Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-08-21
CALIFORNIA LETTER.
eus oftnterest to the General Reader
 Matters on the Pacific Coast.

exceeds in numbers, beauty of decora- tion and enthusiasm any that has ever occurred in Oakland. Without the aid of an officisl proclamation, it is the most generally observed holiday m the hIs- tory of the city. Nothing can excite the enthusiasm of the people generally like the marching of uniformed men and gaily cGpsrIsoned horses with martial music, The war music and songs have apparently lost none of their wondrous power.
 Although exhibiting some military trappings, the Knights TemplRr con- clRye of 1883 was tame affair in com pdrison to this Grand Army meeting. Every day for over a week, has partak- en largely of the holiday. From the youngest boy who eau best a toy drum, to the oldest man parade the streets, including all ages of the gentlsr sex, the daily demonstrations receive support and enthusiasm. The girls ID Shells Seminary have banner hung from their sleeping rooms, inscrIb- cd "None but the brave deserve the fair" Everything indicates that about every body favored the last war and will the neKt-even though it should be pre- cipitsted because of personal quarrel between two newspaper men Rt Paso del Norte, or the reTengeful murder of Rsssures at Piedras Negras.
 The state and nation are making dis astrous war on hydraulic miners. Many iDjunctions have been issued by state and federal courts 10 prevent such mining, Heavy fines have been imposed and m some cases Imprisonment, too. The rIver and harbor blll just passed by congress makes It the duty of the secretary of WAT to institute suits to,prevent debris flowing into ns7Iga. ble streams and their tributaries, and all hydraulic mining IS upon or near them. Thus the federal has joined the state government in efforts to totally stop hydraulic mining. This will re- duce the production of gold in the Un- tied States by one half and throw many thousands out of employment and ruin many men financially. Their only rem edy will be by claim for damages, which the mine owners intend to present but the labcrers have no redress. Good lawyers declare damages are justly due them. The United States sold and pat ented land to them for mining purposes; charged them a high price for IL, and for over thirty years by various laws and judicial decIsions, encouraged such mining. Now the same power has de- cided to arbitrarily put & stop to the business built up under its patronage and protection. The miners say they wlll not submit without 8 struggle, and thus au issue only little less in im- portsnce than the pending water ques- ton, IS soon to be raised. Spies have been sent into the mines to report upon miners at work and those vio- lsting iniunctions, and the news comes that organizations are being formed 10 fire out the spies in summary way. The miners claim that the proceedings against them is as cruel as the worst cases of eyictions Tn Ireland. Some of them have built expensive and strong dams to store their debris and prevent its downward How, and this under the encouragement of the courts which have since declared that the dams may give way and des- troy life and property below. Upon this ground, every dam to hold water for manufacturing and domestic purposes m towns and cities, can be declared dangerous and their removal com handed.
 The report of the director of the mint just published. states that less than twelve millions in gold were pro- duced in the United States in 1885, and now comes an act Of congress which, If enforced according to its letter, will dI- minIsh that by one half. Al the same time the senate and executive are uni tedly determined to destroy the money power of silver. Thus a war IS being waged winch in effect, if not in design, tends to diminish the production of gold and silver, destroy industries fos- tered by state and nation for thirty years, and compel hundreds of thou sands of men to seek other fields of labor most of which are overcrowded.
 It vlll not do to charge this work on either party. The executive branch of the government has made persistent war on silver ever since 1873. The re- publicsns began and the democrats by their president continue It. More dem ocratic than republican congressman favor silver. Should Senator Sherman ! or any other we'll known enemy of the free coinage of silver and its use on a
 par with gold, receive the republican nomination for the presidency in 1888, thousands of republican voters on this coast would not vote the ticket. The | fact Is the question is not s partisan one. To win Il, silver men, who of
 course equally favor gold, must act upon the advice of that retired statesman,
 Denis Kearney, and pool their issues as
 railroads and bondholders do. They must see to 1t that candidates for sen ators and congressman represent their views, or vote against them, irrespective | of party affiliations. It Is believed that John Msckey is backing Wm. Nj, | Stewart for senator in Nevada, mainly on the silver question. If elected, he
 will be a great power in behalf of sil- yer. Stewart possesses ability, and his determination to win a case IS surpassed by no man. The democrats of Nevada ought to support him, The old Issues that have long divided parties are mostly settled, and business oues are taking their places. The democratic convention in Kansas has just nomI. mated negro for state auditor and President Cleveland has just appointed
 a colored man for register of the Dis trict of Columbia. The Union is no longer threatened. The great issue seems to be the bondholders, national
 banks and capitalists effort to destroy
 the value of silver and with it the means
 of support of hundreds of thousands of
 people, and double the purchasing pow
 CT of gold the production of which is
 about certain to decline. What has re-
 gently occurred in Tombstone, has also
 in Montana and other places and there
 is no telling where 1t will end.
 More than three weeks of Stoneman's
 extraordinary session has passed and
 accomplished nothing but the election
 of U. $. Senator whose usefulness may
 not exceed that of Hearst In the face
 of the state nominating conventions of
 both parties, 1t IS doubtful if any meas
 ure recommended by the governor will
 be passed. or snyting approaching one.
 Two of the supreme court judges are
 under fire inspired by a disappointed litigant, or attorney in the celebrated
 shsron-Hill case, who has since married
 the Hill. The court will not be harmed in detail or as a whole. Had the irri.
 gstion and court questions been let
 alone till the regular session, they would
 likely have beenitreated on their merits instead of being reduced, us now, to | mere DersOnal ones and tha repular sPe-