Daily national Democrat., 1861-05-08
The California SecessiOnsts and their
Miraculous Conversion.

against org g'nized rebellion. small politi
ciuns who had read Thornton and Monigon
erys speeches. and Bolts pamphlet on seces-
sion we're filled with learning. with regard
to the true theory Of the Government. and
the aims and views Of the trainers of the Con.
sdtution. They hid all arrived at the con
/ clu-ion chat the United Suites, as nation,
had ceased to exist Some of them drigned
10 regret The demise of Uncle sam, who had
been quite a respectable old gentleman so
long ns he had the countenance OF Davis,
/ Toomhs, Slidell. Benjamiu, Yoncey, and 9TH
er distinguished national men; but thought
he had fuldled his mission. which was ,in
rly to demonstrate the mpracticnhiiity of a
! governmental theory Which declares that
"al Governments derive their jnst powers
/ from the consent of the go'erntd." Although
Uncle Sam had fed aud clothed many of these
gentlemen whca they would else have gone
hungry and cold, they merely spoke of him
as they would of an old horse, turned out
/ after years Of service to browze upon the
/
| thought, were designed for jeff Davis, the
new Uncle hose dominion should extend
! gradually over the continent In Iced, when
the news urril ed that Sumter had been taken
by force, instead Of having been peaccoby
yielded up, they applnuded the cannonadng
by General What's-his- name, the French in
dyidual who commands the Confederate
forces, and thought the battering down Of a
Government forlifcation a Just rehuke of the
pertuacious attempts Of Uncle Sam at pro
longing his own lille. They insolently as
serted that the next Pony would bring the
news Of the taking of Fort Pickens and. not
content with that, re-eehoed the idle boast
of Davis Secretary Of War, that the Confed
crate fig would float over the Capitol at
Washington before many days. They ali
justified the secession Of the seven Cotton
States and said that the Border States would
follow. Then, they said, the State of Cali
fuina would not stand by the remaining
States. or, as they called them the Northern
Copfederacy: E" the friends of the rebels in
this State were too high-spirited to stand
that; it was out of the question They
Thought it would breed some dissatisfaction
We're an effort made non, to attach us to the
Southern ConfederGcy, and graciously agreed
that they would only insist upon the found
ing Of Pacific Republic Offices enough
could thereby be created for those of our fel-
low citizens tho were "born to rule" and
the great ljecl Of Government would he at
tanned. The legislators roared, the pamph-
| ltteers scMhbled, and the canajlle clustered
Throats would he cut, and flames would de-
vo0r the dwellings Of those who should dare
to syupnthize with the Government, in its
cocrciye attempts at keeping alive. 1t was
/ right of secession was the foundation of the
/ National Democratic creed, and every man
| who would not accept the declaration as true
wasrsad out of the Democratic party, in a
/ pamphlet entitled Secession aud Coercion,
written by the state Printer, endorsed hy the
great body OF the Breckinridgo leaders, and
distributed throughout the state by certain
apulogists Of jeff Davis, who disgrace the
Legislature of California. The Government
meanwhile drifed along seemingly inscns-
be to the kicks and bruises of her unnatural
cons The rebel organization grew up to
s)mcthing like system. A State Conyen
tiou IN Virginia sat for weeks and assuming
that the Old Dominion was the natural mis-
tess Of America, teuderly besought the Cow
ernmeut to do the things which the Virginia
delegates Moagh would pacify the irre,isti-
bic Pistols, aud Bardolphs, who were mus
tered uoder the leadership of the valiant
Davis. The patriots whose loyalty dies
when not sustained by spoon-vctuals from
the great Government bowl, felt gleeful With
knowing that Virginia WAS ms safe for seces
sion ms any Cotton State, and that she was
only engaging Uncle Sam with prudish
SMILES while the rebel ma 'hinery was being
more thoroughly perfected. The California
Secessionists were in clover over these pro-
ceeoing= until about two weeks ago. They
thought the people were inert and that they
wopld aziy recognize the success of the
revolution. Bat the response OF the people
70 the Presidents proclamation soon struck
terror to their hearts The Lords in the
southland had aroused the "Chicfs in the
North,' ard the war-cry which was, for a
long time pent up, burst upon them like the
tempest shock. The rebels, after defying the
Government for months, had at last engaged
In an open and aggressive war of extermina-
ton upon It, and the long slumhering wrath
of great nation tiercely confronted them
Every loyal town and hamlet in the conn
try lecame wild with excitement, and
three hundred thousand men rushed to arms
In ten days while money poured ike water
into the plundered treasury-hox of poor des
pj-ed Uncle sam The people of California
Joined heart and soul in demonstrati ms of
/ patriotic attachment to the Government, and
in donunciations Of those in sympathy with
the traitors The latter were stagg red and
be~ildcred with the idea that the people
should take so much interest in public affairs
They looked wistfalIy about for soft place
upon which to fall, before jumping out ofthe
car Of secessionism, which was hurryng them
on to political death They thought they
saw the way clear and they jumped They
made a worse blunder than before, for they
brought up in second class car of the same
train upon which is paiuted the hypocrid-