Columbia gazette., 1854-05-20
THK LAST COMMUNICATION
OF THEGOVERNOR TO THE
LEGISLATURES OF 1854.
ExEcurrvE DEPARrMkNr,
Sacramento, May Is, 1854.

1ofhe Senate !. assembly Of California
Your committee inform me that 20,
are ready to adjourn, and desire 10 know
whether havo any further communica
ton to make.
T. In response, / cannot refrain from ex
pressing my sincere regret that all the
more important measure required by tho
people have been defeated, either by 8
vote or delay in acting upon them.
The bill providing for the Extension
of the Water Front Of the City of Sar
Francisco passed the Assembly, but wa,
defeated in the Senate by an adjourn.
ment Of that body on Frida, last, before
it could be received and read frs
time.
/ This important measure, If it had re.
ceived your sanction, would in com.
paratively short time have secured The
payment Of the entire State debt, and
relieved the people from the burden d
taxation, in which they have heretofore
acquiesed patiently, believing that the
present Legislature would provide 70,
their relief by the appropriation Of those
ample means 80 entirely within thcil
! reach.
The bill providing for the selection ol
the balance of school, seminary, and
other public lands, to my grea, surprise
met with determined opposition, and
was finally defeated.
[ deeply regret the defeat of this bill
because failure for another year TO &C.
lect these lands will doubtl, IS place be
yond the reach of the State aIi the more
valuable public lands which might now
have been secured, aud of course to
some extent deprive the rising genera
tion of the benefits OF the liberal dona-
tions made by Congress
The bill providing for the protection
Of actual settlers, although, passed in the
Assembly by large majority, failed to
receive the approval OF the Senate.
had indulged the hope that thi.
measure, 20 exceedingly Important to
the interests of the great mass ofagricul-
tursts, would have received your willing
approval. This hope, confidently in
dnlged no less BY the people than my
self, has not been realized; and the duty
will again devolve upon them of select
ing representatives, before favorable ac-
tion on the subject can he obtained.
Notwithstanding that the evidence Of
tho auctionccrs themselves has been pre-
scnted, to the effect that the Estate du-
ties" are by them uniformly collected,
to the amount annually of not less than
one hundred thousand dollars, measures
have not been adopted to compel pay
ment INFO the treasury. 1t is proper to
state that, although Interested persons
have most unremittingly assailcd and
misrerrcscntcd this measure, the amend
cd bill provided cffectuSily against mo-
nopoly, and allowed every person to en-
gage in the business of an auctionecr,
by giving sufficient bond for the faithful
compliance with the provisions of the
act, and should have received the ap-
proval Of your bodies as a measure es-
sentially necessary for the interests of
the State.
You have n,orc than oace been in
vokcd to adopt the necessary measures
to secure for the State the Leidesdorff,
and two other cschcatcd estates, amount
ing in Ysluc in the aggregate to at least
two millions OF dollars. But this re-
commendation, Ike others equally i'm
portant, has not in any efcctual man
ner, been sanctioned, and it is now quite
probable that before the meeting of an
other Legislature, new difficulties will
arise to prevent their recovery by the
State. Prompt and decisive action in
relation to these estates, would have ad-
ded at least two millions to the school
fund.
The necessity for amendment aud re-
vision Of the several acts on the statute
books relating to corporations, was so
apparent, and evidence so clearly before
you, that protection to the rights and
interests of the people required your in
terfcrcnce, that | never doubted even
for moment, that you would take ia
vorable action on the subject before ad-
jourument. But like the ether impor-
tant measures referred to, the people
must again give expression to their views
before proper Legislation in relation to
corporations can be obtained.
Amendments to the constitution have
been repeatedly recommended, which, if
adopted, would annually lessen the ex-
penditures Of Government not less than
three hundred thousand dollars This
recommendation, like most others made,
has not been carried into effect by neces-
sary legislation.
1t is we'll known that vigorous efforts
arc now being made by our delegation in
Congress, and others, to secure the res
toration Of the "civil fund.-" and the as
sumption by the General Government
of the war debt. In order to have the
statements, accounts and vouchers rela-
ting to these important matters, so pre-
pared that Congress could understand
them and legislate intelligently in rela-
ton to these, action on your part was
deemed necessary. 1t is to be hoped,
that this neglect wllnct seriously inter