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

whole nation, which permits the United States to
appropriate money to clean out Oakland harbor, Is
the same feeling and the same constitutional pro-
vision which will permit the people of the State of
California to clean out the Sacramento river, that
the citizens OF Sacramento and Marysvllle may not
be engulphed by the detritus from the mountains
their property ruined and their cities and their pros
poets as individuals and communities destroyed.
And it comes with peculiarly bad grace, 1t comes
with peculiarly bad face, for the senators from
Alameda county that have sucked so long ami
sucked SO strong at the breast Of the nation for ap
preparations for their local interests, that have by
unwearieo begging procured hundreds OF thousands
of dollars from the National Government TO clean
out Oakland harbor, which harbor and work Is OF no
value according to their theory, to the. people OF
the East-it comes with very bad grace Tor them
now to object 10 the State OF California giving few
dollars to protect the sacramento valley from devas
tation. But they do 1t. Why, the National govern
ment at the instigation and at the request OF the
citizens Of OAKLAND led, have no doubt, by the
Senator from Alameda Or. Pardee), who is most
pronounced in his opposition to this Debris Act has
appropriated more money to clean out the muu
from in front of Oakland city wherves than the
whole State tax levied this year amounts to. You
lave no claim upon New York.
Mr.. Pardee-Ar President, call the gentleman
to order; no four hundred thousand dollars has
ever been expended upon the water front OF Oak
land and five hundred thousand dollars has been
spent upon the two little dams upon Yuba and the
Bear.
Mr. Johnson can but in answer repeat the as
sertion that more money has been appropriated by
the National Government to C can the debris sent
down from the mountains, in front q Oakland than
is asked for from the State of California TO clean out
the Sacramento the Feather, the Bear and the Yuba
rivers And vet they come here into this body, and
in the Assembly-for, as | am informed, the delega-
ton from Alameda county in the Assembly are the
leaders of this assault upon the socaed debris Act
and unitedly say this local questionable State
cannot help her suffering people. They, the recp-
tents OF the bounty of the nation, representing the
county which according to their theory is not en-
s Ill, dino
their logical deduction of facts and reason, ought
not to receive a cent from the Federal Government
After having received as much as they could get
and more, too, they propose to vote TO reduce the
people of Yuba and of Suffer, and of Sacramento
counties to a condition of beggary because they
opposed TO appropriations for local or internal i'm
proyements. A similar theory, similar PROPOSE
ton, similar logical deduction OF the statements
made by these Senator's would be that if we have
no right as State assist portions of the st lte
the nation has no right to assist the ports Of
ton, and therefore Oakland city must protect Oak
land harbor.
this proposition, | desire to read some remarks
made by one more eloquent than |, more learned
and more aged than |, when addressing the Senate
at the last session upon this debris bill : 81 do not
consider this measure to tax the property OF the
State for the benefit of any one industry. 1t is to
protect commerce and agriculture from further dam
ages. 1t is to try the experiment of holding the
heavy washing OF the mines in the mountain can
yOns 1t is to save the cities Of Marysvile and Sac
ramento from ruin 1t is to save the bay OF San
Francisco from filling up. The State Engineer, in
his report says that IS, 546 acres of farming land
along the river valleys have been DESTROYED or
greatly damaged-that the river channels have been
filed. 1t has become State question, and protec-
ton is now q necessity. The State has expended
100000 in investigating this subject The Engi
peer is the State doctor in this case. II we have
faith in h m we are called upon to administer the
remedies he has prescribed in his report. Let US
give the medicine to the sick, that is all we ask.
This is a question which will extend far
into the future. 1t vast IN Its proportions and
serious in its results 1t is question whether the
cities OF Marysvllle and Sacramento and the valley
lands lying along the rivers shall be destroyed or
preserved. 1t question whether the commercial
arteries OF the State shall be preserved for naviga
ton or choked with mining gravel and debris 1t
is question whether they shall be preserved as the
free and only competitors with the railroads for the
inland trade of the State or destroyed, and the peo
pie left 10 the mercy OF railroad monopoly. Com
petition is the great regulator OF freights. You i'm
pair the navigation of our rivers, and freight would
double in less than month afterwards"
Mr.. President those words are tTuer now than
they were then; and who uttered those words
Why, to hear them you would have thought that the
eloquent Senator from Pumas was speaking again
TO YOU; you would have thought that the Senator
from Nevada, Mr.. George addressing you or
that his colleague, Mr.. Watson, addressing you
or that the Senator from Marysylle addressing
you that had offered some few remarks in ref
erence to it. But you would have heen Mistaken
Tor that Is llDil5neu petCll Oh lue HOu
William H Sears, the Senator from Marin and Con-
ira Costa in favor of the debris bill, at the last
sion of the Legislature, and now the Third Lieuten
ant of those who seek the repeal Of this debris bill
The Captain of this band is the Senator from the
Eleventh. Mr.. Kane his First Lieutenant is the SEN
atOr from Santa Barbara, Mr. Chase and the Sec
ord Lieutenant is the Senator from Monterey, Mr.
