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

past. "Let the dead past bury it's dead" Let us
simply consider the facts of the case as they exist
TODAY on the It'll Of February, 1881, and as they
may exist in the future, and let us legislate with
reference to the facts of to-day and with reference
to what will come in the future. As to who has
been TO blame fer the past, it may or may not be
question upon which we shall diner. AS 10 VINO
shall be TO blame if nothing is done to prevent this
destruction of property, history will say that it is
this Legislature who are to bear the blame, unless
this Legislature does something towards repairing
the damages which past Legislatures nave permitted
in this State; unless this Legislature does some
thing towards protecting the future, towards fixing
matters so that in the near future men, women and
children will not killed. property will not be de-
stroyed, taxable interests ruined and the wealth OF
the State reduced at least one-thrd. We must legs-
late wisely we must not be governed by passion,
prejudice or by that worst of feelings sectionasm,
which has been appealed to in this case. San Fran
cisco and Alameda are interested in this ques-
ton even than is Sacramento or Suffer or Yuba.
The prosperity of the city of San Francisco, IN my
iudgment-and base it upon two propositions
one is from examination by myself personally, and
the other is upon the report OF those eminent engl
neers and reasoning from them | say that believe
the prosperity OF San Francisco depends upon a
proper solution of this question. You gentlemen
representing the city OF San Francisco who sit idly
by aud fold your hands in fanced security while 1t
may be laughing at our troubles, thinking that
nothing can reach or injure you, will do wei. to
pause and carefully study the situation of affairs
near your city. Examine the report OF the engi-
neers upon this question and look NJ the showinSs
for the past few years. and then see you can con-
scientously vote to dismiss this debris proposition
in the summary manner proposed. | venture the
prophecy-and / do not claim to be either the
son OF a prophet or the father of a prophet,
or to be prophet myself; | claim, however, to be
one that endeayors to reason from what he reads
and what he sees-I venture the prophecy that I'M
less this flow of mining debris is stopped in some
manner; unless the rivers and water channels
of the northern and middle part of the State
Al NJ hair ngIftr Faafl n
inc -eased the time will come, within the life
time of u majority of the Senators upon
this floor, when San Francisco will have no bay,
will have no harbor and will be content toreceive its
goods by lighters from outside the Golden Gate.
San Francisco bay is now shallow The report OF
the Geological Commission shows land | refer to
Professor Whitneys report) that san Francisco bay
has shoaled with great regularity for the past ten
years The reports of the State Board of Harbor
Commissioners show the same thing, and the State
Harbor Commissioners are here to-day, as | under
stand the bills introduced by Senator Traylor for
them, asking for an appropriation OF money and
power to issue million dollars Of bonds to assist
them in protecting the harbor of San Francisco In.
asmuch as this debris blu is in the interest of San
Francisco believe it to be the duty OF the Senators
from San Francisco to vote as they did last esson,
with the exception believe,lof Senator Hittel and
Senator German, in favor of this debris Act, and
not be carried away by the unwise and unnatural
camor raised in the newspapers OF San Francisco,
and vote wipe from the statute books this debris
bill, without suggesting any other remedy.
You must do something in reference to
San Francisco. You sit yourselves down
behind your ancied strength of 230 900 inhabitants.
