Year: 1863

Z
Caliiornia's quota of the direct tax in legal
tender notes have been discharged, on account of
the unwillingness of the Senate Committee to
act. The House has appointed new Committee,
and will examine the matter without assistance
from the Senate. The Chairman of the Commit
tee is Mr., J. W. Owen, who is in favor of dis
posing of the money saved by the transaction in
the manner proposed by the State Tresurer-i. e.
to transfer il to the Federal Government The
other members of the Committee may not agree
to this disposition of the funds


San Francisco Supervisors.


On Friday last bill was ordered to engross-
ment authorizing the payment of 500 per month
to the Supervisors of San Francisco the salaries
to come out of the General Fund of the city
government. The Bulletin of Monday cried out
against the bill-said the secesh " wanted it
passed to break down the Union party that the
enemies of San Francisco wanted it passed to in.
ure the city, etc. The Bulletins pretense that
it is a secesh movement to break down the Union
party is sublime in face of the fact that the city
government has never been in the hands of the
Union party that majority of its members at
the present time are sympathizeTs with Seces-
sionists, and that they are under the dctation of
Dempster, Dibble, Maynard and Thomas, who, in
defiance of the wishes of the better portion of
the Union party, have heretofore succeeded in
preventing any nomination by that party for city
officers. This little clique are constantly asking
the Legislature for increased powers, and the





the Board of Supervisors during the past ten
years are numbered by the score. This bill was
for the purpose OF enabling men in moderate cir
cumsances TO act as Supervisors, and thus to
those who include among their number the most
bitter opponents of that party. On Thursday,
to the shame of the Assembly, the bill was in
definitely postponed. | say shame, because it is
shame for Legislators not to understand the
questions they vote upon, and they did not un-
derstand this bill, or it would not have been de
feated. The truth is that the city government of
San Francisco is in the hands of very few per-
sons, and under the present system the number
is yearly growing less. 1t is under control of II
clique of moneyed men of aristocratic preten-
sions, who act as if they alone should have
voice in city affairs, They nominate all the city
officers by means Of selfappointed committees,
with which the people have nothing to do, and
the more eiectually to prevent those who do not
belong to the wealthy class from taking part in
the city government they oppose the payment
of salaries to Supervisors, knowing that no poor
man non affnr1 ia Snan1 lhp tfma npcpgsnrV In
act as Supervisor without pay. The effect OF
such system is to favor Il particular class of
men to the deriment of the mass If a wealthy
man, one moving in the same circle in society,
applies to Supervisor for anything he is at
once attended to, as a matter of course, because
he is one of them. Let poor man ask the SUI
pervisor of his district to favor any public im-
provement or oppose any unjust measure and it
Is ten to one the Supervisor tells him that he gets
no pay, aud has no time to devote to the matter.
The whole system is undemocralc and un Just.
1t is dangerous also, as it affords a constant ex-
cuse for Supervisors to take part secretly in CON
tracts and enter into other schemes to make
money out of the city in order to remunerate
them for their services. 1t is always poor policy
to allow people to work for nothing-they are
snre to steal much more than their wages would
amount to.


Trinity Contingent Fund.


Mr. Personettes Bill, published by you last
week, has passed both Houses without amend
ment.


Military.


The Bill authorizing the payment of five dol
lars per month out of the State Treasury to each
of the California volunteers, and the Bill pro-
viding for taking the votes Of soldiers, are both
yet in the possession of Committees. 1t is be-
lieved they will both pass, but there will be
some objection to allowing soldiers to vote for
town and county officers Il they vote for Presi-
Dental Electors, members of Congress- and State
and Legislative officers, perhaps that is all that
will be found practicable. The Bill, however,
authorizes them to vote for all officers as fully as
they would be entitled to vote at elections in the
several districts and counties in which they
formerly resided. If this is practicable, there
may be no serious objection to it, but as candi-
dates for local Offices are not generally nomina-
ted until near the time Of election, | think sol
diers, if they vote at all for such Officers will do
so without knowing how they would vote if at
home


The Currency Question.


A Bill has passed the Assembly providing that
no real estate sold for taxes shall be redeemable
except by payment in the same kind Of currency
requredfor the payment OF taxes The neces-
sity for the passage of such law, if not obvious
to your readers, will appear plain enough after a
little thought. Several pieces of property have
recently been sold in this county for taxes, and
the owner afterwards offered legal tender notes
in payment, which, being worth little more than
fifty cents on the dollar, leaves quite margin
for profit to a man mean enough to take advan-
tage of it, and there are many such in this sec
ton--so many that tax sales have been suspend
ed in consequence, until the law can be amended.
An interesting discussion took place in the AS
~ Al. Il.