The Nevada journal., 1854-01-13


difficulties In California and, unless full ant
correct information be given and effort made Il
induce investigation on the part of those charg
ed with the duty of deciding upon its merits
we can scarcely hope that our claim, will b.
properly appreciated and favorable action Sc
cured,
The subject is therefore, earnestly, but re
spectfully, commended to your careful consid
Grafton, with the hope that you will devise al
efficient plan of cooperation with our delega
tion in Congress.
With view to lessen the expenditures o
Government, l respectfully renew and earnestly
invoke your attention to the recommendation
made in my last annual message, in relation t
amendments to the Constitution of the State
and now suggest two others, which regard as
highly important.
The first, in order that the instrument ma
the more perfectly conform to the spirit of oul
popular form of government the second a:
conductive to simplicity and economy in the adj
ministration of its affairs.
The second section of article tenth, which
provides for the calling of Convention, as the
mode of revising or changing the entire Con
stitution," contains no provision requiring the
Convention, after closing its labors, to submit
the Constitution framed to vote of the people
of the state, at a general election.
This is certainly radical defect, and one
which should be remedied, before clothing any
body of men with the power to revise or change
the entire Constitution"
The Constitution, after having been framed
and adopted by Convention, permit me here
to suggest, should be placed within the reach
of every voter, and ample time given to exam
inc, carefully its principles, its provisions and
its limitations, before called upon by vote, tp
sanction and give effect to it as fundamental
and paramount law. / therefore respectfully
recommend that this section be so amended as
to require the Convention to submit the Con-
stitution, after framed, to vote of the people |;
the same to have no effect until adopted by .
majority of the State, at general election.
The twenty-frst Section of the eleventh
Article of the Constitution, provides that " all
laws. DEGREES, regulations and provisions,
which from their nature require publication,
shall be published in English and Spanish. ;"
This section should be so far modified as to
allow the Legislature discretionary power as
to what laws, DEGREES, regulations and prov Isl
ions +" shall be translated and printed in the
Spanish language.
The necessity of such modif cation is appar-
ent from the fact that the. Section has hereto
FORE in practice been almost wholly disregar-
ded. And, although this requirement has
been but partially complied with, so great has
been the expense and Inconvenience arising
therefrom, that its disregard has been matter
of no surprise, but has rather been considered
as the demand of necessity. In fact, had this
provision been fully complied with-had all
the laws, DEGREES, regulations and provisions
now printed in English, been also published in
Spanish, the printing account, now the subject
of much complaint would have been greatly
increased in amount, to say nothing of the ex-
pense and translation which must have been
thereby incurred.
In engrafting on the Constitution these highly
important amendments, recommend the mode
prescribed in the first section of the Tenth Ar
ticle of that instrument. By adopting this
mode of amendment, the expense of conven-
ton, and the excitement incident, will be avoid
ed, and the required changes to free the Consti-
tuition of Objectionable features, secured in q
shorter period of time than by the other mode
provided in the second section of the same ar
ticle
The remaining reforms recommended in my
last annual message, with the exception of those
finally disposed of by the last Legislature, arc
also again recommended to your favorable con-
sideratiOn.
BY adopting the reforms proposed, it is be-
lieved that an annual saving will be effected I'd
the State of three hundred and seventy
thousand seven hundred dollars, as follows, viz
Surveyor General, ........ $4,000
Superintendent of Public Instruction, 45O0
Biennial Sessions, ................ Ill O00
Reduction of pay to eight dollars per
day mileage one-half, ...... 80. 10000
Limiting Sessions to ninety days.. 43, 200
Reduction transpor tation of Prisoners
from 81 to SO cts. per mile, ..... 5000
Governors salary to $4,000. 1000
Salary Of Supreme Court Judges to
S6,00O, $4,000
Reducing number of District Judges
from eleven to eight, about ...... 10000
Salary of District Attorney of San
Francisco, ...... ...... ....: 5000
S37l, zoo
| A general curtailment of legislative expen-
ditures and especially that portion of them
incident to the clerical duties performed, would
also seem to be absolutely necessary.
The enormous sum of one hundred and eighty
! two thousand four hundred and twenty-seven
dollaJs and forty-three cents has been paid for
clerk hire and to the officers of the two Houses
during the sessions Of 1852 and 1858. The
amount paid last session to officers and clerks
alone, was one hundred and six thousand and
ninety-three dollars and seventy cents. 1t is
| true, that the Executive has no control over
| the the action of either House, 80 far q,
employment of clerks aud officers is concerned
and that both in this matter, are as independent
of the Governor as they are of each other !; but
as we have recently seen an effort made to hold
the Executive responsible for every expenditure
| of public money, may be permitted to direct
your attention to the subject, and invoke your
cooperation in the work of REFORM SO necessary
to the preservation Of State credit
The people of California not only anticipate
that provision will be made during the present
session for the payment of the existing State
debt, but they also expect that you will, by
reducing the salaries Of Office generally, SO far
lessen the expenditures of government that
they will not, as heretofore, exceed the re-
ceipts into the Treasury, and that hereafter 1t
NAV not be necessary to seek n market for the