the champion of free labour, who declared in 1860 for the
policy of the Republican party. Broderick's undoing was resolved upon by
the slavery party, and he was killed in a duel. The Gwin party hoped to
divide California into two states and hand the southern over to slavery;
on the eve of the Civil War it considered the scheme of a Pacific coast
republic. The decade 1850-1860 was also marked by the activity of
filibusters against Sonora and Central America. Two of these--a French
adventurer, one Gaston Raoux, comte de Raousset-Boulbon (1817-1854), and
William Walker, had very picturesque careers. The state was thoroughly
loyal when war came. The later 'fifties are characterized by H.H.
Bancroft as a period of "moral, political and financial night." National
politics were put first, to the complete ignoring of excessive taxation,
financial extravagance, ignorant legislation and corruption in
California. The public was exploited for many years with impunity for
the benefit of private interests. One legacy that ought to be briefly
noted here is that of disputed land grants. Under the Mexican regime
such grants were generous and common, and the complicated formalities
theoretically essential to their validity were very often, if not
usually, only in part attended to. Titles thus gained would never have
been questioned under continued Mexican government, but Americans were
unaccustomed to such riches in land and to such laxity. From the very
first hundreds "squatted" on large claims, contesting the title. Instead
of confirming all claims existing when the country passed to the United
States, and so ensuring an immediate settlement of the matter, which was
really the most important thing for the peace and purse of the
community, the United States government undertook through a land
commission and courts to sift the valid from the fraudulent. Claims of
enormous aggregate value were thus considered and a large part of those
dating from the last years of Mexican dominion (many probably artfully
concocted and fraudulently antedated after the commission was at work)
were finally rejected. This litigation filled the state and federal
courts for many years. The high value of realty in San Francisco
naturally offered extraordinary inducements to fraud, and the largest
part of the city was for years involved in fraudulent claims, and its
peace broken by "squatter"-troubles. Twenty or thirty years of the
state's life were disturbed by t