Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-20
TEE COON comRs DOWN.

Oar evening contemporary comes down
and out Of the the tree saying "All that
the RECORD UNION argues from is from
what was said and done in 1881. 1t seems
to forget how much work has been done
and money expended upon the levoes since
then"
Now for the fact Not one dollar has been
erpende9 or a stroke Of aoort done upon the
lecse betsoesn Burns slough and Brighton
since The food Of 1881
Again, concerning the misreprssentltio
of the engineers figures as to y street, it
says: The statement in this paper arose
from misunderstanding by reporter as
TO a statement of chat gentleman at meet
ing of the Citizens Association. Elk.
actly; yet with the engineers printed re.
port before it, our contemporary failed to
correct its errors until driven to the wall
by public notice being called to its mistake.
Again. our neigbtor says of the levees
Since 1881, much money has been spent
upon our levees, and they are low in very
good condition. We do not deny that
they are in need of repairs and improve
ments, but we do claim that no special tax
should burden the people for that purpose"
Indeed Who is the better Judge of the
amount necessary TO make the needed re-
pairs and improvements? 2" The writers Of
the Be- who fail to produce their negative
witnesses Of thirty years standing, or
the Citizens Committee, which has recent.
IL examined the whole situation, and the
two engineers, who have given it official
study aud lno,o the levels, the weak spots,
the low places, the soft banks? Which
should the people hear and heed, the IN
named witnesses land, by the way, why not
produce them p or the engineers, who know
the facts, despite reservations 20 the con
trary, that the actual attitudes and slopes
shown by exact survey are such, thai if
the American ever rises one foot higher
than it did three years ago, it will pass
Brighton and sweep not only toward Whisky
Hill, but down INFO the city, and that the
technical grade, SO called, of the rail.
road at Brighton station, will be no barrier
60 the food
But concerning the late editor Of our
neighbor, hear our contemporary But
ne would never favor spending $40.
600 when he knew it was not
necessary, simply that backbone might BE-
put into few timid ones" Bat that
journal knew in 1851 that backbone was a
necessity, and in the Bee of January 81,
1881, said 1.-The people who founded
towns or laid out cities along the banks of
the Sacramento and San Joaquin were
guilty OF great folly. They subjected
themselves and their descendants to con.
tinuous danger from floods"
And while putting on a bold front and
making his journal declare Sacramento
safer than even San Francisco or San
Diego, and reitersting that our levees were
sound until the iteration approached the
verge of protesting too much" the edi-
tor of the Bee in citizens meeting ap.
plauded loudly, snd with sll the emphasis
OF his enthusiastic nature commended the
declaration that 1T is both polite and
necessary to enter az once upon the forma.
tion of plans for such enlargement and i'm.
provement Of levee defeDses as will place
the city beyond all possible danger from
overflow, beyond all question of doubt as
TO such possibility and approved and
helped to manufacture the sentiment of
that meeting that 1--WE must have a perfect
system OF levees to remove all possible
apprehension from the minds of residents
and non.residents, and place the city in as
fair light before the world as if she were
located on land so high az to remove all
doubt of her safety from food"
The same far-seeing man, February 5.h,
when the river water ran in Front street,
declared in his journal aft Sacramento
pulls through this winter the child is not
born that viii live to see her flooded, for
coed as are her Gefenses now, they will be
much added to and greatly strengthened
the coming summer
And sgain this man who left thoughts
uauttsrod between his lines that back
bone" might be given to the weak, de-
clared 10 the Bee OF February 4, 1881,
when the north levee was the center of all
thought and all fear, Sacramento must
be 80 scared from foods that eDen he 'cho