Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-18
THE RIVER APPROPRIATION THREAT
ENED,

one correspondent, that
When the committee confronted The prnposi
ton as to whether the Government could pro-
ceed TO improve me great waterway, hydraulic
mining having ceased, after examining the law
il was found impossible to make any Immediate
appropriation. In other words a project must
have been examined into by the Engineers de-
partment under the terms of an Act of Congress
warranting survey. This il is claimed by
members of the committee, precluded sny an.
preparation for the advacement of the work at
this time. lt was finally decided to submit the
entire matter to board of engineers who are
authorized 10 make examinations surveys
maps and estimates of cost during the coming
summer Tor submit sion to the next Copgress
The expenses of this work are to be paid for ont
of the contingent fund of 500 900 allowed for ali
surveys not specially provided for.
Assuming this information to be verity,
this means, then, that nothing will be
done the present season, and that the
whole subject will go back into the hands
of the army engineers, to bide their good
pleasure in furnishing the next, or some
other Congress, with the necessary report
and data upon. which legislation NAV pro.
ceed. But while the chief river of the
State is to have no attention save that in
dicated, 1t appears that less important
navigation interests are fortunate. Thus
Napa creek is to receive an OUTLAY of
$4,000; stream that is related to a
very limited commerce, and the nayiga-
blllty of which exceeds scarcely more than
dozen miles or so. Redwood creek ;s
granted $4,000, and the San Joaquin river
IS to have expended upon it the sum of
9'o,oOO 10 none of these appropriations,
however, do the friends of the Sacramento
river object. 1t is true that $4,000 ;s
&.io%ed for survey of the mouth of the
Sacramento and of Suisun bay, but that
there was any necessity for such appro.
prlatIon without corresponding work to
prevent the filling of the mouth of the
river and the channels of Suisun bav. and
their injury by the possible abandonment
by the river of its old channels, is doubted.
-, too, the usual appropriation is made to
Keep the snag-boat Seizer running. doing
here and there little nervous and snas-
modic work in pulling tree-tops and snags.
from lodgment in the stream. But this is
bagatelle, and has no relation to a thor.
ough and systematic treatment of the river
Oakland harbor is to receive a quarter of
million dollars, through the importance
OF creating that harbor is secondary to the
preservation of the navigability of the
chief stream of the State, and which. as
established before the House committee is
a larger and more important river than
the Potomac ard the Susquehana COM
bined.
we have the consolation, however. of
knowing that the $4,000 released by the
resolution of January last may still be an
Piled to the repair of the Paine break. and
the return of the stream to its channel
which it is now leaving at the creyasse re-
ferred to. If this is not done then no
hope can be entertained of any benefit ac
cruing to the river by Governmental action
Tor the next two or three years. But If
some means could be devised 20 stimulate
the proper department at WASHINGTON 70
order the Paine break closed nom nature
would do an immense work in clearing the
river and deepening the channel, and thus
actually save the Government great ont
lay. 1t might not be unwise to send on 10
the department. petition strong and urgent.
asking that action be taken at once in this
matter while the high waters prevail. In
the meantime the hope of bringing upon
the assessment rolls of the State of manv
millions Of valuable low lands cannot even
be entertained, for while the United States
cannot be asked to engage IN any land re-
clamatiou schemes. the condition of the
stream over which it has exclusive iuris-
dictlon is such that neither State nor mi
vate enterprise can do anything toward
retaining river lands until the Federal
Government treats the stream for improve
ment Of its navigability. But of course
such considerations have no true place in
the main questionable reclamation of the
Sacramento river from the threat of perma-
nent impairment than now menaces it.
While these discouragements NAV well
nigh paralyze activity by the friends of
river Interests, We should not despair, but
put forth the best possible efforts to induce
the engineers to engage promptly in the
new work that it is said Congress will in
struct them to commence To despair is
not an American trait of character. much
less is it the part of Californians Our
people are disposed 10 make the best Of all
situations, and they will do so in this case.
They should at once appeal to the chiefs
OF the Engineering Department to have
the contemplated examination of the
river made with the utmost speed. 1t is
well known that there is data quite suffi-
cient now in the possession of the en-
gineers tc enable them to advise Congress
upon the actual necessities of the case.
They know from their annual examina-
tion and their familiarity with the stream
during many years, what its general and
in most part, what its detailed condition
Is, and can, with comparatively little other
field work than that already noted in
their books, inform the Government of the
need for conserving the channels Of the
river, enlarging its exits, and so confning
It's waters as to make them do the greatest
possible securing. The agitation begun in
the winter should be continued, and the
organization already effected not allowed
to disintegrate. Great good can be accom-
2iished by continuing our appeals, for he
wins who never ahandons his cause.
BETTER HOME ACQUAINTANCE.
Elsewhere are published editorial re-
marks from the San Francisco .4ha Cali
foraia concerning State interests, to which
we invite the thoughtful attention of our
readers. As our contemporary well re-
marks, unless the reader has given close