The Trinity journal., 1857-01-31
The Gold Tax upon the People.

In an article under this heading, the Cal
ifornia Farmer of last Friday makes some
excellent suggestions, from which we extract
the following
The shipment of gold for the past yeat
has exceeded that Of all former years, and
although our people look upon the result as
the natural consequence Of its being found
here, yet we look upon its shipment in all
principles of true policy and as contravening
the purposes and intentions Of Providence :
and we hold that so long as California shall
continue to pour out her life-blood reckless
ly, so long she will be like the invalid whose
pulse is beating slower and slower as life
wanes away for she is dying of the con-
sumption of her blood.
The real resources of California are her
agriculture, manufactures and mechanical
labor-from these spring her wealth This
wealth is reliable, for from the labor of her
citizens the State is built up. Each interest
acting upon and stimulating the other, the
success of one branch giving out new pro-
ducts trcm her soil, new manufactures and
inventions from her workshops these in
turn to be converted into the gold which is
dug from her hills and mountains. The
gold of California is one of the products of
California it is an important one-by many
tis viewed as the most important yea, the
aH-important one. But gold has no repre-
sentative of ITSELF while it represents all
other products. Gold represents all lesser
coins, bills of exchange, houses, lands, ships,
merchandise fap n1
even mems hopes. Gold will buy everything,
up to and even beyond the intrinsic value of
the gold, while other property is often sac
rlliced for half its value for this wonderful
tallsman. Human ingenuity and industry
are taxed to the utmost to acquire it, and
when thus acquired, if used rightly, it be-
comes blessing if otherwise, q curse.
When the gold of California shall be
used to awaken the industry of her own
people when the gold dug from her own
hills, mountains and river beds shall be used
to reveal the wonderful resources of our own
State when proper encouragement shall
be given to agriculture when her hills shall
be vlne-clad, and the cattle upon a thou
sand hills shall tell of an increased husband
ry when the hum of the spindles sound
upon the breeze, and the click of workshops
scattered over our State, shall proclaim sue
cess to every mechanic when the presses
are bursting out with new wine and when
the fields of waving grain shall be success
fully and proftably cultivated from the sea
to the mountains when the millions of her
own gold shall be used within her borders.
then will the cloud that now rests upon this
land be removed then will the tax that
now crushes the people be lifted from their
oppressed shoulders, and Hope spring anew
The gold of California sent from our shores
the past year, as appears by the records of
the shipments of gold, amounts to the enor-
nous sum of lifty-siy millions of dollars
The mass of the people look upon this result
as not materially affecting them but a lit
tie reflection will soon convince them that
unless this drain of the life-blood of the poo
pie can be stryed there will cnsue a con-
sumption not only of the prospects of the
people but their hopes
We ask the calm consideration of all to
the following astounding facts. The amount
of gold shipped the past year from Califor-
MIA is fifty per cent. beyond that of 1851,
and now amounts to two hundred dollars
per annum for every inhabitant of the State
man, woman and child ; and this tax has
increased fifty per cent since 1851. This
amount is based upon the shipment by
steamers. No calculation is made of the
amount sent by private conveyance, which
would swell the sum one-fith more.
We now ask all who have their interests
identified with California to look to this
matter, and ask themselves if there should
not be some effort made to retain this rep
rescntatiye of wealth and prosperity, so as
to secure to California the use Of what ma
ture and Providence designed as her own ?
Unless some effort is made, unless something
is done, and that right soon this tax upon
industry will increase until the consumption
of this llfe-blood shall cease by the death of
the patient