Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-16
THE RIGHT To EXAMINE.

THE RiGHI ~ EAAM r.
Any opposition upon the part OF an
official parsonage TO the Investigation
of the affairs OF his office, no matter
how good soever his reasons may be,
always places him in an equivocal po-
sition and lays him liable to unfavora-
BILE comments and suspicious. The
Judgment Of the people, a priori, Is,
that that which sbriEks from the light
will not bear the light; and although
this prejudgment may be cruelty un-
fair. still il is natural; and it is quite
as likely 10 be rightly entertained az
otherwise. Ever since our great mines
have been under the control OF Cali
fornia Street AMI its corporations and
stock iobbers, there has been an ire
pressiUle conflict between the ins and
the outs-the ins being the big fish,
and the outs being the little ones. Tho
dealers of, and not the betters at, the
gurne, have uniformly ga; in the seat
@! Information and maintained them
selves as the masters of the situation.
They who have controlled the mines,
and not they who have been in the
minority OF stock ownership, have
monopolized, when they have chosen
10, the means of Obtaining useful
knowledge of the condition of the lev
els and the prospects OF future devel-
ormen:s. They have claimed that
having paid for their rights of man
agement, they may sdopt sr'ch rules
a. they deem most fitting for the gov
eminent and working OF the mine
even to the exclusion Of the minority.
They have adopted, in short, the good
old Democratic motto, that to the vic
Ie.s belong the spoils-and the Privi-
lege Of ingress to and esress from the
mine, they have chosen to reckon
among such spoils. On the other hana
the minority have from time to time
complained that they are treated as
persons having no rights which the
majority are bound to respect. Time
was indeed, when it was quite possible
for this condition to be -eve-sed-the
time when Board OF Trustees, even
tho they owned not one cent OF stock
in the mine oyer whose affairs they
pres: led could lord it over the major
ity with a high and mighty ruling.
But the California Legislature, under
the inspiration OF certain very
shrewd and lucky Comstock King,
changed all this; and now the major
ity may and do, whenever they choose
to, take the affairs OF the mine into
their own hands. There is bill be-
fore the Legislature, asserting the
privilege CT stockholders to visit and
examine the mines in which they are
owners. 1t seems upon its face, to be |
. very just and equitable measure. |
Its significance is denial OF the self |
asserted sacredness of" property quail |
ification." The spirit of it finds its |
justification and precedent in the alb
solu,o equality Of all citizens and vo-
tiers under the law. The opposition
instituted by the Gins" finds color
and plausibility in the assertion Of the
necessities for r rigorous rule in favor
Of carrying on, uninterrupted, the i'm
portant business OF the mine. They
point to- the government itself, which.
although it exists at the pleasure of
Tie governed and is sustained by the
will Of the people, SO fashions the
work of its departments as TO exclude
the masses from indiscriminate and
examinations thereof.
Their argument is that unless the af-
fai.s OF the corporation be held under
\ rule of order whose effects may be q
iispieasu.e and, possibly, an injury
Ia the great masses OF the stockhold-
ere. the advantageous working of the
mine with any regularity would be
if not impaired. OF course
here is a good deal of theory in this
statement of the case on the part OF the
ms" IL, also, there is something of
IN over-urgency in their strenuous as
eriion of an ahstrac. principle Of right
BY the "outs;" but the very state
nent OF the case by both sides leaves
he impression upon the mind of the
and just observer, that be- !
ween both parties lie the grounds t
vhcrson may, with evident fairness TO
9th interests. be devised and perfec- |
ID compromise which would re- Z
move all substantial causes of differ (
nee.