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

right to let those contracts, and the work having
been done, the workmen should be paid. Even in
California the laborer is worthy OF his hire.
The senator from Marin took occasion to speak IN
reference the provision of the law that the Board
of Examiners should not audit accounts. He voted
for that provision. He made two objections to 1t
last session 1t was necessary to be in the law in
order that the work might 90 on without veXatlons
and unnecessary delays but you pass this repeal
ing law, pure and simple, what is to become OF the
accounts without any one to audit then and what
is to become OF the property Of the Stater There Is
large amount Of property legees, bridges, ETC.
that belongs to the State what sha be done with
that? There is large amount of work unfinished.
We reported $4,000 as now legally due to the con-
tractors Do you propose to wipe that out DO
you propose 10 repudiate the obligations of the
State? Do you propose TO say TO these men that
this money shall not be paid And yet that is just
the effect OF the unconditional repeal of this debris
bill. Ii you pass the repeal bill pure and simple,
you leave everything in chaotic state You offer no
chances for the people TO do work. You offer no re-
lief, and you in fact rob these men OF $4,000, and
compel them to go knocking at the door OF future
Legislatures asking for relief only to be met with
some would-be economical general assertion that
they ought not to be paid in the form in which they
present their claim. It to me, Mr.. President,
that 1t would be unWise leglslatiOn-lt would be al
most wicked legislatOn-for us to repeal this Act,
and make no provision for outstanding accounts or
unfinished work, or the OF the property of the
state, or the future protection OF valleys,
farms and cities from overflow, the pre-
seryation of the river channels of our State.
Let it be anne ded in some particular so as to pro-
vide some means Of guarding the States property.
viii this repeal bill contain anything which is not
objected to in the present law and which will open
the door Of relief to the people who are suffering
from troubles and danger ana ruin which this State
has permitted to come upon themf Do something.
Dc not content yourselves, because you have the
votes, with simply repeating the measure which you
say is bad, without substituting some measure OF
relief in its stead. Is it right to do so to the people
thus suffering? Suppose a man was drowning and
had possession of stick which certainly afforded
him some relief and some should come along,
and instead OF assisting him out OF the water,
should say That is q horrible bad stick you have
got hold OF" and should take it away from him.
drowning would say, You must
give the stick, or give me
something else to help me out of the river.
Don't take from me this ONLY plank, this only re-
lief don't take that away from me and leave me to
drown in this river" That, however, is exactly
what this Legislature is doing when it repeats the
so called debris Act and offers us no other bill for
our relief. The bill which Senator Hill has intro
duced will do no good, but by repeating the debris
Act will do great harm. The testimony OF the State
Engineer establishes that fact. The Site Engineer
has testified before the Committee on Irrigation
that there was enough detritus now stored up in
the canyons of the Sierra Neyadas TO overwhelm
the valleys OF 'heSacramento and Iuba beyond re-
demptiOn. He testified to that fact. We have this
that bear him out. We have the testimony
of Senator Sears to that effect, for he
said al the last session OF the Legislature that there
was enough tetrltus stored IN the canyons to ruin
and devastate the valleys, and that tine mere pre-
vention OF hydraulic mining would not meet the
case. The mere stopping OF by drauhc mining will
not afford us relief. We must have other relief.
We must have It from the State. We cannot bear
the expense of doing it ourselves. The people OWL
ing land in the Sacramento VALLEY not rich
enough to do this work themselves. The State put
them into this danger The State permitted them
to be ruined and the State ought to assist them in
their danger and Offer them relief in this
matter.
| have spoken longer upon this matter, Mr..
