The record-union., 1897-02-12

| erect works necessary and incident to
said drainage; to condemn land and
property for the purposes aforesaid,
making certain acts a felony, and max
ing an appropriation of $500, 900 for the
purposes of the Act. came up as the
first number under special orders.
Sims, the author, opened the debate
in support of the measure and spoke,
in substance, as follows:
This measure is one of the most i'm
portant that could possibly come up be-
fore this Assembly, not only TO the
great Sacramento Valley but to every
county in this State. This measure is
intended for the Improvement not only
of the Sacramento River, but for every
stream and slough whica may be rem
dered navigable throughout this State.
l shall speak only concerning the Sac
ramento, but others are ready to speak
for other streams.
Il wish first to correct the impression
that has been conveyed by some news
papers and rumors that the bill asks
for 100000. 1t is not that sum. but
100000. In the old days, before the
Sacramento channel was filled, it was
possible for ships and ocean steamers
" lOGCil at lilS lpOl Ol ~ SllStl, anu
steam navigation proceeded during the
summer without obstacle. We only
wish, gentlemen, to bring those days
back again.
For sixteen miles above Sacramento
to forty miles below the bed of the
river is to-day gradually filling up and
has been for years, owing to two great
facts
THE first is the existence of several
large breaks above this city, caused by
the filing of the channel and conse-
quent pressure of the water.
Through these breaks threefourths
of the waters of the great Feather and
upper Sacramento Rivers, which join
some fifteen miles above the city, are
lost, and only one-fourth flows down
| to Sacramento. The larger quantity
floods the great Yolo basin. The clos
ing Of these breaks would turn the
| whole of these waters back to their
| natural channel, and at least 20 per
cent will flow down, keeping the chan
mel free and aiding 70 return the river
! to it's original condition. These Gre
| vases are no small matters of few
yards in extent; some of them are three
and four miles in length. The farmers
| and land owners along the river have
built and maintained the levees at
great expense, but they find it impos-
sible to maintain them by private
means, so a great river flows down be-
tween us and Davisville. leaving a
dwindling stream in the Sacramento
! channel These great crevaSses must
be closed, then the natural body of
1,-;n t1,a hos nI r41lH
| But the lower river also needs atten-
tion. Some thirty-fve miles below
Sacramento there are the Newtown
Shoals, which virtually form a dam
across the river and are due to the in
crea sed width, which makes the water
more shallow and the current less swift.
If we clear a channel through these
| shoals and use the earth for levees on
| the west bank, if We mend the Gre
| vases above. we, who are interested,
know that the river will practically go
back to it's old status, that at least 70
per cent of the water will come down,
| deepening the channel and carrying
with it the silt and debris held in sus-
pension. This is a practical statement
of the condition of the river.
OBJECTIONS TO THE MEASURE.
1.-TWO objections are made TO this ap-
| propriation. First, it is said that the
work should be done by the Federal
| Government. The State of California,
through her delegates and representa-
| tives, has striven for many years to
get Federal aid for this very purpose,
and in vain. W. might try twenty-five
| years more and not succeed. The Federal
| Government is not bound to assist nav
igable rivers wholly within the bound
aries of the State. 1t is the great riv
ers which flow through several States
which demand and receive the Federal
assistance"
Sims read extracts from a letter from
H j. Corcoran of Stockton TO prove
that it IS the policy of the Government
| to let each State take care of its own
highways.
For six years" Sims resumed, 1--WE
have sent representatives and delegates
from the two great valleys. the Sacra-
mento and the San Joaquin, to Con-
gress to ask for help-we shall never
get it until we begin to help ourselves.
If we make this appropriation and be-
gin the work it will lead to Federal aid
If we put it off, waiting for the Gov
| tlIliltlIl ~ oiCN, IIcN dllOII OH lIlt SAC
ramento River will close. 1t will soon
be true that even the light barges in
use now will no longer float
REFUTES ANOTHER OBJECTION.
The second objection is that this is a
measure to reclaim private oVerfoWed
lands along the river. Not So 1t is not
desired to reclaim a single acre of pri-
vate land. When the river is cleared
! the channel deepened levees repair
ed and navigation restored, then pri-
vate owners and syndicates will take
a hand, and will themselves reclaim the
| lands
HOW 1T WILL BE SPENT.
With regard to the way in which the
appropriation is intended to be expend-
| ed Sims said that competent engineers
| had estimated that a dredger could be
| built for $4,000 which would be oper-
ated on any slough and any channel in
| the State. About 500 600 would be de-
voted to making a channel through the
| NeWtOWn Shoals and a portion of the
rest would be applied to the repairing
| of crevasses. 1t is not claimed that
| this money will put the river in perfect
condition, but it will begin work toward
all these propositions
OPPOSITION FROM KERN.
| Emmons, the young Populist from
Kern, vigorously opposed the bill. He
claimed that he was disinterested, that
| he had no desire to play the dog in the
manger, but that he opposed it on the
ground of expediency and the general
good. He did not believe in getting
money out of the taxpayers of the
State for an experiment which would
do no good. The work of clearing the
| river. he claimed, could not be done for