The weekly Butte record., 1866-06-02
Shall We Have an Extra Session of the
Legislature?

stated in the heading of this article will
be one for the consideration of the press
and people of the State.
Admitting the importance of the
question, We proceed to give the reasons
that induce us to favor the immediate
calling of an extra session We favor
the proposition, not for the reason that
it will advance or retard the adoption
of those amendments, knowing that
their adoption or rejection by three
fourths of the States will be made indie
pendent of the action of this State-but
for other. and to the people of the Sd
Congressional District, at least, weight
Ter and more important considerations,
namely, the destruction of the para
mount influence that the Central Pacific
Railroad Company, the Steam Navi ga
tion Company, and the City Of Sacra-
mento, allies in every scheme for the
plumber of this coast, WELD in the coun-
ellis of the State.
1t is well known fact that through
this influence the people of the Sd Con-
gressional District have been deprived
of all Federal and State aid to open up
lines of travel over their great natural
thoroughfares.
Through this influence the Central
Pacific Railroad was located over the
tops of the highest peaks of the Sierras,
the engineer of that road under Sacra-
mento influence and in her pay, setting
at nought the fundamental principle
lying at the foundation of Railroad en-
gineering, left natural acatercourse,
breaking through chain of mountains,
to run road over their tops. This in
fuence decided against the construction
of the Road on grade not exceeding
fifty feet to a mile, up the Feather
River and over a route on which there
never was, at any time, more than two
feet of snow route that could be run
every day in the year, and over which
the road could be constructed at one
fourth the cost it can be over the Dutch
Flat route, and which would be of some
value after construction-and in favor
of its construction over the Dutch Flat
route.
This influence reduced the road from
a great national enterprise intended to
connect the Pacific with the Atlantic,
to one-horse railroad connecting the
City of Sacramento with the western
end of the Dutch Flat turnpike, and di-
verting the lands appropriated by Con-
gress to aid in the construction of a
Railroad over which it was supposed the
commerce of the Indies was to be car
ried, from that great purpose and max
ing of their proceeds corruption fund
to be applied to the advancement of the
peculiar interests of the city of Sacra-
mento, while thus blasting the hopes of
our people, and retarding for years the
building of an inter oceanic Railway.
That engineer has passed to his final
account, and we would let his frailties
and failings go with him, promising
however, that he had great opportuni-
ty to immortalize himself, had he not
fell into the snares set by Sacramento
city, but been governed by his express
ed views as to the proper route for the
road. Had he been left to himself and
true to himself and to science, his name
would have been household one so long
as the Feather shall flow through its
great natural pass-but now his name
will last only so long as the ties swept
down by avalanches from their places
along the grade of the Dutch Flat road
to the depths of the mountain gorges,
shall there resist the corroding tooth of
time.
As it has been with the Railroad. so
with everything else; cormorant- like,
Sacramento fills herself with the taxes
wrung from our people; never satisfied,
her appetite becomes sharper with every
dollar given her, and cries, ''more,
more" Not dollar can be appropri-
ated that is not to benefit that city but
she raises the cry of corruption; not a
dollar for a public building, a road, or
any improvement North of Sacramento
CITY can be asked for, but the jackall
cry is heard for retrenchment and re-
form.
We DO not know how much longer
the First and Second Congressional Dis
tricts are going to remain III subsection
to their task-masters, but We do know
that the people of this District are NOV
ing in the matter with determination
to emancipate themselves from a thrail-
dom that, if permitted to exist much
longer, will grow as oppressive as that
once exercised by Southern slave-own-
ers over their chattels, aye, even worst
for when the poor slave on the plan
tation had done a good days work fol
his master, he was not abused because
he had not done more, but was praised
but our masters never praise when tn
work is ended. During its progress
they may applaud, but when it is ended
we have to stand the lash. Take al
instance. The last Legislature wa