Year: 1870

Some of the press are calling for an extra
session of the Legislature, the proclaimed
object of which is to re-apportion the State
into Senate and Assembly districts. We
have no idea that Governor Haight will pay
any attention to this clamor or for a moment
seriously think of committing so great
blunder as to allow the last Legislature ever
again to assemble. There is little history
connected with the various apportionments
made in this State which it may not be out
of the way to mention to our agricultural and
commercial brethren. The first distrcting
done was by General Kelley for delegates to
a Constitutional Convention (llegaD which
virtually ignored the mining population.
That Convention, composed as it was almost
exclusively of delegates from the cities and
COW counties, as they were then called, ap-
portioned the State lin schedule to the Con-
stitution) for Senators and Assemblymen,
still maintaining an unequal and unrighteous
disfranchisement of the people of the mining
counties. This apportionment stood until
the session of 1858 met, and when an at
tempt was then made to secure fair appor-
tionment, under the State census Of 1852, it
was resisted by the commercial and agricul-
tural counties, and that resistance was main
tanned until they had forced compromise,
giving their portion of the State much larg-
er representation than the census and the
| Constitution sanctioned. They first de-
manded that the 40 900 Chinese in the min
ing counties be struck from the census, and
when that was granted they made the furth-
er demand that, as a basis of any apportion-
ment BILL each county should be allowed
one Assemblyman (they having all the sparse
ly populated counties) without regard to pop
ulaton. Having the majority this demand
ization of the State down to May, 1861, the
mining counties never had a fair representa-
ton in the Legislature i'll proportion to pop
ulaton, as shown by the census returns
Now when it is supposed that the census re-
turns of 1870 will initiate against the mi
ming counties, there is all at once some (not
many ye) Valley papers that would force an
extra session, at heavy expense to the State
and probably untold injury to her people for
generations. The Sacramento Reporter leans
towards the idea of an extra session and
says:


eve presume the Governors experience has
convinced him that no measure can become Il
law by the action of the body which was in ses-
sion last Winter without his sanction"


We presume the Governors experience
teachers him exactly the contrary. The
Governor has not forgotten that Senator Bur
nett, of Sonoma, is dead, nor should the ed
itor of the Reporter, as he was from his
county, and he was the only man that saved
the people millions upon millions of dollars.
Many of the members of the last Legislature
have seen and felt the crushing dsplasure
of their constituents and feel that their course


in that body has forever cursed them and
their memory, and would 60 back determined
to make what they could out of the lobby
regardless Of consequences. Governor Haight
could convene the Legislature, but he could
neither control nor adjourn it. Governor
Haight and a few honorable Democratic
members saved that body and the party
from utter disgrace in the last session, but
| they could not do it again, and that he knows
as well as we do. Convene the old Legis
lature again and good bye to Governor
Haight, good bye to Democracy in Calfor
MIA, and good bye to property rights of the
masses in the State for a generation. We
have no fears of Governor IIaight on this
-question. lie has too much good sense,
! honesty, sagacity and forecast to be caught
N such trap,-a burnt child breads the fire,
and he cannot but abhor the thought of again
/ benz brought in contact with that body.
We could have but little respect for the judg-
ment and honesty of that Democrat who
would favor the convening of an extra SEES
| SlOn. w Z bcllCNC VI 'h"' H'N'y
were fools or rascals, and this belief applies
to both Republicans and protessed Democrats.
This may be said to be impolitc. We
deny it. If the Democracy is to be respect
ed, esteemed and sustained in power it must
discard rascals and rascality, and its organs
must condemn such, no matter by what
name it may style itself Indeed, for our
self, we will not support Or apologize for any
man who is either incompetent or dishonest,
no matter whether he is in or out of the par
ty, When this question of an extra session


is up, our voice is no! emphatically no. new
er, never let that body meet again to make
laws for the people of this State.


A DIRTY, TYRANIoAL OUTRAGE.-W the
assistance of the United States Navy and
Marines, the negroes and their mongrel al