Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-12
A GREAT TRUST.
THE STATE AND THE YOSEMITE VALLEY
AND BIG TREE GROVE.
A Conference = Explanations - What is
Needed-What the State is Asked
to Do The Cost.

Thursday evening, in the Office of the Gov
ernor meeting of the Assembly Committee
on the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big
Trees was held, Assemblyman Van Fleet in
the chair. There were present Assemblynen
Van Fleet, Bost Birney, Griffith and Red
dick of the committee and several other men,
bers of the Assembly, together with num-
Der of Senators and Commissioners Governor
Perkins, w. H. Mills, NJ. C. Briggs, A. j.
Meany and J. M. Hutchings, Guardian of
the Yosemite Valley.
Governor Perkins stated as Chairman of
the Commission, that that body had requested
the privilege of a conference with the com
mittee and such other legislators as could at
tend, and in behalf of the Commission re-
quested Commissioner Mills of the Executive
Committee and ViceP President of the Com
mission, to address the meeting.
The Chairman said the committee was
anxious to hear the Commission, and desired
to learn all it could concerning the trust the
State has in hand in the matter of those
great natural curiosities, confessing that few
of the committee had adequate ideas Of the
character, extent and Importance Of the same.
Mr.. Mills then made
STATEMENT.
He said that whatever is done by the Legis
lature in behalf Of the valley and the trust
committed by the General Government to
the State, ought to be freely conferred by the
legislative body, rather than by urgency of
the Commission, which did not wish to APP
pear in the attitude of suppliants or beggars,
or as asking anything which had any personal
interest to them in it. The Commission,
serving without salary, and purely from a
high sense Of duty and citizenship had no
personal claims, nor would it importune the
Legislature to do that which, if done, should
bs by the free action Of that body, and from
a sense of duty to the State and its people,
Nevertheless, the Commission would present
the claims of the trust, believing it to be
duty to do SO, and in the best interests of the
whole people of the State. The Commission
had recently visited the valley. 1t was sat
isfied with some things it saw in its manage
ment, and dissatisfied with others. The
whole State is concerned In the manner in
which the trust confded to it is executed.
II it is to be continued, it should be dis
chargd with credit to the State. If that
cannot be done, it should be relinQuished,
for dishonor would surely result.
a BILL
Is, or is about to be, brought before the Leg
islature asking for such aid as will enable the
Commission to discharge the trust reposed in
it with honor and profit to the State. If
that cannot be done it would be an act Of
wisdom to notify the United States Govern
ment that California relinquishes its trust
and abandons the grant made to it. In early
times the Indians used to burn the under
growth in the Big Tree forest and in the val
ley. This killed the young trees, or greatly
injured them, and seriously harmed the
greater ones. Since California has taken
charge of the big trees there has accumulated
a great quantity of chaparral, dried brush,
fallen bark and faggots in the groves,
and all this rubbish is in danger dur
ing the summer time of being fred.
The result will be, if that occurs, probable
total destruction of the groves and the ex.
tinguishment of one of the chief attractions
that draw tourists to the State. That this
accumulation should be cleared away, and
the groves jealously guarded from destruc-
ton, are only reasonable and precautionary
measures in the opinion Of the Commission.
Suppose after the State had taken the trust
confded TO it, that it had, by order of the Leg
islature, sent woodsmen into the groves and
have felled those wonders of growth, and |
have cut them up into cord-wood? That |
would have been recognized as legislative