Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-20

Assembly lSlli no. IL, apprOpriatiilS SZJ,VJV loI
expenses of the session, was taken up for third
reading.
Del Vale objected to the passage of the bill at
this time, and moved to make it the special Or
der for the following day at 1890 Z. ".
Knight favored lis passage The Assembly IS
already in need Of some of this money. and
what is not used will remain in the Treasury.
SAKE thought the Senate should not be too
effect that the Legislature is nsing the people 5
money, The people are using his SAKE 81
m0ney-twice as much Of il daily as he IS get
ting for his services.
The motion to postpone was lost.
The bill was then passed.
RESOLUTION.
Boone offered q resolution approp,iating the
sum of S. TO dciray the expense OF hack hire
on the occasion of the reception OF General
Sherman and Grand Army officers Adopted.
THE WATER QUESTION.
Cross resumed his remarks on Senate Bill No.
10. lie had never yet heard of any complaints
Of cxtOrtion on the part OF appropriations own
ing irrigation works There was little danger
of any oycr-chaIges for water. or eXtortiOnate
cxaclions, for the people have in their power
the matter OF regulating the rates to be charged
The bill under consideration itself embodles
the very protective provisions desired. The
small landowner cannot afford to buy out the
rights Of the riparianists below him on
tie river. Men of means must come III
and secure large possessions Of land III order
to warrant the purchase of riparian rights.
state ownership and control might be the best ;
but if we can get the control, without the own
ership, great good would be accomplished. Inc
doctrine of the day is that individual prosperity
must depend upon individual elliott. Originally
the bill seemed TO leave no protection 10 the II
paran : but Of late better spirit has prevailed,
and it has been amended i'll such manner as to
protect vested rights. 1t now leaves 10 the II
pariauists all the rights they have enjoyed. 1t
gives to them all they have acquired in the past
all the privileges they have enjoyed hereto
fore; water for domestic purposes, the watering
of live stock, and for irrigation where practical
bic. As amended, the bill gives the rparianlSt
even greater privileges than the Courts have
accorded him. Its passage would at once end
all pending lawsuits affecting water rights. lie
knew of no reason why the riparianiSt should
desire more than this bill, in its present form,
would give him. II has been said that the pas
sage Of this bill would result III the destruction
of inland navigation. This. to him, was no Sc
ri0us objection. The time has come when in-
land navigation is no longer important nor de-
sirable. The railroads OF the country, running
parallel with the greatest waterways of the
world, are already doing the bulk Of the trans
portatiOn, and doing il cheaper than can be
done by water. i he rivers and lakes are no
longer the transportation thorouShlares OF the
nat!Ou-the railroads have superseded them.
wise system of irrigation would en-
hance the values of land, as had
been done elsewhere the population OF
the State Will be increased to millions, and
its cities become great and important centerS OF
art and commerce. With all the provisions now
in this bill Justice would be done to the riparian
lists, and at the same time the vast interests OF
the State subserved The Senator concluded his
remarks by drawing picture ofthe near future
should the bill under consideration be passed
in which the riparian owners Of to-day were
enriched beyond measure by the enhanced value
of their lands, through irrigation.
Days combatted some of the arguments of
Cross and contended that large aggIegatiOnS of
land by the rich has ever been productive OF
misery among the poor This fact can be Illus
trated graphically by rcciting the condition OF
affairs in Ireland, Switzerland, Italy and else
where.
Chandler said he came here to do what he
thought was right to all interests involved. He
was i'll favor of State control of the waters. He
liked the argument of Senator Cross, and wanted
to vote with him. but it was impossible for him
to tell how the Senator from Nevada will vote
finally. Before the provisions of Section li22 OF
the Civil Code should be abrogated, before he
could vote to repeal it, he wanted to see some
law placed on the statute books to give the State
control of the waters.
Steele expressed similar views. He was afraid
of the grca. monopolies that are growing up.
and he could not vote to place the interests of
the people in the power of selfish aggregations
Of capital. The waters should be IL the hands
of the state Is distribute among the people and
thus saved from the monopolists on either SIDE.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE.
