Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-09
THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES REPORT
ON DEBRIS.

neering works N progress. Inc committee
say that the financial management of the
work could not have been in better hands;
that no trace or Indication of corruption
or mismanagement has been developed !;
and that not dollar of the money has
been misspent or nisappropriated- They
find that the recommendations Of the en-.
gineers are wise; that the benefits to be
derived from the works are substantial
and permanent; and that these benefits
will accrue mot only to the people of the
"a district, but to the State at large, " in
the preservation of valuable property and
vast increase in the taxable wealth Of
the State. They believe that unless the
present or some equally effective system
of drainage is carried cut " the navigation
of this river must in time be wholly
destroyed, and the harbor and bay Of
San Francisco will be in imminent dan
ger of being ruined" They are of
opinion, from the evidence before them,
that the present system is based on sound
scientific principles, and that the expert
ment " has not yet had fair trial They
suggest that The repeal of the Drainage
Act might create confusion and uncer-
tainty in regard to the collection of delin-
quent taxes. They are convinced that the
works begun and planned viii g accom-
"pIish all that they are intended to accom-
"plish, but they think it equally clear
that il they should fail 1t would be " the
imperative duty of the State to adopt
" some other means to accomplish the
"same result" As a result of these con-
clusions the committee recommend that
Assembly Bills and 5, to repeal an
Act to promote drainage, be indefinitely
postponed"
Here, then, we have fresh proof of the
fact that no body of ordinarily intelligent
men can examine this question candidly
and dispassionately without becoming con-
WINGED that the measures which have been
inaugurated are both necessary and wise,
and that it is the duty of the State to
carry them out. 1t is very significant
that every attempt to investigate the sub
iect thus far has resulted in the same way.
On the one hand we find reckless declama-
ton and denunciation by men who have
not taken and will not take the pains to
inform themselves accurately; on the
other hand we see that the moment men
resolve to inquire into it thoroughly they
become converts to the views which the
engineers have advanced. The attempts
of the opponents of remedial action to
prejudice the case by casting suspicion
upon the honesty and competency of the
Drainage Commissioners, have only brought
into sharper relief the strict integrity with
which those gentlemen have discharged
their duties. The efforts to ridicule the
methods proposed have only resulted il
demonstrating the scientific soundness Of
the principles relied upon, and in calling
a tenion to the positive Endorsement OF the
scheme given by engineers of such assured
reputation as General Alexander, Colone
Mendell and Captain E2ds.
When, as in this case, all the results o
candid inquiry, and all the conclusions o
science, point one way, there can remain
no doubt as to where the right lies. The
State acted wisely IN calling to its aid thu
experience and skill of celebrated engineers
and having obtained their views, and hav
ing secured a plan of remedial action ap
proved by them, it would be childish folly
to throw away all that has been thu
gained, upon no better excuse than the OPP
position of blind ignorance, stupid preju
dice, and that miserable naTow-minded
ness which causes too many people to shu
their eyes TO their own plainest Interests
whenever they cannot see the direct ant
tangible advantage to themselves of pro
posed legislation.
A great question was never less ade
quately treated than this has been by it
opponents. They have apparently had bu
one thought from first to last, and tina
was for their pockets. The paltry Ia.
of one-twentieth of one per cent. leviet
upon them has elected a howl of anguish
and sooner than that they should be obliged
to pay this trivial amount they have BEEF
willing that the whole of the Sacrament
Valley, the navigable rivers, and the har
Dor of San Francisco, should be destroyed
It is very certain that these people coul
never have made State if left to them
selves, for they have not public spiri
enough to organize a township. II the
had their way no section would ever b
assisted by any other section, but at tn
same time they would be eager to tax
whatever was offered to them. Thus "
find Oakland, which has been bleeding til
whole country for harbor improvement c
no present or prospective value to any sou
outside its own limits, is forward in shrek
ing against the reclamation of the Sac
ramento Valley, while it is safe to say tina
every village and hamlet that has proteste
through its local paper against the work
in progress would poster its Congressman
to secure for it an appropriation drawn in
discriminatory from the entire Union.
The Legislature ought, however, to ris
above this ittleness and this Inconsistency
It is here to represent the whole State
It must see that the questions in issu
affect the whole State; that it is impossi
bic for the remedies demanded to be ap
piled by merely local taxation; that tn
contributions asked from the State are t
create new wealth, which when create
viii repay tenfold the present outlay tina
if the measures in operation are repeale
the destruction to ensue must entai
greatly increased taxation upon the whol
State, because fourishing industries woul
be destroyed, and large areas of cultivate
land ruined. And seeing these things,
is the plain duty of every legislator VIII
recognizes his responsibility not alone t
, the present, but to the future, to stand 70
the continuance of the remedial work
which have been planned, and to vot
down every effort to stop them.
E INSANITY AND MURDER.
Mr.. Enos has introduced bill in rela