92 



CALIFORNIA. 



and an evil that ought to be abated ; that while we 

 unsparingly reprobate and denounce all acts of 

 violence, wheresoever and by whomsoever commit- 

 ted upon them, we are inflexibly opposed to their 

 admission to citizenship, and demand of the Federal 

 Government the adoption of such treaty regulations 

 and legislation as shall discourage their further im- 

 migration to our shores. 



Resolved, That the subsidizing of railroads, or other 

 private corporations, by grants of public lands or by 

 taxation of private property in any form, is contrary^ 

 to sound maxims of government and productive of 

 gross corruption and abuse, and a plain invasion of 

 the rights of the citizen, and we hereby pledge the 

 Republican party to an uncompromising opposition 

 to any and all legislation for such purposes ; and 



Whereas, The Supreme Court lias decided that such 

 legislation is not in conflict with the Constitution : 

 therefore 



Resolved, That we are in favor of an amendment to 

 that instrument prohibiting the enactment of any 

 law granting such subsidies. 



Resolved, That we demand an immediate repeal of 

 the act of the last Legislature commonly known as 

 the five per cent, subsidy law. 



Resolved, That the scandalous abuse of power ex- 

 hibited by a Democratic Legislature, in the creation 

 of useless offices, boards of commissions, and the in- 

 expedient increase of salaries and fees for partisan 

 purposes, its palpable and wanton violation of a 

 plain provision of the constitution by the infamous 

 enactment commonly known as the Lottery Bill, its 

 measureless subserviency to a corrupt lobby, evinced 

 by numerous profligate grants of subsidies to rail- 

 road companies, the official sanction of most of those 

 pernicious measures, including the aforesaid Lottery 

 Bill, by^ the present Democratic State Executive ; and, 

 in addition thereto, his official approval of a series 

 of legislative enactments whereby railroad com- 

 panies have been subsidized to the extent of $40,- 

 000,000, afford convincing proof of the apostasy of a 

 Democratic administration to all the pledges 'upon 

 the faith of Avhich it was elevated to power, and 

 that the afFairs of the State cannot with safety be 

 recommitted to its control. 



Resolved, That we extend to our newly-enfran- 

 chised citizens cordial welcome to the rights of citi- 

 zenship now permanently secured to them after the 

 hard-fought struggle with their old oppressors ; that 

 if they do not now understand the responsibility 

 which rests upon them as freemen, we fully believe 

 that, as they advance in the path of freedom and in- 

 telligence, none ^yill regret the act of justice by 

 which the Republican party gave to them constitu- 

 tional guarantees of civil and political equality. 



The election took place, after a vigorous 

 canvass, on the 5th of September, and resulted 

 in the victory of the Republican ticket. The 

 whole number of votes cast for Governor was 

 120,101. Of these, Newton Booth received 

 62,581, and Henry H. Haight 57,520, which 

 gives the former a majority of 5,061. In 1867, 

 when Haight was elected, the total vote was 

 92,352, of which Haight received 49,905, or a 

 majority of 7,458. At the last election, three 

 members of Congress were chosen, all Repub- 

 licans. One-third of the old Senate held over, 

 and that body now stands Democrats 21, 

 Republicans 18, Independent 2. In the As- 

 sembly, or lower branch of the Legislature, 

 there are 55 Republicans, 24 Democrats, and 1 

 Independent. In a joint ballot the Republicans 

 have a clear majority of 25. The judicial 

 election occurred in October, and A. L. Rhodes 

 and A. C. Niles, the Republican candidates, 



were chosen. Some complaint was made of 

 the operation of the registry and election 

 laws. Among other things it was alleged that 

 the cost to the State of the regular election 

 was about $35,000, and that of the judicial 

 election $15,000. 



The prevalent feeling against encouraging 

 Chinese immigration, which found expression 

 in the platforms of both political parties, was 

 also exhibited in other ways. There is a lavr 

 on the statute-books declaring Chinamen in- 

 competent to testify in cases where white men 

 are parties. A decision of the Supreme Court 

 of the State was obtained, at its last term, 

 on the constitutionality of this provision. Its 

 validity had been denied, on the ground that 

 it was in conflict with the fourteenth amend- 

 ment of the Federal Constitution, which de- 

 clares that no State shall deny to any person 

 within its jurisdiction "the equal protection 

 of the ^laws." The court, however, affirmed 

 the validity of the law, Justice Temple taking 

 the ground that the right to testify as a wit- 

 ness was not essential to secure the equal 

 protection of the law, and that it was not the 

 purpose of the Legislature to leave the Chinese 

 unprotected. He seems, furthermore, to ques- 

 tion the right of the national Government to 

 interfere in matters of that kind. "It is no 

 part," he says, "of the purpose for which 

 that Government was created to stand guard 

 over the States to see that they execute their 

 laws in a manner not to oppress those who 

 are subject to them." 



On the night of the 24th of October, a riot 

 occurred in the city of Los Angeles, in which fif- 

 teen Chinamen were hanged and six others shot 

 by a lawless mob. There had been a feud be- 

 tween two Chinese companies of that place, 

 and some of the hostile parties meeting in the 

 street, a fight ensued. When the police at- 

 tempted to quell the disturbance, they were 

 resisted, and one of their number killed and 

 two others wounded. As soon as the assault 

 upon the police became known, a mob of white 

 men collected and attacked the Chinese quar- 

 ter, shooting the people without mercy, and 

 hanging those who were caught trying to 

 escape. In a few hours, the more respectable 

 portion of the citizens succeeded in staying the 

 riot, and the matter was soon after taken up 

 and investigated by the grand-jury of Angeles 

 County. Thirty-seven persons were indicted 

 for riot, two for assault with deadly weapons, 

 two for assault to commit murder, and twenty- 

 five for murder, besides eight Chinamen, who 

 were indicted for murder, or assault with in- 

 tent to murder. In their report the jury blame 

 the officers for their conduct in the following 

 terms : " We believe that we would be wanting 

 in our duty if we should fail to present to this 

 court the painful conclusion forced upon us 

 by the testimony to which we have listened, 

 that the officers of this county, as well as those 

 of this city, whose duty it is to preserve the 

 peace and arrest those who, in their presence, 



