Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-11
SHALL THE RIVER BE SAVED ,

The estimates of the river and harbor
bill TO be presented at the next Con.
gFessionai session are now being made by
the Government engineers. The Boston
Adcertiser says that the same old farce is
being played, the small and unimportant
places coming forward for the largest sums,
while the really important points will be
pat off with pittance. This was one of
the causes OF the vicious form the bill took
on last year that compelled decent people
TO cry down the monster. There was merit
IN that bill, but so much more of demerit
that the good, of necessity, had to be sac.
riced. Now let US zee what is being put
up this season. Vermont will serve for
single example. She comes forward with
claim for Sl70, 600 to be appropriated to
improve Msquam Bay, on Lake Cham.
plain, spot SO Insignificant that no atlas.
maker has deemed it worthy of a note or
Of a signiication by the slightest indentation
IN shore line. The truth is, this "b bay"
is mere landing place two miles from
S~antown, to which small steamer plies
few months each summer, and the entire
commerce OF which can be put into pocket
handkerchief. Then the engineers ask for
$2SS, 900 TO be spent at Burlington, on the
same lake, and where it is not needed ex.
cept to fatten local contractors. she also
is prepared to ask, through the engineers,
for $50, JAS to deepen catfish stream known
as Otter creek so as "to open Il uo to ro,o.
boat navigation as far as Vergennes" This
creek can scarcely be discovered with
microscope. The only wonder is that
the engineers do not ask for an
appropriation to dig a canal to the
top of the White mountains to accommo-
date the skif of Paddy Rafferty,, which
he might build if he lived up there
and had water to float the boat So ]
it goes. The moment a petition is
presented 20 Congress for river i'm.
provement, and to preserve the
interests OF all the people, every small.beer
statesman in the country who wants to
curry favor with a selfish constituency
bounces up and puts in his claim to have
thousands expended on every mill-race in
his district, and thus bill, in its incep-
tion good, is loaded down until it sinks
beneath the weight of fraud and attempted
thievery. Some of the most shameless !
steals ever perpetrated have been consum.
mated under the shelter of river and har |
Dor bills. Very small hope, then, have we
of securing anything for the Sacramento
river. The miserable pittance doled out
TO US last year is inadequate. Nothing has
been done with it except to enable a snag-
boat to jerk few tree-tops from the chan
nels. Well enough, and necessary. but at
the same time the chief navigable river of |
the State IS going to destruction, while |
politicians growl" at each other about
the necessity OF doing something. Here is
the chief waterway of the State, long
navigable river, absolutely indispensable
to the commerce Of the State, vital ne. |
cessity to the coast, of Importance to all |
the country since it is a free highway, the |
heritage of sll the people, penetrating one
of the richest agricultural regions on the
face of the globe, and watering valley
unsurpassed in its productive quality and
It's Importance to the bread.consumers of
the land. Yet this stream, which once
hoated ships-of f.war, and carried on its
bosom great steamers hundreds of miles
up the valley, is so filled up that the small
est light.drsft boats ground below this city,
and bars form and shift, and form again in
the most perplexing manner, and render
the work Of navigating the stream most
disheartening. Year after year goes by
and nothing is done to clear the channel.
When we do get small appropriation
we are chagrined to find that treble the
sum has been appropriated for some tail
race in the East, and untold riches to con-
struct harbor at Oakland, where Provi- |
.tsezse never intended harbor to be, and