Oroville daily Butte record., 1857-08-17
Wagon Road Bonds-No.

mas counties, forty thousand dollars, for
the purpose of constructing road to and
from his toll bridge. the people of these two
counties are required to vote for, or against
this tax Were it practicable to construct a
road upon the route indicated by this thev-
ing bill, its friends and advocates might be
enabled to advance an argument in its favor
that did not exhibit desire on the part of
Lewis and friends to plumber the taxpayers
Of these counties for their own aggrandize
ment.
Supposing the route to be o practicable
one, the effect of constructing such road
would be to turn the travel of Plumas, as
also the emigrant travel into tortuous and
mountain road, through sparsely settled
portion of our own county, and away from
the property taxed for its construction, thus
paying tax for depreciating the value of
their own property.
1t will be seen by the proclamation of the
Board of Supervisors, that those voting up
on this bill shall have written or printed on
their ballots, "Wagon Road Bonds-yes,"
or Wagon Road Bonds no" Regarding
this as an unscrupulous attempt to make the
public contribute to the successful business
operations of Judge Lewis, We have invaria-
bly, raised our voice against it, from its in
ception to the present time 1t is we'll
known that judge Lewis was lobbying
around the State capital during the passage
of this plundering Act. and that all his en-.
ergy and perseverance were used to secure
the passage OF the bill making the appr rnpri-
alton without submitting the proposition to
the qualified electors whom it proposed to
tax. He so far succeeded as to induce the
Senate to pass the bill, without thus submit
ting it to the voters of the county. The
clamor raised against such an arbitrary and
unjust proposition, and the fact that re-
monstrance against it was placed in circula-
tion, and signed by nearly one thousand cit
izens in less than six hours, enabled our
members to amend the swindlng bill, so that
the people could say at the ballot box wheth-
er they would be thus taxed.
This measure is but one of Lewis annual
attempts to plunder the tax payers of the
county by means of Legislative enactment
At the preceding session of the Legislature,
we find him endeavoring to log g.rol bill
through, permitting the Supervisors of the
county to pay him fifty thousand dollars tor
his bridge.
After the county had erected the present
public buildings on the Plaza, party head
ed by Judge Lewis, presented a demand for
three thousand dollars for the Plaza. and
after the county had declined to pay it, be-
leving that he had no legitimate title there
to, Judge Lewis granted permission to par
ties and erect buildings upon it, with a
view to establish a title. or compel the coun-
ty to pay the three thousand dollar charge,
and the people assembled and removed the
nuisances
We ask the voters of the District to re-
member these unscrupulous and plundering
schemes, pursued with determination year
di'oi yedis anu iihPlofC INC opportunity VI
the approaching election, to relieve them
selves from the influence that thus seeks to
Cypress them. His cry for the past three
years, as shown by the Legislative and coun-
ty records, has been " Scrip" Bonds'
Give me my scrip of joy immortal Diet"
The Democracy Of the District could not
endorse this unscrupulous man and his plum
dering measures. Is not that county Judge
an unscrupulOus one who becomes the attor
ney for, and prosecutes claim against his
county, as Lewis did In the case of Chaplin
vs. Butte county. in which case Lewis recov-
cred some twelve or fourteen hundred dol
lars from the county? How much of that
did Lewis receive for his services' Was it
not divided between them? and if so, did not
the action of Judge Lewis III the matter bor-
der upon champerty and barratry'
We are only desirous that the public
should understand this man Lewis, and his
measures, and if they choose to endorse them
of course we can have no objection. The
people have the undoubted right to vote to
reduce themselves to system of serfdom
and vassallage if they choose, and divert the
public revenue in obedience to the commands