Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-10

sniy si4,Z o.. The Legislature as q matter ss
these recn;,. S.eu lhe state Treasurer to receive
| Snese Ga Iecelpts as cash in settling with the
| Sounty 1reasurers, and they have. eyer since
Deen SO counted. This is all wrong They
counted. GU no longer oe 80
The large amount of property held bv the
rsc received from the estates of deceased
! p1rsois, snouiu De disposed of, and the amount
! 'uineu INTO the general fund
| STATE BOARD OF EouAI.Iz.Ttox
! The Governor recommends to favorsh,e no.ice
the report OF the Board in which ,ba f,llo,y;nsy
| suggestions are made: that the Controller he
aauthorized to sell all property purchased by the
cal Code st eny u.uer section 1897 of the Politi
to-; ba d. any tlme after the time for redemp-
uon mas expired. to any person applying nnon
pay pa! nient ol tne taxes for each year and costs
v;de tbat tS aueLion. That the Legislature pro-
pressed IN each deed of conyeyapce and To en-
tisie the oeed TO record that there shall be an
70 IL an affidavit by one or both of the
p, p".etSs lhat the sum named therein il the true
| purchase price; and TO enforce snch nrovis;on
l. sno9id De declared that a false Consideration
nhalnea or failure to make the affidavit. renders
tne qeeo void or voidable as the Indictment of
the Legislature deems wise And t5at Sha CnSa I
VI oivil Procedure should be amended so as to
PROVIDE that appraisers shall take an oath To an
bx fSa poPerly at It's taa cash rae defined
-! sne 1oAtcai Code, meaning at its market
van saiue as understood in business aud commer-
cial circles: The Governor calls attention to the
insninst of III the report of the question of the
such ioaning places the State in competition
Win ene business of banks, disturbs the reye-
tiu nue. system OF the state and tae various coun-
Ties, ana Introduces an ineouaIitv hetween Tho
counties IN respect to the burden OF taxation
for instance, the University at present holds
mortgages 10 the extent of S64l 6S7, distributed
ssss nn1 Aiameda SSl ,6s7 San Francisco,
| by the withdrawal of that much taxable prop-
erty, ior instance in San Francisco the CITY and
o,,S oOi.S rate Is increased to raise the specifi;
Whlch increase OF rate is borne By the taxpay,
erS. - ~ f"'
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Inc superintendent report is commended as
VI Nltal importance. 1be schools in the State
are 4,6e2; pupils attending, 207 $50: annual ex-
pense to the State, over $1,000 coo; the new
school districts formed during 1855 are l02 The
governor advises that the law relative to com
Puisory education be enforced and not remain
dead letter
THE STATE LIBRARY.
Extended remark is INDUCED in concerning
the irregularities charged as existing in the con
l Iucl OF the state Library and the Librarian
Inc GOV rnor made an investigation aud pro-
nounces that the result was disgraceful to those
unoer inquiry and disgraceful to the State, but
ne could take no further action because the
President OF the Board of Trustees would NOT
vote to remove the Librarian.
Attention is called to the fact that there are
nve trustees, who elect the Librarian and
as the Governor charges. then wash their hands
OF all further responsibility in the matter The
state expends about SS7 500 wear for support of
tne Library. This does not appear to be factor
IN the case. He holds that the law for the elec-
tlon OF the Trustees is unconstitutional and
that 1t is the duty of the Chief Executive to ap-
point them. If he had that power a derelict
Official could be removed and made to suffer for
maifeasance. The law now requires only three
votes of the Board of Trustees 10 elect a Libra
nan, but unanimous vote is required to oust
MIN. The Governor holds that as the Govern
ment is divided into three departments
latlve Executive and Judicial and as the Con
stitutlon prohibits either department from exer-
cising any of the functions of another and as
1t Is the prerogative of the Executive to carry
into effect" and of the Legislature to s.enact
laws, when the latter undertakes to give itself
the power TO elect Library Trustees it usurps
function of the Executive.
STATE PRINTING DEPARTMENT.
The Governor advises thst certain changes be
made in the State Printing building, and that
these are necessary Immediately. in order that
protection may be afforded to the lives Of the
employees and for the preservation of the struc
ture. He also advises the erection of an addi-
tlon TO the building to meet the increasing re-
quirements of the department. He concurs with
the superlntendent of State Printing in the
statement that the organization of his Office is
OF the very best description, and a credit to the
State in every department
THE EYoR.GENERAL-srATE LANDS.