President, than intended longer than l ought to,
because know l shall suffer for it in body here
after and presume from the gatherings in the eye
of the Senator from the Thirteenth and the de
termned expression OF countenance Of the Senator
from Marin, that shall suffer more in mind than
body from what l have done today. But, as
Sterne saws " The Lord tempers the wind to the
shorn lamb" | suppose ne viii give me strength
enough to withstand attacks Of the giant on my left
and the giant my right. do not think this bill
ought to pass, because | believe that something
ought to be done. Not because believe this debris
act is the best in the world. have already eX-
pressed myself on tnat matter and l Hould IN ad-
dtion briefly state here that think 1t is endurable
for its good outweighs its tad provisions. The de-
bris Act IS one by which something is done for
relief The engineers say that the bill,
the law and the system are good and
right here permit to say that 1t is highly unfair
to repeal this debris Act now without having gwen
it a fair trial. 1t was but experiment, and the
engineer testified, every member of that commit
tee will recot ct, and other senators that pres
ent when he testified viii also recollect, that the
gineers all testified that unless this matter was
permitted TO be carried on for two years more, this
experiment could not be said to have been fairly
tried. And yet my amendments to defer rel cal one
or two years were voted down. We claim that the
works have been commenced and that they have SO
far done some gcCd We claim that the experiment
and he hay benu tbOrnua hly tried and
that if you repeal the debris Act now you have not
given the friends of this law fair chance in the
matter. We claim again, that the engineers
and all other persons interested say that
those works viii reclaim the land and will permit
the rivers to out their channels to carry
down this detritus We claim, again, that it is bad
policy to stop the present plan for utter stagnaton
We claim that it is b tier do little good than to
stop doing good at all. We claim that 1t is better
TO eXPend some money in trying to help the people
than it is to sit stand, with folded arms, and
fuse all relief to this suffering people There will
be and misery in the world, let every man be
never charitable; but simply because the indi-
vidua society cannot relieve all cases OF Distress
will you close your heart to charity will
YOU refuse to aid the destitute
and the suffering? And claim that the same rule
applies to this question We do not claim that this
law has worked miracles. We do not claim that it
has been success in every particular, but we do
claim that it has done some good, and ask you net
to repeal a law that has he ped US some and then
leave us without any assiStance-retuse to give us
any rehef at all. ask you to answer the question
as to whether something ought not to be done to
give us some relief. ask you, Senators from Los
Angeles and Santa Clara and Monterey, to act as
representatives from the people of California,
and to decide the question in State sense.
Decide it in the manner in which you
should decide all questions coming before
the Senate, and that is, will it benefit the whole
State ?-is it calculated to aid in the sys-
TEN Of internal improvements so universally con-
ceded to be true American doctrine in State or
Ma local affairs? Let your vote benefit the people
of California let it help this portion of the state
and in helping this portion Of the State 1t helps
all POI tions OF the State Give us relief Give US
something. Do not take from us that which we
have, and offer us nothing in return. Do your duty
representatives Of the whole broad State Of Cali
foTna, not agents OF sections Senators Of
a limited and contracted constituency. We ask help
we need help. You can give Us relief it is your
duty to answer our call Herein fail not as you
value the future OF yourselves and your State.
We submit the question to the careful considera-
ton OF this Senate, well knowing that you have the
numbers perhaps to repeal this law, and well know
ing also that truth and justice, aud equity are on
the side Of those who oppose the repeal Of this
debris Act well knowing that in years to come the
Senator who votes to repeal this debris Act will
the day when he voted in answer to prejudice
and passion, as it seems to me every vote will be
given that is given for repeal. Give us some
relief, remedy, do not let your opposition to
men influence you in your vote upon this measure.
Ii you do not like the men serving Directors turn
them out. As regards my individual vote, while it
is true that / own little house and lot in Sac
ramento city, and it Is also true that unless
Sacramento city viii be kept free from the
flood sent upon it by the agency of the State, my
house and my lot viii be worth nothing, and myself
and family forced to fee, yet hope that am not
aCtuatel entirely BY selfish personal motives in
this matter, and that am not working entirely for
the interests Of myself or my immediate constitu
ents. vote, as believe, Tor the benefit of the
State. have voted since / have been a member Of
the Legislature in favor Of extending aid to all Por
tons Of the State aud will always continue to do
| ask you, gentlemen, in voting this to dismiss
feeling from your minds, passion from your
thoughts and vote only for the interest Of Caiifor
MIA, and not Tor the supposed interest Of section.
Two of the children at the Virginia