Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-05-01
TRAITORS ON THE PUBLIC Do

in this State ana CaihoHhIo' o"~ 'H"'s
likely in Idaho and Colorado. as well .
.,,;cultural lands in these and many other
States are held by the most virulent enc
mic. of the nation, is fact Of general
notoriety. That such should not be the
case is a matter of the plainest common
sense. The recent outrageous conduct of
the people at the Allison Ranch mine. in
Nevada county. California. has been the
subject of general comment and indigna-
tion of the press of that State; and in the
agricultural counties of Colusa, Sonoma.
Santa Clara, Los Angeles and others, the
life and property of loyal men have been
in constant jeopardy ever since the out.
break of the rebellion. A few of the more
demonstrative Of these traitors have been
captured, and are now in custody; but
they constitute but an insignificant frac.
ton Of the disloyal element with which
the Pacific States are cursed. The Stock
ton Independent has an article upon that
subject. written for that State, but which
is applicable in as complete sense to this
State as to California. It says:
II we breed and foster landed population
Of traitors and disunionists, treason and dis
union will surely follow, and the Government
Of this day and generation will be to blame
for il. No man who advocates treason should
be allowed to settle upon or enjoy the public
lands. The Constitution Of the United States,
wishing to avoid the severe penalties that
English law and precedent visited upon the
families Of traitors against the crown, prOvi-
ded that treason should not work corruption
Of blood, or con6scation save during the life
OF the convicted traitor" The latter clause
Of this humane provision renders the con6s.
cation of real estate a virtual nulli'y; and
this fact ought to warn Congress Of the i'm
portance Of law which shall preclude traitors
and their allies from acquiring title To the
public domain in the future, at least until
time shall have pnrRed them Of their treason.
No construction can invest such law with
cruelty. It is suggested by the first law Of
nature-sELF DEFgNsE-and commended BY
Justice and equity. The public dumain-
mineral and observation-disclosures TO the
United States. It is political suicide when
the Government alienateS this land to its
enemies on the same terms to which its friends
are held. There is no sJrt Of justice in a
mans receiving this boon from the United
States and claiming the protection Of the
Government for his property, while at the
same time he stabs that Government, repu-
dates its laws and allies himself with its
enemies for its destruction. There is no
equity in the laws which accord to public
enemy the same right TO acquire the public
lands which il accorded to loyal friend. A
traitor or an ally and sympathizer with trea.
son is not only the enemy Of the Government,
but Of all who sustain it. The civil war has
given thousand manifestations in proof Of
this. The same treason which lifted its i'm.
pious hand against the Gag and the ConStitu.
tion, in all the seeded States, and many Of
the loyal ones, has destroyed the property Of
loyal individuals, menaced their lives and
liberties, borne false witness against them,
perpetrated murder, robbery, arson, and
society. In this State, the spirit Of treason
caused the State government to contract
public debt amounting in the aggregate to
protection Of the loyal part Of our people
from the threatened ravages which have laid
waste Missouri, Arkansas, and other burder
States. Yet, in spite Of all our watchfulneSs
and military preparation, many Union men
have been murdered by traitor sympathizers,
conspiracies have been formed, and the
Courts, civil and military, have been scan.
dalized BY futile efforts to mete out merited
punishment.
The reason Of all this is manifest, when we
naa.,1au Nk.k fpatf,,ra and fhaiF ullina havn
the same rights to acquire and enjoy property
under the laws Of the United States which
belong to loyal men. A law Of Congress
seconded BY corresponding State laws, dveSt-
ing them of these rights for q number Of
Years, and until time and good conduct shall
have puryed them Of their treason, would at
once correct the evil. lmprisoning a few
yagabonds with ball and chain, DIES no good.
But law touching the property rights Of
this class would not be obnoxious to the peo.
pie, because eminently just aud equitable,
while it would atfec; them all, and therefore
correct the evils complained Of. II is an i'll
Justice on the part of the Government, To
these loyal neighbors, to give land to such
men. II is crime against the future; for
such men are sure to preach treason 10 their
families and to breed traitors. It is a wrung
against the State Of California, whuse peace
and dignity they destroy and whose loyal
people are necessarily taxed in the conviction
and punishment Of such criminals. There
are hundreds Of the same infamous class in
mines and in the valleys, squatted upon the
mineral and agricultural lands Of the United
States, enjoying the protection Of the State
and Federal laws, and all the time exerting
every effort in their power to bring both into
contempt and revolution. In the name of
the 10y al people Of California we demand
change Of policy toward these people, and We
shall repeat the demand until il is satisfied.
We shall urge the next Legislature to act III
the matter, and to ask congress to cooperate
until there shall be law perfected which
will exclude traitors and their allies from the
public domain.
1t Is unnecessary for US to point direct
ly, by name, to those valuable mines IN
this county. which are owned BY, wrought
BY, and making rich, men whose hostility
to the nation they have taken scarcely any
pains to conceal and to such the remarks
Of the Independent apply with the fullest
force. Our advices from the East inform
US that while the loyal and industrious
people of the North are Aocking to the
Southern States to avail themselves Of
the rich domain abandoned by the rebels,
the disloysl element is preparing to immi-
CRATE to these States Of the Pacific; and
the vanguard of the traitorous horde L.
probably already upon its westward
march. It is well that measures should
be taken to prevent their absorbing tn,
agricultural and mineral resources Of the
country and becoming a power in thu
land and. with all the influence which
property gives, sowing on the, Pacific
coast, the seeds Of that treason which i,
has taken four years Of bloody war to
crush OUT upon the shores Of the Atlantic.
HrXPHREx MARSHALL is reported to
have said. when the war frat commenced,
that il would result in the South getting
q "d-l Of whipping" It must be SAID
Of Humphrey, as Malcolm said Of tn,
Vs.- - Ro1iapd a. He hoFh . hoavoolI