The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-24
Letter from California.

Kditor Rutland Gtobe:--Well, here 1
am, in the El Dorado at last. Having
circulated among the coal fields, rum and
wickedness Of Pennsylvania to my hearts
content, having seen all l wish 10 Of
Canada for the present, and now / pro-
pose to write little of San Francisco SO it
looks to me after having viewed 1t by sun
light, moonlight and gaslight for The three
days since my arrival here.
The first thing we learn on arriving here
is that we can pay no bills until we get our
government rags changed into money.
The brokers on Friday gave sst cents in
gold or Of cents in silver, per dollar for
greenbacks. Tho immense production of
the silver mines of the Pacific cost for the
past year or two, while the asinine defer
ment of resumption of specie payments
keeps the specie out of the other states,
has resulted in the depreciation OF the
value of silver bullion until there is dis
count of from 81 to Al. per cent on silver
n Gums above SIS, for which latter sum it
is legal tender. Many small dealers are
oppressed by this state of affairs, as their
sales are largely in small sums so they can
not demand gold, while the wholesalers
and jobbers of whom they buy exact god
from them. Especially has CONSERVATION
seized those who have large bills falling
due in few days while they have sold the
goods for silver and now must lose four
per cent, often moro than their net profit.
Various plans are suggested for the remedy
ing of this evil, but the only one which
looks to me any way feasible is to bring as
much influence as possible to bear on
the national government towards Fastening
resumption of specie payments. and pa
tiently await its contamination. That
there is surplus of silver on the Pacific
coast is undeniable, and the price of bull
lion here and in England is considerably
below the present value of silver coin.
This continuing, the depreciation in value
of silver coin cannot fail to become still
greater. The Influence Of the representa-
ton of the hard money states and terri
tories of the slope will be united with hard
money men in the east to hasten on re-
sumption. Silver Is shut out from circu-
lation in the larger part of the Union. Re-
store it there, and there will no longer be
a surplus, and silver will at once return to
a par with gold in the market, for all
practical purposes. The practice now is
| I'd oil ,rbn ~,
money in small sums to purchase silver at
discount and pay 50 of every bill in sill
yer. Thus working men have good deal
of silver to use, and Of course all their
small bills are again paid in silver. Ac.
counts are settled after, because 1t only
costs 500, or thereabout, in gold to pay
800 In twenty payments, by getting the
gold exchanged to silver at brokers'.
Twelve and q half cents used to be d
"bit" here. When dimes began to come
around they were called "short bits Now,
when the price of anything is one bit, a
dime pays the bill, but silver quarter il
required for two bits. there being nc
twenty cent pieces. For months the min
has been turning out millions of dollars II
the new twenty cent pieces, but the ner
chants have struck hands and locked uI
every coin of that denomination the mo
ment it found lis way upon the street, be
cause they could better lose the interest or
the required capital than take twenty cents
for two bits in their daily trade. / find i
next to impossible TO find one of the new
twenty cent pieces, notwithstanding
the enormous amount of them turned GU
by the United States mint. Few Of thu
people here ever saw one.
Our Biographies used to tell US some on,
thing which each state or city was "notet
for" II were asked what San Francisc,
is noted for, should say, rum and pros
titution. The amount OF liquor consumed
here is astonishing, when we consider how
few drunken people are seen. The polio
gather them up as soon rs they get noisy
and they are tried and fined-none of you
little So fines, either. $50 is the mos
common amount for plain drunk.
us, Friday night he got hauled up ant
fined, paid his fine and started away. Blu
the strength of his first drunk was not al
expended, and within two hours he wa
hauled up and fined again. The last tim
be had not rocks enough to settle the it'll
bill, and 30 he still boards at the states ex
pense.
We in the east have heard a good dea
about the Chinese prostitutes of San Fran
cisco. President Grant has even called at
tentiOn to them in his messages to con
gress. But they are neither as numerOu
nor as bold as the American ones. ON
section of the city is full of them, and
man is not safe to pass along those street
after darK. The wretched beings thronl
the sidewalks and stand in the doorways
and will seize man and cling to him will
more pertinacity than that of Chatham
street Jew clothing dealer 1t Ia high tim
TO let up and give John Chinaman and hi
fair but fral sister rest. The Chimes,
are proverbially great imitators, and hi
weakness in this line are only faithfully
copied rom the wide example our Ameri
can civilization has given him.
l. Chinese cheap labor has. it is true
brought down prices of labor, but they ar
still high enough. All kinds of work bring
what eastern people call high wages. Til
city is crowded to overlooking with unem
ploved tradesmen, mechanics, clerks, etc
while the various trades unions keep tn
price 80 high that there is no increase II
the demand. The Pacific railroad land
more than hundred emigrants daily ant
many more come by steamer. Many O
them, in few weeks, apply to some char
liable institution for help, To those seek
| tug WOrh ict iho ony, hccp AWAY from Oaf
Francisco. Strike Tor the country if yov
are willing to work hard, earlyiand late. TO
good wages. In that case you can &c
plenty of work on the Pacific slope yo,
can get it In Massachusetts, or Vermont
II you are too lazy to work on a Vernon
farm or too extravagant to save none,
there, why come here and live on charity /
you wish, but remember, charity is Just a
plenty and of as good quality in Vernon
as here.1I W.
San Francisco, CAL, Feb. IA, 1876.