The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-22


but terrible foe. He was ever fac
tor in the Senate.
But in the upper house the figure
oftenest remarked, was that of the
Lieutenant Governor. His was trying
position. During the early days of the
session there were threats of move
to unseat him, but from the feelings
expressed by the Senate, irrespective OF
party, every Senator, at the close, was
glad the threat had not been executed.
Throughout the seventy-six days of the
session his rulings were never once
questioned. He left politics behind
when he assumed the toga. Affable
and courteous, knowing neither major
ity nor minority; conciliatory, yet firm;
ever ready to detect an error in his own
judgment and manly enough to correct
it, fair and non-partisan, universally re-
spected and honored-such a man was
William L: Jeter
The measure of paramount import
ance to the people of the Sacramento
Valley and the mining counties, COM
monty known as the "dredger bill"
passed both houses after stormy voy
age, and received the approval of the
Governor. BY it's provisions 100000
is appropriated for the purchase of d
for the rectification and deepening of
the channel of the Sacramento River
Many people of the valley remember
the time when ships Of large burthen
assembled the river to Sacramento, and
have long hoped almost against hope
that some feasible plan would be Of
fered to bring the river back to it's for
mer degree of usefulness The Commits
sioner of Public Works and his engi-
neers offered such plans, and it was to
carry them out that the "dredger bill"
submitted that to deepen the channel
of the river will uncover the hundreds
of thousands of acres of Oyerflowed
lands, and in a few years return to the
State in taxes triple the sum appropri
ated for the work
Another Act which met the approval
of both valleys and mountains was
that making available for building re-
straining dams, the $250,000 appropri-
ated by the Legislature of 1895, sub
ject to the appropriation by the Ma
~ H. 60,
the same purpose. Since the session of
1893 the General Government, perceiv-
ing by the action of the local Legisla-
ture that the State really stood in need
of assistance, extended a helping hand
with the result that g, half-million dol
lars has become available for the relief
of the mines, and, incidentally, the val
leys of the State.
LAST HOURS IN THE HOUSE.
One o'clock and thirty minutes a. M
Of March DIST by the town clock and by
all the everyday clocks which govern
the going to bed and getting up of ordi-
nary people, when the thirty-second
was declared to be without day" by
Lieutenant-G Jeter, President
of the Senate, and by Hon. Frank
Coombs, Speaker of the Assembly. But
on the words of those honorable gentle
men, and by the clocks which regulate
legislative proceedings, it was y
o'clock, noon, of Saturday, March Doth
and so it will go down to history on the
pages of the official journals.
THE HOUSE DIED HARD.
It was a lingering squirt of industry
the last two waiting hours imperative.
At the beginning of the evening session
numerous members succeeded in saw
ing from death by strangulation a few
measures in the way of bills, constitu-
tional amendments and joint resolu
tions These had to be sent to enroll
ment, and it was for the report of that
committee that the House waited. The
time was not altogether tedious, and if
nothing brilliant was done there was a
notable and creditable absence in the
terms, when the chamber of legislation
has been turned into a Jardin Mabille,
the corridors given up to a wild can
can, and every missile at hand, from a
penholder to a waste basket, has
helped to darken the air.
The thirty-second session leaves no
such record. There have been stormy
scenes and sensational scandals during
the term, but, as the Speaker said, the
Assembly has not failed to use all
means at hand to purge itself of the
latter, while it is pleasant to record in
dividual and political enmities seemed
to forget themselves in the hour of
good-by
The Assembly Chamber was thronged
with visitors up to midnight During
an informal recess which was declared,
the pages and the boys" among the
Assembly enjoyed the brief bliss Of
torpedoes, foot horns and other inven-
IOnS IOT the expenditure VI SUI Plus
enthusiasm. There was plenty Of WIS.,
ting between members and friends
the legislative ladies, a coterie OF ex-
ceptionally charming women this term,
were all present, the scene was full of
color and action and interest
ENERGETIC