Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-12
THE rur1L1rY OF COMPROMISE.

apparently 1earIul lest tHe DfaihaSo NV
should be repealed, are beginning to sug-
gest some compromise as being the next
best thing to seek Ii it were possible by
any other means to obtain the protection
the people of this valley demand, we
should be entirely willing to adopt such a
secondary method. But we are convinced
that the course proposed is impracticable,
and that the only policy open to this COM
munity is to hold fast by the measures al
ready in operation, and to insist upon their
continuance. The reasons for this belief
are such as must, we think, bring convic-
ton to all who take the trouble to follow
them. They are as follows: In the first
place, it must be realized that the stoppage
OF hydraulic mining will not save the Sac
ramento valley. We do not say that it
may not hereafter become necessary to
stop it, but in considering the problem
actually before US 1t need not be taken into
account The evils with which we have
TO contend are evils which have already
been accomplished, and which cannot be
reached by prohibitory legislation directed
against the miners. We may, therefore,
consider the whole question without further
reference to the hydraulic mines, and we
may regard the disposition of this as side
issue, to be taken up only when the main
o,,o boz baap ra4t1ad
Having thus cleared the way we must
ascertain exactly what we have to encoun-
ter. Two years ago the State made an
appropriation for the express purpose OF
determining this question. Engineers We're
employed to survey the whole field; to
examine the mining region, the canyons in
which the great masses of debris are de-
posted, the rivers into whose channels that
debris is being washed. These engineers
traced the course of the stream of detritus
from the mountains to the sea, and they
ascertained what had been done, what was
being done, and what was certain to be
done in the future if no remedial measures
were applied. Thus far the methods EN-.
ployed were scientific and wise. 1t was
perfectly evident that none but engineers
were competent to examine and report in
diligently upon the case, and that it would
be folly to act upon unscientihc guesses
and coniectures. The engineers, however,
left nothing undecided. Their reports con-
stituted history of the past and present,
and compendium of advice for the future.
They told US that the descent of the debris
was choking our river channels rapidly !;
that if this was allowed to continue it
would eventually destroy their navigabil-
ity, and expose the lands on both sides to
continued foundations that the situation
would become worse after every flood /; and
that finally the Sacramento river would
cease to occupy its channel, and would
spread itself abroad over the valley, con-
verting the latter into marsh, and de-
posting its heavier material in the Bay of
San Francisco.
They said further that to prevent these
disasters the rivers must be treated scien-
tifcally and Complementary from their
mouths to their headwaters 1t is neces.
sary to dwell particularly ON this point,
because it most emphatically demonstrates
the impracticability OF compromise meas
ures. All the engineers concur in declaring
that it is useless to attempt anything un-
less comprehensive system be adopted
and carried out in full. The reasons of this
imperative condition are plain enough.
What we require is that the rivers shall be
enabled to carry their food waters without
breaking their banks, and that they shall
not be filled up with debris. To accom-
plish the desired results it is necessary to
give additional force to the rivers. This
must be done in two ways: hrst, by d.
minishing the load they carry F.; second, by
increasing their velocity by combining their
channels. The plans of the engineers en-
brace both these methods. By erecting
brush dams across the upper waters of the
rivers it Is sought to cause the current to
deposit the heaviest material above these
distractions by Strengthening the crooked
places in the lower courses of the rivers,
and leveeing the banks from the mouth
upwards, it is sought to secure the velocity
required to carry whatever volume may be
poured into the channel. But neither of
these methods is OF any utility with
out the other, and to adopt one without
the other would be to run counter
to all the advice of science, and
adopt a plan which had been con-
demned in advance by the only
critics competent to pass upon it.
Too much Importance cannot be attached
to this phase OF the situation, for every
thing really hinges upon it. All expert
ence, all skilled judgment, unites in de-
claring that there is one and only one way
to save the Sacramento valley, and that
unless that way is followed resolutely and
persistently, without modification, the
threatened destruction must supervene.
How hard it is to make the masses of men
comprehend even the plainest reasoning is
shown in the fact that since the late food
people have once more been advocating
what is called the mound system
that is, that farmers should give up levees
altogether, and merely erect mounds on
which to put their houses, and their live
stock in food times. Yet it is perfectly
clear from the reports of the engineers that
if the levees are abandoned the valley will
have to be; for in the absence of en-
bankments the river will every year be-
come less regular AMI less comfortable,
and It's floods, through the rapid elevation
OF its bed, viii become more devastating
and frequent 1t is in fact demonstrated
that levees are indispensable to any system
by which the valley can be rendered per-
manently habitable, and that those who
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