Weekly Calaveras chronicle. (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, Cal.) 18??-1874, 1868-01-11
The Register on Division. !"

The San Andreas Register of last week
contained a long, labored and very "heavy'
article upon the subject Of division of the
county. To say that we were surprised by
its appearance, would be but feeble ex-
preston OF the establishment which its peru
sal caused US. Having watched the pro-
ceedings Of the Legislature closely, sinceithe
converting of that honorable body. and not
being able to bring to our recollection the
introduction of any measure calculated to
''split" things generally or anything in par
ticular, we were sadly at a loss to determine
from what quarter the mythical "wsdge"
which has so unnerved the sapient editor, was
to come. Having also long been resident
of the place which is popularity supposed to
be the home of all the "malcontents," "spec-
ulating political aspirants" and "demagogues'
in existence, and where the spirit of unrest"
is continually Matching new schemes for
local ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and personal interest,"
we naturally thought if any fresh deviltry
were "afoat," it must have emanated from
this seat of iniquity; but as we have not
heard of any move being made in this direc-
ton to divide the county, the ''unpardonable
sin" must be laid to the charge of some 9TH
er locality. The Registers article was by
no means devoid of interest. 1t wildly de-
picts the various phases of human passions
fear, anger, humility and hope, are strik-
lngly portrayed in its lines. What pen
picture it presents The humble attitude of
piteous appeal the stern, unbending fea-
lures of solemn adjuration; the lightning
chances of scathing denunciation the warn
ing look of prophetic representation a coun-
tenance beaming with the hope of undivided
alton, the whole set in frame of startling,
ominous looking figures SO arranged as to
spell the word Indebtedness" We are in
clined to think that our contemporary must
have been dreaming about the division of the
county, or laboring under mental halluci-
nation "a kind of county seat nightmare
when he wrote the article in question. Since
he has preached the idea, however, and set
the "ball in motion, why should not the
county be divided: 1t has territory suAi-
Gent for two respectfully sized counties. If
it were divided, none of the officers of either
county, except the Sheriffs, would require a
deputy. By reducing the salaries of the
officials to reasonable figures and compelling
them to earn their money at that, the expense
drumming bothwould not be as great as it now
is for one. Then when the facts are taken into
consideration that the taxes would be col
lected to the uttermost farthing; that by the
election of County Assessors the expenses of
assessing would be reduced one-half, and
probably much greater valuation of prop
erty be returned, we are not so certain but
both portions of the county would be gamers
by the operation. Upon reflection we rather
like the idea and are much obliged to the Reg
lister for advancing. We are perfectly willing
to wait, however, until that "spirit of unrest"
which the Register speaks about, develops
itself sufficiently for us to determine in what
particular locality the "divorcing" movement
has its origin before we start in .rough-shod'
for it. The editor of the Register has grown
tender-footed, in reference to the expendi-
'ture question, with amazing rapidity during
the past few years. When he fought for the
removal of the county seat he was not SO
.alarmingly sensitive about the interests Of
the poor tax payers as he is at present, and
totally oblivious to both expenditure" and
~'indebtedness." That, however, we suppose
he regarded as a labor of love, sort of holy
crusade against the infdels of Mokelumne
Hill to rescue those sacred relics, the county
archives, from their sacrilegious hands. Per-
sonal interest nor esprit OF unrest" had
nothing to do with that movement, of course
not; it was all done for the good of the dear
people. As proof of his entire disinterest-
edness in the matter. he only put in bill
of two thousand dollars against the county
for his valuable services on that interesting
occasion. Tolerable cheeky for him to pirate
about expenditure" We hope that the
editors recent fright will not result seriously
THE REJECTION OF SALARIES AGAIN.-The
Register OF last week is very much exercised
in regard to the article which appeared in
this paper in reference to the reduction of the
salary of the County Judge. The words par
ticularly obnoxious to the Register were
these "Something besides an anxiety to
further the interests of the tax payers insti-
otol{ Ia Il.
and we still think they contain the truth
but we do not wish to have them construed as
rejecting upon Mr.. Mentzel, in particular.
We had reference to the Democratic majority
in the House. They have exhibited an anx-
ious anxiety to reduce the salaries of Union
officials, but so far have accomplished moth
ing. We are opposed to the reduction OF the
salary ofany of our county officials, at least
until the expiration of the term of the incom-
ing officers. They were elected with an un-
Outstanding, which amounts to an implied
contract, that they were to receive certain
amount per year salary. To reduce them
now, in our opinion, would be neither just
nor proper.
The editor of the Dramatic Chronicle, has
gone daft. A few days since he criticised
Bret Harte's "Lost Galleon" most unmer-
eifully stating that the entire work was a
plagiarism from the standard authors. A
few days later he heads his leader "Genial
Criticisms" in which he labors to prove that
the days Of animadverting harshly upon or
sort soaping" an author, had passed. In
the same issue he "plasters" Prentice Null
lord IN the most annrnued afula ox..,. 49,