Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-05
THE STATE AND INTERNAL IMPROVE
MENTS.

The favorIte position of those who refuse
to recognize the principle of community
interest except when it will confer some
direct and palpable benefit upon them
selves, is that the General Government
ought to bear the expense Of solving the
debris problem. If these people were not
oblivious of certain facts in the history of
the State they would be more chary of the
arguments they have adopted in this con-
nechon. The fact, which it has become
necessary to recall to the public mind, is
that Congress long ago made liberal
grant to California expressly for purposes
of internal improvement, and that this
grant was diverted to other uses, and no
single dollar of it has ever been employed
in accordance with the terms Of the grant.
By the provisions of an Act of Congress,
approved September 4, 1871, entitled can
e Act to appropriate the proceeds of the
sale of public lands, and to grant pre-
fFemption rights, a grant of 800, 600 acres
of public land was made TO each of the
States "for purposes of internal improve
ment. When California was admitted to
the Union the trainers of her first Consti-
tuition thought that in order to attract
population it was necessary to make it
appear that the advantages of civilized
society were attainable here, and not
having any internal improvements to
make they coolly dedicated the whole
of this 800, 900 acres of public land to the
support of the public schools. This act
was undoubtedly misrepresentation. The
grant was not made for any such purpose.
The purpose for which it was made had
been clearly specified. The sale of these
lands has produced to the State total
amount of S603, 800, and this sum must be
regarded as having been wrongly diverted
from its original end and purpose. In
effect the State consequently owes internal
improvements 1903, 1920, and when Con-
gress is asked to step in and bear the
whole expense of the debris problem, that
body can turn upon our delegation and ask
what has become of the grant which was
given the State for precisely this kind of
work. It will not be satisfactory answer
to say that the grant has been diverted to
the support of the public schools, for that
is equivalent to confessing that the people
of California have shirked the obligation
resting upon them to maintain their own
schools, and that they have misappropri-
ated a Federal grant which was bestowed
upon them for an entirely different pur-
pose. There can be no doubt that the
800, 900 acres of public land granted to the
State was intended to be used for just such
objects as the debris problem constitutes,
and that there was no justification for the
use actually made of the grant.
When, therefore, we ask Congress to
make appropriations for the debris problem,
we are liable to be told that we are al
ready practically indebted to the Federal
Government in the sum of 1903. 800 for
similar objects, and that before we can
justly claim any further help from Wash
ington we must show that we have restored
this fund to its legitimate uses, or, which
would be the same thing, that we have
expended an equal amount ourselves
upon the work. We cannot pretend that
we have had no help from Congress with
this grant staring US in the face, nor can
we justify its misappropriation. Congress
gave it US for internal Improvement, and
that does not mean the support of schools.
It may have been wise to employ it as
it has been employed, but it certainly
was not carrying out OF the conditions
imposed by Congress, and it certainly
cannot now be alleged that the obliga-
tions OF the State in the premises have
been fulfilled That sum Of SS03, 800
stands against us in the national ledger.
It was given us for one purpose, and we
spent it for another. And in so doing the
State incurred an obligation to restore it
to It's legitimate uses sooner or later. The
time for that restoration has now arrived
Il is needed for genuine internal improve
ments, and not until its equivalent has
been expended in that way shall we have
a right TO apply to Congress for further