Butte record., 1856-07-05


They u<e iheIr MON ntary power to
| glo over, insnit ;nd tiample upon the
! p ope of the S ate.
L is d fhcult to understand what ade-
| iate motives tn re be aIleg d OF
Il this violence, commotlon and clime
The two most prominent reasons giver
by the Vigil -nce Committee ~re The IN
certainty II the punish."ent of crime by
the j. lei i tribnn Is, d the pc petra
ton Of election fr..uds by the otiic. rs f
elections
If crime is not punished in San Fran
''isco, it is not fos the want of able aud
upright judges. 1t is owing to the cor
ruption Of he j ri 9. 1t WI be admit
ed that The jnry ss stem in S, Fran
cisco has no lways b en- rema knbie
for ptri'y. But wh' Sc f,ut is this !:
ThA, Of the very mere ants and ship
Ike pers who now mainly constitu the
Figil'n Committee. They declne or
shirk the duty Of ryin- on jar e. on
any frivolous pretext 1t is II know
that distinguish d JulIe In t,,ot ci
not long since adj ur ed his cour; 70
the day, alleging that he was sicken d
with hearing bu u.incss men commit PER
jury in s"' aling 10 excuses to ev dc
serving OF j'ri $ This is an evil whicl
the members Of the Vig,lan c C mint
t e might ca lily have corr. cted by tie
sinllr di,"harg of their duty as citizens,
nd the reform would have pro iuced
pure and ficicnI administration of JUS
tiee. The evil IS not likely to be m d
less by supcrseding as Jud Les, such men
as Judges Mort n, Hager, an SHAT
tuck, by ih' crea ures Of the Yigila ce
Committee. Ii business men ould di,-
charge their legal obligations as good eli
lzeus there could be no necessity for
Lynch law and revolution. But the
greatest monstro,ity of all is that some
Of the very men who, as Jurors, refused
to concur in il verdict fpr The convic ion
oi Cha les Cora, subsequently as men,-
bcrs OF the Vigil nee voted t. hang him.
As to eleci ion frauds, bribery and bal
lot box stnffing, there is no doubt tha' it
ha- been nionstrnu5 evil III San Fran
lis o. These crimes have been r. sorted
t" to fishlfui extent by all political
pa ii S, but the punishment has f,llen
'xclusivel, upon the offenders in one. -
Som OF the most notorious perpetrators
of election frauds are prominent IN m
bers Of, and sy npath RS with, the Vi
6 lance Committee. They are honored
and protect d members Of that treasoni-
bic aSsociat on. Since they hav. created
i new punishment. unknown 10 the law
til It of banishmenI-why do they MT
mcta cut Justice to the Offenders Of all
parties ! A.aIn, the l. gislat1re at lis
/ st session, had pa sed an efficient rem
e y az to San Francisco, by ming sev-
erAl gentlemen of Character, scleete I
from al parties. to appoint the Judge
and Insp ctors of elections Is mere
reven e IN puni~hing past auds on the
ballot-box sufficient motive for all his
rebellion and c,vll ce.n,n,,ion: The
crimes which the Yigi!a ce Commi tee
h We committed against the Laws and so
ceiy, are of ii much blacker d,e, aud
more injurious in til ir cons quences
thn he fence Of thos~ men whom they
have sent into exile. To m Ike the rem
cdy compl tie aad purify sority, rhev
should follow he mrn tn y have nish
d, and leave tn ir country for their
country's gocd.
The doctrines they procla m can v
er be p' oductive Of an, thing but dsor-
ier and anarchy. Tney rnculcate open
ly that = majority Of the citizens Of an,
81 de city N y overthrow the govern
nsent of that locality and supers, de rs
officrrs, al hou9h that govern ncnt has
b. n o'd liz d by the people eff the
whole State, aad its officers appointed
under a c'nstit&iion established by the
people Of California. They as>ume to
enact a new criminal e de, and appoint
new judges. under which, and Ivy whom
the ilz rs of any c"uaty in tue Stat
accuse1 of crime ia San Francisco, may
be arrest' d and sent to execution.
They ignore the ex sience Of the pco
PIC VI N"iii' uid- aL4 III tHcfi, uecidTt
that the nj chants and shopkeepe OF
San Franei>co are nnt only the Sta e.
but the only people ia it who have an
of the rights of the governing Glass;
They In-ut all other portions of tn
State, and treat the people of the other
c"uuti,s a. their vassals
Neither can tn Sc men escape SCRUTINY
mo their motives. They are not purely
hoe OF the public good There are III
the Vigilance Committee some merchan :
oi wealth aud business IN egrity. There
are host OF others on the verge of
bankruptcy. There are men unable to
m Ike remlttances before this commotion
begin, and who are now "a cing lis pro
Iongation, because it affords them plau
sible excuse for not sening per mai
funds @hich tn J are unable to remit
No one wishes TO take out an attaca
ment or foreclnse a mo tg &c against all
in1ucntial member of the Vigilance
COMMITTEE. AS TO him the courts are
practically closed. Capital is 'imid, and