Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-06
s. wanton destruction 81 public and private

.. Burning shrubbery, eIeSriIIS and piowini
up meadows. and allowing FeTsI'ns TO DO TIL
same ser Their private gan, thereby doini
lrreparSble damage to the nssaral beauties o
the valley.
6. Fencing and farming out public land 70
the benefit OF private individuals.
z. Refusing to investigate or consider charge
OF gross neglect and incompetence and de
Struetlon oi property preferred against Guardian
Dennison.
S. Connivsnee with persons endesyoring tC
secure all business privileges in Yosemite val
ley. and TO evict other residents and tiebar the
general public from just and Il gal use of the
valley.
3: Neglect to prosecute persons for disfguring
ano destroying natural features os the valley, in
oren defiance of law.
10. Holding annual meetings with e5osed
doors, IN uehance OF law.
IL. Allowing contractors for the Stone,nar
house TO cut and mill timber within the Limits
of the grant.
i. Open defsnee of laws prohibiting tbs
granting OF exclusive privileges
Is, Reduction of rentals, 10 the prejudice ot
the es income
ling Illegal and arbitrary contracts with
ls.e-ers, and Withholding their wages
10. Refusal to recognize their own contracts
and TO pay balances due on the same.
10. Suppressing and Withholding from citizens
House by the Board, and Illegally leasing the
hotel.
Il. Cutting wood on the grant and selling ii
70 residents OF ihe valley, thereby destroying
own rules and regulations snd in violation OF
law.
IS. Official sanction and approval of return
to the vicious toll system of former years abol.
ished with great difficulty and at considerable
expense by the Legislature
10. Eviction OF law abiding and useful fami-
lies IN cid OF monopoy enterprises thereby
destroying the district school of Yosemite.
~ Gross neglect of pubic roads and trails
within the grant.
q. Employment Of State labor upon work for
private parties
p. General failure and incompetence of the
5oard TO properly manage the Yosemite valley
for the interest of the state of California in sc
cordanee with the Conditions imposed by the
United states, for the comfort ana convenience
of visitors fom abroad, or for the welfare OF
residents in the valley.
There was wait for Assemblymsn Dibble,
who had been appointed by the Assembly as
one OF the consulting at orneys of the commit
tee. Mr.. Tully, the other Assemblyman, a finally
came in, and the examination proc eeded.
Judge James Grant, who testified before the
Senats committee on Monday night, was the
first witness. The twenty-five charges were
taken up and read seriatlm to the witness, and
he was asked If he knew anything about them.
He replied in the negative down to the sixth
charge, when he said that he had seen a piece
of land fenced in and he had heard of many
things that he thought were not right, but knew
nothing of il from his own knowledge. He was
a lawyer and he wsS satisfied that the valley
was not managed i'll accordance with the letter
and spirit OF the Act of Congress granting the
valley TO the State. He had heard Mr. Mills
say to the Senate committee that special privi-
ileges were granted.
BY this time Mr. Dibble came in and asked
the witness several questions, to which he re-
piled that he had heard and read certain things
IN the newspapers Mr.. Dlbble asked HIM if he
knew any OF these tn ngs ofhis own knowledge.
The witness replied that he did not. Mr.. Tuily
argued that the witness ought TO be allowed,
latitude to tell what he heard.
Mr. Mills asked the committee if the Commits
sioners had the right to object 10 hearsay evil
dence.
Mr. Dibble argued that the Commissioners
ought to have that right, ana Mr.. Tally took the
opposite view.
Chairman Rundell ruled that the witnesses
must coDfne thems Ives to matters within their
own knowledge and belief.
Examination then proceeded, and Judge
Grant went on and told the story of his bid ioI
keeping the hotel but very much differently
from the night previous. He had never pre-
tended that there was anything illegal about
the letting ofthe hotel. He had wIittento the
Governor about the matter and had received
answer from his Secretary that it would be at
tended to, but he never heard anything more
about it
c. d. Robinson asked permission, as the com
planning witness, to question witnesses himself
but the committee decided that it was not
proper.
admitted that when he bid for the hotel he
wrote his own bid and that of Tyack, and made
his bid lower than Tyacks; that after
wards he wrote the Commissioners asking them
to give Tyack's bid the preference over his He
further said that he did not know now what
the terms of the lease were.
