CALIFORNIA. 



93 



are violating the law by the commission of 

 crime, were deplorably inefficient in the per- 

 formance of official and sworn duties during the 

 scenes of confusion and bloodshed which dis- 

 graced this city, and have cast reproach upon 

 the people of Los Angeles County. "While a fee- 

 ble and in most cases an ineffectual effort was 

 made by officers to rescue the unfortunate ones 

 that were being dragged away to execution, it 

 does not appear that any attempt whatever 

 was made by any officer to arrest any of those 

 who, in their presence, were openly and greatly 

 violating the law, even to the taking of human 

 life. From the testimony of many witnesses, as 

 well as from the fact that in every case which 

 has come to our knowledge, where two reso- 

 lute men, or even one determined man, re- 

 solved to rescue a captive from the hands of 

 those who were hurrying him away to execu- 

 tion, they were successful, and met with no 

 overpowering resistance. The conviction is 

 forced upon us that, had the officers performed 

 their duty, this grand-jury would not have 

 been called upon to devote weeks to the inves- 

 tigation of this matter, nor would there have 

 been any riotous acts on that night to stain the 

 record of this county, nor the reputation of 

 Los Angeles City. We believe, from the evi- 

 dence which we have taken, that a great ma- 

 jority of those who witnessed the sad specta- 

 cles of that night, instead of being a blood- 

 thirsty mob, having possession of the city, or 

 any part of it, trampling law and order under 

 foot, were unwilling witnesses, anxious to pre- 

 vent the revolting scenes that were passing 

 before their eyes, and would quickly and cheer- 

 fully have prevented or put an end to the 

 anarchy, if any resolute and energetic man, 

 clothed with authority and with an average 

 share of ability and judgment, had placed him- 

 self at their head, and in a proper manner di- 

 rected their efforts." 



The nineteenth session of the California 

 Legislature commenced at Sacramento on the 

 4th of December. The Senate organized by 

 choosing Democratic officers, the Republican 

 Lieutenant-Governor of course presiding, while 

 the House chose all its officers from the Re- 

 publican majority. On the fourth day of the 

 session, the committee on canvassing the elec- 

 tion returns reported that Newton Booth had 

 received 61,818 votes for Governor, and H. H. 

 Haight 56,800 ; and Roumaldo Pacheco had re- 

 ceived 61,700 votes for Lieutenant-Governor, 

 and E. J. Lewis, 56,779. On the following 

 day, the 8th of December, the new Governor 

 was inaugurated. In his valedictory mes- 

 sage, Governor Haight gave the following re- 

 trospect of the four years of his administration : 

 "The faithful custody and disbursement of 

 the public revenues ; the payment of about one- 

 third of the State debt; the reduction of taxa- 

 tion from $1.13 to 86 cents ; the improvement 

 in the prison buildings and in the discipline 

 and management of the prison ; a better sys- 

 tem for the government of the Insane Asylum ; 



the completion of the Asylum for the Deaf, 

 Dumb, and Blind ; the organization and endow- 

 ment of a State University upon a basis which 

 must secure it against the invasion of partisan 

 politics ; the progress in completing the State 

 Capitol ; the prevention, to so large an ex- 

 tent, of special legislation ; the progress made 

 toward a thorough revision of our statutes and 

 the perfection of our revenue system by equal- 

 izing assessments ; the successful disposal of 

 the tide-lands of the State; the repeal of a 

 vicious system of bounties and the overthrow 

 of the subsidy system, which levied taxation 

 and created debt for the benefit of private cor- 

 porations; the large increase of the Common- 

 School Fund, and the extension and improve- 

 ment of the school system ; the erection of a 

 State Normal School ; the more thorough ar- 

 rangement of the State archives in the offices 

 of the Comptroller and Secretary of State ; the 

 organization of a State Board of Health, for the 

 collation of statistics of hygiene ; the law for 

 the preservation of fish in our bays, lakes, and 

 streams ; the prosecution of the geographical 

 and geological exploration and survey consti- 

 tute an imperfect summary of the administra- 

 tion of the State government for the past four 

 years. This period has been an eventful one 

 in the history of the State in other respects. 

 One continental line of railroad has been com- 

 pleted, and three others are in progress, and 

 our internal railroad system is being rapidly 

 extended. The great industries of the State 

 have undergone a healthy development, not- 

 withstanding the temporary stagnation of la- 

 bor and capital occasioned by two unusually 

 dry seasons. Enterprises for the irrigation 

 of the uplands in the San Joaqnin and Sac- 

 ramento Valleys, and for the reclamation of 

 the swamp and marsh lands, have been en- 

 tered upon, the success of which promises re- 

 sults of the greatest importance and value in 

 the future. Our mining, manufacturing, agri- 

 cultural, and commercial interests have pros- 

 pered." 



For several days the election of a Senator in 

 Congress occupied a good deal of attention, 

 the Republicans especially having many lively 

 discussions upon the subject in their caucuses. 

 They finally settled upon Aaron A. Sargent 

 as their candidate, and he was elected in a 

 joint convention of the two Houses as the 

 successor of Cornelius Cole, receiving 72 votes 

 out of a total of 118 ; Judge Wallace, the nomi- 

 nee of the Democrats, receiving 46. On the 

 21st of December the Legislature adjourned 

 over to the 4th of January, 1872. No impor- 

 tant legislation was completed before the re- 

 cess, and comparatively little was set on foot. 

 Among the bills introduced were the follow- 

 ing: "An act to facilitate telegraphic com- 

 munication between America and Asia," em- 

 powering certain New York and California 

 capitalists to construct and operate one or 

 more telegraph wires or cables on the lands or 

 waters under the jurisdiction of the State be- 



