The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-17
The First Would Favor the
Spectator and Aid the
Land-Grabber.
THE SECOND IS pERNIcIoUs
1t Would Be Unjust to the People
and interfere With Indi-
Vidual Liberty.

antl-ScalperS Dill tonight. Ills reasons
for vetoing the lieu land bill are as follows:
I herewith return without my approval and
with my objections thereto Assembly bill No.
695, entitled "An act to amend section 1898 of
the Political Code, appointing the Surveyor
General locating agent in the United States
Land Office and declaring the effect OF selections
accepted by the United States" The change
which will be made in this section by the bill
is by adding to the section as 1t now is the
words, "A selection made in lieu of the six
teenth or thirty-sixth section, if accepted by
the United States, shall be waiver and con-
veyance to the United States of whatever claim
and title the State may have to said section"
The application for the purchase ofthe six
teenth and thiTty-sixth sections of land be-
longing to the State, Or lands in lieu of the
sixteenth or thirty-sixth sections OF land lost
to the State, must be made as provided in sec
ton 3495 OF the Political Code, and on forms pre-
pared and printed by the Suryeyor-General and
Registrar. If the land proposed to be purchased
be suitable for cultivation, then the proposed
purchaser cannot purchase exceeding 800
acres of such land; il not suitable for cultiva-
ton, then $40 acres of the land may be pur-
chased by one person. Whether the land be or
be not suitable for cultivation, is determined
by the ex-parte affidavit of the proposed pur-
chaser, and by the ex-parte affidavit OF two
other persons. The selection of lieu lands must
be based on a sixteenth OF thirty-sixth section
lost to the State, because embraced within the
limits of Mexican or Spanish grant, or by
reason OF settlement thereon at the time of
the survey, or because of reservation by the
United States for public use.
BY the amendments in 1891 TO sections 2275
and 2276 of the Revised Statutes OF the United
States, a sixteenth or thirty-sixth section of
mineral land could be made the basis for the
selection of lien lands hy the mo 500
ton il is provided that the Secretary of the In
terror without waiting for the extension of the
public surveys may ascertain, by protraction or
otherwise, the number OF townships within a
Government reservation, and the sixteenth
and thirty-Sixth sections in each of such town.
ships, if lost to the State, could be used as a
basis for the selection of lieu lands, and such
selection could be made on any unappropriated
surveyed public lands, not mineral lands, in
any part OF the State.
BY the same amendment it was provided
that the State could await the extinguishment
of reservation and then take the sixteenth
and thirty-sixth sections therein as school
lands. Under the authority OF an act of Con-
gress passed in 1891 the President of the
United States by proclamation dated Decem-
Der 20, 1892, and by another proclamation
dated February 10, 1898, and by two other
proclamations dated February %, 1898, set
apart as reservations a large quantity of public
lands, wholly or in part covered by timber or
underbrush. But since under the provisions
of said amendments the State could await the
eXtinguishment of these reservations and then
take the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections
therein as school lands, these sixteenth and
thirty-sixth sections would not be lost by the
State and would not be a proper basis for the
selection of lieu lands unless the State exer-
cised its option not to take such sections as
school lands.
In order to ascertain the amount of lands
applied for as for lieu lands under these amend
ments and proclamations I addressed letter
TO the Surveyor-General on the 9TH day of this
month, requesting statement showing the
existing applications filed in his Office since
and during the year 1891, relative to selections
of land in lieu of the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sections embraced within the reserva-
tons by the Government of the United States
showing the names of the applicants, the
quantity and description of the lands applied
for, and the action taken thereon and the pres
ent status of such applications. eThis statement
was furnished TO me on the 18th of the present
month, and from an examination of the state
ment have ascertained that since these res
ervation applications have been fled with the
surveyor-General for the purchase of many
thousands of acres OF land in lieu of school
lands lost to the State, that many thousands of
acres OF lands in sixteenth and thirty-sixth
sections embraced in these reservations have
been used as a basis for the selection of lieu
lands SO applied for, and that many of these
applications have been made through the aid
and assistance of land lawyers
Under the provisions of Section 1915 of the
Political Code, certificates OF purchase of lands
and all rights assured Hereunder are subject
to sale by deed of assignment. An examina-
ton OF the places OF residence of many of these
applicants for the purchase of these lieu lands
indicates that they are not engaged in the
farming or grazing business and the use and
benefit they expect to have from the purchase
of these lands are those which result from sale
for the purpose of speculation. In fact many
applications for the purchase of school and lieu
lands have been for the purpose of specula-
ton; and this is contrary to the intent and
spirit of sections and of Article XVII, of the
Constitution
In my opinion the operation of the amend
ment embraced in the bill herewith returned
viii be to favor land speculation, which is con-
trary to the intent and spirit OF the consttu-
ton of this State.
Ii the Legislature of the State relinquish the
right OF the State to the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sessions embraced in the reservations, it
should be before these sections used as
basis for the selection OF lieu lands, and not
after they have been so used, perhaps in the
interest OF land spectators.
In vetoing the anti-scalpers bill, the
Governor says.
return herewith without my approval Sen
ate bill 239, entitled San act to regulate the
sale and redemption of transportation tickets"
While this bill processes to be a regulation
OF the selling and redeeming of transportation
| tickets, it goes far beyond that. While it is
claimed that it is an attempt to regulate or
prohibit the sale of tickets by individuals who
have received or purchased them lawfully and
in good faith under the provision of this act
citizen purchasing ticket with bona fde
intention to travel upon the same, may sell the
ticket to any individual or corporation nd
the law thereby authorizes the purchase of
such ticket by such other person: yet the per-
son who thus purchases, under authority of
law, and for o valuable consideration, the
ticket, becomes a criminal when he either sells
or gives to another the property and the right
he has procured under direct authority of the
act.
Again, the minimum punishment prescribed
by section of this act is 5000. Should a man
steal a railroad ticket of any value under $50
he is by the law punishable for committing
| misdemeanor. There is for the offense of steal
| ing ticket, if a misdemeanor, no fixed PEN