Daily Republican., 1879-05-10
.rns New co,s,itu,io. Of Califernisr

San Frar cisco, however, it will be no
ticed, gave majority against it, not
withstanding the large Chinese popu-
lation, with which it is peopled. 1t was
naturally expected that q very large
majority would have been thrown
against it in that city on account Of the
aree surplus chinese population which
is said to have ruined the Western
Safe, but when election day came
arouu the sensible people were will
ing to put up with all the horrors ofchi'
nese barbarianism rather than risksthe
State in the hands Of politicians OF the
Kearney school. In the rural counties,
however, the farmers having been
prejudiced against the Chinese, whom
they probably had never seen, by the
incendiary speeches OF Kearney and
his co-laborers, voted largely in favor
of the constitution and it is adopted.
As California is alone to suffer in this
matter, we have no right to complain,
and if trial is to be made anywhere
of this new political idea it might as
well be tried in California as anywhere,
and if any State is to suffer, no one
has better right to suffer than Cali
fornia that first started the wave on its
eastern journey. 1t is fortunate that
the key which locks up California with
her new constitution, has not been
thrown away as it was in Delaware,
and can be used in unlocking it again
when her people become tired of the
new departure. While the Consti-
tuition upon the whole should not have
been adopted, it has some very good
things in it which are to be commen-
ded. 1t declares that there shall be
taxes upon incomes, upon churches,
upon mortgages, upon railroad proper
ty, and upon the earnings of corpor-
ations and Joint stock compani-s.-
Taxes are not to be uniform, they are
not to be distributed; the purpose of
the instrument is that the entire bur
den of the cost OF the government shall
be borne by the wealthy. those who
are most able to pay it. The working.
man is cared for in clauses defining
eight hours to constitute the period of
a days work and in provisions OF a
very severe character against the Chi
naman. Thi. parsonage is prohibited
from holding property, he is declared
ineligible to citizenship, he is made
subject to poll tax; corporations and
State officers are forbidden to give him
employment, and authority is given to
the Legislature to stop Chinese immi-
grafton to the State without regard to
the acts or wishes Of Congress.
While We think that the laboring
man of State should not be heavily
taxed, We certainly do not favor max
ing him State pauper, and enjoy the
privileges Of citizenship and protection
of the laws without contributing
anything towards the SUPPORT of the
State. Any other course would be
denoralizing to the ltboring men, and
would make citizenship too cheap to be
appreciated.
In regard to railroad monopolies,
there can he no doubt that their power
needs checking, but we cannot fully
sympathize with this new constitution
which authorizes the formation of a
Board Of Railroad Commissioners who
are to have almost despotic power,
which will probably be exercised by
men Of the Kearney kind. The Board
is clothed with authority to fix rates for
freight and passengers, to look into the
private business Of the companies and
keep permanently down, if it chooses to
do 50, freights that have been lowered
by special contract. 1t is perfectly OBJ
vious that when the Board is needed in
the service of railroad company, it
will be subjected to extraordinary
temptation, ard there will be reason
for surprise if it is not found to be the
worst enemy of the people rather than
their friend. The Constitution most
likely was approved because of the good
things in fittings that were wanted by
many respectable people and which
were inserted to catch their votes. But
a. whole it is probably the very
worst constitution ever adopted by
any community upon this continent,
/. IS the result oi the predOminance in
,he State Of the rufIian, th' raga,huhin
and the deluagogue, and # it does nat
sicspn honest Califnrnans Of such rule
they are more patient than other AIn-r-