Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-01-06
THE l.

JN"As
Ill COLoRID FOLKS
Had n very spirited celebration in honor Of
the third anniversary Of the Emancipation
Proclamation, and certainly on the score Of
good behavior they set n f~irst-rate example
for their white fellow citizens. They had a
procession, which was not lengthy, but was
heightened and US imposing as n circus or a
caravan grand entree," and their exercises
at the Zion Church were fully up to the aver
in the way Of celebrations, where the grand
cash is not over plentiful. The Poem for the
Day, entitled "Thc Progress Of Liberty" by
]. Madison Bell, was a gen in its way. /
would send you the whole Of il, were il not
that by so doing l might spoil the sale Of the
next volume Of "Outcroppings," which will,
| am told, contain the production entire. |
cannot refrain from sending you the conclud.
ing lines, anyway, as they will serve TO give
YOU a fair idea OF the style and finish. You
will, | am confident, find them all sufficient
for the purpose. Here they are
And in this all. auspiciOus hour
Invest them with II freeInan's power;
Whereby they may themselves protect
Against the wiles of base neglect.
Aud cause this glorious land to BE-
In TACT the homeland Of the free.
Then shall mankind call him blest,
And when he sinks to his quiet rest,
From that bright, hoary autumn. hc WILCOX
back and see
Ills broad land. his whole land, all happy nnd
free.
II | dared hazard n suggestion-not being
gifted with the divine cflatus myself
Should make it in the form OF an additional
line, as follows:
Sing hallelujahI hnllrluJee'
But, thank heaven, | nm no poet. III
| had been, l might have degencrated into n
| Bohemian, and been handed down to poster
ity through the aforesaid "Outcroppings,'
and | will therefore say no more about it.
TIE GALLANT FOURTEENTH
Arc still at the Preside, and they have not
as yet succeeded in stealing Russian or Tel
egraph Hill. During the past week they
have been comparatively quiet, but they may
break out in u new place at any moment.
Up to II ". to-day they had not killed any
body this week. Four companies OF them
leave for Arizona by next steamer, and
cam. say that I am glad the number OF de.
partures is not larger. The chain-gang and
State Prison are making sad havoc in their
ranks, and the assertions, which are very nu-
mcrous, reduce their numbers daily.
HE HAD HIN THERE.
The "Outside Land Question" is now one
Of the all absorbing topics Of conversation in
San Francisco. The matter, rs it now
stands, may be briefly summed up as follows:
Years ago, when the ownership Of the out
side lands, that is to say, the lands Of the
city and county OF San Francisco lying out.
side Of Larkin street, was in doubt, they
we're all squatted upon BY parties who desired
to live upon them Immediately, or to specu-
late out Of them in years to come. After the
numberless fraudulent Spanish claims, which
threatened to swallow up the entire property,
had been defeated, the city passed the Van
Ness Ordinance" which confirmed to the &C.
cupants, so far as the city was concerned,
their title to the small tracts within certain
limits, where improvements had been made.
Large tracts outside Of these limits, mostly
barren sand, but likely to become valuable in
time, rs the city increased in size and I'M
portance, were then nominally held by a few
parties who had erected bits Of brush fence
in places, and claimed to W the ground by
fright Of occupation" although not residing
upon it, nor doing anything to improve It, so
as to benefit the community ut large n dollar.
Recently, the Supreme Court OF the United
States has, in effect, decided that the title to
all these lands is vested in the city Of San
Francisco as the successor Of the "Pucblo
de San Francisco" or "Yerba Buena," and
il is now proposed to divide up these lands
into small parcels, for the benefit Of actual
settlers, giving no ono over fifty acres, and
requiring ten per cent. Of the appraised value
to be paid by the occupants for the title to
small lots, twenty for larger lots, and so on
up to fifty per cent for the fifty acre tracts.
This would cut down the large tracts now
grabbed and held BY d few individuals to
reasonable limits, and would enable the city
to realize something out OF the property,
which will be worth millions in u few years,
at most. To this equitable division OF the
land, the grabbers totally dissent, and insist
that the city ought to show its liberality by
giving away, through an extension OF the
Van Ness Ordinance, the whole property.
A meeting was called at the Board Of Super
yisors' rooms last week, by the members OF
the San francisco delegation in the Lcgisla-
turc, in order to get at the feeling Of our citi-
zens on the subject. The claimants Of the
lands were also there, Of course, and they
spread themselves Of course. Among these
large claimants was Milo Hoadley, who was
particularly eloquent. He assured the gen.
tlcmcn legislators that the lands were utterly
worthless; could never be made Of the least
use to any one were not worth the taxes for
n single year were only drifting sand, on
which a rabbit would starve to death with ten
thousand acres all to himself, ETC., etc. When
he sat down, one Of the Supervisors arose
and addressed the meeting. He said that he
had listened to the argument. OF Mr.. HoGd-
lev with great interest, and had been fully
....l ~ che .ffar yOPfhlaRanngg nj the
lands in question. So well convinced Of this
fact had he become, that he felt it his duty rs
a good citizen to aid in relieving the large
landholders OF at least a portion Of their bur-
deps, He felt that it was not right to COM
bel a few men to pay the taxes on all this
WORTHLESS land, and he should therefore labor
with his whole heart to divide up the miser-
able, God-forsaken territory, so that the bur-
den of taxation might fall more equally on
the citizens Of San Francisco, and all be
compelled to suffer alike. You should have
seen Hoadley's face then. He was a study
for n painter.
THEATRICAL.
There is nothing worth mentioning in that
line this week. s"Miss Charlotte Champion"
whose son is an officer in the army, and l
am told is u gentleman and an ornament to
professionals playing her line OF Shakspenr-
can characters after the old.time ideas Of
such matters, and is drawing fair houses at
the Opera House. She tried the "Arao Spy"
OF New Years night, but did not strip well
for the character.
The farewell opera season, by Brambilla,
il mot to commence until Saturday evening,
as the company were not ready to-day to
bring out " 0thello," IN opera never before
given. on this coast.
1.-THE SPECIFIC CONTRACT NATTER.
Tho decision Of your Supreme Court, in
the matter Of the validity Of tho Specific Con.
tract Act, caused no small iuttering in
monied circles in San Francisco. That the