Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-12


trict affected to take care of ITSELF One thing de-
sire to call attention to before l forget it here,
in reference to Senator Hills remarks. He read
from an article in the Daily Bee, | believe, in
which it was stated that this bill engineered last
session by Mr.. Parks, who was swamp-land owner,
and by Captain Brown, who was hydraulic mine
owner l sent note to Captain Brown, asking
him in reference to that, and he says he never
owned or was Interested in hydraulic mine in his
life. l only say tnat to show that even-and say
it with the utmost respect for Senator Hill pro-
prietor of a newspaper-that even newspaper can
make mistake.
Now, Mr.. President, after having shown, believe
successfully, the greatness OF the question: and
the necessity Of action thereupon, and shown also
that the State is bound in law and in equity to do
something OF itself in this matter and not leave to
the district directly interested, come to the
consideration OF the question as to what viii be the
result If this law is repealed What do you offer
in case you repeal this law? Show us something
show something that you offer in this matter if this
law is repealed. What result will follow? Have
You enacted any law for the farmers? Have you en-
acted any law by which the hydraulic miner shall
be prevented from running his tailings into the
streams and covering the farms up in the future the
same as in the past? Have you enacted even
proposed any law by which we will be permitted to
scour out these rivers? Have you presented any
thing whatever save simply and solely the repeal OF
a law which you say now you do not like! Some
thing ought to be done, YOU Admit. You say you
anxious to repeal this law Ii YOU do repeal this
valley? What will you give us2 What can you give
us -! You have said by your votes to-day upon
the amendments offered that YOU will give nothing
and you have said by your votes to-day that all
you ask all you desire, is the repeal of this law and
that you care not for the consequences. Like the
Frenchman, who said, - After me the deuge" all
you seem to care fOr-you gentlemen that now favor
the repeal of the law that last session you voted and
spoke for-all that you seem TO care for is repeal,
to-day, this minute If you can, regardless of the
consequences to the people of this valley or to the
people of the State There will be no protection
whatever to the farmer if this law is repealed,
none whatever There will be no limitation
upon the power OF the hydraulic miner to fill the
navgahle waters of the State and flood the farms of
the Sacramento yalley-none whatever. There will
be no change in the law which will permit the
farmer to take his case into Court, except in such
manner to secure his defeat There will be moth
ing done whereby the cities of Marysvile and Sacra-
mento can be protec ed from this flood, except
to do they have done in the past, viz Put their
hands into their own pockets and pay for levees to
keep out the water that this Legislature permits to
flow upon them. This is question you can
not shirk. This is question that comes
home directly to your conscences your heads and
your hearts. Ii you repeal this debris bill, what
OF relief, what protection will you give us,
that now suffering by reason of the ravages of
this angry river? You that live in San Francisco do
not feel it now You that live In the southern part
OF the State, that up here and ask Tor normal
schools and vote for then ana get them, too you
do not feel it now You yourselves from
Southern California are asking for some
relief viz: That law should be repealed
that has stood upon the statute books
ever since this State, in reference to riparian
and water rights; you asking that the rule
should be made that riparian rights which have
been considered sacred for hundreds Of years should
no longer obtain in California, and that wise laws for
the protection OF rights and ndiv ual property
be stricken from the statute books in order protect
YOU in your schemes colonlze Southern California
You come here solidly from Los Angeles and Mon
terey and Fresno and Santa Barbara and San Ber-
nardlno and Santa Clara, for on this question the
Santa Clara delegation is voting together. They for
once are united, and the umbilical cord which
supposed to have been forever severed at the last
Republican State Convention has been cemented in
one symmetrical link by the apparent desire to de-
prve the northern and central portions of the State
of their Just measure of relief. All you gentlemen
coming from the southern part Of the State to this
Senatefor it is fr that part OF the State that the
most Of this illogical and unkind cry comes against
the debris Act-coming here as you do and ask g
relief for yourselves; coming here and asking each
of US to voc for your measures, claimed TO be
needed for your section and your section alone ask
ing us to repeal laws that have stood for years that
have been decided over and again to be wise
and good asking US to change every statute book
in the State to oyerturn vested rights to destroy
millions Of dollars worth of property; asking us to
make new rules for your government, and yet refus
ing to help US in the hour of trouble and seek
ing TO take from us all the relief have. You
