The herald., 1897-03-08
The STATE APPROPRIATIONS
Are Not Only Large but Very
Numerous
FORTY.FIVE.CENT TAX RATE
Can Only Be Secured by Liberal Use Of
Vetoes
The 0ubernatorlaI Pruning knife Has Been
Carefully Sharpened and Win Be
Used to Good Effect


tion this session was good. Today there
contrary, the amounts appropriated are
so numerous and so large that there is
now only a question of which items the
governor will be forced to veto to keep
the tax rate within the 45 cent limit,
which he has declared he will not allow
to be exceeded. The three bills, two Of
which are already in his hands which
have placed the governor In this uI-
! pleasant position are those providing for
an expenditure of quarter of million
for the benefit of the miners under the
debris commission; $500. 900 for the bene-
fit of the farmers of the Sacramento val
| ley by the purchase of a dredger and
dredging the river, and thus reclaiming
the adjoining overflow lands; and the
coyote scalp bounty bill, which carries
an appropriation of $275.000 to pay
claims. principally held in Kern county.
This latter bill is a necessity. There Is
TO excuse for not paying the claims that
| are honestly due. The bill may have
been a bad one that provided for the
| bounty, but the farmers clamored for
1t at the time and the debts created
under its provisions so far as they are
honest, should for the honor of the state,
| be paid. The debris commission, too,
may be a wise piece of legislation and
the money it is to expend may be wise
expenditure. From all can hear about
| 1t, believe 1t Isl but there is no excuse
| for the dredger bill. 1t is admitted that
| the present appropriation is but drop
in the bucket, and that every future
| legislature will be expected to appro-
| pirate more hundreds of thousands of
dollars for the same pur-
| pose. One of the leading bankers Of Sac
ramento told me that he presumed 1t
would take several millions to do the
work contemplated. The commissioner
of public works did not ask for the ap-
preparation. He only asked, as Senator
Smith pointed out, for $25.000 to con-
tinue his surveys and Investigations.
The $500, 900 was thrust upon him. Even
supposing it is wisely expended, II Is
an entirely unnecessary expense on the
state, and for this reason: The Sacra-
mento river is a navigable stream which
should be and has been always improved
| by the federal government. Dozens OF
smaller rivers all over the country get
appropriations for Improvements many
| times greater than the Sacramento.
| Both Oregon and Washington, though
| together they have less than one-third
| the population of this state, get annu-
ally. and always have had, much larger
appropriations for the improvement Of
their rivers and harbors than Califor-
nia yet few states contribute more than
| this commonwealth to the national
! treasury, and none contributes more In
proportion to population. What. then. Is
| the trouble? 1t is evidently the class of
men whom We send to represent US IN
! Washington
| Southern California has done better
in this respect than northern, as both
| San Diego and Los Angeles nave re-
| ceived appropria tions far in excess OF
their proportionate share when compared
with the rest of the state. The work
| that it is now proposed that the state Of
California shall do in improving the Sac
ramento river should be done by the
| federal government and would be. If. our
members of congress would bestir tnem-
selves. The money that was expended
| building the jetties of the Columbia
would make the Sacramento one OF the
| best streams in the country for navlga-
! ton. That this improvement has not
been pushed is no doubt due to the
railroad influence, which would prevent
river competition as far as possible. Yet
| that same influence existed in other
! states and could have been overcome
If the right kind of men had represented
the people and their wants in washing
| ton. If the people of this state do not
want to have an enormous burden i'm
posed upon them for years, If they do not
want every other public project, every
public institution in the state requiring
state aid to suffer, for want OF the proper
appropriations, they should demand that
| their representatives in both branches
Of congress should secure from the red
| eral treasury, from which 1t should come,
! the money to carry on this work IN 1u-
| ture
If the principle that the state Is to
make this class of improvements IN
volved in the dredger bill Is TO pecome
| n settled rule, in this state, where VIII
II stop? There are other rivers, otner
improvements, other sections demand
ing recognition, and no man can Tell
where the demand will stop.
There is one feature of these three
large special appropriations to wnlch
want to call attention. 1t Is customary
io saw that the farmers and laborers
get nothing from the legislatures, yet
here are nearly s1,000000 for those two
classes in three bills.
AS the session draws to close ard
there will probably be only week more
after this letter appears, the results OIL
the session are becoming more eviueHt,
and while a good deal more might nave
been accomplished than has been, and
| much wise legislation has died abornlng,
| vet on the whole a good deal has Deen
done for which the state can pe thank-
full Rulla's Torrens land bill for in
stance is a wise measure. When 1t has
been tried and its full enects can De
measured, undoubtedly 1t Will De rouno
in every way beneficial. 1t Will enor-
mously simplify the process OF trans
ferring land 1t will do away with mucn
litigation over titles, and 1t Will have
decided tendency to improve the condi-
| tions under which the ownership OF
property at present exists. l suppose
| that there will be some test cases before
the law is allowed to operate freely. The
supreme court undoubtedly will be
asked by the abstract companies 10 de-
clare the measure unconstitutional, and
in several states-Illinois, l believe,
among others-they have succeeded.
But the senator has studied carefully
all these decisions and feels confident
that he has framed law of undoubted
constitutionality, which will avoid
the evils upon which 1t was wrecked IN
other states.
we are going to have some legislation
on irrigation also, though whether 1t
will be wise or not remains to be seen.
The Bridgeford bill, which under the
auspices Of the joint committee on irri-
cation of the two houses 1t is proposed to
enact, has, like the Wright law, warm
friends and bitter adversaries. When
it comes up for debate as amended In the
senate there will be long and bitter
fight, and how badly the bill will be
SCARED in the conflict no man can tell.