Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-17
OUR CLAIM UPON CONGRESS.

The Marysville appeal asks if the valley
has not claim upon Congress for remu-
neration: fought not cities, counties and
individuals, who donate moneys to bring
hydraulic mining to a close, be entitled to
future Congressional remuneration because
the navigable rivers of the State will be
saved by money obtained from this neceo-
sary expenditure? The Federal Govern
ment should have interviewed years ago. as
the Secretary of War has of late, and
stopped the hydraulic miners from filling
the river channels and Numbering the
bays with detritus But if this desirable
Intervention is accomplished for the Ma
tional Government by local means, why
will not the parties to the action have a
Just claim upon the Federal Government
for all the moneys advanced and expended
In interrupting destructive nuisance
which the Government itself should have
never allowed to progress a day after It's
destructive efforts became evident to the
National authorities ?' Such claim may be
preferred but It'll not probable that even the
appeal seriously believes for moment
anything would ever come of it, Itwould
stand precisely upon the same footing as
any other begging petition. Whatever
equity there may be in such a claim,
certainly no thoughtful persons advance
money to aid the valley with any idea
whatever of receiving it back from the
Federal Government The argument OF
the Appeal runs like this: 1t is the duty
of the Federal Government to preserve
the navigability of the rivers; if it neg
lects to do so, and riparian jewellers do the
needed work, are they not entitled to re-
enumeration? Yes; but they will never
receive ii from Congress. The National
Legislature is the judge of the necessities
Of the rivers, 50 far as appropriations 90,
and viii never setup the precedent OF pay
ing back to the people who prosecute those
who injure the streams the sum Of their
expenses. twill never agree that citizens
may do for the Government what it has
not resolved shall be done, with any hope
of being reimbursed Ii would be dan
gerous policy to iiaaugurate.
But the valley has claim upon Con
gress, and it has not been pushed as it
should have been We have slept upon it
too long, and when we did awake to its
Importance we pressed it but feebly to the
front. In the thousand and one claims
for Government expenditure, ours has cut
but pitiful figure, and has generally gone
down with the great majority Of disallowed
claims. Our claim is for the restoration
and preservation for the people Of the
public highway known as the Sacramento
river 1t is 4 heritage OF the people,
and there are few more sacred duties in
cumbent upon Congress than to keep that
heritage intact. We need 10 press this
claim with very much more of vigor than
ever Mining deposits have for years been
working the ruin of the river the accu-
mutations of debris in the canyons and in
the upper tributaries below the mines are
a constant menace to the navigable chan
nels. Whether by the neglect of the Gov
eminent or not, the fact remains that these
dispositions are there and threaten US. 1t
is the duty of the Federal Government to
prevent. as it alone can do, the descent OF
these deposits into the channels OF the
nayigable stream. 1t is its duty to 50 re-