Year: 1871

In IiXley opening speech AT tho blrtn OF
the BcIlrngcr's party in San Francisco last
month, he charged that the Republican
County Convention had been packed or
bought, and that the Legislative delegation
was pledged to Gorham, Carr, Stowe and
the railroad monopoly; to be their property
on the Senatorial fight, and to secure the
passage of bill granting subsidy Of
So ,OO0 COO from San francisco to aid in
building bridge over the bay from Oakland
point to San Francisco. 1t now seems that
Pixlcy knew what he was talking about,
and that he told the truth. The bridge
subsidy project turus out to be living thing
and is likely to be controlling lobby scheme
in the next Legislature. A newspaper war
is now going on over this bridge subsidy be-
tween the CaU and Bulletin, for the subsidy,
and the Union and Examiner against it.
The Examiner and Union have the best Of
the argument, while the Gail and Bulletln
have the most money to back them, and we
think their side will win. Money and lying
won in the September election, and for that
reason we expect them to win again on this
subsidy question. Let this be as it may,
we arc, as a matter Of course, against the
subsidy, because it is wrong in principle, in
theory and in practice. 1t is not settled yet
whether the railroad company Gt is it that
wants the subsidy and will control the bridge
will apply for the subsidy under the five per
cent act Or 20 to the Legislature. We in
cline to the opinion that the company will
prefer to go to the Legislature because it has
other stealing projects that can be combined
with it, and these with every robbing scheme
that comes before that body. The five per
cent law would answer for San Francisco but
not for the poor, sparsely settled counties
from whom the company wants fully half the
value Of all their property, which it might
fail in unees it can get up one grand omni-
bus bill. Many Of the country members
will have little stealing bills, such as wharf
franchises, irrgating subsidy schemes, bridge
and toll road rights of way, swamp land
rcclamations, mining bitches and narrow
guagc railroad projects, etc, and if the
passage of their little schemes is made TO
hinge on the success Of the companys big
grabs, it will secure whatever it wants
With the San Francisco delegation solid in
the hands of the Stowe Carr and the railroad
league, and the corrupt example Of Congress
before the Legislature, we fear and tremble
for the rights and property of the people of
California. We look for a more powerful
lobby in Sacramento this winter than ever
before, and for more barefaccd corruption
than has yet existed in the State. Every
State officer but Booth is believed to be in
tho hands, or ready to fall into the hands Of
the leagued plunderers, and they are valu-
able aids to lobby. These Offices will, if
this is the case, be the marts where hon
orablc members are bought and sold like any
other merchandise. Well, if these things
occur, who is to blame? Not the Democracy,
for they sought to elect pure, honest and in
corruptible men, men who had been tried
and who had proved true to the rights of the
people. 1t is unfortunate that the good must
suffer with the bad, but so it is with bad
laws, excepting only the plunderers. We
shall rejoice if we are mistaken as to what is
likely to be he character of the next Legis-
ature and its legislation


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