Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-16
THE DUTY OF THE STATE CONCERN
ING THE DEBRIS.

EDS. RECORD UNION In to-day's paper
see you still adhere to coupling the taking
care of the hydraulic mining debris and levee-
ing lower rivers. hoped you could come
squarely to the front and advocate the true
plan-that plan which seems like the only
just one to nearly all persons directly threat
ened by this debris. The people of your city,
the farmers universally resident within the
proposed Sacramento river drainage district
under the Parks bill, say separate the work ;
take care of the debris; remove the cause or
impound it so it can't do further damage.
When that is well under way then remedy
the effects. 1t will take the State Engineer
a whole summer to make the necessary sur
veys investigations and calculations of cost of
work ETC., to furnish the data to intelligently
inaugurate works on, to remedy the effects.
You say the State Engineer says damming the
river canyons will not hold the lighter ma
terial above, and that such lighter material
will continue to come down and block up the
rivers, and in this you misapprehend the
Engineer. He says nothing is found in the
lower rivers Il understand him to mean the
mouth of Feather and the Feather below the
mouth of the Yuba) but coarse sand, and
that the lighter material is all carried on down.
Such is even true Of Bear from the mouth of
the canyon down, except when the water
spreads out in great sheets over the country.
Many of US in fact, nearly all of US who
have been almost ground to dust by this
monster evil, desire the impoundiDg of the
debris undertaken separately from the drain
ing of the valley. Can you deny, or can any
one, that we have suffered beyond all calcula-
ton? We blush, and we feel as if We had
x1,bar oha,
that we have paid our thousands into the
Golfers of the State, and have all this long
time been so bGsely treated in our property
rights. We, the taxpayers OF Sacramento
valley-univeTsally almost-believe it would
be palpably unjust in the State to refuse to
come to our succor with money to meet this
evil; and [ believe the same conviction
pervades the inhabitants of the mountain
regions drained by the Sacramento river and
its tributaries. We. in the valleys-many of
us-have lost more from this cause than we
can rally from in a lifetime, even if the State
from this on does her whole duty towards us.
You say ''the public welfare requires the
preservation of all productive industries.
You admit the mines must remain undis-
turbed. And understand that this, too, Is
the position Of the State. Is it possible the
State can persist in this position,
and refuse to come to our relief
aad by her power tie us hand and foot under
the Brown bill. The constitutIonality OF the
Brown bill is very questionable, and l be-
lieve taxpayers under it. in the event of its
passage, will combine for the purpose OF de-
feating the collection of tax, and will test it
judicially to the utmost extent. and thereby
seriously impede progress under it. l send
you this article feeling fully assured you will
cheerfully give it space in yolr columns.
The farmers feel that in the past you have
advocated the right, and we believe you feel
yourself still in the path of duty but could
You fully realize the terrible reality of our
injuries as you do the Importance of river
and harbor restoration, you would come to
our aid in the advocacy of general taxation
to be applied in the debris case.
d. P. DURsT.
Bear River, March Is, 1880.