CALIFORNIA.

Evening Star, Issue 3898, 21 August 1875, Page 3

CALIFORNIA.

(From our own Gorresponflent.)

Los Angeles, July 11.

I have not time by this opportunity to give you more than a brief sketch of the piincipal events transpiring on the Pacific coast, the first and most important being the great influx of population which is streaming into California from all the eastern and northern States, the cause of their migra ion arising from the severity of the past winter and the grasshopper scourge. As a concomitant to these evils, competition in the eastern States is becoming so keen after the manner of older countries that the most adven urous wend their way across the continent to less populous States, where labor is more in demand and wages are higher. The laboring classes are better off in the Colonies than they are in America. Average wages for pick and shovel men are two dollars a day of ten hours, working very hard in a semi-tropical sun. Good miners got three or four dollars per day ; carpenters three or four dollars per day ; bricklayers four dollars per day, and other trades in proportion. > A great many improvements are going on in _ this place, and at the present time it is the most prosperous place in California in proportion to its size. > Two years ago it was a small Spanish town, with adobe houses ; now it is a rapidly rising town of about 15,000 inhabitants, and fresh arrivals are pouring in every day from all parts of the Union ; and well they may, for few places on the earth’s surface are so well supplied with every description of natural wealth, and there is no part of the world which has come under my observation which contains the same number of millionaires, in proportion to the population, as California. Many of these wealthy men are excessively ignorant of many things save that of amassing wealth. This they do to perfection by the formation of rings for the purpose of preparing schemes or baits to satisfy the rapacity of the public ; for the richer some men become is only an incentive for others to ruin themselves, in the vain hope of following their example; but chances do not occur according to desire, hence when one man is suddenly rich a thousand are

macle poor, and it ever will be so whether a country is a republic or a monarchy. As education is only derived from steady application to rules, success only falls to the_ lot of those who strive to attain it. The question of capital and labor is but imperfectly understood, or, if understood, labor is powerless to demand its rights, or even command respect in many instances from employers, who sprang from the lowest ranks of industry; and it is my firm conviction that, ere many years have passed away, there will be a conflict between these two powers which will surpass in magnitude the late civil war. There are many signs indicating this which time will not permit me to deal with in this letter. I will, however, on some future occasion send you the result of my observations on this important subject. The grand work of development is progressing rapidly at this point: in a few months communication will be established with San Francisco by rail. There is one line already running from the Beach to Spadra and others places beyond Los Angeles, and another line is being pushed rapidly forward in a spirit of rivalry from Santa Minica, a distance of only twelve miles from the city. A large wharf is also being erected at tha* place which will injure its mere

outhern rival. These two lines, called the Southern Pacific and Los Angeles and Independence Railways, are intended to connect with the Union Pacific Railway, running through the rich mineral State of Arizona and touching at Utah, in opposition to the Central Pacific Railway, Communication will shortly be established with the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California. If that unfortunate country Mexico could only keep clear of its tin-pot revolutions, cheap lines of railway running through the country for the rapid eonveyanoe of troops and a strong Government prepared to execute all men illegally found with arms would soon make it the paradise of the earth.