New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-06-30

ii
l peradoes. much in the same condition in which
Kansas has been placed by invading Border Ruff
6ani-tbe Press, that great champion OF right,
justice and truth, came at last to the rescue;
| and whtn the California desperadoes, or leading
member Of their order, resorted to assassina-
ton to silence the Press, the great body OF the
good citizens Of Gan Francisco rose as it were e"
mOsse, ard, for the salvation and purgaton OF tue
State established temporary Dictatorship, which,
at'our latest advices, had for fortnight exercised
an absolute power Of life death and Punishment
over the inhabitants Of that city
This assumption Of absolute power by Vigilance
Committee, relying for support on the body OF the
citizens is not lew thing in the history OF Cali
Srnia. Once already, when the city was infested
by a gang of thieves from New South Wales,
whom the constituted authorities proved unable or
unwilling to Suppress the same eIpedient had been
resorttd to with success; the present Committee
seems in fact to have been but q reorganization OF
that former one. Just before the leaving OF the
mail, after fortnight's silence and submission on
the part of Gov. johnson, there were symptoms OF
. design on his part, evinced by the issue OF
proclamation and orders for the organization OF
body of militia, to dispute with the Committee the
future administIati of afars-for it is to be no.
tctd that Gen. Sherman through whom these
orders were issued, expressly disavows any lnten'
ton to call anybody to account for anything past.
As there is in San Francisco considerable
party OPT Osed to the Dictatorship Of the Vigilance
Con miitee, and which, therefore, might be ex-
pected to range itsef under the Governors
standard, there seemed at the last advices some
Danger of civil colsion-unle's, indeed, the sup
pOrters of the Committee were too numerous and
determined to afford any encouragement to the
idea of suppressiDg them by force. Nevertheless
it cannot be denied that in position which things
have assumed, the withdrawal from the scene of
the Vigilance Committee and the reestablishment
of the functions Of the government in the hands OF
the ordinary magistrates-especially considering
the character of many of these magistrates and the
means by which they were placed in Ofice-pre'
sents cri.is Of great danger and difficulty for the
resolution of which we shall look with much
anxiety.
However that crisis may result, what has al
ready happened teaches an important lesson. AS
there is seldom any evil from which some good may
Lot be drawn, 90 we sincerely hope and trust that
these events in San Francisco will not be entirely
lost on the citizens of New.York. We, too, in
this city, are exposed to the very same evils which
have driven the good citizens of San Francisco to
such desperate and dangerous remedies. Indeed,
We have already suffered greatly from the same
cautes. :. was not alone the numbers, discipline
and tretss perseverance, Of the San Francisco
Besperadoes which gave them such power over
the politics and elections Of the city and the
State; il was still more the fact, that
the good, industrious citizens, absorbed in
their own business and disguised by the clamOr
ard turbulence of politics, withdrew in q great
measure from the field, thus leaving the elections
and the Government at the mercy of the rowdies and
IN the almost undisputed possession of the party
,eves This dereictiOn of their ordinary duty to
the State these quiet, peaceabe, and, as doubtless
they call themselves conservative citizens, have
now been obliged to eIpiate by taking leading |
part in the awful responsibility of the late execu-
tons by authority of the Vigilance Committee.
We beg OF our quiet, peaceable, conservative |
citizens of New. York to beware how they expose
The mselyes to a similar necessity. How much |
better by regular, patriotic vigilant discharge of
heir ordinary political duties in the nomination and
lie elton of men of probty and honor. to keep our
Iow6ies in check, and to save ourselves from being
driven to resort to desperate remedies-like those
employed in San Fraucsco--almost as much to be
dreaded aud deprecated as the very evils they are
destined to cure Let us hope that the benefits Of
a powerful and regular political revolution effected
in the ordinary republican manner through the bal
lot box are not to be limited to the administration
of the Federal Government only, but that,
through the union Of good men for the good Of the
city, the administration Of our local municipal az
fails may at the same time Undergo like bene6cial
revolution.