The hydraulic press., 1859-01-01
CONTEMPORARY VIEWS.

mining region of California are des-
tined to more permanence than is gen.
orally supposed. 1t expresses its con-
victlon that many scores of years will
be required to exhaust our almost illim-
table placers, or surface diggings; and
that many who are now young will see
gold-bearing dirt passing through sluices
laid along our hill-sides, when their hair
shall have grown gray. But, contin-
ues the Herald:
In rejecting on the probable future
OF mining towns, we should not lose
sight of the existence of other resources
besides placers, the Development of
which is destined to have some inhu-
ence on their prosperity The numer-
Gus quartz lodes which stretch through
the whole length of this great chain of
mountains, contiguous to the placers,
and which in many instances have al
ready been found to be richly gold
bearing, will undoubtedly, in the course
of time, afford as profitable field for
labor as the placers have in times past.
Then we have an extensive lumber re-
glon to the eastward of us, which stretch
es IN regular belt along the slopes of
the Sierra. Besides, our hills also af-
ford inexhaustible quarries of building
stone, such as limestone, marble, gran
lite, etc., material to adorn our cities
with palaces.
!" Ii the resources above enumerated
fail us, have we not a fruitful soil and
genial climate, and have not expert
ments demonstrated that both are adj
mirably adapted to the culture of fruit?
Have not vegetable productions of every
kind thrived where their cultivation has
been assayed on the soil of this region
Then what have we to fear? For our
part, we believe that in the course of
time, every valley and hillside of the
mining counties, even to the mountain
tops, will be converted into vineyards,
whose vines will be dropping with the
weight of their fruit, to be gathered
and made into wine, an article which
will find a market anywhere throughout
the world. Then vintage times in CAL
ifornia will outrival those of France,
and prosperity will smile on every home
stead in the land. In fact, it is non
sense to talk Of the decay of mining
towns, in full view of the matchless
advantages placed within our reach"
CRIMINAL RECORDS form too promi-
nent feature in California journalism,
and greatly prejudice eastern judgment
against our State. The press of the
large cities is particularly given to the
practice of collecting all the criminal
events of the fortnight preceding the
departure of steamer, and forwarding
the disgusting record as "news" for
Atlantic readers. We have spoken of
this before, and are glad to see the fol-
lowing remarks on the same subject in
the San Francisco Herald
"The Atlantic papers are altogether
too prone, already, to attribute degree
of viciousness and criminality to Cali
fornia which are not true in fact, but
which, by the undue prominence given
them, are made to appear as leading fea-
lures in California life. The accuse.
tions of the Atlantic press are, doubt
less, due more to the inconsiderate course
of some of our journals than to ma
licious propensity on their part, and we
cannot expect them to refrain from their
injurious inuendos until we cease to be
our own studied accusers. 1t IS not ar
gued that we should seek to conceal
from our Atlantic contemporaries any
facts that may transpire in California,
let their nature be what they may but it
is to be regretted that studied display
and marked prominence should be given
to crimes and vices, by inserting them
to the exclusion of other matters,
and so congregating them as to present
connected and continued catalogue of
black deeds, by which they are invested
with an importance they would not 9th
erwise obtain. We have no desire to
represent ourselves as better than we
are, and to invite immigration by means
of deceit and hypocrisy, as it is obvious
that such immigration could be neither
enduring nor beneficial; but it is quite
as positive that we have no disposition
to see every vice or crime committed in
the State, between the sailing of one
steamer to the other, so paraded and os-
tensibly located in the columns of our
newspapers as to appear the leading
characteristics of our people. We can
not for moment imagine that such a
course is pursued with intent to place us
l . 1: IL l., Il s,o.ca,,1f, cf