Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-03-25


Chinese ISOnes-'Ehe Stale
Agricultural SOcIety
RepOrt-The GarL-
ner Enyesiipa-
tiOn-Begin-
ming of
the End
SACRAMENTO, March 21st, 1876.
Outside the Capitol the sensation of
the past week was the trial of Represent
atiye j. w. Wilcox for an assault to
murder, made upon Somers, San Fran
cisco Chronicle reporter. The details of
the case you are already familiar with.
The trial was a long and an able one.
WilcOx's defence was that he went to
Somers to demonstrate with him AID the
latter making motion toward his pocket,
where he, Wilcox, knew Somers had n
pistol for him, he struck him with the
cane to prevent his shooting. There was
very little evidence to support this claim
hardly enough to raise doubt, for the
testimony was weighty and in the mouths
of many witnesses that Somers did not
see Wilcox when he came up to him, and
that he approached him from behind.
We are therefore led to the inevitable
conclusion that the jury returned a YER
dict OF simple assault simply and solely
because of the Chromcie'S bitter and pro-
vocative attacks upon Wilcox. This is still
further made probable, by the fact it
could have found him guilty Of an assault
with a deadly weapon, if they doubted
his having the intent to murder, which
no one unprcjudiccd believes he did en-
terrain. This would have been fully just
flied by the testimony and have satisfied
the ends Of justice. But no, we must
take the verdict rs direct rcbukc to the
Gronicie'S style of journalism, style to
which we are indebted for the recent leg
islative attacks upon the liberty Of the
press. Wilcox was fined $500, paid it,
and so ends the case.
RAILROAD DEBATES.
The leading legislative feature of the
week past has been the great debates in
the Senate upon the railroad bills. !
gave you sketch of the report of the
Corporation Committee against the Arch
er bill, and in favor Of tie O'Connor
Commissioner bill, with the tariff rates of
the railroads January 1st, 1876, declared
s1f mo Ynfn ntn IL
port we have had a series of able debates,
running through several days.
Farley's opening remarks (his argu-
ment is to be delivered to day. were the
key notes. First in importance was the
speech of Senator Lewis, very long and
exhaustive, and based on the "idea y
the Legislature has no right by regulation
to infringe rights Of corporations to the
decrease of their property values, or the
destruction or injury of their business,
further than to prevent them from SO
prosecuting it as to injure the general
public.
Then came the Grafton of the entire
session in the mastery speech of Senator
Edgerton. He too opposed the Archer
bill but believed in legislative right to
regulat. His expose of the Archer fraud
was the most masterful and caustic thing
ever spoken in n California Legislature.
1t glowcd with eloquence, scintllated
with wit, and its coruscations of satire,
humor and sarcasm were gloriously brill
liant. lie logically tore the bill into
shreds and showed it to be one of the
most destructive, tyrannical and unjust
bills ever broached. Then came the
speech Of Mr.. Laine, occupying n day, in
support of the bill. 1t was an able argu-
ment but wholly apologize and defensive.
a speaker who is kept entirely upon the
defensive is always upon a weak side.
The truth is always capable of being
made aggressive. Laine labored hard
but his effort was confessed by the rcher
advocates to be too effortfu, and abso-
lutely weak when he was forced to admit
that the bill was full of errors. which he
charged to the "prnter." That poor
devil the 'printer," has many sins he
has to answer for.
1t remained for the robust Senator OF
the swarthy features Graves-to hunt
up the original text of the bill and by
absolute technichal comparison show
that the print was perfect copy Of the
manuscript. This last leg knocked from
under let Laine fail most heavily. Then
came yesterday Senator Persons ar
gument, one full Of law and logic, forcible
and brilliant. He tore what little of the
bill Edgcrton left into infnitesmal bits
and demolished its last stronghold bv
reading from the testimony of A. A. Co.
hen, that immaculate trustee of 1855 6
for widows and orphans and the deposi-
tors Of Adams II Co. Cohen swore that
the Archer bill reduced the rates from
which clearings are made on the Central
Pacific Railroad 30 per cent, and in the
next breath admitted the net profits were
but % per cent. How much," asked
Senator Gibbons, show much NJ. Cohen
does that leave if you take so from % ?''
and Cohen stammered that his estimates
mara % in rouo,bV ar1 c,t