Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-06-14
Mr. Henry $. Byam,
" Revolution" "


Revolution"
The following extracts are taken from the
leading editorial article, headed "The Revo-
luton, in the True Californian of the 10th
Instant
I'VE felt confident that the rising tide of
a peoples indignation would not subsde in
the small circuit of our own community and
we have now the most irrefragabe evidence
that it is rolling with the strength of an
ocean wave throughout the State
The musty cobwebs of law that were held up
before us with such pompous ave. have been
swept away as by whirlwind.
The work goes bravely on. San Francisco
is regenerated, but there are hangers-on mt
the Capital that ought to be and must be
forced into retirement.
"The Governor must either recede from
his obstinate position, and thus forfeit his hon
or, or he must retire before the storm. Let
him resign The Supreme Court Judges have
deseerated their Offices; they mast
resign "It cannot be any longer concealed
A REVOLUTION Is AT HAND
Let the people all over the State assemble
immediately, and organize themselves into
Vigilance Committees, and take the initiatory
steps to preserve the public peace during the
struggle, if any shall dare to oppose the march
of events. =
In order to accomplish this purpose, the
government should be re-organzed. Wepro-
pose, therefore, that Constitutional Conren
lion be at once called, to meet at the city of
Sacramento on the FOURTH DAY OF July,
and there declare anew our Independence"
The essence of the whole iscontained in the
concluding extract. w have however quo
ted at some length, in order to exibit the gen
eral spirit of the article
During the excitement which has existed
chiefly in San Francisco, but which has exten-
ded in greater or less degree to every portion
of the State, we have steadily endeavored to
quiet the passions of the people, rather than
to inllame them. In our first article on the
subject, MAY oath we took the position
that whenever the officers charged with the
execution of the law and justice, refuse or
fail from any cause to execute the same, it
was not only the right but the duty of good
citizens to meet out justice to offenders.
We maintained that quiet, orderly associations
formed for the preservation of the public peace
for the purpose of enforcing the laws--or
to rid a community of dangerous and justly
disreputable persons-we maintained that an
association of this kind was not mob, that
it was not popular outbreak, and that those
so engaged were not outlaws And so we
still maintain, and ever shall In the same
article the following passage occurred:
"The constitution and laws of State are
laid down as the bulwark of social and polit-
ical rights and privileges. Without law
" there is no such thing as liberty. 1t is there
" fore the duty OF every true citizen to cherish
Sustain, and support the laws, not only by
I" his acts, but also by the influence of his
"voice, his pen, and if necessary by the
" strength of his good right arm, even should
his life be endangered. Blood thus spilled
lis an honorable legacy to his chiIdren's chill
"dren" And all of this we still maintain
and repeat.
But all this is very different from the prop
osition of the True Californian. That pa
per proposes the distinct issue of REVOLUTION
not that the constitution be maintained in
violate, and that the laws be faithfully execu-
ted, but that all law, fundamental and
statute, be overthrow, peaceaby if it can
be done so, but by the shedding Of blood if
necessary. If the True Californian should
persist in this folly, and should be followed
by other leading San Francisco papers, it
would be fatal blow to the moral reform
that has been commenced in San Francisco. A
revolution has never yet taken place in any
State of the Union, and California will not
be the first to so disgrace the American Re-
public. Means are provided in the constitu-
tion itself for the formation of new one {:
and if we only purify the ballot boxes, we
can have good laws passed, and have them
executed Revolution is not the way to Sc
cure Tie purity of the elective franchise; that
would only create anarchy and confusion, and
open the door to "stufling' dd intinitum.-
Instead of correcting this one great evil
which has caused so much of The present diff.
fculty, it would only tend to increase it. -
We repeat that the Californian is doing an
injury to aud creating prejudice against the