Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-02-14

s.
the -e-- let me call his attention and the at
ten lg -.. senate to a remarkable divergence OF
yi,sgs 5ss, himself and his chief ally, Senator
aasH perhaps more food for merriment may
b seaad he one basic proposition upon which
s.sltar =, dell rests his opposition to this bill,
e-ah ta-- fovso in Section "a Of this socalled
s. sbri al which reads as follows Provided that
All raised under the provisions of this Act
stsI used exclusively for the construction OF
5ars ils impounding the debris from the mines,
and for the improvement aud
reels ion of river channels in which said debris
ess- drainage district to be created under the
prov. ons OF this Act at such points shall be
designated by the State Engineer or deemed neces
sary by the Board of Directors of such drainage dis
trict." That was the object of Senator Wendells
attack. That the objective point which he
said of itself ought damn this BILL yet that is the
amendment that Senator Sears introduced at the
last Session and made the eloquent speech In favor
OF that read TO you yesterday. That proviso
originated in the brain of Senator Sears,
and the price at which his support for
the Debris Act procured. 1t very
good then, according to Senator Sears.
That is his amendment TO the BILL and in his speech
he says: I" With this ameRdment, it is good bill
with this amendment, will vote for the bill with
this amendment, all the defects in the bill are
cured i" and that is the very proposition which now
Senator Wendell finds so much fault with. | ask the
Senator from Marin to protect his chd, to pro-
tect his family. don't propose to take up
every fight that along in this debris debate,
hence turn to hi' hands the protection of this
amendment which he introduced and made elo-
quept speech for The Senator from Solano init
mates-t was hut slip OF the tongue-l will only
call attention to it lest the reporter having taken
down may forget to correct 1t, that the tax was 90
on the 2l00 This ii Incorrect the tax is only S5 on
every 600 of the taxable property. There is an
other proposition which the Senator adverted to elo
quenty, rhetorically and forcihy-that tins bill was
being ''logroed," as he said that there had oeen
log-rolling done. Now might ask that gentleman,
fresh as am from the bucoc precincts OF Sacra
mento-I would inquire OF the Senator If he ever
did any log rolling in the Senate If he ever heard
Of fish and game BILL and if he ever heard of any
Lody voting upon that proposition to accommodate
somebody else never did, or at least am Wiling
to say 50. | only call his attention to it. This sys-
TEN of rolling is something that We are all gully
of except myself. never make any trades to get a
vote. always however, believed that that was the
proper way l learned it years ago under the tut
zion Of an abler Senator, a better legislator than
myseif-One representing now Marin county.
congratulate the Senate upon the fact that the Sen
ator from the Tenth, Mr.. Neumann, permits us to
vote upon this proposition. We heard him, and
after we had listened to him we all thOug that we
ought to have thanked him for allowing us first
to listen to his hard task OF speaking one way and
voting another so well performed; and second, OF
granting US the right to vote if we chose so to do
| am gla Of the privilege. | am always ready TO
te congratulate the Senator from Colusa upon
his polite unwillingnes' to answer in public the
proposition which understood him in private to be
willing to assume, when spoke yesterday as to the
question whether or not the State should do the
work, and as understood him then by nod to say
that he did not believe the State ought to do it.
