, 1879-12-01
A Republican Philosopher.

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had large experience in mobs and law
less violence on account of political
differences. and hence is prepared to
take philosophical view of such little
popular eccentricities when he hears Of
them in other sections of our Republican
heritage. Pixley belongs to the Pioneers
and was in San Francisco when the first
Vigilantes, self-organized body of citi-
zens, usurped the functions OF the legal
authorities, and took upon themselves
the responsibility Of hanging men of bad
repute without the Interposition of the
regularly constituted officers. He was
there in 1856, when the Vigilantes took
forcible possession of the city, removed
the regularly elected officials, assumed
all the functions of local government.
including the issues Of life and death,
tried suspected parties &c parte In secret
council and hanged them publicly, drove
from the city many reputable citizens
who refused to acquiesce in their gov
ernment, dsfed the authorities, both
State and Federal, seized, imprisoned
and condemned to death the Chief JUS
tice of the Supreme Court of the State,
and only released him to Capt. Farragut,
of the Navy, when his ship was drawn
up and his guns shotted, in easy range
of their council room and prison. Mr..
Pixley was an Abolitionist and persisted
In publicly discussing the slavery ques
tiOn when such discussion was attended
with imminent peril to life and limb in
every portion of Cal,fornia--albeit many
who assailed him then with foul missiles
and feuler vituperation, subsequently
took precedence of him in the leadership
of the anti slavery party, and as lawless-
ly assailed the freedom of discussion of
their former political associates as they
had previously done to the abolitionists.
Mr.. Pixley was candidate for Attorney
General on the first Republican State
ticket which succeeded in California, in
1860, and during his term Of office and
before and since he championed free
speech and was bitterly hostile to lawless
power. He is now, as he ever has been,
an ardent party Republican, but new, as
heretofore, a lover of fair play. With
such views and antecedents, the follow
ing reflections, which we copy from an
editorial in the Aryonaut, are but natu-
raj;
One by one the bloody spots on the
Southern shirt fade out upon explana-
ton. They are rot fast colors and will
not wash. 1t appears that Dixon, who
was born IN Virginia in 1914, and who
ran away to join the Confederate army,
arrived in Yazoo in 1866 as profession
al gambler, and presently opened a gam
bling house, which he gave up only a
short time before he ran as an independ-
ent candidate tor Sheriff, and on the
stairs OF which he was lately assassinat-
ed. La 1872, or 1878, he openly shot
down negro to whom he owed money
In the political campaign OF 1875 he be-
came the head of the body of regulators
called 'Dixon's Scouts From the body
of one murdered victim he stole 81 900.
In January, 1876, the County Treasurers
safe was robbed of $4,000. The act was
fastened upon Dixon by a fellow gam
bier named Harrison. Dixon then killed
his accuser, was tried, acquitted. rsarks-
dale at this time was Deputy Sheriff,
and during the Imprisonment an enmity
rose between them which eliminated in
Dlxon's death. 1t appears, however,
that Dixon was getting to he regarded
as too dangerous man to be tolerated
any longer, and that there was almost
universal concert in his taking off.
Every intelligent man in California
knows, and every candid man will pub
licly admit, that California can duplicate
all of the worst cases of lawless violence
which have been published in partisan
newspapers under the head: "Southern
Outrages," and ascribed to political pro-
scription. To say nothing of the mob
violence which prevailed during the war,
under which the party in opposition to
the civil policy of the Administration
were not permitted, for the space of
three years, to hold public meeting for
the discussion of public mcasurs, events
since the close Of the war are abundant
to make a close correspondence with the
events in the South which are claimed to
have largely influenced the late State
elections in the North, and which were
certainly used by politicians to that end,
Tor the purpose Of arraying one section
of our common country against another