Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-16
THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE LEGIs-
LATURE.

duct has made upon those on whom they
depend for political advancement. The
session about to expire has been remark
able in at least one respect. 1t has been
attended with more turbulence, disorder
and ungentlemanly behavior on the part
of members than any previous session has
exhibited. 1t is only just to state that
this disgraceful conduct has been almost
confined to the Assembly, but if the man.
ners of that body were taken as fair IL
lustration of California civilization, the
conclusion that the State was retrograding
towards barbarism would we fear be un-
avoidable. An attempt was made at an
early stage of the session to put down the
more disorderly members, and to preserve
some semblance of dignity and decorum,
but it was failure, and towards the close
the scenes of violence and uproar occurring
daily have been simply outrageous. No
Legislature that ever convened in this
State had before it heavier work
than the adoption of the new Con-
stitution imposed upon this one, but
it very soon became apparent that the
body was i'll fitted to deal with the weighty
task intrusted to it. 1t would be hardly
an exaggeration to say that the conserva-
tive and intelligent element has been CON-
PEELED to devote almost all its time and
energy to the defeat of the crude and
vicious measures which have been literally
showered down throughout the session. 1t
is unquestionably true that the best work
of the session has consisted in the defeat
of such bad legislation. At intervals the
Legislature has appeared to lose its head
completely over absurd and preposterous
anti Chinese propositions, and despite
their notorious unconstitutionality, enough
of them have passed to keep the Supreme
Court employed for some time in exposing
their invalidity. Of the bills necessitated
by the new Constitution enough have been
enacted to secure the proper exploita-
ton of the principles of that instrument,
and some other useful and valuable
laws have been introduced. First in i'm
portance must be ranked the so-called
debris bill, which, though altered in
some respects for the worse through the
conflict of interests which delayed its pas
sage, has at length been enacted in a shape
which will for the first time make it pos
sible to put in operation the remedies
which science indicates for the great dan
ger so long impending over the Sacramento
valley, the rivers of California, and the
harbor of San Francisco. This most i'm.
portant measure received no intelligent
support or even analysis from the press of
San Francisco, but the press and people of
the interior have been compelled to bear
the whole burden of the controversy, and
at the eleventh hour the San Francisco
journals, which had not taken the trouble
to inform themselves on the subject, Of
fered an opposition as mean and stupid as
it was futile. The passage OF this bill may
hereafter be held to cover multitude of
part of the present Legislature, but it
must be acknowledged that the need for
vicarious atonement of some sort is very
great.
Of good bills which have failed to be-
come laws there are unfortunately not a
few. Among them the amended futile |
bill to regulate mining stock transactions
and the management of mines takes a first
place. As to the demand for this bill
there can be no doubt, nor can it be i'm
agined that the influences which defeated
it were in harmony with the public interest.
Of course the Legislature cannot be held
responsible for the effects of any laws rem
dered necessary by the new Constitution.
If those laws prove bad in practice the
fault must be laid at the doors of those
who made and voted for the Constitution.
The Legislature could only obey the man.
datory provisions of that instrument. 1t
did this in framing the new revenue bill,
which undoubtedly contains principles
wholly at variance with equity and sound
policy, and which is certain to produce evil
results and cause widespread dissatisfaction.
That, however, is no concern of the Legisla-
ture 1t could not have avoided doing
what it did without fatty disregarding the
Constitution, and it would have been alike
disloyal and unreasonable to expect it to do
anything of that kind. 1t is somewhat re.
markable that although all parties were
pledged to do something for the removal
of the evil of land monopoly, no measure
looking to that end has become law
Several land bills were introduced, and
some discussion of them was had, but they
seemed to burn members fingers, and some
how the arguments against land monopoly
which rolled out so roundly ON the stump,
had no force in the Legislature, or were
apparently forgotten. Perhaps it is as
well that nothing should be done on
this momentous question until public
opinion has been educated to fuller COM
prehension of all that it involves. That
education is proceeding to-day more
rapidly and efectually than ever before,
and in few years the people may be ripe
for change in the land laws which will
produce far more beneficial results than
could have been expected from any of the
bills of this session. In regard to general
legislation it will be necessary to wait
some time before the full effect OF
| the sessions work can be grasped,
but it is quite competent to any
careful observer to reach the conclusion
that the session about to expire has been
hampered by phenomenal incapacity and
crudity, and that it has for the most part
been a struggle to prevent disastrous legis-
lation, rather than harmonious effort to
pass good laws.
TIE coNsTANTINoPLE CASE.
An American murdered, or killed, a