Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-09
AETI-DEBRIS CONFERENCE.
yUBA SUFFER- AND SACRAMENTO REP
REsENTBTIvEs IN. COUNCIL.
YoIo and Colusa Fail to Join Them-sac-
ramento Will Assist the Anti
Debris Association.

The Supervisors OF Sacramento, 4uoa
and Suffer, and representatives Oh the Anu
Debris Association of the two latter coun-
ties. met in this city yesterday for the pur-
pose of comforting together ID regard 10
the matter of hydraulic mining, the evils
resulting therefrom, and to agree upon
some mutual plan of campaign for the
future. The Supervisors of Colusa and
Yolo counties, who had been invited to at
tend the conference, were not present.
After the meeting had elected Supervisor
Tebbets, of this county, as Chairman, and
w C. Ellis. of Yuba, as Secretary, a recess
was taken until l o'clock P. NJ, IN order
that the Secretary might telegraph to the
Clerks of those counties and ascertain II
representatives would be present at the
meeting.
The delegates present beside Supervisors
Bates, Black and Tebbets, OF this county,
were:
Bradley. Mullalev, w. L. Ellis, Jr., and
Honkins. and District Attorney Forbes.
Sutter-Supervisors Farmer, Humphrey,
Spillman and Smith
George Ohlever and T. B. Hull, OF SUIT
ter. and G. w. Hutchings, of uba, were IN
attendance as representatives OF the Anti
Debris Association.
The conference reassembled at l P.
but as no replies had been received from
the Supervisors of Yoio and Colusa coun-
ties. a wait of another hour ensued. AT
o'clock no replies to the kilograms mad
come to hand, and those present decided TO
proceed with the business before them.
Chairman Tebbets explained the diIh,
culties which the Sacramento board hao
encountered in the past in its efforts to Sc
cnre evidence against persons violating the
iniunctions placed by the Courts on by
draulic mining. He thought that each
county affected by the hydraulic mining
should nav its share of the expense In
Cured in preventing the pollution OF the
rivers and the ruin of valley lands by vast
deposits thereon of debris from the mines.
Some agreement, he thought, should be ar
rived at. and Yolo and Colusa counties be
asked the indorse the same.
Mr.. Hutchings said that the expense en-
tailed thus far upon the people OF Yuba
and Suffer counties had amounted to some
5000 900, and he thought that Sacramento
had hardly done her share. Sacramento
and Yolo are now in the position that uba
they do not wake up and do something
they will be swamped in the future. The
cost of constructing levees to protect their
cities will be far greater than what it would
he to stand in now and do as Yuba and
Suffer have done. The bed of the river is
filling up constantly, and the filling will
be getting worse with every year. Unless
Sacramento should stand in now and make
determined fight for protection she will
suffer in the end. The levees below the
CITY are not what they should be, and an
other winter like the last would bring I'M
told danger. The situation is a menace
to these lower counties, which have not
shown the proper interest in self protection.
Marysville stood forty feet higher than Sac
ramento and before she could be flooded Sac
ramento would be swamped. The latter is
at the tail end of the siuice-box, and she is
not keeping her end clean. She has been
tardy. and must arouse and do something.
The Anti Debris Association will go right
along as it has done, whether Sacramento
stands in or not.
Mr. Hull, of Suffer, spoke in a somewhat
similar strain.
Mr.. Forbes said the people of Suffer and
Yuba have been disappointed with Sacra-
mento, which has shown a strange apathy
in the matter. Sacramento had extended
Tile hSSOCldllOu kut sIbtlC oiu III Tic Ilic-
aud-death struggle in which the people of
Suffer and Yuba have for several years
been engaged. The latter have helped Sac
ramento county by stopping hydraulic
mining on the Feather and Yuba rivers,
while Sacramento has allowed the miners
on the American to continue their work.
There was more hydraulic mining done on
the tributaries of the American the past
winter than for three years past and when
Sacrementans tried TO delude themselves
into the belief that the danger from n.y.
drtulic mining had ceased they were COM
hitting a serious blunder, and one that
viii ell against them in the future. The
business men of Sacramento were afraid to
star. n and fight the hydraulic miners, as
they have customers in the mining towns |
The merchants of Suffer and Yuba were
mace of sterner stuff. They have not al |
lowed considerations of this kind to stand |
In the way of their exertions at self protec |
ton. They have not depended on employ |
ing detectives to get evidence against the
yiolators of the law, but have gone out
themselves and laid out of nights in the
woods to watch the hydraulic miners Sac
ramento had not helped the Anti-Debris
Association to the extent of more than
$500.
Messrs. Bates and Tebbets defended the
they said, had paid out considerable money
to stop hydraulic mining on the American
and Costumes rivers. 1t had been agreed
that if Yuba and Suffer would look after
the Feather and Yuba rivers Sacramento
would attend to the American and CO.
sumnes But men could not be found here
TO act as detectives, and Sacramento had
offered to pay all expenses attending inves-
legations that the Anti Debris Association
might institute.
At this point in the proceedings tele-
gram was received from the Clerk of Tolo
county, to the effect that the Supervisors of
that county would not be present at the
Convention.
Mr.. Tebbets urged that the Convention
go right ahead, as if Yolo and Colusa were
represented, and perhaps in the end these
counties might Join in whatever should be
done. The people over there may be more
deeply interested in the matter than their
Supervisors are.
Mr.. Ohleyer. on behalf the Anti-Debris
Association, after making few remarks
read report showing what had been done |
by the Association in its battle against n.y. |
draulic mining. The report was as follows |
and entitled History of the Anti Debris |
Association of Sacramento Valley"
An association of farmers on Bear river, resi- |
dents of both Yuba and Suffer counties with |
James II. Keyes al their head and in whose |
name a suit was commenced against the Little |
York" and other hydraulic mines situated on
the watershed of Bear river in January 1877, !
and. after some delay on technical grounds was
tried in the District Court of Suffer county,
Judge Phil W. Keyser presiding, in 1873
The decision went against the miners, and a
permanent injunction was ordered. From this
decision an appeal was taken to the Supreme
Court and, after some delay. that Court re-
versed the decree in 1879. without decision on
the merits on the technical issues of mis-
joinder of parties defendant
This ruling was celebrated as victory for the
defendants but in reality was an evasion.
During the trial and the discussion by the
public and the press ii became evident that the
entire Sacramento valley, its nayigable rivers
and drainage was in jeopardy, aud that larger
and stronger organization was necessary to cope
successfully with the hydraulic miners organi-
cation that had previously been formed.
To this end the following call was issued and
sent TO leading citizens throughout the country: