The Nevada journal. [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18??, 1857-08-28
" Ought Constitutional Convention to
he held2

try where the California Express circu-
lates we picked up a copy of that paper
containing an article with the above
caption. The editor occupies position
where others look to him for truth and
counsel. How well be acquits himself
of his responsible duties let his article
on constitutional convention tell.
He is opposed to convention be
cause visionary men might get into it
ard make hotch-potch of a new consti-
tuition. An old granny once gave her
son this sapient advice never go in
the water till you can swim" The
fears of the antiquated danes in both
cases are alike. There is about the
same chance of majority of visionary
men getting into convention as of a
boy learning to swim on dry land. The
editor, belonging as he does to the dom
inant party, and one of whose shining
lights he is, does not have much faith
in his own stripe of cattle. Will the
great Democratic party with all its wis
dom, conservatism, patriotism and pow
er, allow q set of visionary beings to be
elected to reform the organic law? The
Express talks as if the Democratic peo-
pie are not to be trusted in the manage
ment of their own affairs, that its inhu-
ence for good is of little Importance, or
that the party will be so weak that it
will not be able to withstand the dream
ers, one year hence. But passing on
we come to the following:
The friends of a Constitutional Con-
vention placed themselves in an attitude
of hostility to any measure for submit
ting the question of paying the State
Debt, to the people, and, in order to
conciliate them Though in a minority
and to remove all distractions from the
passage of so important a measure as
that relating to the State Debt, the
friends of the latter concluded to vote
for the Constitutional Convention; ma
ny Of them declaring, at the time, that
they did so, believing and hoping that
the people would vote against calling
the convention, when the question
should be submitted to them, for their
Judgment, at the polls"
If there be glimmer of truth in this,
the history of the last session of the
Legislature fails to show it. We assert
that not one of the friends of Cousti-
tutional Convention in the last Legisla-
ture is rcpudiator. On the contrary
some of those who were most violent
against convention voted against the
submission of the State debt to the peo-
pie. The idea of bargain having
been struck up between the friends of
the two measures must have its origin
in the brain of one of the visionary kind
for fear of whom the editor of the Err
press shakes in his boots. Who sold
himself to the convention scheme to get
help on the State debt bill -? When was
the sale completed and whereof
But the main opposition of the En-
press to convention is this:
There are two great leading inter-
ests at work in favor of such'a conven-
tion-the Bank interest, and an interest
of a purely political character, which
seeks to incorporate slavery clause
into the Constitution of the State
The mighty man who presides over
the Express says for argument against
Banks that Opposition to paper cur
rency is fundamental principle of. the
Democratic party, which all the e1pe-
rience of the past has proven to be cor
rect" Indeed when did this opposi-
ton commence Was it when the De-
mocracy strangled the L. S. Bank and
erected thousand pet banks in its
stead, flooding the country with bills
Who caused "wild cat" currency to
come in vogue Who is responsible
for the banks which exist in almost eve
~ State in the Unionl Democratic
States too y? Who chartered three
fsurths of all the banks in the Union
Does the editor of the Express mean to
say the Democracy did not do it
As to the other main reason of the
Express for opposing convention-the
niger question 1T is impossible to d.
vine whether it comes from the brain of
demagogue or fool. This question is
not at issue in the most remote degree
We challenge the production of thou
sand men from San Diego to Oregon
who would favor the introduction OF
slavery in convention or out. He who
will make this question an issue in the
canvass for convention is either bereft
of good sound sense or he makes use OF
the bugbear to frighten timid negrophi-