The record-union., 1899-11-03
PLAcERvILLE's new ERA
WILL SOON HAVE A CITY Gov
ERNMENT AGAIN.
History Of the Peculiar Condition
Of Affairs There In
the Past.
(Communicated.)

(Communicated)
The pretty little mountain town OF
Placerville, in Ell Dorado County, IS "
achieve new period in its history soon
by the resumption of its municipaI
government which has been suspended
for nearly thirty years. the oio resi-
dents of Placerville habitually speak OF
it as the city," but those who nave
more recently arrived at the place near
this language at first with some aston
ishment, seeing not the least sempiaHce
of municipal organization, except
perhaps in the five wards into Wnlcn
the town is divided, remembrance or
these districts being retained for the
election of School Directors. Since
1872 Placerville has had neither Mayor
nor Marshal, and it has been as COM
pletely without formal government as
the philosophical anarchist could de-
sire any society to be. It's position was
unique in governmental history, for the
people could neither exercise munlclpal
functions nor avail themselves of such
provisions as the State laws provided.
for unincorporated towns. For
instance, it could not plan fire
department under the methods estab-
lished for municipal corporations, be-
cause it had no city government and
could derive no revenues from taxation
in that way. On the other hand, 1t
could not establish the fire department
under the methods provided for un-
incorporated towns, for the place was
city legally incorporated in 1854, and
could not die as city and be born
again as a mere town. The same pc
culiar conditions applied to other pur-
poses for which cities are usually or
ganized. In this dilemma the citizens
We're compelled to adopt the principles
of thes anarchists and conduct the bus
mess of their town without formal gov
ernment, without judges, and without
policemen.
When the people wanted new hose or
apparatus of any kind for their fire de-
partment, they simply made voluntary
contributions to a common fund and
the young men organized to fight fires.
In the same way many other duties
that are ordinarily accomplished
through taxation and official action,
were in this town so peculiarly situated,
performed by voluntary effort and mu-
tual consent. 1t is not altogether a
diScredit to the theories Of the anarch-
lists that after having had an expert
ence Of more than tweGty years of this
kind of self-government the people OF
Placerville are not altogether dissatis-
fed with it's methods, and except for
the cause which forced them into the
experiment Of cooperative action with
out law or government, they would
probably vote by a large majority to
continue in the simple but non-expen-
sive methods of government without
municipal rings and officials to make
them afraid.
AS it is, however, the people are about
to resume their old city government
and the reason-a novel one-is that
they cannot get out Of debt in any
other way. Years ago, in 1863, wher
civil war and railroad booms both af-
fiicted this country, the city of Placer
Vile, then maintaining a very dignified
Mayor and Council of ten. became ex-
cited over a transcontinental railroad
AT that time one of the earliest rail-
roads in the State extended from Sac
ramento to Folsom. A company was
organized to continue it through Placer
vile across the Sierras, and thence
eastward to establish connections. The
Virginia City silver mines were ther
the source of an immense traffic
through Placerville. This traffic by
means of great teams and freight
wagons passed over the mountains like
the Eastern caravans, and at every
mile on what was then one of the finest
toll roads in the State, recently trans
fx.x-
existed a station where the teams and
drivers could obtain due accommoda-
ton. The names ''two-mile house.
'three-mile house, ETC., still remain as
survivals of this ancient travel, in q
kind of fossiliferous evidence of early
activity, although many of the houses
along the road have long since rotte6
into dust. The teams thronged the
streets of Placerville in those days and
q under the circumstances, it is little
wonder that some of its enterprisins
or speculative business men contem-
plated a railroad to take the place o1
the teams
The railroad fever grew, and by an6
by the city, like many others in the
Western States. became a stockholdel
in the railroad company whose direct
ors We're mainly residents of the coun
ty To purchase this stock the city
issued 100000 in bonds which were
placed in the hands of the railroad
company and sold. Shortly afterwart
the Central Pacific Railroad estab
lished it's connections across the 81
erras, and acquired the traffic which
had formerly passed through Placer
VILE. The railroad company organ
lied in this county became involved il
financial difficulties, and ultimatel,
went into insolvency. The city O
Placeryille, as stockholder, lost 1T
interest in the railroad in a final sal
of its effects, and 1t had bonds out
standing to the extent of nearly fort,
thousand dollars, bearing interest at l,
per cent
1t is not generally known outside O
Ell Dorado County that the Centra
Pacific Railroad was only preventei
the over-confdence of few men VIII
then controlled the right-of-way acros
the Sierras on this route. 1t was the
and is to-day route vastl
superior to that over which the Cen
trail Pacific was built. Efforts wer
made by the early directors Of tn
Central Pacific to secure the right-of
way through this county of the owners
but feeling assured that the difficultfe
along the the present line of the Cen
tral Pacific were insuperable, they re