Daily national Democrat., 1859-04-21
Adjournment of the Legislature.

The Senate and Assembly adjourned sine
die on Tuesday. The President of the SEN
ate pronounced, we believe, no valedictory
The Speaker of the Assembly remarked as
follows:
GENTLEMEN: My duties, as your presiding Off
Ger, are now being brought to a close. At the
commencement of the session, | assumed the re-
sponsibities of the position with a dstrust of my
ability to please each and every one, but with II
determination to exercise my authority with I'M.
partiality, relying upon my own Judgment re
gardless of the opinions of others. | doubt not
that have incurred the displeasure of many, but
| am happy to say that | have usually r7cleved
the support of large majority, which has certain
/ ly not often been swayed by political feeling or
party bias.
Gentlemen, from the day we assembled to the
present our action has been looked upon with IN
/ ierest by our several constituencies, and every
measure proposed or adopted has been fully dis
cussed and is probably as well understood by the
! people as ourselves. They are the jurors the
record is before them, and we will soon receive
the verdict What that will be- we can only
Judge from the nature of the evidence submitted.
Many matters Of interest have been before us, and
| / am prepared TO say, without fear of contradc-
ton, that this Assembly has been governed iu its
action bv desire to advance the best interests OF
That there has been conflict of opinion is true,
and such must necessarily have been the case in
consequence of the variety of in terests represen.
ted. The miner is no less jealous ofhis rights
| than the agricuturst, the settler than the grant
holder the debtor than tho creditor and it will be
remembered that all these classes bear relations
to each other unknown to any State but California.
Hence the difficulty impossibllity our
Legislature following any well known precedent.
The effect of legislation being felt not for a day
only but for Years to come time alone can deter
mine whether ours has been wise and just
trust may be INDUCED in saying that my lcgis-
lative experience, and the position | have occu-
pied this session, having given me opportunities
ofjudging fthe usefulness of members, have full
| ly convinced me that great mistake is made by
| elccting new men to the Assembly every year.
! No ability or brilliancy of talent will answer for
experience. A knowledge of the mere machinery
of legislation cannot be acquired in less time than
one session. and when members receive this
knowledge, they are too often superseded by those
who must again be taught at the expense of the
/ State, themselves to be superseded by others
and each year the House is composed Oft almost an
entirely new set of men, unacquainted with the
manner of legislation, and consequently incompe-
! tent to enter at once upon the business of the
State.
Gentlemen, you are about returning to your
constituents, and trust they will receive and re-
ward you as you deserve. For myself l have TO
thank you for the courtesy you have extended to-
wards me; and assure you, | shall in the future
look back with pleasure upon the manner IN which
you have been pleased to sustain me in the dis
charge of my duties
TO the Clerks and other officers of this House,
| also return thanks for their aid and assistance
which has at all times been promptly and cheer
! fully given. Nor can / close without referring to
the fact that the Reporters, who have had seats
upon this floor, have appeared TO be guided by no
political feelings, but rathera desire to Justly and
fairly represent my action as Speaker Of this AS
sembly
Gentlemen, you, one and all, have my best wish
es for your welfare and future prospects-and
now declare this Assembly adjourned sine die.
After the Adjournment.
Mr.. Stratton, from the Speakers Chair, spoke
as follows: 1t has been customary for members on
this floor to rise to privileged questions. Now
gentlemen, ] rise to a privileged question. | am
now no longer Speaker. My authority has ceased
1t might have been supposed from the action of
members on this floor, that wsuld have referred
officially TO what transpired here this morning.
Gentlemen, | would scOrn to take advantage ofl
any member on this floor. l would scorn to take
of my official position to do so. Allow |
me to say, that the resolution of courtesy to me
which you passed to-day, though it met with OPP |
position in certain quarters is one of the proudest
trumphs of my life. 1t pleased gentlemen on
this foor who are opposed to me politically, to
vote against that resolution. 1t was done, proba-
bly,, for political purposes, and have no doubt in
my mind that that vote was dictated by their mas
ter, who both at this session and the last session
of the Legislature, was censured, and whom the
people censured at the last election. (Applause
and hisses) But, gentlemen, allow me to say
this: | thought that, as a member Of this Legis-
lature, might be allowed TO depart in peace
What have said in my valedictory is true l re-
fer you, gentlemen, and the people, to the Jour
mails, to show what my action has been. My de-
cisOns have been sustained not only by the politi
cal majority but, also, the minority Of the House.
The vindictive blow dealt at me to-day, backed
up as it was, by parties outside, has my most su-
preme contempt.