You sit yourselves down beneath the shadow of that
vast building known as the Nevada Block and dream
of money to be made in stocks of money to be made
by your wholesale merchants, to be made by your
banks but what will you make your money out of
if the interior of the State sinks to ruin and to
nothing? You will be a head without body You
will be a center without circumference. You will
+,o+ta irly hyf and Iath t-
day. until nothing will be left, like Palmyra of old
save the "Reminiscences of the greatness once en-
loved by San Francisco. You Senators from San
Francisco must not fool yourselves, to use common
expression, with the idea that you the whole
State that San Francisco is the only city possible
upon this Pacific slope venture the assertion that
within ten years of the commercial metropoli of
the Pacific coast will be situated in the southern
part OF the State, deriving its prosperity and its
revenue greatly from the completion Of the Southern
Pacific Railroad and competing with and taking the
trade away from the city OF San Francisco which it
now enjoys with the populous fields Of Arizona and
New Mexico. When the Southern Pacific Railroad
is completed and the farmer in Butte county, or in
Sacramento county, load his grain upon car
and have 1t shipped direct TO Galveston New Or
leans upon the Atlantic coast and there have it
shipped directly to Europe, will he condescend to
send it to San Francisco only that he may pay the
middle-man at San Francisco profit? No; a
thousand times no And with the completion Of
the Southern Pacific Railroad, with the building up
of Arizona and New MeXico-and right here let me
say that like my friend from the Ninth (Senator
Conger) | have had some experience in Arizona,
and look forward to the time when that will be one
of the brightest in the galaxy of States in this
Union. Its mines superior to any in the world, its
fertile valleys superior to any in Caornia-t simply
needs population to develop it, and that population
it will have when the iron horse is heard snortiug
across its borders, as he will be heard seven days
from to-day Within one week from to day, as
understand, the farmer may load his grain upon
he car nj
Mexico and give go-bY to San Francisco and you,
citizens Of San Francisco represented upon this
floor will do well, in my judgment, to meet and pre-
pare for the result OF the unanswerable logic of
events, and not by your vote destroy the country
from which alone you can derive sustenance. For
when Los Angeles and San Diego have reared their
heads alott as shortly they wl rs great cities and
great commercial centerS, the trade of Southern
California will no longer be controlled by San Fran
CISCO and that city must rely upon the northern
part of the State and if the northern part OF the
State is devastated and ruined by these floods which
YOU have necessarily and peTsistenty refused to
assist in keeping back, from what portion
will You draw your revenue, your business
and your wealth? And the little suburb
OF Oakland that little village that apps the airs of
city with nothing to make tia city save the overflow
of some business and business men from San Fran
CISCO will sink with its neighbor, and will sink down
lower than San Francisco, because it is nothing but
the OVERLOOKING eervescence of San Fran iscO that
gives it life. Take San Francisco away and what has
lots nothing but her barren hills nothing but her
long line of houses nothing but claim for appro-
prations from the State for the University and the
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and from the United States
Government for the harbor. AS the Senator from
San Bernardino suggests, and | think it is a very
proper expression, Oakland IS nothing but the bed
room OF San Francisco, and when they take away
the presence OF the occupant OF the bedroom, as
certainly it will be taken away, since that city
refuses to help the northern part of the
State, the bedroom will be left to the
mice and rats and spiders and the dust
Population and labor go where they can find EN-.
plOYment. What builds up San Francisco and gives
it power Of growth is because it is commercial
center. Men go there in crowds because there the
rich man find employment for his money, and
the poor man thinks he find employment for his
right arm, and the moment that they find they can
not get that employment, either for their capital or
their muscle they viii leave for some other portion
of the country. The broad fields of Southern Calf
forns open for the poor man hundreds OF thousands
of acres, where he make living for himself and
his family and the fertile farms of Arizona and New
Mexico open to him with the same promise and
the mines OF Arizona aud New Mexico, and the bust
that viii grow up in Los Angeles and San Diego
open to the capitalist OF San Francisco an
opportunity which he will seize, unless this
northern part OF the State is protected.
The Senator from I'll Dorado knows what happens
to a city village when the business leaves it.
He can tell from his own experience in his own
county what happens to a town in such a condition
as that. He knows whereof | speak. lie knows
that speak but the unanswerabe logic of the TRUTH
and that when the business is taken away the town
itself crumbes into nothing and returns nothing to
the taX-gatherer and the Assessor, He give you
the instances and will give them to you in the de-
bate upon another bill which will before this
body and warn you Senators from San Francisco
not however, claiming any superior wisdom
that it is necessary for YOU look TO the future,
and cast from your eyes the pTeludlces OF the
present. Let the newspapers howl. Let them cry.
What is the newspaper Of the land but tine mere eX-
preston Of one man representing itf Leave behind
you all such thought. Rise above seetionaiism
and labor to make san Francisco what it be and
what ought to be- the great city Of the world,
ring on the bosom Of its harbor the wealth Of the
indies the wealth of the 0ccident and the wealth
of the Orient-the bright Queen OF the Pacific
crowned with glory and grandeur. But you cannot
have it if you permit the plains OF the State 70 be
ruined by your supineness and neglect for unless
something IS done in this matter, unless this Les-
lature wisely act, unless scheme can bead0ped
whereby the roaring torrent shall not deVast2te this
valley, the end of the greatness Of san Francisco is
near az hand, end it viii 90 down with NJ srysyilie
and Sacramento TO the same common ruin, and IN
like Marysville and Sacramento, there will be none
to weep ana mourn for its death
taken into account what ell deem as terrible con-
diton OF afrs in this valley, and it needs not that
| shall enlarge upon it.
Ny col eague has lett his post here, and for the first
time since he has been in the Senate. He has left
his post TO 90 to protect his house, his farm, his
family There upon that little neck of land on the