The record-union., 1896-01-18

While the decisions of the courts thus
condemn, in the most emphatic way,
this monstrous evil, the people of the
Sacramento Valley have for years been
battling to secure the enforcement of
these DEGREES, and preserve their homes
from destruction, and to insure the
navigability of the rivers, not only for
the transportation of their own pro-
ducts, but for the benefit of the whole
nation.
The counties of Yuba and Sutter
alone, whose assessed wealth is about
$4,000, 900, have expended upward of
81, 900 in building levees for the pur-
pose of protecting themselves against
injury by the debris from the hydraulic
mines. They have. in addition to this
amount, spent upward of 100000 in
legal expenses, or, in other words, have
contributed nearly 80 per cent. of their
wealth to fight this evil and secure
partial protection for themselves. With
in these two counties thousands of acres
of rich land have been covered up and
destroyed. and the site of once happy
and prosperous homes is now a desolate
waste.
In Sacramento County, in which the
Capital of the State is situated. similar
expenditures have been made to secure
protection. Sacramento City sits upon
the Sacramento River, once navigable
by ocean vessels, but now so choked
and filed with mining debris that navi-
cation is almost impossible except to
the smallest kinds of river boats.
Measures are now pending in Con-
gress whose object is, under the spe-
cious guise of river improvement, to
rehabilitate this disastrous mode of
mining. The passage of these bills
means a repetition of the evils spoken
of in these decisions by the courts. We
have borne them for many years, and
we thought we had been extricated
from them.
We are sure, when this matter is
thoroughly understood, that no reason
able or just man will attempt to fasten
upon the State of California the evils
of which we have complained, and from
which we have been granted redress
by the courts.
Application is made in Congress now,
only because the courts have so uni
formly and emphaticaqly condemned
this class of mining It is the appeal of
the condemned bandit, applying in
quarters where his trade is not known,
for aid to carry on his disastrous bust
ness.
1T
The Government of the United States
is committed to the preservation of the
navigable rivers of the Nation. These
rivers are for the benefit of the people
for all time. They operate as Railroad
Commissioners, reducing the rates of
freight, and thus adding to the wealth
of the producer. The destruction of
these rivers from any cause means un-
told damage and we are confident that
Congress will do nothing to lend en-
couragement to an industry that will
result in their destruction.
w.
Hydraulic mining is a private busi-
ness. 1t was so determined by the Su-
preme Court of California, when it was
sought, under the law of eminent do
main, to condemn property for mining
purposes. 1t is a business, like any
other business or occupation, profitable
to those who engage in it. The Govern
ment has no right, we submit, to spend
public money to aid a private business.
1t is taxing US, who must see our homes
destroyed, to pay for the enrichment of
the few corporations engaged in this
class of mining
Hydraulic mining is now regulated by
Congress, under provisions of the Act
of Congress entitled IAN Act to create
the California Debris Commission and
to regulate hydraulic mining in the
State of California" passed March 1,
1893. This Act prohibits hydraulic min
ing within the territory mentioned, and
provides a suitable penalty for a viola
tion of the law. It is now sought to re-
duce this penalty to an amount that
W ould make the law farce. A penalty
is visited only on a law breaker. Only
those wish a punishment reduced who
fear they may have to bear it. Every
honest man who proposes to obey the
law of the land desires penalty suffi-
cient to compel it's obedience TO others.
AS it is now, the penalty is very small
Why should it be reduced? What good
purpose will it subserye? This law was
pI ocured at the instance of the hydrau-
lie miners themselves. If they intend
to obey it, they should only be too glad
to have sufficient penalty provided to
deter others who propose to violate it.
We call your attention particularly to
this resolution of the Board of Super
visors of Yuba County, adopted Janu-
ary s, 1896:
''And further resolved, That this
hOa ri 1-Ixy nd
test against the passing of a bill enti-
tied An Act to amend an Act to create
California Debris Commission the
sole object of which is to reduce the
penalty for illegal hydraulic mining
from the present maximum of $1,000,
and Imprisonment for one year, to
maximum of $500 only If the hy-
draulic miners intend to obey the law,
as they claim, this board cannot see
why they should ask Congress to re-
duce the penalty for its infraction to
merely nominal sum-
VI
If the Government should attempt to
spend public money for the purpose of
aiding hydraulic mining, it will commit
the Government to the expenditure of
millions and millions of money The
erection of one dam alone will cost an
enormous sum, and to allow hydraulic
mining to be carried on to any extent
will necessitate the building of numer-
Gus dams at an outlay that staggers the
mind to estimate. While the amount
asked for now by the miners is very
large. it is only q. drop in the bucket to
the sums that viii be required to carry
o11t their. plans If undertaken by the