Hill aud the Third Lieutenant travelling
under that leadership is the Senator from
Marin and Contra Costa, who coolly swal-
lowing the words he uttered year ago, is fighting
repeal the bill that he then said was State eces
| sity, and was something demanded by the people
and the necessities of the case | commend TO the
careful consideration of every Senator upon this
ioor-I commend TO his careful consideration these
eloquent words spoken by him in support OF the
very proposition that now he Is SO anxious TO repeal
] ask in the name of God, in the name OF common
sense, is there sity Tor legislation nOw2 Is
there not necessity for legislation this year
| than there last? Were we called upon at the
last session OF the Legislature TO m Be approprla-
TONS dispatch steamers in the various portions
of the State Were called upon at the last session
to djourn temporarily the sessions OF this body be-
cause of the danger of flood? Could we then ascend
to the dome of this Capitol and view for hundreds Of
miles almost, one vast OF water threatening the
very foundation of the State Capitol? No. We
then acting upon the report OF the engineers,
and uponfears entertained for the future Now ii is
dread reality. Water all around US levees swept
| before the angry food children crush stTaws
! houses gone; stock killed men drowned people
loosing their thousands and hundreds of thousands
of dollars every day the capital city and building
| itself in danger. And yet the same Senator says
tooaY in effect by his vote, that there is no neces
sity for legislation upon this subject shall not
read from the speech made by the Senator from the
| Thirteenth (Mr. Enos).
Mr. Enos-I wish you would.
Mr.. Johlsou-NO, because il is simply simplifying
| the remarks made by the Senator from Marin, and
| have no desire to harrow up the memories OF the
| past and present them, like BanquOs ghost, TO the
! Senator from the Thirteenth. 1t would not be the
first time that he had spoken on both sides OF a
| question and voted OF both sides of question: and
| only do this that the Senators may see that this
proposition is, in the language Of the Senator from
| Nevada (Nr. WatsOn) not new idea to the people
OF this State-nO idea to this Legislature, and
that it is one that has been thoroughly discussed
and thoroughly commented upon, and that the bill
| last session was passed not because Of the imme-
| date and imminent danger that threatened this
city and threatened the State, but because Of the
report OF the State Engineer stating that unless
| something was done that We would be called upon
| for aid and great danger ensue in consequences OF
the flow OF detritus IN our rivers The Senator (lr.
Sears) said last session-and that was his argument
in favor OF voting for the BILL The cry for succor
| is heard across the valley-the Macedonian cry
Come over and help US, is borne upon the breeze,
| and from that people. Shall we respond say
! yes, If the money Is used TOR their relief and Tor
| their protection.
| That was then simply . question as to whether
they would need protection not as 10 whether they
! were in such condition TO cali III such thunder
tones upon the Legislature for relief at present
/ Now they need protection. Now they cry from $50
miles of this valley, asking the legislature in the
name Of humanity not to take from them the little
relief that has been eN ended, unless With the other
| hand they extend to them more and greater relief
in their necessities, and 1 quote the cry made by
! Senator Sears last year " They ask to help
them, let Us heed their cry This, then, is State
| question and should be treated as such.
| Now as 70 the necessity OF some legislation upon
| this subject, appreheud that no person will at
tempt to deny the argument made BY senator Hill,
Senator Chase and Dy Senator Baker, that there's a
necessity for some legislation that the condition of
this people and OF this valley is such that something
should be DONE ana the only questions for US to de-
eide it seems to me, TO the greatness OF that
necessity and the character OF the measures to be
| taken and the responsibility which ought to rest
upon those that seek to relieve the neeessi-
| lies. The necessity OF come acton is ad-
mitted by all. We know that tens OF
| thousands Of acres OF land have been destroyed.
| We know that the population of various cities and
counties and villages has be greatly reduced. We
know that the expense OF living in these counties
| and cities has been largely increased. We know
| that taxation has been raised in the city Of
| Marysville alone, until it reached the enormous
amount Of SO 50 on the hundred dOllars-an by
reason of these devastating foods. We know
that Sacramento city itself is the verge OF ruin.
| We know that from the Capitol dome we can see
this wide waste OF waters, with nothing but the lit
tie neck OF leyee extending along and III front aud in
I ,1e,1,