Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-02-09
Tn as Colossal steal.

That Colossal steal.
1t lie very hard indeed for an hon.
est citizen of California to tell
whather or not the Debris infamy
is to be strangled at this session of
the Legislature. The rule in all
legislative bodies is uniform aud
never departed from, viz, to re-
serve the supreme efforts of the
lobby to the last days Of the ses-
sion. The strength of the Debris
job lies In the fact that it was
passed originally by the unstinted
use Of money. It was matter Of
remark, at the last session of the
Legislature, that the whole
strength of the lobby was concen-
trated on this unspeakable enor.
nifty. Where legislators are
bought like cattle there is no fore.
casting the issue OF any measure
which 10 dependent upon the action
Of the average California law.
maker. The fellow who has been
bought with coin meets his con-
stituents with thousand lying ex-
cusss. He tells them that
he was opposed heart and
soul to the legislation complained
Of, and that he voted for it to
forward this, that or the other
local measure-that the Legisla-
ture is governed by the "You
tickle me and I'll tickle your
methods. As long as constitu-
encies listen to this twaddle and
allow themselves to be hoodwink-
ed by their brazen representatives,
the deadly and disgusting game
will be kept up. Notwithstanding
the able and resolute opposition of
such honest Senators as Enos and
Chase, we are under very grave ap-
prehensions as to what will be the
outcome of the rightful agitation
on this momentous topic. Senator
Chase has put himself upon record
In the emphatic declaration that
half million dollars have already
been paid out for work that private
persons could have done for 9
thousand or, at the most, two
thousand dollars. The Debris bill
is the greatest and most impuden,
Job ever attempted on the Amer.
lean continent. In the first place,
the real Inspiration OF the measure
10 the money Of people who pro-
pose to make millions out of it,
The probability ia that the real
labor aud outlay in these dams
bears about the same relation to
the bills audited that Falstaff's ac-
count for bread,at Dame Quickiey's
tavern, sustained to his score for
sack. The Debris act is simply
used as y blind for robbing the
State. While Gov. Perkins has
had the extraordinary frankness to
say that the system will involve
expenditures of at least ten million
dollars, the Debris bill is but the
entering wedge for scheme OF
shameless extravaganza which
will end in bankrupting the State.
1t has been fashionable to talk
about the corruption Of Boss Shep.
herd and Boss Tweed, but it should
not be forgotten that each Of these
bosses left, as q "Reminiscences of his
reign, much valuable public prop
srty, which would bring large
prices under the auctioneer's ham,
mer. The probability is that to-mor-
row the city of NewYork could be-
gin q series of auction sales of Ter
pablo property and pay off her en-
tire debt, dollar for dollar. Boss
Shepherd found Washington a
city without streets or sidewalks
and left her superb in all munich
pal and metropolitan appoint
msnts. But California, when she
had spent innumerable millions Cd
her Debris humbug, could call an
auction and not receive cent of
reimbursement for her prodigal
outlays. The Debris steal has not
one single redeeming feature. 1t
Ia proposed to place the Common
wealth under crushing mass of
debt for no other purpose than to
insure the enrichment of q mum Der
OF men who have corrupted the
Legislature. Can the Republican
party, in possession of all branch les
OF the State government, afford to
shoulder this enormity? Let the
leaders of that party ponder their
responsibility maturely. Ifthey
20 forward on this road to ruin
their party in this State will SIM
ply be engulphed.
Since writing the foregoing,
the Senate of California has voted
to repeal the Debris act by 80 ayes
to 8 noes-s highly gratifying ex.
hIbit. But the work Of agitation
should not be RENTED for q mo-
ment,