To-day, in his remarks, he said nothing in reference
to that matter. | congratulate the Senator from
Solano that he has painted himself firmly on the
States rights doctrine-on the doctrine that the
State of California ought not to be engaged in this
kind of work, and congratulate him upon having
reached that stage in political development back
wards
Now, Mr.. President, in answer finally to these OBJ
iectons which have been urged, desire 10 say,
fl st, that abuse Of the law simply shows unwill
I IrNsrrta tn u n rTEa
prejudice. A mere abuse of the debris Act
proves nothing. The only solitary objection that
the Senator from the Thirteenth (hlr. Enos) made
against this bill made against this bill more
forciby than he made it, last year, by the Senator
from Fresno (dr. RoweD and the other Senators
opposed to the bill Every single solitary section
that he objected called to his attention then,
and yet he voted for the bill and nov to abuse the
Debris Act simply shows that he and others guilty
of doing unwilling to rise above the feeling of
passion 1t all simply shows, in my judgment, that
you unwilling to amend it-that you are unvill
ing to give any relief. For this is the only method
| of relief at present. No other means offered
| The Senator from Solano says the friends OF meas
ure ought to propose amendments. grant 1t. But
MIR. President, that is the question, whether they
| admit it needs amendments. | believe that this
is the only prcpositlon-the so-called Debris Act
that can be passed by this any other Legislature
that can give any relief to the people who need
| lief | do not think it needs to be amended at this
time, because don't believe it possible TO amend 1t
at this session. believe that it does not go far
enough. l am willing and ready to vote for a
separate bill To carry out the views that | ad
vanced yesterday but believe the debris Act ought
to be left upon the statute books without amend
ments. ] do not believe that abuse of the law viii
answer your case when you go to the people. Some
Senators upon this floor have spoken most
learnedly aud ably of their desire to represent the
views OF their constituents. | have to say
simply in answer to that, that there are a great
many of us here now that need not worry our
minds about how our constituents will talk about
u.s. for apprehend there is very large majority of
this Senate that never will be heard in this
Senate again, and ii we will content ourselves
obeying our own consciences. Ii we will content
ourselves with doing what We individually believe to
be right, will stand better chance to please
our constituents, and we will certainly stand
a better chance of being held highly in
their estimation. Besides let me remark
prophetically here, that when the Committee
on Apportionment presents bill redistricting this
State there are number of Senators here who will
find themselves in the condition of the Senator from
the Ninth, representing district now and Obliged
to be a candidate from another district in 1882.
Abuse OF the Directors shows, in my judgment,
merely personal prejudice and shows also ignorance,
because Section OF this Act gives any man who
thinks these Directors have done wrong, a remedy.
Section of this Act provides that they
shall hold Office for four years, unless
sooner removed for cause by the Governor giving
the Governor power to remove any OF the men and
if you gentlemen who talk much if you gentle
men who know so much about these Directors, have
any charges to make, there can be found in Section
opportunity TO rid the people of these Directors,
and if the only objection that Senator Dickinson
makes to this bill, and the only reason he
gives for its repeal is because he is op-
posed to the Directors, Section gives him an Op-
pOrtunity to rid the State of those Directors. Sec
ton gives every Senator opportunity to present
the matter to the Governor, and we ought to have
confidence enough in our Governor to believe that
he would do right in the premises.
Now, say further, that abuse Of the work done
shows great presumption on the part Of those
who thus abuse it, and shows most
contemptuous disregard,of the engineers and
great disinclination to give the work
far trial Every Senator who attended the meet
ings OF the Committee Irrigation will remember
| that put the question to Engineer Hall and En-
gineer Bhoades as to whether they considered
that this scheme had had fair trial if the law was
repealed at this session. and they both answered that
it would not. The opinion of such men as those
ought to weigh something with the Senators upon
| this floor. They ought to know something about
the matter, and for Senators to say that they are
going to vote for the repeal of this law because Mr.
Hall and Mr.. Rhoades don't know what they are
talking about and because they believe the works
will not prove success, shows, in my Judgment,
too great confidence in their own ability and too
much disregard for the opinion of others more com
petent 10 decide thereupon.
II has been law in life, law IN this world ever
since the world began, that all great Improvements
that all great engineering works have been derided
and scotfed at by the people who lived at the time
they proposed. When Stephenson first arose
and legislators OF his nation that he could build an
engine that would have speed of fifteen miles an
hour, and would draw thousands OF tons and hun
dreds of passengers behind it upon a railroad, he
was laughed to scorn; he was derded and CON
tenned, and the doors of the Lunatic Asylum
almost opened to permit of his Incarceration.
Stephenson kept on; he peTseversd, and to-day the
steam engine which draws the cars upon the railroad
which spans a continent is a monument Of his
genius and rebuke to those who deride engineers
and engineering skill.
When Captain Eads first proposed in Congress
system of jetties at the mouth Of the Mississippi
river to imnrove its navigation and increase its cur
rent he was met with contumely and ridicule. !
well remember reading the articles in the newspa-
pers, and the newspapers knew just as much then
as they know now and they discussed this engin-
eerng question with just little skill as they dis
cuss it now. | well remember how he was abused
and laughed at for his scheme. How they SAID 1t
was preposterous that he could not get any founda'
ton for his levees; that it would simply embark
the United States in losing investment OF millions
of dollars and would result in no good But Cap |
tain Eads found some men who believed IN engineer
inc skill He found some members OF Congress VINO |