The record-union., 1896-01-17
WHAT CONGRESS- IS ASKED TO Do.
Restoration of the Rivers the Duty Of
the Government.
The Memorial Adopted by the River
Improvement Convention in
San Francisco

$3.50 each on the cities of Stockton, Sac
ramento, Oakland, San Jose, SOU on
San Francisco, and 500 cash on the
cities Of Alameda, Napa, Marysville,
Petaluma, Santa Clara and Redding-
Mior W. A. Gett of Sacramento sug-
eested that San Francisco should sub
scribe at least 81, 900. The members OF
the convention had patronized the
hotels and other business places of San
Francisco and this city got all the
money in the country anyhow.
Mr. Rose complained that the dele
cations heretofore sent to Washington
were stinted by the conventions and
had to use their own private funds
and some of them had been obliged TO
send home for money with which to pay
their way back. The committee should
he enabled to appear before Congress as
gentlemen.
Supervisor Conant of Shasta prom
ised that his county and the town or
Redding would do their share toward
raising the fund.
]. NJ. Morrison, Chairman of the
Sacramento Board of Supervisors, ex-
planned that he lacked two votes of be-
ing indicted by the Grand Jury two
years ago for making similar appro-
priation. If the convention wanted
money from Sacramento they should
get the written opinion and consent
os the District Attorney.
A delegate from Alameda told how
the Supervisors of his county came
near being indicted for appropriating
money for political advertising.
IF it is not legal to appropriate
money for that purpose / can say for
the Santa Clara Supervisors that we
will go out and dig up the money re-
marked Supervisor S. F. aver.
The report Of the committee was
adopted
General T. w. Sheehan of Sacra-
unento reported that Captain Roberts OF
the California Navigation Company
would subscribe literally on behalf of
the company.
MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS.
The Committee on Memorial submit
ted the following, which was adopted:
ITO the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States: The
River and Harbor Improvement Con-
vention of California, composed OF the
City and County of San Francisco and
of the counties of Colusa, Yuba, Sutter,
Yolo. Sacramento, Tehama, Sonoma,
SoIano. Santa Clara, Alameda and
Marin. in fifth biennial convention as
sembIed, respectfully memorialize you
as follows:
THE improvement of the navigable
waters of Northern and Central Cali
fornia constitutes the most important
question engaging the attention of the
people of the State. These water chan
nels extend over thousand miles in
extent and afford a cheap means Of
TRANSFORMATION for the products Of the
fertile valleys that they drain. From
various causes their navigability has
been decreased, and as consequence
those who would benefit by their i'm
provement have suffered. They are ca
pabIe of extension at a small outlay OF
money so as to bring within the range
of advantage large portions of this
State now inaccessible by water naviga-
tion.
THE Government has never given the
matter the attention it deserves, and
the necessity for immediate action by
Congress is imperative. Even in their
present imperfect stage the cheapened
TRANSPORTATION afforded by them affects
the price of a large part of the products
OF California, and has an effect also on
the railroad rates from other parts of
the State not possessing the immediate
benefit of water transportation. The
neglect of these navigable waters
should no longer in justice continue
Beside the question of their improve
ment all other questions affecting the
welfare of California pale into COM
parative insignificance.
Reports made by Government engi-
neers. now on file, snow both their i'm
portance in a commercial sense and the
necessity for their improvement. The
low price now prevailing for all the pro-
ducts of the farm and orchard demand
that these waters shall be so improved
as to become common highways for the
TRANSPORTATION of these products. The
undeveloped resources of California
that await only the means of cheap
water transportation to spring into life
are immense and valuable. Wise
craftsmanship requires that every ef-
fort should be used to secure this result.
.Fartial surveys have been made of
the rivers and of the Bay of San Fran
cisco and these should be continued
without citing statistics it viii be sufh-
cient to say that the saving now ef-
fected By these navigable waters in
freight rates as compared with those
prevailing by rail amount to the pro-
ducers of the State to more than 81
100000 per annum, and by their further
Improvement their saving could be
doubled. 1t is absolute necessary for
the future and continuous prosperity
of California that these waters should
receive that attention from Congress
that their Importance, viewed from the
standpoint of commerce and agricult-
ure, demand.
.Ce call your attention particularly
to the reports of Federal engineers on
file at Washington, and ask that in
addition to the recommendation for
Improvement therein contained, you ex-
tend the work still further. We particu-
Iarly pray that this matter of improve
ment OF the waterways of California
may not be conducted on the patch
work system that hitherto has been OBJ
served. but that the Government will
adopt a complete system for their inn
provement, and that whatever may be
done shall be done as part of q COM
prehensiye plan under the contract sys-
tenn
I'VE desire to remind you Of the vast
sums paid by California into the Fed
eral Treasury and the meager attention
IN comparison given by the Federal
Government to California in return. On
the ground of relief to the farmer and
fruit-grower, of the extension Of com-
merce, OF cheapened transportation, Of
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