Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-04-14
A NEEDLESS MEASURE.


Some weeks ago, in commenting upon IT,,
abOlnination Of SnecureS under a republican
government demonstrating the incompatibiitv
Of such with the genius of our institutions, we
took occasion to refer to the measure now
pending before the legislature, to establish
Marine Court in the city and county Of San
Francisco This reference was made To illus
tratc the appoSitcncSS Of our views on the sub
icct Of SinccurcS, at that time. Here, the pro.
position to establish that Court might have
rested, hut for the fact, that certain parties
interested in the new SwindlC, instiSntcd our
contemporary, the San Francisco HcmM, to
advocate it in the columns of that journal, Of
n late date. This new agitation Of the meas
ure ought not to benefit it, The torpitndc in
which it has rcpoSed, since il was shown in
the DENnCRAT tO he an outrageous impOSit OF
upon the taxpayers Of San Francisco, we
thought significant of its total demise. We
will vcntilatc il again. The points made by
the Mr1H are these: LIST, that the Marine
court us diSidclatum, which has long been
felt in the community Of San Francisco" 81,
that "thc establishment Of such tribunal
would attract In that port the whaling fleet Of
the Pacific" 3D. that "Such n Court exists
IN nearly all commercial cities" 4th, that
lit will relieve the District Courts from much
Of their minor business" On all four oi these
points, we join issue with the HcraM, and
will controvcrt them in the order in which
they are presented. The Marine Court is not
n diSidcrntum, in the community Of San Fran.
cisco. What is the usual evidence presented
to the legislature, Of the existence Of any need
for legislation, in any community? II is to
he found in the expression of the public Jour
nails Of that locality, or in petitions. What is
the fact in this case? The HeMM is the only
journal in the city and county Of San Francis.
CO, we have yet seen, advocating the measure
alluded to. The other journals. without cx.
Ccpton, we believe, are warm in thrf con.
dcmnatien oft, as a needless and expensive
experiment The members of the legislature
know whether they have seen any petitiobS
On the subject But to the second argument
1t is unqucstionablc, that it is the fear Of the
,lescrtion Of their men, which. to consider.
able extent, induces the captains Of whalcrS to
avoid San Francisco. and rendezvous at the
Sandwich Islands. There, no temptation cx-
lists To desert. There, are no Sca.lawycrS to
, induce sailors to desert At San Francisco.
the temptation exists for sailors to desert, aS
matter of mere interest, to get to the gold
mines To ship for higher wages, &c. And
there too, the calawycrS flourish, ever ready
to induce Jacks TO dtScrtiOn, that they may
tilch triiing fec. These are the real reasons
for the avoidanrcS Of San Francisco hv wha.
crS, and they would not he obviatcd, in the
, slightest degree, in the creation of this adii.
tional court. On the contrary, the difficulty
would he increased for captains Of whalcrS
have a dcrpScatcd antipathy TO any court,
, termed a Marine Court-doiging all such MS
f they would a pcstilcncc. As further proof
that it is not the want Of such tribunal, that
dcprivcS San Francisco Of the visits Of whalcrs,
the captains Of those vessels, all now know,
that perfectly summary process for the re-
: capture Of deserving seamen, already exists:
more summary, than any that could result
, from the establishment Of a Marine Court
II is only necessary to make application to
+ ono, Of three, L. s. Commissioners now in the
city Of San FranciSco,-a writ is at once is.
sued, the dcScrter is arrested and returned to
his vessel, all within few hours, and at the
, costs Of the Federal Government.
/ The argument that such court exists in
|, nearly all commercial cities is Of no validity,
unless such court he needed in San Francisco.
Is such court needed: is the question to
he decided by the legislature: But the al.
; legation Of the WrraM is unfounded. unless
we have been grossly deceived by many ship.
ping masters. ship captains and mercantile
men. They assert that such a court exists
in very few Of the cities on the Atlantic sea
boards.
As TO the relief tn be afforded the District
| Courts, we would simply ask legislators to in.
qCirc before they act, whether the people Of
San Francisco desire the establishment of an
other District Court, or any branch Of such
another. From an observation Of the pro.
cccdingS If the two District Courts already
: in San Francisco, it appears they have ample
time in which to transact all the business
within their jurisdiction nor has any pnLIic
complaint been made by either Of the Judges,
of the heavy burden Of their duties
But to rccur to the radical objection to the
measure; the office will he a simrcurr, costly
to the people of San Francisco and as we
have heretofore asserted in the DENoCRAr Of
March 10th, is intended to he nothing more
nor Tess, than sort Of ntfiriai house Of re-
fncc, for some dilari1atcd legal 'cuSS,' who
failing TO obtain comfortable subsistence by
the practice Of his profession. seeks such
Sinccurc as an ark Of safety from ohdurate
creditors and pcrtinacious dunS' To this
view Of the question. the WtrUM responds.
that the objection to the court on the ground
Of sinecurciSm. "is upon the principle Of
Straning at gnat and swallowing a camel"
and refers to the fact that the legislature has
The only reply demanded by this sagacious
reasoning, is the undcniable truth, that "two
wrongs never made right"
An effort will doubtless be made to dragoon
members Of the majority into the support Of
this measure, on the score that it is urged nv
the on'y Democratic journal in the city of San
Francisco. aud that the Judge Of the new
Court. will be good Democrat. That game
is pretty nearly "playcd out" The MorN.
TAIN DEMOCRAT is at least as Democratic in its
past history, and in its present intcntS and
instincts as the HeraH, and We tell you,
gentlemen of the Legislature, that the meas
urc is MT Democratic. became il creates
SiHr""rc, neither do the Democracy Of San
Francisco care one farthirg for the establish
mcnt Of the proposed tribunal. The aSpi,antS
for the JudgcShip are the only living persons
at all interested in the matter, with the cx.
ccption, it may be, Of half dozen sca-law-
ycrs.
REAL ESTASE.-Rcal estate in this city has
greatly advanced in value during the past few
months and rents arc now almost as high as
five wears ago. Lucky is the tenant who has
lease for year or more, for those who rent