The work in this department is commended,
and 1t is advised that another clerk be allowed
to it.
The productive area is 70, 90, ,0O0 acres includ-
ing arabic, grazing, desert land which may be
irrigated, aud swamp and overflowed lands
which may be reclaimed Of the remainder it
is estimated that 100000 acres consisted of
rugged and, for the most part heavily timbered d
mountains, covered with valuable redwood
pine, cedar, spruce and oak timber In 1858
Congress gave the State for our schools the 10th
and 36th sections, or indemnity, being one
eighteenth of the public domain in the state
a,oO0,OOO aeres-and 500 COO acres for internal i'm
provements. 6.400 acres for erection of public
buildings. $50 900 acres for agriculture and me-
chan'c arts, and all the overflowsd and swamp
public land in the State.
Under the law of 1855 counties cnuld disnose
OF the school lands for not less that So per acre
IN tracts of 160 acres. Settlers could buy at 81 so
per scre BY Act of 1868, the price of the unsold
portion of school lands was fixed at 81 25 Oer
acre in tracts OF so acres without settlement.
BY Act of 1865 the provisions of the last Act were
retained and it was provided that the Univer-
SLY lands !the i69,tQ0 acres donation) could be
disposed OF by the Board of Regents as they
should decide. The new Constitution january
l, 1884, provided that cultivatable lands of the
statr should be granted to actual settlers only
IN 5Zo-acre tracts. under conditions TO be fixed
by law. In April, 1880 the Legislature provided
that school and indemnity lands be SOD to
actual settlers only, at the minimum price of
By Act of March. 1885, the remaining school
lands were opened 10 private ent at 81 25 per
acre in tracts of $40 acres. 1t was a bad law and
In the interest of SPECTATORS who treat an atfi-
dayit as a mere form.
The fees for filing were reduced one half by
increasing the quantity of land that each could
apply for, and every guard against waste of the
school land grant was thrown down. Since its
enactment the school and lieu lands have been
rapidly transferred out of State ownership and
are being crowded upon the market in disre-
gard of the funds for which they were dcdi-
Gated. An examination of the tables in the re-
port of the Surveyor General show that for two
years ending August ], 1855, applications were
received and filed for 8, ,l63 S63 acres of school
LANDS, or nearly six times the number of
acres applied for the two preceding years, and
over eleven times the number of acres applied
for the two years ending August /, 1854 During
the same time 4S75 523 acres of school lands were
sold, and during the six years ending August l.
1885, 93S, 1856 acres of school lands were sold and
certificates of purchase issued at 81 % per
acre.
AS the State Surveyor. General so felcitously
remarks: The iaige increase of fees received
shows conelusiyely that never before in the
history OF this Office has such an unprecedented
amount of business been transacted"
1t is important in the interests of our public
school fumes that we realize the greatest returns
from the sales of our lands, rather than from
fees paid for the great number OF applications
filed. nearly six-sevenths of which are aban-
doned, forfeited, or expire by limitation.
The possibilities of this munificent grant have
not been realized. and the school revenues have
been ruinously reduced to the extent of millions
of money.
While California has been selling her school
lands at 81 25, Michigan has realized S5; In
DIANA and IllinoisS4 Ohio IS 50; Colorado from
$, to so; Nebraska 81. and upward Mime
sofa 80 as the minimum. and million
acres at Sc: and Kansas received s. per
acre as the minimum. We should amend the
law. TO secure a price for the remaining
lands commensurate with their value and
ofthe purposes oftheir donation. Under re-
cent Act of Congress, we will be allowed to
selecs about 100,i 90 acres in lieu of mineral
lands: and these should not be sacrificed.
To July ], 1854, we had selected ,S75, 125 acres
under the swamp and overfowed grant
To August !, 1885, there had been listed to us
LAS, ,726 acres. Under this grant the state has
received no revenue from sales, and it has been
a bill of expense to US, ard the donation has
been the cause of wider spread spoliation and
plunder.
Certain lands have been selected by the Fed
eral Government for its uses, of which we must
cede jurisdiction. general law to cover ell
cases of this kind, in future, is advisable.
GOVERNORS MANSION.
The State should erect res dence for the
Governor. Most of the States of the Union have
done so. 1t is essential hat the Chief Executive
may maintain the dignity of his office without
impOyerishing himself in the process.