1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 600 Governor

Compared with the tense election of the 16th President of the United States, the third-term election in California seemed very smooth.

Liang Yao was successfully elected as the third governor of California with an approval rate of over 90%.

When Liang Yao became the governor of California, his heart did not waver at all.

The governor of California is a governor who is loyal to the plutocrats. In essence, he is the spokesperson for the interests of the local plutocrats. And he himself is the largest plutocrat in California and even the entire West.

If Liang Yao had wanted to, he could have become the first governor of California ten years ago.

What other people in California have to consider is whether they can be elected, but all he needs to consider is whether he wants to be elected.

Had it not been for the fact that after the outbreak of the Civil War, the western region needed a strong common leader to rule the west. As for this leader of the Western Conference, only he is qualified and capable. Liang Yao really didn't want to be the governor. He preferred to focus his limited energy on military affairs.

When I came to the long-lost San Francisco Tingtao Garden, I listened to the sound of waves coming from the coast. Looking from a high distance, I saw the chessboard-like layout of the old town of San Francisco.

The streets in the old town of St. Francis are straight and horizontal. Although there is no beauty at all, they give people a very neat and comfortable feeling.

This is the essence of San Francisco, home to more than three hundred thousand residents. Most of the residents who can settle in the overcrowded and expensive old town of San Francisco are immigrants who came to California in the early days and made a fortune.

Carriages shuttled through the straight streets of the old city, and the clatter of horse hooves complemented the cries of street vendors. Pedestrians hurried on the road, shuttling between three, four, or even four or five-story high-rise buildings, creating a busy scene.

On the streets of the business district, tall buildings rise from the ground, and crowds of people crowd the sidewalks. The shop windows are filled with a wide variety of products, attracting people who come here to shop. Even on the streets there are vendors selling fresh food and various handicrafts.

At the port not far away, a huge cargo ship was moored at the pier, and workers on the ship were busy loading and unloading the goods. There was a bustle of people around the port, coming from all over the world. Various goods were unloaded from the ship, moved into the warehouse at the dock, and finally transported to all corners of the city by horse-drawn carriages, maintaining the daily operation of this bustling metropolis.

In 1860, San Francisco had become the trading center of the entire Eastern Pacific region.

More than ten years ago, this was an unknown small fishing village that was not marked on many maps.

“The entire building over there was newly built last year,” San Francisco Mayor Coney Vanderbilt said, pointing to a high-density residential area of ​​four or five stories at the foot of San Bruno Mountain. “ The price of this kind of apartment building is already over 20 US dollars per square meter. At such a sky-high price, all of them were sold out within a few days of opening. It’s a pity.”

Thanks to Liang Yao's advice to Kony on the train a few years ago, Kony's real estate business in San Francisco, Sacramento, Auroville and other cities has been prosperous and he has made a lot of money.

Housing prices exceeding US$20 per square meter are indeed sky-high. After all, the average worker in San Francisco only earns more than US$20 per month.

San Francisco, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Auroville are the four largest cities in California and the essence of California.

Of California's population of 2.8 million, more than 1.7 million people live in these four major cities.

Among them, the population of the two metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Francisco exceeds 500,000, with the population of the San Francisco metropolitan area being 700,000 and the Los Angeles metropolitan area being 600,000. Even if this kind of population is placed in the eastern region, it is still a metropolis.

What's more, San Francisco and Los Angeles not only have a huge population, but also a complete industrial chain.

The San Francisco metropolitan area is the largest comprehensive industrial city in the West, and Los Angeles is the largest petrochemical industry city.

Each of these two cities generates more wealth than many states in the United States.

"What's the pity?" Liang Yao couldn't help but ask when he saw Kony sighing sadly.

"It's a pity that after this property is sold, there will be no more land for development in the old city of San Francisco. Unless parks such as Golden Gate Park, Seaside Park, and Daming Lake Park are bulldozed, there will be room to build houses." Coney He said with a smile.

"However, these parks were left for greening at the beginning of the city's planning. It is a pity that they cannot be moved. This is the old city of San Francisco where land is at a premium."

Liang Yao knew that Kony was trying to test his words, so he said calmly: "There is a lot of wasteland in San Jose, Fremont, Oakland, and Jinshan Bay that can still be developed. How can you say that there is no land for development. "

"Yes, but to develop new land, you have to build roads, and building roads costs money." Kony said pointedly.

"Put it out quickly, don't beat around the bush." ​​Liang Yao spat.

"Then I'll be honest, after the military expansion, the finances of various places have become stretched and a little nervous." Kony thought for a while and said, "I heard that some southern states have overtly and covertly asked the federal government to collect less, or even not Let’s collect tariffs. Can we do that too?”

Kony came up with the idea of ​​​​federal tariffs. Since the South can not pay tariffs, why not the West?

"You and Wen Yu can discuss this matter." Liang Yao acquiesced to Kony's idea.

Tariffs are essentially protection fees paid by the western region to the federal government. Since the federal government is currently too busy to take care of itself and cannot provide adequate protection for the west, and also wants to reduce Liang Yao's power, there is no need to continue to pay this protection fee. .

At the end of August 1860, William Seward, the most promising presidential candidate of the Republican Party, almost ruined his political career because of his outspoken speech.

In a speech, William Seward did not know whether it was because he was too tired or for other reasons, but he publicly declared that the law is superior to the Constitution.

William Seward's shocking remarks not only shocked Southerners, but also his fellow Northern Republicans.

Fellow Republicans were shocked that William Seward, a seasoned and shrewd old politician, could make such a low-level principled error in public.

Naturally, William Seward's political opponents would not miss this golden opportunity, especially the Northern Democratic candidate Douglas and the Southern Democratic candidate Blake Ningridge, who seized on William Seward's fatal mistake. Make a fuss.

Due to pressure from the outside world, the Republican Party had to disqualify William Seward as a candidate and began to consider a new presidential candidate within the party.