The record-union., 1895-02-14
A Now Organization Formed to Form
ulate a Practical System
of Drainage.

claimed islands down the river; l.. +.
Moulton Of Colusa, George Ohleyer of
Suffer, James Millar of Solano, and
many prominent swamp land owners in
Sacramento and other counties. Com
missioner of Public WorksiA. II. Rose
was also present
The meeting was called to order by a.
i. Reynolds, who stated the object to be
the consideration of Senate bill 81, pro-
viding for organizing drainage district
embracing several counties.
Secretary McCabe OF the Governors
Office explained to the meeting that Gov
ernor Budd was quite i'll and unable to
he present
J. NJ. Stephenson of Sacramento was
chair he said he supposed those present
all understood the provisions of the bill,
which he understood was against the
interests Of swamp land owners.
J. w. Ferris, Secretary of the Swamp
Land Owners Association, was chosen to
act as Secretary.
ABAD ELL.
Being called on for his views of the bill,
Mr.. Ferris said 1t was generally conceded
that the bill was Il bad one, and that it
would be waste Of time to discuss it,
lie was satisfied that all were against it,
and it would be in order to adopt a reso-
hutton providing that the bill be killed.
ABOUT
the bill, however, Mr.. Ferris said that it
did not require an engineer to determine
the fact that in seeking an outlet for the
flood waters Of the Golo basin the attack
should be made at the lower end of the
basin. The bank at Horseshoe Bend
near Rio VISTA should be be cut through
from ThTee-mile Slough to Yoland's
Landing, and heriver opened up below
the latter point. Proper work down there
would reduce the hight Of the fiOOd-Water
at Sacramento at least four feet. If some
such plan as this were not pursued, and
the flow OF water from the north tacili-
tated, the ruin OF large extent Of Valu-
able land near the mouth Of the Sacra-
mento River would follow.
1t is, he said, question of OuttlOw en-
tirely, and until that point is determined
it would be useless to talk of retaining
the overlooked lands Of the Sacramento
Valley.
KILL IT QUICK.
F. NJ. Boggs of CoIusa said the bill was
not what is wanted, and the best thing to
do would be TO kill it, and to kill it quick.
\ NEW PLAN NECESSARY.
p. J. Van Loben Sells, large owner in
the Pearson District in Sacramento
County, attacked the bill on its provision
for assessing lands for deTaying the ex-
penses OF the proposed work. He hoped
that an organization should be effected TO
prepare plan for drainage, to be sub
united at the next session Of the Legisla-
ture.
In conclusion Mr.. Van Loben Sells read
the following resolution, and moved that
il he adopted:
WHEREAS, There has been introduced
in the Senate Of the State OF California a
bill to create the Sacramento Valley
Drainage District and defining lis
boundaries and providing for the gov
eminent and management thereof, and
Tor other purposes, by which bill it is
proposed TO form the entire Sacramento
Valley into one drainage district, and
thus entail upon the people OF the Sacra-
mentO Valley an unjust and Onerous bur
den of taxation; therefore be it
"ReSotCed, BY the citizens Of the Sacra-
mento Valley, III mass meeting assem-
bled, that we DO, unqualinedly, condemn
said proposed law and instruct our rep
resentatiyes in the Legislature Of this
State 10 use all honorable means in their
power 10 defeat said bill"
The resolution was unanimously
adopted.
THE COMMITTEE.
On motion Of Mr.. Van Loben Sells a
committee OF twenty-five was appointed
TO appear before the legislative commit
tees in the evening and oppose the pas
sage Of the bill Some ghirty-Odd persons
were placed in nomination, and all were
elected, as follows:
L. u IIeCH, James W. CNaSSer, +.
i. Dwyer, Sol RunyOn. y. 7. J. Rey-
nolds, +. l. Upham, p. II. McGrath, @.
Is. Green, David BiXler, i. 3. Adams, /.
". Jacobs, Frank Gardner, =. Lavenson,
L. c. Donnelly, p. J. Van Loben Sells,
George II. Ohleyer, y. ID. Rideout, 4. =.
bingham, /. Ryer, George W. Chapman,
i. NJ. Boggs, j. NJ. Stephenson, J. W.
Ferris, K. ). Carey, Judge Lincoln, w.
u. Hope, George A. Knox, George T..
Williams, /. K. MOulton, G. NJ. Hide
ton, John CrottOn, \. 3. kirkley, Z. w.
Dean, II. A. Peek.
1t was moved that the committee be in
structed not TO urge nor consent to any
amendments to the bill, but to oppose it
In its entirety. Carried
on motion of Mr. Ohleyer all the per-
sons present were requested to attend the
meeting at the Capitol.
NEW ORGANIZATION.
W. a. Gett referred to what had been
done under the Act creating the Commits
sion OF Public W Works, and said the result
had been far from satisfactory. 1t had
been contemplated that before any plan
of work was outlined meetings were 10 be
held to consider the matter, but this had
been done without consulting the people
of the district. There IS now present. he
said, the best representative meeting OF
swamp land owners ever held in the
State, and he suggested that ali present
enroll their names aud at the proper
time meet and organize an association to
formulate a practical and Just plan for the
drainage OF the Sacramento Valley.
DIR. @. NJ. Dixon took up Mr. Gets
idea and moved that such be declared the
sentiment OF the meeting.
After some debate the motion was
adopted, the organization TO be known as
the swamp Land Owners Association,
PROPOSED MEETING.
DIR. g. N. Dixon moved that the men,
berS Of the association be called together
in March TO consider the matter OF the
work for which 1t is to be organized.
Judge Williams thought next fall
would be the better time to meet. and
offered TO amend the motion by making
ii next October.
DIR. Dixon gave his reasons for keeping
the matters of drainage and river i'm
provemeut from conflicting swamp
land men should meet often and keep in
touch with one another.
Judge Armstrong made some remarks
on the subject OF river improvement. and
said it would seem as il the situation had
not been properly presented to the Gov
eminent. He thought the proposed
meeting Of swamp land owners should
be deferred.
/. w. Jacobs of Yolo said he had heard
for the last forty years the cry OF asking
Congress to give us relief, and the result
is that he the old woman and their dog
are now resting on little ridge Of lanG
in y olo County, with water all around
them. In his opinion, if any relief should
ever come it viii be only when the men
who own the land shall quit calling on
Congress and set about doing something
themselves.
In the last two years the Commissioner
of Public Works has drained the State
treasury and damned up the waters of
two streams in the valley. Never look