The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-06
CALIFORNIA OPPOSED 10 REPUTATION

tAl1fOKNlA OPfOOED ~
The following article, from the San Francisco Her
aid, will be read with the liveest interest by all
who governed by the holy principles of justice,
and acknowledge the binding obligations of honor
and truth. The State had incurred pecuniary obi
cations by the action Of certain duly and lawfully
appointed commissioners. These commissioners exc
cuted their powers, but the parties with whom they
contracted acted in perfect confidence and in good
faith California, TO some extent, enjoyed the benefit
of the contract and her officials for many years ac
knowledged and aoquiesced in it. case having
arisen, however which brought the question before
the highest judicial tribunal of the State, it was de-
cded that the State not legally bound to pay the
debt thus irreguary contracted by their proper
legal and official agents.
But, notwithstanding the courts decided that the
State was not legally bound to pay these debts,
yet the sovereign people have decided otherwise To
their high and lasting honor, they have decided not
to avail themselves of the technical acquittance
which they might have claimed under the decision
of their court but have determined that they will
themselves to pay the debt which their unfaithful
agents have contracted in their name although they
ia honest. This is just. This is magnanimous.
And it stamps moral value upon her people, more
enduring and indestructbe than that which attaches
to the glitterng of her gold fields And whilst her
noble democracy achieving victories over oil OPP
ponents and combinations they are, at the time,
achieving still greater victory over appeals to
their mere selfshness or their own private advan-
tage:
1T affords us the deepest satisfaction to be enabled to
inform distant readers that the citizens of San Fran
cisco have voted by large majority to pay the debt de
cared by the supreme court to have been Illegally con-
ractcd According to the returns published in another
column s. l29 votes cast in the county OF San Fran
cisco for the payment of the debt and only Is for
pudation. From the State at large we have yet
ceived very little information to the result Of the vote
on this question 1t will in all probability be the last
vote counted for the people naturally anxouso learn
first all the of those who have been elected to
administer their local affairs We have doubt, how
ever but that the people of the State of California have
voted by large majority to pay the debts incurred by
their officials and for years acquiesced in and acknow
edged by themselves"
Instead Of repudiating or "suspendng' their obi
cations, as in the case of many of our banking ins-
tutions the people of California have resolved to
meet their honest engagements in an honest way.
To quote the language of contemporary " This re-
suit, suspicious as it is to the bondhoders is still
more subject for congratulaton to California. 1t
will only restore confidence abroad in the pledged
faith of our Pacific State but will do much to pre-
vent recurrence of the difficulty which it is now
sought to remedy The deliberate contemplation of
the abyss of financial discredit in which the young
commonwealth was about falling, and the damaging
consequences to it's reputation which have followed
the slightest apprehension of reputation added
to the Inconvenience of providing for the extrav-
agances of former msgovernment may yet have
healthy effect upon the body-politic, leading to
greater vigilance the part of the people, and to
more economical administration on the part of the
government