New-York tribune., 1879-05-10

| tensely indignant at the conduct OF tne Ceh-
tral Pacific Railroad and of some other cor
| porations Perhaps there has been some
cause for indignation. Real evils have ex-
listed which the agricultural interests
were endeavOrng to overthrow. III VIII
presently be discovered by the farm
ers themselves that they have only
brought upon themselves greater evils
than they have removed. Before many
years there may appear in California, as IN
Wisconsin, an irresistible desire to wipe ont
such features of the new system as prove
onerous to the people. This at least is GER
tain. that an expectation of change at no DIS
tant day already exists and will go far to
modify the effects of mischevous legislation.
There will be some hesitation, some With
drawal of capital, some stagnatlon of enter
prise, but the effects will be very much less
because of the belief that the new system mas
but a brief tenure.
Nothing good can be said, and nothing by
way of excuse, of the COmmunlstic features
i'm this Constitution. which embodles the de-
mands of KeaTneysm and the Sand-Lot 1ac-
ton generally. Their only redeeming feature
is that they are likely to prove Ineffective IN
many respects. 1t ismore easy to declare that all
personal property shall be severely taxed, ana
that much personal property shall be taxed tWo
or three times, than it is TO enforce such pro-
visions. The recipe of Mrs. Glass Tor COOK
ing the hare began, " First catch your mare.
Taxation of capital VIII hardly begin until
the Sand-LOt statesmen OF Calll0rnla nave
learned to do what statesmen OF older ana
more experienced communities have tired Ill
vain 20 do for centuries, namely, to catch the
capital to be taxed. The methods of evasion
arc many. I'm a country like this, where narrow
geographical boundaries restrict the power OF
States. capital easily flies from one State to
another. Probably it will come TO pass that
most of the great mining corporations, ana
possibly some of the manufacturing companies,
will entirely reOrganize, in a legal sense, un-
der the laws of Nevada, or Oregon, or New
York. The shares viii neither be registered
in California nor discoverable there; the
property, though held by citizens Of Califor-
MIA, will be caught only III rare instances.
In word, the State will be taught by severe
experience the same lesson which New
York has learned, that severe taxation
Of personal property is almost impossible, and
ends. in nine cases ont Of ten, in the evasion
of taxation altogether
The provisions against Chinese labor VIII be
more easily enforced. Probably they will prove
more pernicious to industry and capital IN
China than any other features of the new Con-
stlfuhon. There does exist, undoubtedly,
powerful public opinion to enforce these pro-
visions. There is also an intense popular
prejudice and a savage COmmunstic feeling,
which lend strength to the demand for the ex-
clusion of the cheaper labor. If wholly eifec-
ave. these provisions will probably break mp
many very promising manufacturing establish
mcuts in California, and drive from the State
a great deal of capital. Undoubtedly they
will operate powerfully to prevent the de-
velopment Of manufactures on the Pacific
Coast, or ut least to give a strong impetus to
manufacturing in Oregon. The working
men of California will learn in due
time that they have inflicted upon them
selves injuries which cannot be repaired
by many years of patient toll Many of them,
in consequence of the Constitution over which
they shout so wildly, will be compelled to mi
crate 10 other States Many Of them will
learn for the first time, under the operation of
their own Constitution, what the tyranny of
Cap.talr really is. No ore need regret that
tb. state is to be taught this severe lesson II,
as is probable, il will learn that lesson soon
enough to repeal the Constitution and return
TO a more civilized system before tie mischief
is iucparable.