New-York daily tribune., 1856-07-15

dIn0rLcto yesterday W tttgTdpn' Inc Iuii ac-
count Of the retirement Of Rvss, aud the proceed
ipgs of Walker tbrreupon, will be found in another
part Of this paper. Our correspondents letter
from Nicaragua will be read with interest, though
evidently written uoder the influence of strong
prep6ssessions in favor Of the successful buster.
S...........3
The Address Of the Vigilance Committee of San
Frapcisco is q document which ought to secure the
veIy grayest consideration. There can be no
doubt or denur ss to the reality and fearful
character of the abuses which called that Com
mittee into existence. The elections of San Fran
cisco, and measurably of other Californian cities,
had degenerated into the grossest farces Tne
result was determined by votes corruptly placed 10
the ballot boxes, and even by returns which had no
basis even in fraudulent votes. Men had themselves
chosen Cor returned) judges, or inspectors, OF
elections in order to make out of the position the
most that any candidate or ticket would pay to be
"put through Often the agents of these bully
inspectors were hegOtiating with both parties
at once, endeavOripg to incite them to bid against
each Other, and really to return whichever should
finally be screwed up to the highest notch. In at
least one Instance, a gambler and felOn was de-
clared chosen Alderman whom nobody had known
to be candidate. OF course, where imps thus
boldly play ed both hands, the evil one was pretty
certain to win. San Francisco became more and
more disorderly, its Government more and more
corrupt and inefficient for any good, until the best
citizens were murdered in broad daylight, By men
who relied on their money and their influence with
the wretches in Office to screen them from the legal
penalties of their crimes. OF course, all these
crimes, requiring many sbrewd and daring accom-
pces, cost mOnsy-hundreds of thousands il not
millions per annum-snd the culprits who were the
immediate benefoiaries were intent on plunder as
we'll as pewer and impunity The ballotbox
suffers aud other agents must either be paid d.
rectly or enabled and embOldened to pay them
selves. Hence PecuatiOn ran reckless race
with mpunity in general crime; and while the
honest industrious thousands bad security neither
for life nor property, they were taxed thrice what
an energetic, fearless, efficient Government should
have cost
Such being the uudOubted evils, WE turn to the
Address Of the Vigilsoce Committee to learn what
progress has, uLder its auspices, been made toward
their eradication; ard we regret to say that the
answer We CLEAN thereffOm is most discOuraging.
That there were thousands Of Villains in San Fran
cisco we already knew; that they had obtained
control of the machinery by which functionares are
chosen and the machinery Of republican government
kept in motion, we sre convinced; but what has
the rule of the Vigilance Committee substituted
for this? A secret unlawful selfconstitued, utter.
ly irresponsible association, which holds the power
of life and DEATH of banishment and con6scation, n
its hands, defying the constituted authorities
ard fortifying itself with cannon and bsyonets;
and when We look to its latest mani
Sesto for some Indication Of the issue
contemplated by its master spirits, We find nothing
calculated to ansy anxiety or justify hope that the
evil days are past. On the contrary, this document
clearly regards the present condition as chronic,
snd confounds, as Burke says, the extreme med
cine of the body polite with its daily bread. Tho
Committee, after five weeks undisturbed posses
sien of more than regal power, talk of the duty
devolvtd on them of gathering evidence, and,
" after due trial, expeling from the community
"those who have so long outraged the peace and
"gOOd order of society as if they were just
commencing their labOrs, aud expected to con-
tinue in the discharge Of their selfimposed duties
for series of months, if not years.
We believe this should not and will not be per-
mtted. At all events, the Committee should have
indicated some limit beyond which its labors will
not be protracted, within which its duties shall be
completed. To talk of working on until "the
community shall be freed from the evils it has so
"lOng endured until "we shall have assured to
"our citizens an honest and vigorous protection of
"their rights lis to trihe with very grave sub
ject How are these "evils to be removed,
these "rights secured, except by the enactment.
or modification Of laws by the denunciation aad
enforcement of legal penalties Suppose the Com
mttee could detect expose and bini.h all the
villains in San Francisco, could they prevent the
influx Of others by every boat They might as
we'll undertake to bail out the ocean as to thor.
oughly cure the evils they confront by the
means they now possess. We hope to hear
soon that they have reconsidered their position,
matured certain acts or amendments of acts calcu-
lated to shield the community from future out
roges Ike those so justly inveshed against, ascer-
tanned that the Governor will gladly call the Lsgs-
sture to meet in extra session to consider those
propositions, ard then relnquished their power and
dissolved their organization Unless they deter.