Daily national Democrat., 1858-11-02
Rnmdri.n, I'm the Mines.

RoWdyism in the Mines.
1t seems, from letter in another column
that our Mountain correspondent, Henry ia
cob, has barely escaped being mobbed at tn,
town of La Porte. A conspiracy was forme,
against him, the intent of which was to civ,
him a coat Of tar, duck him in a rond of wa
ter, and seat him on the roof of a house, in Iii
night garments, to take the benefit Of tn,
cold air till morning He escaped these in
dignities 10y a judicious and timely fight
This proceeding in our humble opinion, re
fleets no credit upon the parties engaged IL
1t. We understood our correspondent Us re
| tiecting, in his communications, upon that
portion of the community only, who are dis
tinguished as gamblers. rowdies and black
guards. We did not understand him Us saying
that there was not "a large number Of re
spectacle people residing in La Porte. 1t is
natural to suppose therefore, that those who
took umbrage at his remarks were Of the
class above denominated. The respectable
classes of the mining towns ought certainly
to have no objections to see rowdyism, black
guardism and gambling denounced, and we
have no doubt, as Henry Jacob says that
that portion Of the citizens of La Porte ap-
prove of his observations, and are ready to
uphold him in having made them. If all
that Henry Jacob says be true-and making
! allowance for some sweeping generalities
which We noticed the other day, we give ere
denee to his statements-it will do no harm
to give publication to any properly written
exposures Of the evils existing If public
opinion in any mining community is too
sluggish in exerting itself to put down vice in
its most disgusting forms, and to drive it
| from the presence of the decent and virtuous
portion of the community we see no harm in
any reasonable effort, whether of tongue or
pen, to arouse that public opinion to action ;
and the assertion that town is infested with
blackguards, instead of arousing any illfeel-
ing, on the part of respectable citizens against
a writer, ought rather to stimulate them to
proper exertions for correcting the evil which
disgraces abroad the character of the place.
We took occasion, the other day, to say,
that we thought that some of the general OBJ
servations Of our correspondent, respecting
the mining communities, were a little too
sweeping, although in the main his remarks
contained much truth and justice The fol-
lowing article from the San Juan Press. pub
lished in the very midst of the mining classes,
and treating of this very subject, will throw
light on the true character of society in the
mines:
"The Marysville Democrat is fortunate in
having correspondent of rare ability. who
writes often from Sierra county over the
noBln,e de plume of Henry Jacob His let
ters are always worth reading-whieh is
something that cannot be said of most mining
correspondents-for in addition to concise
mining news, they contain pertinent rehec-
tions, amusing gossip, and sensible remarks
upon subjects which most letter writers ig-
more. In recent letter, he says;
Drunk, drunk-go where you may, every
little town is infested with groggeries and
drunkards; few old men are to be seen. all
young, ranging from twenty to forty-iive.-
Twenty. five years hence there will be more
old men in the State of California than in any
three States of the Union wifeless-and it
may be said, homeless tits the duty of ev
cry man to be a husband and of every woman
to be a wife. For every creature there is a
mate, and for every man of responsibility a
wife, and he should find her. Am | not
right, old Jepha True, wives are not to be
easily found in California; they are not here
to find, and in consequence, thousands of
young men are growing old-fast old in vice
and dissipation. Your scribe would be un.
derstood as referring in particular to the mi
ming community the agricultural classes are
more civilized and better off There is no
such thing as society in the mining regions
any drunken set of blackguards who have
money can rule those who pretend to decency.
There is no restraint, and no example but
that of rudencss, and of degrading ten
dency.'
"This is pretty severe on mining commu-
mites, and unfortunately, contains a great
degree of truth. There are thousands of
young men fast growing old in vice and dis
sipation Nowhere do young men look so
old as in California-not alone in the mining
communities, however-and drunkenness and
licentiousness are doubtless the chief causes
of this. But there are many towns in the
mining regions which are rapidly acquiring
such "A condition of society as all citizens wish
to see. The old days of unbridled passion are
really passing away, and it is only in the re
motest mining camps that there still exists
the state of things SO boldly described bv
Henry Jacob.
" But the men without wives are not the
only guilty ones; woman's influence, great as
it is, does not seem sufficient in every case to
control masculine proclivities t. evil. 1t is
too common for men to desert the domestic
hearth for the ignoble joys of drinking and
gambling; and many a wife in California
weeps night after night over husbands de-
graduation and neglect Such homes can ex.
ert no beneficial influence in community;
such men are the last ones to aid in reform
ing it. There is no doubt but that the do
nestle infelicity which characterizes our State
results, in great measure, from the above
cause. Hence it comes that there is no such
| thing as society in many places out of the
mining regions as well as in them; hence it
| comes that the word home is so often mere
mOckery, and female virtue bvword. Heads
of families ought to shun the Vaccinations Of
strong drink and cards but they sometimes
do not they ought to be examples of correct
department to bachelor Juniors, but they
sometimes are not"
"RUNNINd THE GAUNTLET. shortly after
the arrival of TIE Sacramento boat on Friday
evening, says the Alta one of the Alta Ex-
press horses standing, near the Bank Ex-