Indefinite leave of absence was granted TO
Senators Mcclure ana Foster.
Recess till +. VI.
Afternoon Session.
on reaSsembling Cox spoke against Senate
Bill No. IL. He explained the nature and effects
of the irrigation construction works taking
wafer from Kern river, and denied that these
works could be made profitable or beneficial to
the ripGrianists on the river below the point of
appropriation. The passage OF the proposed
bills would shut them out. absolutely, from the
use Of one drOp OF water. IL Is not TACT that
the people of Los Angeles, Kern, TulaIe and
Fresno are not n unit III support OF these bills.
Scores of them have implored him TO stand mp
AID oppose to the end all attempts at monopoly
of the waters running in the streams. dc had
acquired his property rights honestly and talriy,
and would be less than a man not to defend
them. He demanded the right 10 hold and en-
Joy those rights which the Almighty had given
him. The owners Of the irrigation canals and
bitches had even constructed levees to prevent
the speaker and his neghbors from beneiiting
in the smallest degree from the effects of con-
tiguOus irrigation y proposition was made by
the ripariauStS to the appropriations to accept
one-iOurth Ofthe water flowing in the river and
to give the latter the other thTce-iOurthS for
their own use aud profit, but the offer was re-
jectcd. Referring to the statemenFby Senator
Cross, that irrigation would enrich him
the speaker by enhancing the values of his
land. he denied that such would be the case.
His head is already whitening with age, and be-
fore the millennium promised by the Senator
from Nevada shall come around. he the speak
cry would be sleeping in his grave. But this
is not all. He was contending for right and
justice. He preferred to enjoy his own rights
and property requirements in his own way. 1t
is q bad time, and in badtaste, for owners Of
property to be quarrcllug i'll this way about
their acquired or desired rights. lie wanted TO
have the matter settled equltably ana definitely,
but it was for the water claimants TO now make
concessions and propose equitable terms of set
tlement.
Boone criticised the system of legislation pro-
posed in the interest of few men. Two years
ago the speaker was Il riparianist. Since then
he had come to the conclusion that some sys-
TEN of irrigation is necessary. But shall n mo-
noDoly of the water be given to q few individ-
uals who, with their money come into the halls
of the Capitol to influence legislation? He had
investigated the systems of irrigation in vogue
in the older countries and found that Govern
mental control had been q success, whereas
private or corporate ownership and control had
been detriment The question before us is one
that cannot be readily adjusted; and it be
hooves this Legislature to consider carefully its
work. II present conditions be not intcricred
with, there will be time enough in the future in
which to arrive ut proper understanding Of
the problem.
Reuter- said that vested rights are gocd enough
rs far as they 90. But what made vested rights?
The law made them, and the same power that
made bad law can make better one. He had
no respect for vested rights that were oppressive
and against the interests of the people. The
american colonies had vested rights once, and
the Southern States had vested rights i'll their
negroes, and what has become of them? The
British landlords have their vested rights, but
Will they be maintained IN the lace OF that JUS
tice which the people OF Ireland demand2 Cal
ifornia has no right to give to the few vested
rights that belong to the people The present
condition Of things is leading toward the shot
gun policy. In California there can be little
prosperity without irrigation. II the people OF
the southern counties are not given the water
they require they viii take it. Two years ago it
was said on this floor that we bad not had light
enough on the problem; but the men who Op-
posed irrigation then oppose it now. The enemy
of irrigation is public enemy-not intention
ally, perhaps, but still public enemy. We owe
it to our common country and TO cur manhood,
TO give the people the use of the waters for bene
fetal purposes.
Kellogg moved to take up Assembly messages.
Spencer urged postponement Of the matter I'M
Ill the subject under consideration be disposed
OF.
The motion was lost.
THE MAIN QUESTION.
The main question then recurring on the mo-
ton TO reconsider the vote by which the Reddy