Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-04-08
LETTER FROM THE CAPITAL,
IRREGULAR CORRESPONDENTS OF THE JOURNAL
Closing Days and Hours of the T.eg-
islature - Leading Measures.
The ResuIts-Presents.
GOOd.By.
SAcRAMENTo. April 4th, 1876.


GoOd-By.
SACRAMENTO, April 4th, 1876.
The Legislature expired by limitation
of law last night at the hour Of twelve.
There were the usual funny resolutions,
but the act was in every case far fetched
and not Of humor born. One Of the last
acts Of the Governor was to approve the
O'Connor Railroad Commissioner bill
and return it to the Senate. So too with
the West Side Irrigation bill and these
two, with the San Francisco water bills
have been the only really great bills and
acts Of the session which became laws.
| add TO my list of leading measures
which have become laws the following
Acts.
LEADING MEASURES.
Regulating Chinese fisheries in inland
waters.
Regulating freight and fares on rail
roads and appointing Railroad Commits
sioner.
Paying indebtedness of the State Ag-
ricultural Society.
Creating the 22d Judicial District (So-
noma, Mendocino and Marin counties).
The Governor has appointed jackson
Temple ex-Justice Of the Supreme Court
to fill the bench.
Appropriations Of 500 for whole or
phans and S75 for half orphans, in asy-
lums for two years support.
Appropriating money to rebuild the
workshops at San Quentin, 500, 900, and
$50, 900 to build new cells.
Supporting appropriation for the Ma
tional Guard. (Reduced from that Of
two years ago.
Creating the 2lst Judicial District -
! Counties east of Sierra Summit now in
Judge Sexton's district are cut off,
For the the construction OF the Mcchan-
cal Arts College at the State University.
For printing the State Capitol, etc .,
$l2, 900 Of appropriation.
To put stone steps and other improve
ments in the Capitol grounds.
To regulate the State Prison and pro-
vide for its government.
GENERAL MATTERS.
After careful research cannot add to
this list unless we are to class the protec-
tion of fish from set nets of the Chinese
as it is now criminal act to catch them
that way.
There were many amendments to the
Codes, some of which are undoubtedly Of
great good, and all probably were neces-
sary, but that kind of legislation is the
out growth of necessity and not to be
classed among leading measures. There
was one statesmanlike step, and that was
taken by the Senate, which appointed
seven of its holdo members to exam
inc, way down to the bottom Of this
Chinese question and report to the Gov
ernor, who is to report to Congress in
December, 1876, and the next Legislature
in 1878. The Commissioners have al
ready met and organized and intend to
do the work thoroughly. They will print
all the testimony they take and and all
their conclusions and scatter the volume
all over the land. / am not inclined to
say with the usual crowd, we're glad the
Legislature did no more harm than it did
/ do" That ungrammatical exclamation
is too common whenever Legislature
/ expires. The truth is this late Lcgisla-
ture was not la harmful body. 1t reflected
public sentiment fairly, and while it
did not grapple with great measures, save
the railroad question, it did we'll in many
things. 1t sought to give strength to the
Democratic party, but for that let no Re-
publican blame it, for have not we all
done likewise?
The evil existing in great volume of
legislation is not the fault Of the Repre-
sentatives and Senators any more than of
1--WE the People," for | am well satisfied
the mass of legislation is forced upon the
members from the outside. We are too
much inclined to think something must
be done in the way of" introducing bills, !"
or conclude no real legislation is being
accomplished. Some day we will rise to
the perfect plan of submitting all bills of
Il special character and all bills amending
the Codes, some months in advance of
| legislation, to a commission to consider,
arrange, digest, harmonic and prepare
for legislative action. This will eventu-
ally be done and no bill will pass Leg
isIature on the day or week or even the
month of its conception and introduction.
Senator Persons divorce bill rests in
the Governors bone yard, as does the bill
to prevent the Chinese removing the
bones of their people. Tie gas bill died
a natural death. Land monopoly inves-
tigation accomplished good deal in the
way Of disseminating information on the
subject which will lead, let us hope, to
reform they ought not to expect invest
igation and reform all at once in such A
vast field rs was opened up. One meas
nre deserves more than passing notice
and that is the repeal of all the laws
which worked an exclusion of foreign in
surance companies from the State. The
Democracy in this has done we'll. The
two years trial of the proscriptive laws
proved that they were failures. Let all
come in, and let the people be the sole
judges of whom to do business with.
To-day the members arc leaving town
and generally in an excellent humor.-
To most of them tho session has been n
very pleasant one and they separate with