men escape scrutiny into their
motives. They not purely those of the public
good There are in the Vigilance Committee some
merchants of wealth and business integrity There
are host of others on the verge of bankruptcv-
+ They are men unable to make remttances before
this commoon began, and who are now urging it's
prolongation, because it affords them plausible ex-
cuse for not sending per mail, funds which they are
unable to remit. No one wishes to take out an at