The Shasta courier., 1858-05-01
Speech OF Mr.. Street.

blyman, Mr.. Street. upon the bill to allow the
sum of $4,000 to tire Anti-Mob Army for serv-
ices rendered against the Vigilance Committee
of 1856:
Mr.. STREEY-Sir, would be recreant TO my
duty here a legislator were | to remain silent
i'll my seat and allow, what conceive to be
gross wrong and outrage upon the people of this
state, to be perpetrated without entering my
solemn protest against it. AS said on a former
occasion, stand ready at any time to vote for
| the payment of such services as were rendered
| by the law and order troops in San Francisco;
whenever a legitimate committee of the Legis-
lature have aeertained the services, and the
amount legally aud justly due, and reported the
same to the House. We would have control
over the action of that committee and its report,
and standing as guardians of the public enterest
and the public honor, do justice to the claim
ants and justice to the State. But what does
this bill propose 10 do? 1t authorizes a Board
of Commissioners tribunal outside of and
Independent of the Legisature-to examine
these claims and allow them, and to issue bonds
to the amount Of $4,000 to pay them. The
Constitution imposes us, the legislative de-
partment of Government the duty of ascertain
ing claims and then providing for their payment.
This bill provides, without reserve for the issue
of fifty thousand dollars worth of State indebt-
edness for the payment of these claims before
single dollars worth of services has been ass
certained and established to be legally and just
ly due. Is this the way to do business? Is this
the way that as business men we manage our
own financial affaifs Do we pay first and
then ascertain the amount due? Why such
a course would be absurd in an individual, and
is equally absurd in the State. The power to
adiudicate and ascertain all claims is in us and
hold we cannot delegate that power to any
outside Board of Commissioners, irresponsible
to US, and beyond our control, without violat-
ing our duty and our constitutional oath to pro-
tect the interest of the State. We, and we alone
are responsible to our constituents for the per-
| forrnance of that duty; which belongs to u.s. and
! TO no one else We are told that in opposing
this bill we call in question the integrity of the
| Board of Commissioners. That is not so have
| the highest confidence in the proposed Board.
| Gentlemen may draw their own differences as to
the motives of others but, for one, | have be-
fore disclaimed any imputation on the honor
and integrity of the men who compose the pro-
posed Board and any who charges me with
questioning the integrity of the proposed Board,
| charges that which is false. There is no such
issue. l am contending for a principle, that, if
departed from in this instance, will open wide
the door to fraud and rascality in the future.
am contendng for those rights and powers con-
ferred on me by the Constitution, as one of the
guardians of the treasury and will never sur
render those powers, and delegate them to any
other tribunal; though that tribunal might be
] composed of saints in the courts of Heaven not
even if Jesus Christ himself were one of them.
| Weare told by gentlemen who voted against this
$4,000 appropriation the other day, that this is
different bill. A species of sophistry and sub
terfuge is resorted to, in order to quiet the
sciences of tender-footed members What is
the difference in the bills Z? Why, one provided
for the payment of $4,000 in cash; the other
provides for the issue of State bonds that must
eventually be paid in cash and, of the two
modes, prefer that of the first bill. If anything
is due, pay it in cash, not in paper, and run the
State deeper in debt. The House took sensi-
BILE view of this question in the commencement,
and by a heavy majority, defeated the bill APP
| propriating $4,000 to pay claims before they
were ascertained. In that, they acted like hon
est, sensible Legislators but they reconsidered.
Yes, they reeonsidcrcd. And why did they re-
consider? Were there any new facts elected
Was there any new light thrown on the subject?
And if so. from whence has it come? Without
imputing against honorable men who enrolled
themselves against the Vigilance Committee,
know that this Capital has been besieged with
law and order soldiers. Has this greedy army
manufactured public sentiment and legislative
| sentiment7 | would remind legislators that
there is a power behind the lobby-the masses
of the people the Woodworking, over-taxed
people OF TINS State-and that their sentiments
may be at war with the contaminating, corrup-
ting influences that hang around this hall. We
are urged to pass this bill as Democratic mea-
sure. The member from Amador. who says he
has always warred against the Democratic party,
is one of its noblest champions. He introduced
the first bill. He has been consistent from the
first and has ably advocated the measure.
think that if he wanted to strike blow at the
Democratic pasty, he could not do better than
fasten on its shoulders this law and order ap-
preparation of $4,000. | believe its passage
will be stab at the Democratic party; and
mill stone hung around the neck of every DEM
ocrat that votes for it, which will sink him down
to the lowest pits of political datnnation. If
anything could rcvvfy and galvanize into life
the dry bones of his party, this bold and reck-
less onslaught on the State Treasury by DEM
ocratic Legislature would do it.
IMPORTANT DIscovERY.-A Frenchman, NJ.
Colleagues, announces that from numerous ex-
periments, he has discovered that Immediately
after death a murmuring sound is heard in the
body, lasting five, ten, and even fifteen hours.
1t diminishes gradually, and ceases first in the
parts of the body which are furthest from the
heart. In an amputated member the same sound
, is heard for several minutes. The non-exist-