Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-02-25

persons who desire 10 use this water-who de-
Sire 20 appropriate it-and the conditions under
which 1t is proposed to be used II
this water is to be taken and used
private necessity Can the friends OF TINS Dill
say that by taking water from stream and con-
duetingi ii through ditch to the place where II
is TO be used and there using it upon that place,
is public necessity? Can they say by taxing
water from stream through ditch aud using
it on twenty places is public necessity II II Is
public benefit that will be COZ ceded. Now. If
water is taken from II stream and applied on
twenty places, is it the public when derives
the benefit, or the parties on whose land the
water is used9 1t seems to me that there Is no
question on that proposition. 1t Is certainly
I only for the benefit of the owners OF the soil
What docs the water do when used upon the
lande 1t enables the owner OF the soil to obtain
larger crops and makes the land thereby more
vauable-all of which accrues TO the man who
owns the soil, and not to the public. Therefore
say under the conditions in which view this
case, it seems TO me that the object here is to
take this water for private Use. We Will take
the case of Il county road. suppose have
farm two or three Tuiles from The road, and
want road leading TO my farm and termin-
ating there. Is that Il public benefit or private
benefit, | say It Is private benefit. IL
all comes to me Again, before this right
of eminent domain can be applied
that is, there must be no other way of accom-
ptishing the result than by resorting to the law
OF eminent domain. viii ask the friends of
this bill if they haze considered this? Have they
come before this Legislature and shown us there
is no other way Of supplying this need than by
reso.ting to this method? And has there been
any attempt TO show that they have resorted to
other means, or that there are no other means
to resort to? They have not done 1t. l contend
that we have i'll the State OF California facilities
for a system of irrigation which are not sur
passed in any country i'll the world, without re-
sorting TO flowing streams ana l think have
the best authority fer that. | happen TO
be Familiarity acquainted with Herman
SchuSSleT the very learned engineer OF the
Spring Valley Water Works Of San francisco
Several years ago he made il tour through
Europe, at the expense OF the Spring Valley
Water Works, believe with the express view
of looking into the various systems of irrigation
in use in Europe. i'll the various countries such
us France, Germany, Italy, etc When he came
back here had an interview with him, and he
expressed himself to me that California was
better prepared to-day To inaugnrate system
of ar iiicial irrigation without resortng 10 flow
ing streams than any country he had visited.
His theory was this-and think it will approve
itself to every thinking mind-ln California
every plain, every desert, every large tract OF
land which to-day is untillable and arid for
want OF water is surrounded by hills ana moull-
tains. In these mountains are rayines and
canyons, which can be converted into reservoirs
by simply wailing up the outlet of the raylne or
Cany on. Into which the entire rainfall can be
collected and used for irrigation purposes. The
rainfall i'll California is ample to supply this
water and the SHOWS i'll the mountains are
heavy. 50 that these reservoirs would collect all
rainfall and the water from the melting SHOWS
We have had an instance of this manner OF
utilizing water in the mining counties. We find
there our hydraulic miners have built large
reservoirs and collected the water and
used it through the summer months
for mining purposes. What is TO pre-
vent the farmers, or portion which
desires 10 institute Il system of irrigation,
from going into the mountains and utilizing
these now worthless ravineS and canyons by
converting them into reservoirs to supply the
valleys with water Tor irrigation purposes This
may sill look ChimeriCal 10 some, but the facts
exist. The friends of this measure have not
told US that any attempt has been made TO get
Water RON any other source. They have not
given us any knowledge as to whether any
other sources exist or not. ] say that for the
benefit of the people ofthiS state we should have
this matter investigated; this Legislature should
have more knowledge of the necessities
commits itself by the enactment OF
law such as this bill. l submit
to every thinking man, having in view these
faces which ! have stated about the utll-
izatiOn Of water in that way, whether it would
not be better for the people of this State TO wait
few years longer and investigate these possible
facilities, so as 10 know what we are doing.
| hope. therefore, this section li22 will he
stricken our, as it resorts to 4 law which is very
seldom r sorted TO except III eases of the very
dircSt necessity.
The Committee of the Whole then rose and
the President reported progress.
Assembly Bill No. 36, relating to the creation
of u Forestry Comm sSion, was passed.
Kellogg gave notice that on tomorrow he
would move d reconsideration of the vote.
At ST, the Senate adjourned.