The Placer herald., 1862-05-03
A Sorry Predicament.


ton, and occupies most uncomfortable, not to
say ridiculous position, on the final adjournment
question. 1t met with the loudest professions of
reform continually on the lips Of members, and
a fixed determination to hold short session. The
vacatng of Sacramento on account of the floods
gave pretty fair excuse for extending its ses
sions into the month of April and trenching upon
the 90-day limit, which was practically advised
by former Legislatures The day Of sine die adj
journment was fixed by both Houses, and the peO
pie indulged the cherished hope that their lcgis-
latOrs. having consumed the most of their valua-
bic (because expensve) time, in special and local
business, were about TO disperse and stop the ex
pendture of 81 per minute which Legislation in
curs when 10 at the very last moment the i'm
parchment of q District Judge is sprung and
unanimously carried. The facts on which the ar
ticles are based all transpired many months, and
most of them several years ago. and it is difficult
to understand exactly why the trial was not insti
tuted early in the session. unless delay was the
purpose Of the body.
Having performed, however, all the functions
constitutionally pertaining to the Assembly by
the preparation and presentation of the articles
of impeachment the press and the people called
loudly upon them to adjourn sine die and leave
the Senate to prosecute the investigation. Here
upon, our Solons indulged in many expressions
of intense desire to respond to the call. There
was hardly a member whose private affairs were
not suffering in an extreme degree from remain
ing in attendance on the legislature. Economy
and retrenchment were loudly blated forth from
every desk. but aye, but, did not the public in
terests Chat convenient excuse for SO many bad
things) imperatively require that they should re-
main at the seat of government to watch over
the aforesaid public interests involved in the
Hardy trial? Ay, there was the rub! So with a
| flourish of trumpets and many excellent express
sions of hope, applica ton made to their con-
stitutional adviser Il man learned in the law
the Attorney General. to answer if he could not
in all the books find some way by which the
House could adjourn sine die (and stop its S.
rations) without imperiling the dearly beloved
public interests" In due time the answer came.
and it said that there was neither necessity nor
excuse for the Assembly to prolong its Sc ssion.-
Thereupon great wriggling ensued. The re-
sponse was evidently unexpected and apparently
unsatisfactory.
SO, after looking at the matter in various
shapes happy suggestion came to the members,
and they again formally propounded the same
| question to the Senate Tor solution. For, said
they. although the constitution and the law are
clear upon the point, yet should we adopt the ud-
vice of the Attorney General (now that we have
iD, the Senate may, after our adjournment dis
miss the proceedings against Hardy. Let us.
therefore, get their decision in advance and place
them on the Record, just to guard against acci-
dents. And the question went up to that body in
proper FORM The answer came back-"certan-
there is no impediment in the way of the final
adjournment of the House, and no embarrassment
can tnefeupOH eHSUe here III was again. The
people cried, go; the press said, in the name of
Heaven, go; the Attorney General echoed GO;
and the Senate now joined in the universal, GO.
Among all their friends, with nll their shifts. ut
every turn, and on every sde--nOne could be
found to say, stay, and no decent excuse could be
eXtorted from anybody, or anything. The reso-
luton of adjOurnmnnt, whose friends are legion
(outside of the House), come up and received
wht?-why, II patriotic votes out of so all told!
We sympathise with those distressed individu-
ais who constrained to remain here at the
small price of SIS a day. C'They have no more
and never take a cent less" We pity those poor
their expectant grasp because the public interests
(D will not permit them to follow the bent of their
inclinations. Still we suppose they must endure
their hlrd lot,
But, in all seriousness. Japhct in search of his
father had not more troublesome task than the
Assembly members have had in the search of
somebody to excuse their longer attendance at the
Capital. Such farce has been enacted by
them on this question has no parallel in the histO-
ry even of California Legislatures; and if the re-
suit were not serious to the public Treasury, it
AS it is, q grim smile pervades the face of the
community. 1t is to he hoped that his Excclen-
cy, the Governor, out of pure sympathy for the
bereaved and unfortunate lower House, will
transmit message suggesting that they had bet
ter remain little longer at the Capital, lest "the
public interests suffer-" In Charty's name. do
not throw them on their own responsibility lest
they become entirely desperate! Will not some
body come to their relief Is there no balm in
Gilead? Has charity and sympathy, pity and hu
manity departed out of Israeli LO q voice cry
ing in the wilderness of great city, and there is
| none to cOmfort!-S. +. Bulletin. .AprH 26th.