The record-union., 1897-03-03

S43, by Wright, relating to the sale of
railroad franchises: 916, by Cutter. to
provide fer the organization and gov
ernment Of drainage districts: S41, by
Arnerich, to provide for transferring
the girls of the Whittier Reform School
to Santa Clara
APPROPRIATION BILLS.
S. B. 3S9, by Shippee, appropriating
$4,000 for the erection of an additional
building for the State Normal School
at Chico, was passed by a vote of 81
to O-title approved.
CAPITOL BUILDING BILL.
Substitute for S. b. 419. appropriating
100000 for the purchase of a complete
system of apparatus for the proper and
perfect ventilation, automatic temper
ature regulation, and sanitation of the
State Capitol building was called up,
and Dickinson moved to amend by fix
ing the amount at SO, 600 instead of
SOO,000. Flint raised the point of or
der. which was sustained. that as on
the previous day the bill had been
amended to read 100000 instead of
> 1000, the motion to amend back to
the former amount was out of order
Dickinson thereupon changed the
amendment to SI4, 800.
Pedlar opposed amendment and bill
Bulla indorsed Pedlars remarks.
Smith and Jones opposed both
amendment and BILL as did Luchsinger
Flint said he imagined that every
Senator on the floor would favor Sc
curing system of proper ventilation
for the Capitol building, and that if
Senators did not like the complexion of
the bill it was open to amendment.
Dickinsons motion to amend was
lost.
Wilmington offered an amendment to
strike out the words automatic tenn
perature regulator. Lost.
THE BILL PASSED.
The question being on the final pass
age of the bill, it was passed by vote
of y to IA
a. b. 100, by Guy, authorizing the
Clerk of the Supreme Court to furnish
his office and appropriating S11 900 for
the purpose, was passed by vote Of -
TO title approved.
THE DREDGER BILL.
Then the Senate took a long breath
and the Clerk read Sims bill, 304, pro-
viding for an appropriation of 100000
70 be placed in the hands of an audit
ing board to the Commissioner of Pub
lie Works, to be expended in deepening
and rectifying the channels of naviga
bic streams in the State, and the meas
ure upon which the people residing
the Sacramento based their broadest
hopes, was properly before the Senate
and open for consideration.
ARAM'S ABLE EFFORT.
Aram, who had introduced the bill in
the Senate, took the initiative, and said
that, in the language of San Joaquin's
venerable Senator Iangford) it was a
good bill and ought to pass The OBJ
jects of the measure, he said, were we'll
expressed in it's provisions, and there
was not a Senator present who was not
we'll acquainted with the present condi-
ton of the Sacramento River, the chan
mel of which it was proposed to deepen
and rectify.
In 1890 the largest ocean steamers
came up the river 10 Sacramento, while
at the present time boats of four-foot
draft had difficulty in making the trip
during seasons when the water was
low.
Hydraulic mining had been the cause
of the present state of affairs. For
more than twenty years after the dis
covery of gold mining had been car
ried on without stint or limit. AS a
result, hills had been torn down and
washed into and clogged the water
courses, until the river had become
nearly unnavigable, and the water
overflOwed the lands lying along it's
banks
The farmers sought redress from
their grievances, and injunctions We're
served upon the mines. The speaker
continued, and the mines We're closed
down. The result was a war between
the miner and the farmer. The mining
industry was G. rich source of
revenue to the State, and something
had to be done The miners in their
turn asked for relief, and the Legsla-
ture appropriated several hundred
thousand dollars TO alleviate their suf-
fering. Nevertheless the farmers had
declared the mines should not be work
ed and the war went on.
At last peace, or kind of armistice
had been patched up. Congress took
a hand in the matter-an Anti-debris
Association was formed and restraining
dams were constructed. Only a few
days ago $2500DO appropriation was
passed by the Senate for the purpose.
in order to get Congress to appropriate
a like amount. 1t had as yet been i'm
possible to induce Congress to take a
step toward correcting the evils exist
ing in the Sacramento River and it's
tributaries and the principal object of
the present measure was to allow the
Commissioner of Public Works to dem
onstrate to the United States that
something can be done to change the
existing State of affairs and stimulate
the General Government to take steps
to complete a work begun by the State
The speaker described the Newtown
Shoals, which prevented tide water
from reaching up the river, and ex-
planned how by deepening them and
conveying a larger body over them a
greater securing force would be
brought to bear and the water itself
would do the greater portion of the
work.
He further explained the nature of
the breaks above Sacramento City on
the Yolo side of the river, and the fact
that one-fourth Of the water from the
river was estimated to flow through
them and spread itself over the Yolo
Basin. 1t was the intention to close
those breaks and by so doing the body
of water which flowed through them
would be carried by the natural chan
mel of the stream, thus adding to the
volume and consequently the securing
capacity of the river. Unless action
in the matter were taken, the time was