Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-12-09
The Foreign Miners License Controversy
Extracts from the Letter Of "Claude !"
md Controller OuIton,s RepIY.

ance of communication in the San Francisco
Examiner relative to the collection of Foreign
Miners license. The letter halls from Trinity
county, and the author signs himself % Claude
1t opens with reference to the unhealthy pecuni-
airy condition of the mining counties, :. oppress-
ed,'' as he says, ''with taxation" and contin-
ues as follows
May it not, therefore, be proper to offer few
suggestions for the consideration of the tax-pav-
er and his newly chosen representative Ttax col
lectorl May 1t not be proper to suggest to the
one that his taxes are onerous and should be aba
ted and TO the other that an amendment of the
Revenue law concerning the collection of foreign
miners licenses might occasion wholesome
form, and IN measure bring the desired relief.
That law, as it now stands, is fraud upon the
citizen and a farce upon the statute book. 1t
enriches the tax collector in every mining coun-
ty and puts money in the purse of the Controller
of State If it was purposely framed with a
view to promote official theft and rascality its
object has been fully accomplished. 1t
offers temptation such as none can resist.
Elect the most upright man in the community
tax collector of one of these counties, and after
a single Journey to the capital visions of wealth
to be speedily acquired by strategy, float in gor-
geous array before his heretofore untutored
MIND He finds to his amazement hat for fifty
CeulS apleCe lie Cal procure ign IL
censes regularly signed upon each of which he
can realize clear profit of SO so. He finds that
the law which requires that other licenses to be
countersigned by the Auditor and Treasurer of
the county before they are issued to the tax col
lector, excmpts the foreign miners license from
this check upon fraud He is told that the pro-
curement and retail of these quasi genuine fifty
cent licenses is alegitimate transacton-that ev
erybody does it. and that though little Irregular
the rrcgularity will not be detected, rs Chinese
testimony cannot be taken in courts of justice.
Not one-third of the money collected
from the foreign miners finds its way into the
public Golfers. Collect this tax honestly and
faithfully for two years, and no mining county
in the State will be in debt-taXes may be
duced, and our purses may, now and then, as in
days of yore contain penny which can rest IN
its place, secure and undisturbed by the clamors
of unreentng creditors. Better would it be to
amend the law so thatthe Chinaman may pay for
the privilege of mining whatever amount his lib
eralty shall suggest, than longer tolerate such
iniquitous robbery
The writer closes with the promise to furnish
some facts and figures in regard to the operation
of this law in Trinity county in his next letter.
and to point out more fully its defects and the re-
quircmcnts which justice demands
The Sacramento Union of the 22d ult. contain
ed letter from George Oulton, State Controller
in reply to the one from which the above extracts
were made After stating his reasons for giving
it to the public through the Union, and request
ing the Examiner TO copy it, Mr.. Oulton says:
Since assumed the duties of State Controller
on the 9th day of Decembev, 1863, there has
never been blank foreign miners license, or
anything purporting to be one, issued by me or
by any person in my employ, to any Tax Col
lcctor or other person-eXcept County Treas
urers, provided in Section 90 of the Revenue
Law of the State-and for every such blank
issued under the said ninety-sccond section the
receipts of County Treasurers have been received
and are now on Gle in this Office. When foreign
miners licenses or other licenses or poll-tax re-
ceps are sent to a County Treasurer, he is i'm
mediatey charged with the full amount for
warded 10 him. and at the close Of the foreign
miners license year, or the revenue year. as the
case may be, he returns to this office all the
blanks then remaining unsold, and at the next
settlement thereafter with the State Treasurer,
he is required to produce a sufficient amount of
money received from each Of those sources,
respectively, to balance his account. Prior to
my administration of the affairs of the Control
lers office, County Treasures were charged
with the value of the blanks sent to them, but
were not credited with the money paid into the
treasury of the State and were not required to
itluIH tuG D4dihS remaining uHSUIu ~ lilc clOSe
of the year. 1t was impossible for me to 90 back
to the organization of the State Government
and enter up the credits that each County Treas
urer was entitled to receive so ! adopted the
course of calling in all the old blanks in the
hands of county officers and opening new ac-
counts with them, starting with the first issue of
licenses after the commencement of my term of
office, and creditng them with all moneys paid
in on account of licenses and blanks returned after
that date. In few counties the confusion grow
ing out of the neglect of former officers has been
very great but in the greater portion of the
counties--Trinity ncluded--only one settle
ment was made with the County Treasurer before
perfect harmony existed between the Auditors
reports to this office upon which the settlements
of the County Trcasurers are made) and the
books of the Controller"
The Controller follows with statement of the
Foreign Miners license account of the Treasu-
rer of Trinity county from the commencement of
his term of Office, giving figures and dates, and
asserts that the licenses named therein are the
only ones ever issued by him, or by any person
with his knowledge or consent, for use in this
county. In conclusion, he says:
''There may be frauds upon the State and
county revenue perpetrated in Trinity and other
counties through the laxity of the Foreign Min
crs License Law, but cannot ina CINE how it is
possible to make it more stringent on State and
county officials, and if any receipts other than
those issued by me to County Treasurers are Civ
en- by Tax Collectors, they are both forged and
fraudulent, and the detection of the persons is
suing them will be hailed with much pleasure
by Inc as by any man in the State.
In conclusion permit me to say to q Claude,
and the people of Trinity, that for the last two
weeks have had an agent in their county en-
deavoring to detect the alleged frauds of which
Claude writes, and if he or they render
him any assistance, they will, perhaps enable |
me to bring the offenders to Justice"
HOLIDAY PRESENTS, ETo.-Henry Oycrmohle
is now receiving splendid stock of Toys for
the little people, articles suitable for Presents for
the grown ones, and splendid assortment of
Meerschaum pipes and other articles in his line. |
Next week he will more fully annouce to the pub |
lie what he has for sale
NEW ED1ToR.-Another assistant in the edi- |
torial department of the San Francisco Erening