San Andreas independent., 1857-07-11
Written for the San Andreas INDEPENDENT

MoKELUMSE Hill, July 7th, 81.
Mr.. Edttor:-' Repudiate or Endorse" lille
gal State Debt, &C., are terms frequently used
at the present time writer, under the head
of g Repudiate or Endorse" and signing HIM
self . p. p, in your paper of the 9th ultmo,
assumes the position that the people of Cafor-
MIA should pay all the bonds issued in her name.
and denominateS them or state debt.' That
we owe State debt of three hundred thousand
dollars, one denies; but that we owe any
more than that sum, is seriously doubted; al
though there are scraps of parchment in the
hands of various individuals, with IL promise to
pay, and bearing the broad seal of the State of
California deeply impressed upon their face
But by what authority were these bonds issued
after the sum of them had amounted to three
hundred thousand dollars, except by individual
authority The Constitution of the State de-
clarcs expressly, that the State shall not be
responsible for any Indebtedness amounting to
more than three hundred thousand dollars
Therefore, those who issued the bonds in the
name OF the State, after debt of three hund-
thousand dollars had been created, acted upon
their own individual authority, and prostituted
the seal to serve their own nefarious purposes.
If the Constitution was an instrument of
doubtful meaning, or difficult to be understood
i'll relation to the amount of Indebtedness the
State may assume, and the bonds had been is
sued by her officials in good faith, then there
would be some reason for assuming and paying
the whole. But the language of the Constitu-
ton is plain and explicit, and any person of
common capacities may understand it. A rec
ord of the amount of the bonds issued, and of
the amount redeemed, is kept in the archives
OF the State, so that any person lOaning money
to the State officials, in the name of the Com
monwealth, may know, by exercising ordinary
financial care, what his securities arc for its re-
payment. Those who had the money to loan.
were certainly capable of understanding the Sc
curties on which they were loanng, or had the
means to employ an attorney to make the ne
cessary Investigations for them. If they had
been too ignorant, niggardly, or careless, to
take care OF their own interests, must the peo-
pie come forward, and approaching them with
servile condescension, by way of the ballot-box,
beg permission to contribute their last hard
earned dollar to 'replenish the vaults of those
reckless ungencrous-he hearted Shylocks?
We are told that the State has had the money
and used it for her own benefit-not in the
erection of a State capitol or any other public
improvements, but for the liquidation of sex
travagant official salaries, and corrupt State
Prison, State Printing and State Auctioneer
contracts If this assertion be correct. the
statements of the financial investigating COM
mlttees during the last session of the Leeisla-
ture, must be erroneous. Why was Dr. Bates
impeached? Why is Rowe in prison?
All the mean subterfugc resorted to for the
purpose of making the people believe that it is
their duty to pay those illegitimate bonds has
emanated from those who issued them. for the
purpose of directing public attention from them
selyes,-fearing that the mildest mode of pun
lshment which common sense could reasonably
dictate for the perpetratOn of such consummate
vlllalny, would be to hide their vile carcasses
from the public gaze within the walls of the
State Prison. If we refuse to assume and paw
the so-ealled State Debt, we do not repudiaie
any more than the person who refuses to as
sumo and pay the debts of an insolvent thief
without ever having agreed to do so. A writer
IN the Weekly bulletin says: q If the people re.
1use TO sanction the illegal State Debt. they do
not repudlate, but simply refuse to paw and
nave all law and all justice to support them.
GOV. burnett. in his message in 1851. distinctly
says: 'Constitutionally, we have no right to
nofrow any more. /" That message was pub
lie document, and through the public press, was
sent TO all parts Of the world All the stock
lobbers and Shylocks of Christendom should
nave received it as warning to examine Cali
lorna securities closely, before they placed
tnelr money in the hands of thicving officials.
II, IN their eagerness to accumulate immense
fortunes, they have vcnturcd to hazard the des
perate chances, let them suffer the consequent
ceS OF their own folly. \ DEMOCRAT.