The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-02-01
FENCING THE OCEAN.
How California Lobbyists Work,
A Specimen Brick From the Califsgsia
Legislature.

4
ton of state board OF commission
ers is becoming a subject OF some in
terest to the tax payers OF California,
because by the time the next legisla-
ture gets through with its labnrs it
is computed the ratio OF commission
era to population will be one in ten
One of these numerous develop
ments OF irresponsible idiosyncrasies
ia now before the legislature asking
for an appropriation. and its growth
has been so typical Of its kind that an
outline may not be without interest.
Senator Moffitt. who is known as the
foster-father of all measures in which
piety and prudence are combined, has
not denied that he will advocate it.
About five years ago an eccentric
old man, whose dotage was relieved
BY harmless fads, erected fence. at.
the precipitous edge of bluff in
Humbolt county, overlooking the sea.
A long time ago q child had fallen
over and been drowned, and the old
man put up his few palings to pre-
vent a recurrence of such mishaps.
The fence got out of repair and a
sharp witted fellow whose wits only
kept him in the suburbs Of impecuni-
business conceived the idea of getting
up a subscription to repair 1t. He
collected some S15 Of which he de-
voted So to the purchase OF stakes
and charged the rest to labor and
miscellaneous expenses.
This easy method Of gaining a
livihood caught his fancy, and pro-
posing to extend work of so simple
but philanthropical a character, he
interested people here and there to
the extent of a few dollars each
and formed what he called the Soci-
ETY. for Keeping Children from Dan
ger.
A society with a name like that
formed the basis for the most pa
thetic circulars, and few men had the
moral courage to refuse small do
nation or trouble themselves about
the method or extent of expenditure
The secretary extended his labors
along the coast of the adjoining
county interesting the carpenters
and lumbermen who were members
Of the congregations. They got theiI
wives to talk to the pastor, the pas.
tor said few words to the congre-
CATION, the congregation contributed,
the secretary paid the lumberman
and carpenter for putting up fence
along the edge of the ocean, and the
remainder of the money was &C
counted for by mileage, incidental ex
penses, contingencies and etceteras
Last session the society consisted oi
400 members-that is, 400 people had
at odd times succumbed to the lnde
fatigable secretary's importunities
and had their names duly chronicled
in the local papers, free of charge, al
full blown philsnthropists,
The secretary got them all to sign
a petition to the legislature com
mending the work and asking for Ill
appropriation of $4,000. That tht
people might be sure it would b,
properly spent they brought in bill
creating a board OF commissioners t.
take charge of the work and chang
i ing the name from the Society o
Keeping Children from Danger to tn,
State Board of. Commissioners fol
the Preservation OF Juveniles from
Maritime Mortality.
It was q small sum; hundreds o
thousands had been legislstod away
and this little Joker crept in, nobody
knows how.
This year it is back again askIni
for more. It proposes now to reliev
the commissioners Of part of thei
duties by the appointment OF secre
tary to the board with salary o
2,400, an appropriation Of $1,000
from the state treasury, and permit
ting the secretary to expend suct
money as he may be able to collec
from voluntary contributions in the
purchase OF lumber.
The fencing in of the sea is to b
continued all along the coast line, a
the discreet N of the board, and il
: order to make the bill general it ii
!, comprehensively extended to apply
to the shores or borders OF all bays
rivers and streams, navigable and IN
. . navigable, duck ponds and all othe
aqueous traps for reckless youth.
The secretary has saved abou
81, 900 from donations and from tn
last appropriation with which he
buying tickets for raff1es and churcl
fairs and presenting them to mem
! bers, who are thus enabled to stan
q off the fair button-holers who max
8 the lives of the legislators burden.
J, This would not be sufficient to az
!, complish the purpose, nor would !
s absorb all the fund, but the gstut
s secretary has managed to interest
/. an assemblyman, who will see the
: the bill is kept back till the finl
q rush, when it is hoped to get
d through.
o One OF the senators, whose heart
: always as sensitive to charitable al
[. peals as Renison is to newspaper baC
image, will see to its having what /
e calls fair show in the upper hous
S .a.Already he has secured Moffitt /
IS promising in return to vote for b
Oakland charter. He will cate
Jones by giving a vote for the 50 ,00(
% 600 street contractors taxpayer
', hoodwinker.
1T Goucher's interest in breaking Il
insurance compact will be catered t
Boggs will give his vote in return {
the support of his prison director
ne investigation; Murphy gives his a
r. herence to it in return for vote
b. the Examiners slander-immuni
bill; Yell is caught by reciproc
vote on his bill to put the San Fra
cisco police into Buckley's hanC