The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1879-04-25
The California csns.'tu ton.
Frank Pixley in San Francisco Argonaut.

This Constitution means the triumph Of
kearneyism, and Kearneyism means the
destruction of everything that is dear to
| Americans, The character of this conflict
is indicated by the character OF the oppos'
ing forces. For the adoption of this Con.
stitution, we have Kearney and the sand
lot; every native-born American tramp and
loafer in the State; every idle, vicious for
eigner that is stranded on our coast every
criminal; every political demagogue; every
desperate Catiline in politics; every agrari-
an and communist, that defines agrarianism
and communism to be the opportunity of
those vicious, idle, and desperate poor who
have nothing to steal from those who have
something. On the other side Of this con-
troversy we find arrayed the honest intelli-
gence of the State; the accumulations Of
honest toll; commercial, manufacturing,
and mechanical industries the men who
are willing to labor, who want no office;
the farmer who tills the soil he owns. The
cry that millionaires and corporations and
monopolists favor the old Constitu ton and
are opposed to change Of organic law,
should cut no figure in this controversy.
The same law that affords the best protec-
tion to large accumulations is the best one
to encourage small savings. There is no
legal method of robbing the very rich that
does not justify stealing from the well to
do. The man of forty acres is justified in
dema nding the same law to protect him as
the man of larger domain. The same tax
imposed upon square leagues as upon quar-
ter sections would equalize the burdens of
government. Let the assessor place equal
value upon small farms as upon large es-
tatas, and the land reformation is accom-
plished. This Constitution cannot be hon.
est and intelligent work, because it was not
done by honest and intelligent men; aud as
for me, would not vote for it because it is
the work of demagogues and foreign agita-
tors; because it is intended to be a blow at
the accumulation Of industry; because it is
agrarian, and its avowed purpose is to take
from those who have something and give it
to those who have hing. I N,uld sus-
pect the Decalogue if written by such
hands. Iwould not love Gt at the bid
ding Of the irreverent and sacriligious
teachings of the sand-lot. Freud, the cor
set-maker, should not be authority for me
against worshipping images. I would be
10th to work six days at the admonition of
a tramp that might rest on the seventh to
hear Wellock sermonize. The injunctions,
I" Thou shalt not kill - coming from Judge
Terry, Thou shalt not commit adultery"
coming from Clitus Barbour, "Thou shalt
not steal' coming from DR.. O'Donnell,
g Thou shalt not bear false witness against |
thy neighbor" coming from Denis Kear-
ney, "Thou shalt not coYet thy neighbor's
ASS" coming from Larkin of El Dorado,
'' Love thy neigbbor as thyself" coming
rom Volney Howard, and 90 Do unto others
IS ye would have others do unto you" COM
ng from men who conspire to overthrow
aw and authority in order to put property
n condition where they may steal it,
Vould carry no weight with me. The force
f these laws not only in their truth,
nut in the hand of the living God that pen
lied these commandments upon the endur-
ng rock A Constitution can not be per-
ectly writ by the hand of ignorance
nder the inspiration of ha-,. spit upon
he vile knave and demagogue that endeav-
rs to array the poor against the rich. It
J more cowardly and more contemplate
n this State than elsewhere in the whole of
Iod's earth. Here we were all poor men.
n all the circle of my acquaintance have
% friend who inherited fortune. We all
anne ON the common leYel. We inherit
d poverty. common education, ard the
pportunity of carving out our own fortunes
u free republic. We simply inherit ID
he opportunity of work Those who had
rains and sense worked and succeeded,
nd are new objects of hatred and jealousy
ecause they have economical. Every pr ,r
IAN and every honest mother who has a
oy to rear onght to stone to death the Or
tor or editor who would excite this mean
nd groveling passion of narrow and CON-
smptible class jealousy. There are no
oor in California except the criminal, the
the idle, the profigate, and
hose who have experienced sickness and
Misfortune.