Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-02-24
OUR SACRAMENTO LETTER.
SACRAMENTo. February 19. 1872.


week by the performance Of any great
amount of work, still what has been done
has been Of no little importance. Several
bills of great interest to the State, and
action upon which has been hanging fire
almost since the commencement of the
session, has at last been disposed of but
in the debate that has invariably followed
their consideration, other business has
been sadly neglected, and as a conse-
quence, our files have already got to be
of considerable dimensions. The coming
week we have two or three more special
orders to be disposed Of, besides an ad-
journment on Washington's Birthday,
perhaps for the balance Of the week, so
there is a prospect Of rush Of business
soon. Speaker Shannon treated the AS
sembly to little curtain lecture a few
days since upon this little matter. lie
regretted the evident procIivitics of some
of the members to talk upon everything
and until they almost exhausted them
selves. He prophesied the great amount
of work that must necessarily gather
upon them was the practice continued,
and now that the session was fast draw
ing to a close he hoped there would be
no more OF it. The shoe seemed admir-
ably to fit. Berry, Of Sutter county,
who Immediately got upon his high horse,
replied to the Speaker, but the remarks
of the latter has already evidently had
good effect.
THE LITIGANT AND STATE PAPER ACTS.
These acts are now no more. Both
have shared the same fate in the hands
of the Senate. Both, disgrace 70 the
Legislature that passed them, and pro-
life sources ofinjustice and inconvenience
to litigants, have now been repealed, and
this despite the lobby that since the intro
duction Of the repeating clause have done
their utmost to prevent their passage.
La the Senate the repeal Of the State Pa
per act was the first to receive action.
The judiciary Committee, contrary to
all expectations, reported against the pas
sage, and the same day motion to in
definitely postpone was carried by vote
Of q ayes to 10 noes. But the next day
they thought better Of it, rcconsidered
the vote by which they indefinitely post
poned action upon it, and passed the re-
pealing bill by good majority. 1t was
endeavored to put the litigant act through
the same course of sprouts, but failed.
Motions to indefinitely postpone, then
that the act should not go into effect un-
til the expiration Of the term for which
the several litigant organs were dasig-
mated, and then that the act should not
apply to San Francisco, were all lost,
and then the bill was passed by a vote Of
20 ayes to noes, and these respective or
gans have been bowling ever since.
In this connection it may not be amiss
to state that general opinion is not going
to let the Sacramento Reporter die so
easily. We have it stated on good au-
thority that that paper, hitherto the State
paper, is now controlled by certain Re
publicans, and is shortly to come out the
acknowledged organ Of that party.
FARES AND FREIGHTs.
] must beg pardon for returning to
this old subject again, but it has been one
Of the most important subjects under dis
cussion this last week. One of the first
subjects introduced in the Assembly, it
has up to this time been locked up in
committee, and then the Committee on
Corporations recommended its non pas
sage, and at the same time introduced a
substitute bill, with unanimous recon-
mendation in its favor. This substitute
bill first requires railroad corporations to
make an annual report Of all their affairs
to the Secretary of State, and in the sec
ond section is provided the rates that
shall be charged. For passengers on or
dinary level, ~ cents per mile, and not
to exceed 10 cents at an altitude of 1000
feet. The company are authorized to
to classify and arrange all freight, and
fix their rates, which shall not exceed
81 80 per ton, for first, second and third
class articles. For n distance of more
than ten miles or less than one hundred
miles, 10 cents per ton per mile for first
class, 10 cents for second class, and 7
cents for third -classs. For distances of
one hundred miles or more, 10 cents per
ton per mile for tirst-class, cents for sec
ond-class and cents for third and other
classes, provided that at an altitude of
1000 feet, 3 cents per ton, in addition to
that allowed for one hundred miles or
more, may be charged. Special rates are
named for goods of an extra-haZardous
nature. In section three the Governor.
Surveyor General and Controller are
made Board of Commissioners. who are
authorized when it shall appear that the
net earnings of any road shall exceed ten
per cent, of its cost, to from time to time
reduce the charges for fares and freights.
For three long hours the matter occupied
the time of the Assembly. Those who
were so anxious for an immediate settle
ment, now whined or more time to "to
look into the provisions of the substi-
tuet y while those who had been ask
ing for more time, now wanted imme-
diately to come to the scratch. Finally.
n sort of compromise was effected, and
the whole subject was made the special
order for Tuesday, the 10Th inst. Gov
ernor Stanford, who is so directly inter
ested in this matter, was present during
the entire debate, and in his capacity as
Ex-Governor of the State, was an invited
guest upon the floor. 1t is more than