San Andreas independent., 1859-01-15
From O'Neil's Bar.
ndence of the Independent.

Correspondence OF the Independent.
O'NEIL's BAR, January 10th, 1859.
Mr.. Editor The early bird catches the
worm. That is an old maxim, and the expe-
rience of every day shows MS how truthfully it
may be applied. Those sage and far-seeing
philosophers-our county politicians-appear
to be, just now, particularly wide awake to its
true Specification and value. Like the busy
bee, they have already commenced improving
the few shining hours which yet remain before
election; though it must be understood, that
in doing so, like their great prototypes, the
lilies of the valley, they toll not, neither do
they spn-rather an improvement on the bees
way of getting along. Already these humane
philanthropists have commenced their self
imposed task of selecting substitutes for the
poorly paid and over-worked incumbents of
our county offices. And this, without their
knowledge, even doing good silently, and by
stealth as it were, intending no doubt, TO
pleasantly surprise them about the time of the
primary elections with the intelligence that
they may rest from their labors. Nor is it in
the difficulty of finding volunteers to take
their places, that the trouble of our philan-
thropists lies; for, perhaps, in no other coun-
try than in this same California (the people of
which outside malgners take spiteful plea
sure in painting as being so wholly absorbed
in money-making, as to be obliyous of nearly
everything else,) are the citizens more willing
to undertake the onerous duty of filling the
public offices. To serve his fellow citizens,
the merchant leaves his desk the lawyer his
brief; and even the honest miner allows him.
selfto be persuaded to throw down his pick; a
state of things which must be highly crafty
ing to every lover OF the Commonwealth, and
of republican institutions For such whole
sale instances of self abnegation on the part
of people, the student in vain searches the
records of Rome, Greece or Carthage; re-
publcs, which if they had existed now-a- days,
would have been preserved as such, if it was
only for the sake of the offices.
Out of the heterogeneous mass of patriot
ism before him, our philanthropist politician
endeavors to extract the essence. This he
cannot do without losing its virtue-his ef-
forts are useless. He alloys everything he
touches. In vain he distls, filters and re-
fines At the point of despairing, he cries
Eureka" the thought has just flashed across
his brain, and in an excess of self devoted
ness, which at Thermopyle, for instance,
would have led him to do-some of the fastest
kind of running, he determines to immediate
himself on the altar of his country; a deter
mination strengthened by the reflection that
none can so well be spared as he. His pur-
pose fixed, he surveys the county with the
same lofty aspirations which may be supposed
to exist in the breast of the hungry turkey
buzzard, who, flying in his pride of place.
impatiently watches group of weary travel
ers in the plains below, wondering how long
before some of their stock will fall to his share.
Like the war horse, who scents the battle afar
off, he goes forth, his motto-whisky or blar
ney, omnia uincit. As Swift says:
One, he cries Broderick;
Another cries Gwin-up;
Not which is the best,
But which is the worst,
Is the toss up.
commenced with proverb, and am going
to finish with. rather fabulous story, which
may not be new to you. But as Captain Gut
tie says, the beauty Of an observation lies in
the application of it. A congregation on the
coast of one of the eastern States was, one
Sunday, during divine service, thrown into
commotion by the intelligence that there was
a wreck on the beach. They were rushing
cut when they were arrested by the pastor