Weekly Trinity journal., 1864-01-02
Our Sacramento Letter.
SACRAMENTO. Dec. %. 1868.

Holidays, your correspondent is going 10 see MS
wife aud little ones consequently his letter must
be prematurely and hurriedly written, at the
risk of rendering it a tceakly instead OF weekly
epistle. 1t is but three days since dispatched
my last to you Since then Bill has been
passed providing for the transfer of cases in the
Courts " the State in compliance with the re-
quirements of the amended Constitution. A
Bill has also passed both Houses transferring
Sl07, 900 of the funds due the Swamp Land
Fund, and creating Herewith Sp .ial Fund for
the payment of mileage and per diem of members.
ANOTHER TRANSFER BILL.
a Bill was offered in the Assembly providing
for the transfer of sos 900 in Legal Tender notes,
now in the War Bond Fund, to Special Fund
for the payment of mileage and per diem of MEM
bers of the Legislature. The Bill contained
provision that the notes should be rated at rs
cents per dollar, making the S65, 900 equivalent
to only S48, $50, and that members should be
paid at that rate i. Sl3 331 per day, in green
backs, instead of $40 per day in gold, amount
ing to S93 323 per week. If the Bill had been
amended as to strike out the clause providing
for payment at discount, it might possibly have
passed, but J. ]. Owen moved to strike out the
enacting clause of the Bill, which was carried
"a to Is.
THE GREENBACK QUESTION.
] very much fear that no Bill making taxes
payable in U. S. currency pass the Legisla-
ture. If such a Bill could come up noe, and be
acted upon without delay, it might succeed, but
.rb 4 ho
this subject in consideration choose to report
them, the Lawmakers, instead of putting them
upon their passage, will make them the special
order some future day, and before that day
comes, sufficient outside pressure will be
brought to bear upon members, to defeat the
Bills l know this. 1t can be done without the
use of money. There is by far too great an in
terest against the adoption of the legal currency
for any Bill having that object in view to pass.
There are strong reasons that may be urged
against the passage of such Bills, and when
shrewd business men come to talk earnestly
against any doubtful project touching the fnan-
ces of the State, there will be found sufficient
number of young and inexperienced members in
the Legislature whose desire to aid the Federal
Government will be overbalanced by the fear
that our State finances would be much embar-
raised and the U. S. Government benefited to
no appreciable extent A majority of the men,
bers are DESTROYS to have the National currency
adopted in California, but they believe that that
is,a question for public opinion to settle, and not
matter to be determined by law After being
tod wi hyt hp abIacf fin IF
State they will be quite unable to perceive that
the receipt of the National currency for State
taxes would benefit the United States at ALL while
it would greatly injure ourselves However
much we may desire to see it, you may set it
down as a fixed fact that no such law will pass
this winter
TEMPERANCE MEN IN THE LEGISLATURE.
A large proportion of the Lawmakers this
winter temperance men, and it is probable
that more stringent law will be passed to regu-
late the sale of intoxicating drinks. The present
law may be amended so as to increase the amount
now required to be paid for licenses, to limit the
number that may be allowed to sell liquor in
each county and perhaps to make good charac
ter a condition necessary to enable man to pro-
cure license. Mr.. Smith, of Nevada, has given
notice of a Bill which requires all persons en-
gagged in the retail liquor traffic to give bonds to
secure the payment of any judgment which may
be obtained against such liquor seller for injury
to person property, the of which is
clearly proved to be the sale and use of liquors
sold by such vendor. The object sought to be
obtained by such law. is doubtless good one,
but the Legislature will never pass such Act
and it would be a dead letter if they should
Such law would be impracticable, as not in
one case in one hundred would jury find a YER
dict of conviction under its provisions It is
said there fifteen Good Templars in the As
sembly. and a number in the Senate | do not
know how many Sons of Temperance there are
but am acquainted with several.
POOR HOUSE SYSTEM.
Bills arc now before the Assembly to provide
for the establishment of a Poor-House system
iThey make provision for the care of paupers, and
land for the retention of inebriates, paralytcs
and idiots. The several counties of the State
are also Empowered 10 establish warehouses;
'rhe system, if adopted, will greatly relieve the
Insane Asylum, which, at present, is little more
than hospital for the care of all classes of help
less mortals.
LEGIsLATTNG AGAINST POOR
The people of Trinity county happily free
From the annoyance of Spanish land grants, So
when there has secured q title to his
homestead it is his. Not where 90 Faust F"
lives. Not so in any of the central and southern
counties of the State. Many an industrious
iman, after having settled his 100 acres of
what he supposed TO be Government land, has
found Mexican grant covering it. 1t is of little
avail that the grant is fraudulent the settler
has Laoney to maintain his case in the Courts,
And he compromises at ruinous rate with the
heartless land-sharks. Occasionally, however, a
nan prefers to pay counsel rather than the vii
Jain who is attempting to defraud him, so he
offers lawyer one-fourth of his property, in
he wins the suit. He thus saves three-fourths-
sometimes only one-half, for homestead. If
his lawyer does not succeed, of course he gets
no pay. The fee is contingent upon shccess.
Now that old lawyer Senator SKATER, who has
grown rich by contingent fees, has introduced
Bill to prohibit lawyers from taking for
contingent fees ! Who ever before heard of such
monstrosity? A poor man cannot raise money
to fee lawyer, and Shafter desires to prevent
his making an offer of portion of his estate,
contingent upon the lawyer securing the title.