Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-23
THE SAWYER DECISION AGAIN.
Another View Taken by Correspondent
from Plumas County.


EDS. RECORD UNION Your editorial in
January inviting full discussion pro and
con of the debris question, its effects on
the mining counties, their possibilities and
probabilities, of their survival under the
Sawyer decision. etc., is very kind of you,
and is, no doubt, to act as "oil upon the
troubled waters" This may be the medi.
um for instructive lessons to both parties
not heretofore understood or contemplated
fully by either; this can hardly be looked
for, however, until the return tide of pop
ular furore, both In the highlands and low.
lands. Unfortunately for the benefits of
open discussion, this question has taken
sectional form, and, judging by the tone of
the valley press, but few as yet are pre-
pared to acknowledge that 1.-TWO wrongs
never made one right. How many viii
republish, and how few of the masses will
read, your excellent letter and exposure of
facts from Nevada City by Felix Gillet, and
heed them? There are two sides to every
important question, and if Court is mis-
led or unenllghtened on either side, or cir
cumscribed by the mode of presentation as
to be deprived of seeing the effects of its
decision when enforced in detail, it is the
fault Gin this easel of the defendants, or
the acumen of the plaintiffs attorneys. and
not of the Court There are in this State
over one thousand idle but persevering
lawyers they must have business if only
contingent fees are secured. This is the
real cause of this uproar and excitement.
Like wary Generals, they have us at dis
advantage, and will destroy mining in de-
tail under the Sawyer decision if con.
firmed (which / have no doubt it will bel.
If it is crime to mine by one process, so
it is by all that we have yet invented.
The only difference being in the degree of
crime, or amount of debris discharged
the same as murder, larceny or public nuis-
ance But few believe this yet, but they
have only to wait for short time. When
the hydraulic miners place five to tan
thousand Chinese to drifting (none can
afford to drift excepting with cheap labor
see how soon that will be stopped. Next
the quartz mines that send down the worst
If not the most debris, must surrender.
During the progress of this great pande.
monium it is expected, commerce, manufac-
ture and agriculture viii look into the
matter of finance while the mortgaged
debris lands may belong to their attorneys /;
that the decision complained of will be
materially modified in accordance with
justice to both parties, and that those
naming their children Sawyer will have
double names with initial S. for middle
name, if not dropped entirely.
If we are disappointed in our anticipa'
tions we will then look to our resources
and possibilities. and trust we may b.
spared the soothing syrup and trashy ad-
vice already offered by those who are in.
capacitated to comprehend the subject I'M.
der consideration. To illustrate how
would it sound for us to say to the debris
victims, Flee to the mountains and take
revenge in mining" or to those interested
in navigation, "Cut down your boats,
make smaller ones and give more laborers
a chance" or do as we do, patronize the
great railroad monopoly, whom none
would do without. Go on debris enthusi.
asts, every folly must have its run you
are undertaking our other resources, out
lets and manhood. as well as your capacity
to do without our gold and trade; we feel
assured of not being subdued unless all
history, ancient and modern, is reversed.
By the time the valley has fenced the
mountains out we may be prepared to send
East or to Oregon for our luxuries-all
else can be produced here if compelled.
These are few of our future possibilities
if not probabilities. Yours, respectfully,
I. E. PRATT.
Prattville, CAL, February 10, 1854