Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-31
SOME PLAIN WORDS
Address Of the Farmers Club at Grange
vile on the Mussel Slough Trouble.
visalia Delta, March 18th.

1870 "a VIC mussel nlougn IEoupie.
[visalia Delta, March 18th
At meeting of the Farmers Club at
Grangeville, February 25th, the following
letter was adopted, signed and publication
requested
A subject so much talked of and one SO
poorly understood as the Mussel slough
land difficulty demands word from us.
For once let it be understood that the PEG.
pie OF Mussel slough, Tulare county, Cali
fornia, are not generally Leaguers. Prob.
ably not more than one.feurth of the voting
population are members of such organiza-
ton. Yet they, the Leaguers, assume to
speak for and represent the whole section
of country, always using the word set
tiers, which gives to the public abroad
the impression that the whole community
here are unit in this land trouble.
During the four or five years of this land
agitation the settlers here-not Leaguers-
have abstained from such agitation, have
purchased their lands, constructed water
bitches and built up homes. Yet we hear
it asserted that 500 miles of water bitches
have been constructed in this section of the
county, and the impression goes forth that
the Leaguers have done this work-that
they have made the "desert blossom as
the rose" This is not true, in fact. No
such number OF miles of water bitches
have been constructed, and likely not one.
tenth of the whole should be credited to
the Leaguers.
The tragedy of May last is possibly not
fully understood. Witnesses on the part
of the prosecution, though forced by pro-
cess of law to go into Court and testify,
are accused by insinuation of testifying
falsely for money consideration, as will
be seen by the letter OF j. j. Doyle, pub.
lished in the VisaEa Delta of February
IL, 1881. Now, if Mr.. Doyle while he
has the sympathy of the public at largo
can destroy the character and standing of
the witnesses here on the part of the prose-
cution as is evidently his intention, then
he will have gained point. We quote
from the Doyle letter: " For we do not
need pardon on account of our liberties
and distressed condition and that of our
families alone, but for the great rebuke it
will and ought to cast upon one of the most
a republic" Yes, there it is. Not that
the prisoners are troubled or distressed,
but their friends are requested to be ac-
tive in signing the petition for par
don in order that the Court in
which they were tried may be rebuked."
Then, as a necessary consequence, the
United States District Attorney would
"be rebuked y sworn officers under the
law, doing simply their duty, and that
under, extremely difficult circumstances,
Mr.. Doyle would have "rebuked." A re-
buke to the Courts, rebuke to the United
States District Attorney, rebuke to the
Government witnesses, and what next !?
We fear Mr. Boyle would have every
citizen rebuked that did not acknowledge
allegiance to the Settlers League. The
culprit would rebuke the Court in which
he was tried he would assail the wit
nesses who dared to testify against him.
No doubt this is not the first time such
thoughts have entered the minds of per-
sons convicted of crime, but presume it is
the first instance where one has been fool
ish enough to publish them to the world,
while praying loudly for pardon. 1t should
also be understood that while the settlers
here have good reason to complain of the
high price put upon railroad lands, in
almost every case where there has been
a disposition shown on the part of the
railroad company to fairly adjust the
price, we have found the League denying
their title and refusing to purchase at any
price; in fact, standing in the way of any
adjustment. Consequently we have been
forced to pay two prices for our land We
have good reason to believe, and do believe,
that said League has been school in which
the doctrine of revolution has been taught /;
that the Government was corrupt, and not
worth their allegiance that the lands &C
cupied by them, though patented to the
railroad company, were of right theirs.
Hence, in the spring Of 1879, during the
canvass for the adoption of the new Con-
stitution, when Kearney was at Hanford,
he said, "Hold your lands; &C, 600 men in
San Francisco stand ready to come to your
assistance. This sentiment was applauded
by the Leaguers; what did it mean !?
Again, it has been said that there were
people at Livermore willing to come to the
rescue; what did it mean? The doctrine of
revolution has been advocated on the
streets here for the last three years or
more; did it mean anything? Circulars
were published, circulated and posted,
warning people not to purchase
railroad land, as they could not oc-
cupy it; did it mean anything I?
When United States Marshal Poole was
here in his official capacity, was he not
surrounded by band of armed men, and
ordered to deliver up his arms, they know
ing him to be a United States officer Was
he not ordered to leave this part of the
country, and admonished not to return to
complete his official business Did all this
mean anything? Most certainly not, if we
give full credit to the testimony of the
Leaguers when testifying in their own be-
half. Again, the people here are not such
barbarians as has been represented. 1t is
not the rule here to carry firearms, more
than in other farming communities of this
State, save and except, perhaps, with the
military branch of the League.
fSionadl