DR.. John T. Mclean was the next witness
He knew Of some cutting of the trees, but in
stead of il being an act of vandalism, he con-
sidered it very necessary to improve the view
1t was his suggestion that some trees were cut
out so as to give good view OF Bridal Veil
Fails. Ills opinion differed with that Of the
Commissioners in the matter of fencing in lands.
He said it was simply matter of Judgment
aad the Commissioners had the same right to
their opinion as he had. He had not thought
the Commissioners had done anything immoral.
He knew& no misappropriation of any funds
received for the rent of lands In answer to a
question as 10 his knowledge of charge No. II,
that the Commissioners had allowed con-
tractors for the Stoneman House 10 cut and
he said that he knew this charge was
not true. Speaking on charge mo. is, he said
the State had always been niggardly in its ap-
preparations for the improvement of the valley.
No tolls were now collected in the valley,
though under one of the old Boards tolls used
to be collected III the valley itself The roads
were good and not neglected. The Commits
siouers, under the Act of Congress, had power
to do anything they thought proper for the
p o er management of the valley.
Answering questions by Mr.. Mills silness adj
mitted that the valley would soon grow up to
wilderness if Il was not cut out and Kept
down. He said the Old Commission granted
him an exclusive toll road privilege. The new
Commiss oners helped him to get a bill passed
road t0 the Commissioners for $50 O. and re-
ceiYed S2 o on account and afterwards went TO
the Commissioners md wished o have it back.
He said he did not know tina. Mr.. Mills had Sc
cured the veto of the bill though he did know
that he had written the Governor in regard TO
IT The only sawmi ever put up in the valley
was butt by Hutchings.
n. :. stockton, of MaripOSa county, was the
next witness called. The charges were read
over to MIN, and 10 most of them he answered
that he knew nothing about it. lie did know
that there was me land fenced and farmed.
There were about 80 or 8 0 acres fenced, and
there was probably 1900 acres of land on the
floor of the valley. lie said he could not ex-
press an opinion on the management of the
valley without assuming that what he saw in
the newspapers was true. Before the fences
were erected campers horses were allowed to
run at large in the valley.
Wm. H. Mills was the next witness called
The Secretary rea1 the charges and The witness
explained each one as it was read. To
No. ! he made general denial saying
that he had done the best he could
as Commissioner. The second charge, he
said he presumed, related 10 sole property
under lease to Mr. Robinson. question arose
between Robinson and the Guardian as to
whether the lease had expired He understood
the charge was against the Guardian and not
the Commissioners.
The third charge, he presumed, related to
two old hotels in the valley. They were an eye
sore old osckwoods hotels that were of no use
The Board ordered them taken down, on the
recommendation ct Mr.. Hutehings, when he
was Guardian in 1883 or 1884,
Tully wanted to know whether these old
buildings would not have an interest for tour
lists
Mr.. Mills replied that they were not pic
turesqe ruins and had no historical value The
Old Hutehlngs house had been repaired and
saved
The witness explained charge No at length,
showing the absolute necessity OF cutting some
OF the timber and the keeping down of the
underground.
In r. gard to the fifth charge he said that he
knew nothiog OF any one poughing up grounds
different persons who cultivated them the rent
paid going 20 the State. H. had always been
the disposition of the Commissioners to favor
the campers and those who drove their own
teams in. The constant endeavor was TO pro-
tect them from extortion. Sixty acres were
fenced in and devotef exclusively to the use
of campers lie denied charge in toto He
laid that no man would charge that he had
ever done anything there for the benefit of any
individual. The Commissioners received no
pay and the Secretary only received sl25 per
month for Office lent, postage and all other ex-
penses.
Answering No. :, he said he never heard of
the charge.
To No S, after commenting on its bad Eng
lish. he entered general denial
To No. O. he sa that DR.. O'Donn I'll was MT
prosecuted Tor the reason that his only
object in painting his name on the rocks was 10
gain noioriety. and to prosecute him would only
give him more notoriety.
The only meeting held with closed DOORS that
he knew of, was before the law forbid IT, and
that was for q good reason