The Placer herald., 1871-04-08
yOHNSON.S SECOND SPEECH.

a prepared speech at San Francisco, on Sat
urday evening last The speech was writ
ten out and an advance copy furnished the
Sacramento Reporter, the reputed property
of the managers of the C.P.R.R., circum-
stance which will cast unmeasured suspicion
on both the utterer and language of the
speech We infer this fact for the reason
that the Reporter does not claim to have re-
ceved the speech by telegraph, and from
the time Of its delivery to the time it was IN
type in the Reporter it could have been OBJ
tanned in no other way. This circumstance
leads us to suppose that Mr.. johnson has
chosen Stanford, Crocker & Cos. teputed
paper as his organ. In the outset, Mr..
johnson complains of the Democrats press
for criticizing his remarks at MarysviIle, ard
yet nearly the entire drift of this, his matur-
ed address is rigmarole of charges and ac-
cusations against the Democratic party, and
leading Democrats of California. 1t is filled
Win uttCIdHNts anu iISIIudtlOuS uIlWo oitHN
Of the former standing and supposed intelli-
gence of its author. The speech has fallen
stilborn, and left its utterer, politically,
dead, and without farther corrections and
explanations, placed it beyond his power to
be elected Governor, even with Democratic
nomination, if this speech is to be taken as
the platform of the party. But to the doc
trines Of the speech. The speech tells us
that if Mr. Johnson was Governor he would
not veo bill because he believed it bad
one, or even if he regarded it unconstituton-
al, if the Supreme Court had previously de-
cided the principlesit contained constitutional.
This is precisely in substance what Mr.
johnson SAYS and it renders him more obse-
quious and criminal than the greatest tyrant
on earth would demand of any slave. The
Constitution says that every bill that shall
have passed both houses, shall, before it be-
comes a law, be presented to the Governor,
and if he approve Of its provisions he shall
sign it, but if not he shall return it with his
objections (veto i:) and unless it again pass
both houses by two-third majority, it shall
not be law. The Governor takes a SOL
emn oath to support this Constitution, and
here Mr. johnson publicly and deliberately
declares that he would sign bills that he did
not approre Of, and thus peJtre himself.
The Governor does not take an oath to sup
port the constitution as the members of the
Legislature or the Judges of the Supreme
Cou.t understand it, but as he, himself, IN
terprets it. The people of this State want
no obsequious perurer az Chief Executive,
but man of brains, Of decision of nerve
and of frmness to carry out his opinions OF
both the constitutionality and policy of laws.
This portion of the speech is not Jacksonian
and is calculated to impress the public with
the idea that Mr. johnson, as Governor,
would be nonentty-a mere clerk to sign
bills at the bidding of the Legislature and it's
lobby.
On the subsidy question, Mr.. Johnston
is, if that were possible, more foggy than lie
was in the Marysville cavort. There is i'm
mense verbage and almost illimtable contra
dictions. If clear idea can be found in
the speech on the subsidy questi- IN, it is
about this: eff the Supreme Court says
counties and towns can constitutionally vote
donations and subsidies to railroads. then it
is the duty of the Legislature and Governor
to pass laws allowing them to do so" This
places Mr.. johnson on precisely the same
platform as Stanford, Crocker & Co. and
their lobbyists and purchased tools, and all
that class of thieves and plunderer, in the
State. All the Railroad plunderers ask is
here conceded by johnson, and he contends
that it would not be Democratic in a Legis-
lature and Governor to deny the loafer and
penness sot and non-taxpayer to vote the
property of his neighbor into the pockets OF
the private corporation cormorant. If this
is Democracy, then Mr.. johnson is alone il
his Democratic glory, unless the Railroad
sharks and their sympathisng thieves vii
rally to his standard. But this remarkable
speech tells us that if the Supreme Cour
decide adverse to the legality of subsidies
that then the question is dead. This is moi
SO. In that event, the subsidy ques-
ton must figure in the nomination of Su-
preme Judges i'll order to hold the Court te
that decision. If the Court decides thai
subsidies can be voted, then we must have
a Court that will reverse that decision, anc
a Legislature and Governor that will pass
no bills allowing one man to vote another;
property away. So Mr.. johnson, YOU
present doctrines will not do in any event
That portion of the speech casting slurs Oh
Governor Haight and the fourteen Senator:
that nobly throttled the monster lobby rob.