fuse to help us out of our slough of our despond
and morass of trouble under the specious plea that
the state ought not to do anything in the matter :;
that our rum is mere local matter, of no con-
Germ to you or your constituents The State
ought to do the work we need. The State ought TO
help all its citizens, and not give merely to South
ern California because it sits up like suiky boy and
says g If you don't give me what want Will go
out of the State Why, sulky child like that
ought to be spanked and sent to bed, and Southern
California ought to be well spanked and sat down
upon by the balance of the State for those shrieks
ha1,. 81
time its people are holding public meetings and
cheering for division of the State. Behold those
are the people that want to close the way to our
that want to run MarYsville and SAcra
mento veritlby Tito the ground that
want to destroy these cities that We
have built up and protected and that
wish to destroy this valley. Can it be possible that
you are unwilling to give us helpf You repeal the
law that offers us some measure OF relief. lou
leave the case just it before the debris Act
was passed What mercy have the hydraulic
miners, as to the filing the streams and water
courses of this State? And right here let me say
that, if | am correctly informed, these hydraulic
miners have not manifested so much wickedness in
this matter If | am freely informed, they pro-
posed to give $4,000 to the city OF Mary sve, to be
used in building levees, ii they withdrew certain
suit against them. So it seems that they are willing
to do something in the matter. But YOU Senators
from Southern California may say that we must
repeal this debris bill, and leave the peo-
pie of these valleys at the mercy of
with your ruin and destruction. Go on filling up
the valleys, running the cities We don't what
you do. We are going to build up the State OF
Southern California, and do not care for anything
except our end Of the State. You people Of northern
and central California so down to ruin and
wreck il you wish, and we viii extend to you no
helping hand in your trouble" submit to the
Senators that this sectenasm that is being preached
and practiced here is out of place L feel, in the
Language of Senator Sears last session, although he
has fallen from his statesmanlike views that we
ought TO make it a State matter. In regard to this
matter of the mining industries Of the State there
is a cond view of this question. There was time
when the mining industry of California was the only
industry of importance on the coast-a time when
Fl Dorado county had more members of the Iegis-
lature than San Francisco Placer had more mem
bers of the Legislature than San Francisco; when
Nevada county had more members of the Legisa-
ture than san Francisco when the miners Of this
State had the power to enact such laws they
pleased aGd yet they legslated for the bsnet Of all
classes particularly the agucuturists, and specially
for the remote portions OF our Stte. In those days
my friend from Marin represented mining county,
and in those DAYS the miners were just to all parts
OF the State, aud were willing to aid the State by
iudcious system of internal improvements. This
historical Renaissance ought to have bearing on
the question. 1t has some weight in shaping
course properly upon the measure now under dis
cussIon, and ought in degree TO be taken into
account. AS illustrating some views upon the miu-
ing interests Of the State, permit me to read again
from this fountain Of elOquence from this lake OF
learning, from this rhet rical speech which have
studied and admIred-I mean the address of Senator
Sears delivered in favor of the debris Act at the last
session OF this Senate, and which is as follows:
g The discussion on this measure has carried me
back to the early days OF California. 1t has called
10 my mind the scenes that | witnessed when first
landed at Marysye. i saw the Yuba river when it
contained less debris tan the water have drank
in this Capitol this winter the river as clear
as mountain stream. ! saw steamers ascend the
Yuba as high as Parks Bar. Where then there was
from fifteen to twenty feet of water there now lie in
its bed many feet of gravel and sand where then
broad acres of rch fertile lands there are now
devastation and ruin; where then were young
gardens and felis of grain, they now lie
buried many feet beneath barren sand; where then
the face OF nature was decorated with beautiful
flowers there now grow the willow and the thistle
80, 900 acres OF precious soil is desoated beyond
demption. An enterpfising city, whose taxable
property four wears ago was rated at 1900 COO s
to-day reduced to 100000, and its inhabitants
await their doom for the coming Of the food OF
slckens to engulf them.
recognize the mining interest of this State one
too important to be stopped crippled. The news
OF the discovery Of gold on this coast flashed like
the morning light throughout the world. 1t brought
to our state men II genius enterprise, energy aud
courage they scattered throughout the mountains,
rivers canyons and valleys they gave life and eivili
zation to an unknown wilderness without law
ciety was free from crime and intrigue The crude
customs OF the miners were more sacrediY observed
among the pioneers than our statutes to-day"