The swift creation of an American common wealth by the sudden horde of adventurous pioneers upon whom that duty at once devolved is perhaps the most remarkable monument to the genius of the American people for self government. Ninety thousand wanderers., home less, wifeless and chaotic in the wilderness fevered by enormous and sudden gains, without cities or laws or communication with the out side world, within a year installed soberly and firmly all essential machineries of an American State. The desperadoes who flocked in from all parts of the world—including a large contin gent of Australian convicts — were firmly sup pressed, though not at once. Between 1849 and 1856 there were in San Francisco alone 1,000 homicides and seven executions. In 1856 the second vigilance committee, composed of the best citizens, after full and formal trial, publicly hanged half a dozen of the worst des peradoes, and banished scores of others on pain of death. Since that time life and property have been quite as safe in California as in the East ern States. Chinese exclusion, though finally a national measure, was brought about by Cali fornia, which then contained a majority of all Chinese in this. country. In 1879 California voted exclusion by 154,638 to 883. The num ber of Chinese in the State has decreased from 75,132 in 1880 and 72,472 in 1890 to 45,753 in 1900. The bitterness aroused by the exclusion struggle has passed, and Chinese are well treated.
California entered the Union as a free State, thus giving balance of power to the North. In State elections since the war it has been pecul iarly independent, having gone Democratic in 1867, 1875, 1882, 1886 (Democratic governor and Republican lieutenant-governor, who became governor by his superior's death) and 1894; Republican in 1871, 1879, 1890, 1898 and 1902.
In politics, California is counted °Safe Re publican.) For its first half century it came near alternating between the two great parties; but from 1902 to 1918 has elected only Republi can governors (including a In national politics it has given its electoral vote in the same 16 years for only one Democratic President—Wilson, second term. This was largely by the women's vote, and on the slogan He kept us out of The presidential vote of California was decisive. California was the sixth State to adopt (1911) equal suffrage, and the first State of considerable size—being more than double the *total population of the five earlier equal suffrage States. In 1916, out of n population of 3,000,000, the total registra tion was 1,314,446; the total vote nearly 80 per cent of this, ranging from 39 per cent to 46 per cent women. No woman has been elected to a Federal or State office; about 30 have been appointed. In counties and cities, over 50 women have been elected to office — f rom 18 superintendents of schools, to one county clerk and the only councilwoman in the county (Los Angeles). There are several policewomen, probation officers, etc.; and many serving on civic commissions. The question of their eligibility on juries is not yet (1918) de termined, and depends on the ruling of the judge. Women have procured the introduction and enactment of over a dozen humanitarian laws of varying importance and value, chiefly concerned with women and children, prohibition and ¶the social evil.) Next to the gold excitement (see Mining and Population) the most sensational era in California history was the great bonanza silver period from 1859 to 1880. The mines were in Nevada, but were owned in San Francisco, and an era of stock-gambling theretofore unheard of in history, and probably, not yet surpassed, sprang from their sensational yield. Stocks on
the San Francisco board rose $1,000,000 a day for many months, and sales in one year were $120,000,000. Everybody gambled in stock, from bankers to scrubwomen. In 1875, with less than 200,000 population, San Francisco had 100 millionaires. The °Consolidated VirOnia* mines paid $1,000,000 per month dividends for nearly two years. One lode was valued at nearly $400,000,000; $250,000,000 was spent in °developing) a small group of hills. The deca dente of these great bonanzas, following the subsidence of gold mining to sober methods, at last turned more general attention to agricul ture, the real wealth of the State. (See Agri culture). In 1880 California was first in the Union only in gold, sheep and quicksilver; all other industries being far down the list. It is now first in gold; ninth in sheep; first in diversity of crops; first ip wines, total fruits, canned fruits, dried fruits, barley; first in num ber of irrigated farms; first in average wages in manufacturing establishments; first in borax, asphalt, quicksilver, platinum; second in cop per; third in wheat; first in beet sugar; first in hops; first in oranges, lemons, olives and all semi-tropic fruits, honey, prunes, walnuts, al monds, beans, grapes, pears, peaches, cherries, apricots, etc.; first in electric power trans mission; third in ship-building; second in pe troleum; fifth in total value products per farm; eleventh in value of farm products per capita; twelfth in total value of manufactured products.
The highest California gold product in any one year was $85,000,000. The total agricul tural products for 1916 were $194,566,000; and total 'value of manufactured products (1916) $712,800,764.
A South Sea bubble as wild as the Corn stock silver stock-craze was the great °Land of southern California, 1886-87, a period of land-gambling never quite equaled in any other part of America. An area as large as New England was involved, with varying in tensity; but the chief focus of excitement was in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Scores of thousands of city lots were staked out far from towns; hundreds of miles of cement sidewalks and curbs were laid; scores of big hotels and other buildings erected as baits, and great quantities of lands (pur chased at from $10 to $30 per acre) were sold in town lots at $1,000 to $10,000 per acre. In Los Angeles County atone, with a population then not over 50,000, real estate transfers recorded in 1887 were over $100,000,000. Ex cursion auction sales of new some times realized $250,000 in a day; and $100 was often paid for place in the line for a sale to open. The collapse of this gigantic bubble, early in was as extraordinary in its freedom from disaster as it had been in its inflation. Not a bank failed, nor a business house of respectable standing; and while desert town lots reverted to acreage and acreage values, all really desirable real estate, rural and urban, has constantly advanced ip value every year — thanks to the uninterrupted continuance of large and wealthy immigration. Building of homes and setting oat of orchards continue on an extraordinary scale. °Local option* is in force; and nearly all towns of southern Cali fornia are "prohibition.* Bibliography.—General History: Hittell, T. H., 'History of California' (4 vols., 1897, exhaustively indexed and by one author); Ban croft, H. H., 'History of California' (7 vols., 1890, by anonymous staff, and inadequately in dexed); Hittell, J. S., 'History of San Fran cisco' (1876, concise and reliable, to its date).