San Andreas independent., 1858-07-17
The Issue Between Power and Principle.


the political rattle has been sprung, and
the political watchman and political trick
ster are fierce in the discharge of their
political duties. Already the fight grows
warm, and the great pulse of the " mud
sills" is throbbing and beating with polit-
ical life and political animation. Uprising
in their might, with firm reliance upon
their own intelligence, steadfast determi-
nation to be shackled no longer by politi-
cal king and political oligarchies-and
finally awakened by the death song of the
great political war-horse, Senator Ham
mond, they have learned the tremendous
secret" that the ballot-box is stronger
than can army with banners" This
energetic action of the bone and sinew of
our glorious young State, has startled into
like activity the Federal officers of our
State, and set them trembling for that
Administration which has never lent a
single helping hand in the hour of our
necessities. "Some twenty" says the
Morning Gail, "of the Federal employ
ees are now travelling through the interior
counties for the purpose of regulating the
conventions about to be held. The Mar
shal's Office has Tuolumne under charge
the Surveyor General, Calaveras and Stan
islaus; and the Custom House looks out
for the doubtful cases up North. For the
purpose of doctoring up matters through
out the interior, the heads of all the Fed
eral departments have been placed under
contribution, for the fat has gone forth
from Washington that Gwin and Lecomp-
ton must receive the endorsement of the
Democratic organization in this State
Those favorable tothe popular sovereignty
movement, who have heretofore held posi-
tions in the Custom House, have been
displaced, and their places filled by those
who will swear by nothing but the Admin
istration Of James Buchanan The Gail
further adds: "Let the contest for dele
gates to the regularly constituted Conven-
tion result as it may, there will doubtless
be full-fedged Administration tickets run
throughout the State. The object of the
politicians in their struggles for suprem-
acy in the Convention, is to receive the
endorsement of the rank and file of the
Democratic party for effect at Washington
and in the East. The hopes of the Gwin
faction for future power rest entirely upon
the present contest. If Lecompton is
defeated it will be the political death of
Gwin, and with his death die all the hopes
of his followers"
Such exertion on the part of the Fede-
raj officers must awaken the people of our
county to full knowledge of the great
necessity for united, energetic action. The
time has arrived for the people to teach
such men as Senator Hammond and the
Administration to which he belongs, that
the political tricks to which they are
forced to resort in order to secure any
given result, will avail them but little
when the thinking masses are assailed, or
when great fundamental principle is to
be decided
We desire-and it is all we ask-that
the people of our county will take the
trouble to have theirsentiments expressed
fairly and uneqaioocaUy at the primary
elections to take place to-day, upon the
great issue of principle now submitted to
them. The question is simply: Shall the
Administration be sustained in their offer
of the Lecompton Constitution to the peo-
pie of Kansas, with the alternative, You
may enter the Union with small popu-
lation, if you will submit to Constitution
which you have repudiated; but you must
have much larger population if you In
sist on a Constitution of your own choice"
This is the question upon which the
American people are now to act; and it
well behooves every man to weigh well the
verdict he this day renders upon this I'M
portant issue. The proposition thus sub
: led to the people of Kansas is submit
ted to achite people, or, as Senator Ham
mond calls them, northern sldues-" of
your own race; brothers of one blood. "
He acts conscientiously in making this
proposition; he has no compunctions of
conscience in thus addressing "slaves,
"mud-sills;" he does not think that these
mud-sills can do otherwise than act as au-
tomatons, OF bear the lash of proud and
aristocratic task master as tamely as his
slave. But now is the time to rebuke
such gentlemen. Now is the time to teach
these master-spirit politicians, whose hands
have never gained an honest days living,
and whose only thought in life is to Gen.