The record-union., 1895-01-28


What is Thought About 1t In Los
Angeles.
From the Los Angeles Herald
Any legitimate demands which the city
Of San francisco has to make on the pres
ent Legislature should be granted, TOR al
though we are not in favor of San Fran
cisco egotiSm, We are anxious to see all
parts OF the State grow and prosper. But
the project to build State building in
that city for the State officials appears to
be a useless extravaganza. The Capital
OF this State is at Sacramento, not San
Francisco. and it is at the Capital that all
the officers ofthe governments should have
their Offices. There are some branches
otthe State government, as, for instance,
the Supreme Court that quite properly
transact business IN San francisco be-
cause that is whore the majority Of ltiga-
ton takes place, but there is no reason
why the Railroad Commission, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Yosemite
Valley Commission, the State MineralOg
ist, the Board of Horticulture. the Fish
Commission, the Eitlcultural Commits
sion, the Bank Commission, the Board Of
Forestry, the Board of Immigration
the Bureau OF Mineralogy or the Iusur-
rance Commission should have Offices i'll
the Golden Gate City. The place for
them Is at the State Capital, and the State
Is expending too mucn money i'll un-
necessary office rent for all the numerous
bureaus and commissions who should be
taken care of i'll the States property at
Sacramento. If there is any moro room
needed 10 care for all these officials, the
place to provide that room is at the center
OF government-the place where the Cav
ernOr ana State officials transact their
business.
What is there in the duties of the var-
Gus Commissions named above that ueces-
rot ffz
in san francisco? On the contrary, it is
extremely inconvenient, and in ncar y
II not every other State Of the UL!On
would not he permitted.
New York requires her State officers to
do business at Albany; Illinois max kes
/ the same requirements for her officials
who have headquarters at Springfield:
Minnesota gives ali her officials offices in
st. Paul, and on this coast Boise City
olympia ana Salem are the places where
all the commissioners are to be found.
The trouble has been that san Fran
cisco so dominated everything that il has
had a sort Of special slate arrangement
for itself. The bureau OF MiuGralogy
could be operated as easily at Sacramento
as elsewhere. There are no wonderful
mineral deposits in San Francisco that
require examination; and il the COM
missions are To be diStri Duted over tie
| state, The report Of the bureau itself
shows that Los Angeles would be bet
| ter place than San Francisco and Nevada
County the best place for it to be located.
ii the State is 10 have a second capital
at San Francisco, why not abolish the
one at Sacramento and move all the
offices to that city? a dual arrangement
is far more expensive and far less con-
venient.
The Fish Commission could find a
dozen places better adapted to its work
than San tronpiGrn and If If iS ~
stay where it belongs, at Sacramento, it
should be sent to some place like san
Diego, where there are exceptional Op-
portunities tor its work TO be successfully
carried out.
These commissions have gone to San
Francisco because the Commissioners
prefer 10 live there. That is all. The
extra expense to the State is matter of
no moment to them, and they have
slipped through bills TO allow them to To-
cate themselves where they please. Now
comes demand for a Capitol No. >
which the ErdniHeT says will cost from
$500, 900 TO Sl,>0J,00O before it is completed.
That paper very sensibly suggests that
room should be provided for the Offices
over the new depot buildings.
The dea is all right so tar as it goes
But room should be provided for the
courts only. Let the other commissions
be sent back where they belong to Sacra-
meutO. II the commissions do not care
to live at the State Capital they can resign
and there will be no difficulty III filling
their places.
Give San Francisco a new charter if
she wants one. Let her manage and con-
troll her own affairs; do everything she
can IegltlmateIy ask, but DO not add
thousands OF dollars OF useless expense to
the State by renting or building offices
for men at san Francisco whose proper
place Of business is Sacramento.