There are between ninety and one hundred periodicals published in
California. Thirty-one of the forty-five counties have each one or more
journals. Of these, twenty are issued daily—six of them of the
Buchanan-Lecompton stripe in politics, three anti-Lecompton, and only
one (_The San Francisco Times_) decidedly republican. The remainder are
independent—most of them with strong anti-Lecompton proclivities. At the
head of these stands _The Sacramento Union_ (daily and weekly), which,
by means of extensive and systematic reporting, presents the fullest and
fairest account of whatever is said or done in California of any
journal, and which has, very naturally, the largest and widest
circulation. Next in importance and influence stands _The Alta
California_, the oldest paper in the state, and I believe the first ever
issued in San Francisco. _The Bulletin_ is the only evening paper issued
in that city, and is distinguished for the fullness of its
correspondence. _The California Farmer_, by Colonel Warren, is the
pioneer work in its line, and has hardly been exceeded in usefulness to
California by any other. I trust it has a long and prosperous career
before it.
Of the weekly newspapers issued in the state, twenty-five support
Lecompton democracy, fourteen are anti-Lecompton, only two or three
republican; the residue independent—several of them with strong and
outspoken anti-Lecompton tendencies. It will thus be seen that the
influence of the local press leans strongly to the side of whatever may
for the time being be commended as regular democracy. No state is more
intensely scourged by office-seeking than California; offices being here
numerous and salaries and pickings very fat; hence each county has its
powerful junto of office-seekers who understand (if little else) that
the way to their goal lies through “sticking to the party,” right or
wrong—in fact, if it be wrong, the merit of sticking to it is, in the
party sense, so much greater, and the reward is likely to be larger.
Intelligent as a majority of the people of this state are known to be,
it is still deplorably true that the great mass of the facts which
impelled and necessitated the republican movement and organization have
never been made known through their journals—not even through those of
the independent order. To this hour, California, otherwise well informed
imagines that there was no serious struggle in Kansas—or if there was,
that one side was about as much in fault as the other—that Kansas was
invaded, her people driven from the polls, her ballot-boxes stuffed, and
the verdict of her settlers falsified (if at all,) as much by
republicans (whence?) as by the Missouri border-ruffians! One democrat
with whom I discussed the matter supposed they came over from Iowa! Had
the independent press done its simple duty in the premises, such
monstrous fabrications could neither be credited nor profitably coined.
But I rejoice in the hope that the break on Lecompton insures a more
ample and truthful presentment of the current history of the great
struggle hereafter. I trust that the people of this state are not much
longer to be held in the leading-strings of slavery and sham-democracy.
Of the ninety-odd periodicals in California, three are printed in the
French language, two in Spanish, one in German; and at least one in
Chinese. (Whoever would subscribe to “_The Chinese News_” should address
its editor, Hung Tai, at Sacramento.) Six are devoted to religion; two
to agriculture; nine or ten to literature, mining, medicine, etc. About
one-third of the whole number are issued from San Francisco alone.