The record-union., 1899-03-18
S. B. 2s7-Relating to street railroad

up or the affairs OF dlSincorpOrated
municipalities.
| S. B. 658-Relating to the appoint
ment Of guardians of insane and incoul-
petent persons.
| GOVERNORS VETOES.
Messages received from the Governor
included the following disapprovals:
To the Assembly of the State of Cali
forn1a: herewith return to your hon
orable body without my approval AS
sembly bill No. 651, with my objec-
tions thereto
| Inls bill attempts to authorize and
direct the Governor to appoint not less
than two nor more than four agents
! 10 prosecute the claims of the State
Tor reimbursement by the United States
| OF all moneys expended by the State
during the rebellion on behalf of the
United States in aiding the California
Volunteers mustered into the service of
the United States.'
J By Section of this bill compensa-
| ton is to be allowed each of such
agents for services in such sum or
percentage of the amount, as the Gov
ernor and each agent may agree upon,"
but not exceeding in the aggregate
more than 10 per cent. of all sums col
lected on account of the State claims
Under this provision the compensa-
ton must be agreed upon by both The
agents and the Governor.
By Section 3, in event of settlement
with the United States, it is provided
that the payment of these agents may
be made by the Governor in one of two
ways, either by separating from the
money received "a sufficient amount to
of hn n
| agreement" or by turning the money
into the State Treasury and permitting
a legislative appropriation for. suf1i-
| cient sum to meet the full amount of
! the compensation allowed the agents.
whose claims must then be presented
for approval to the Board of Exam
iners,' and if approved the Controller
is authorized to draw his warrant for
such sum.
| The claims referred to in the bill,
known as the rebellion war claims,
which are attempted by this bill to be
submitted to agents for collection,
amount to the principal sum of S3,9ol.-
915.42
All of the States of the Union eA-
cept California, Oregon and Nevada
have been reimbursed for all or nearly
all of the principal of their claims for
the suppression of the rebellion While
the claims of California, Oregon and
| Nevada have been many times consid-
cred in Congress, and have passed the
Senate in the F'ifty-third, Fifty fourth
and Fifty-fifth sessions of Congress,
yet they have failed to pass the House,
and mainly on account OF the preJu-
dice engendered by the active lobbying
of the claim agents who have pretend
ed to- represent these States.
If these claims of our State be- found
ed in equity, and I am convinced that
they are, the Federal Government will
recognize their validity, and will pay
them upon proper efforts in Congress
by our Senators and Representatives
whose duty it is to secure for the State
its legal and equitable demands. II
the money belongs to the State, it
should collect it through the proper
official channels. without employing
brokers or appointing partners to share
in the collections. The honor of our
State ought not to be impugned
through the acts of delegated lobbyists
while prosecuting it's claims against
the National Government
The duty of asserting these war
claims hes with our Senators and Rep
resentatives, and they alone Gas stated
in my inaugural address) should be re-
quested to use every lawful effort for
the passage of a Congressional Act
for the payment to the State by the
Federal Government of these long de-
ferred demands, and thereby save to
the State commissions aggregating
1895, 191. "a 1-5.
HENRY T. GAGE, Governor.
= +ofr of a IL
fornia: 1 herewith return to your hon
orabe body without my approval AS
sembly bill No 373, with my objections
thereto. sAe
This bill proposes to amend Sections
3571 and 1872 Fof the Political Code.
The bill changes Section 3571 of the
Political Code so as to repay the orig
inal purchasers from the State such
money as they may have previously
paid on certificates of purchase issued
before the Judgment of annulment.
AS these certificates of purchase date
back many years, and have had no
value on account of their cancellation,
it would. at this late day, be inadv1s-
able to revive them, inasmuch as such
policy might involve the payment from
the school land and swamp land funds
of MANY thousands of dollars. The MS
tory of these certificates of purchase
will probably show in many cases tnat
some portions of the land purchased
were timber land, and the timber
thereon was taken away before the
claimants permitted the lands to re-
vert to the State.
Again. the new policy outlined in the
bill might be very disturbing factor
In the adjustment of the schooi laliu
and swamp land funds, and Involve the
State in much expensive htlgatlon III
an effort to equitably meet the oe-
mands of the holders of such annulied
certificates.
The amendments proposed in this Dill
To Section 3572 of the Political Code
neyn,it the reissue and reinstatement
of swamp land warrants, even where
such warrants had been voluntarily
surrendered. Such reissue is, in my
opinion extremely unwise, as such plan
vro,,ld reopen. after a lapse of many
vaars many now settled questions;
and. although equity might justify such
a policy in a few cases, 1t would not
he iustifiable in general law.
The uncertainty as to the. amount OF
money to be repaid by the State as
nrovided by the last clause of Section
2572 of this bill calls for more elab-
o,ate and specific provisions than those
exnressed in this bill in order to eqtnt-
ablv adiust the differences between the
State and the holders or assishees VI
certificates of purchase.
For these among other reasons,
disanprove of the present DILL
n A n