Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-25
SENATE DEBATES
YOSEMITE BILL
CURTIN SPEAKS AT LENGTH IN
OPPOSITION
Joint Resolution Urging California
congressman to Work for Bill
to Reimburse Leach Is
Adopted
BY Associated Press.

l. SAUNA NM EMU, Jan. z4,-AIleT tne
debate on the bill to recede the Yose-
mite to the national government the
senate took UP its regular order of
business. The joint assembly resolu-
tion memoralizing California's repre-
scntatives i'm congress to work for the
passage of a bill to reimburse Frank
~. Leach. superintendent of the san
Francisco mint for S2500O he was COM
PEELED to pay the government because
of the thefts of an employe, was unan-
| imously passed. A number Of bills
were introduced and at o'clock the
senate adjourned till IL o'clock tomor-
row morning.
Attracted by the fact that therL-~ias
to be a debate and final vote on the
I'LL providing for the recession of the
Yosemite valley to the United States,
crowd of spectators, including a
number of prominent people who have
worked on both sides of the recession
question, filled the lobby and galleries
of the senate this morning.
In defending the Yosemite bill, Sena-
tor Belshaw declared that the principal
opposition to his measure had been
based on sentiment. He said the ques
tion was not one of sentiment, but of
what was best for the Yosemite valley.
Belshaw's contention was that the val
ley is merely held in trust by Cali
fornia.
"The Yosemite valley would be
splendid asset to California If it were
properly taken care Of" said Belshaw.
But during the forty years that the
state has had control of the valley only
$495,000 has been expended on it. The
result is that today the accommoda-
tions in the valley are sadly inefficient"
The senator read from the report of
the Yosemite valley commission, in
which it was admitted that the roads
of the valley were in wretched con-
dition. He did not believe that the
legislature would appropriate 100000
for the hotel proposed for the valley.
Senator Curtin spoke for two hours
against Belshaw's bill. He has been
the leader in the fight against recession
and he was prepared to close the de-
bate for his side today. When he had
closed so numerous were the argu-
ments that he advanced the friends of
the recession bill asked that a post
ponement be taken until Thursday
February 2, that his arguments might
be investigated and answers prepared
TO them. The postponement was
there being but four negative
votes
Senator Curtin opposed recession.
first on the ground that the United
States government was not always 50
liberal in caring for its charges as the
advocates of receding Yosemite Valley
claimed. He quoted many instances
when he claimed the United States had
not acted in a liberal manner in caring
for the national park in the center of
which the Yosemite is situated. But
the argument to which he devoted most
of his attention related to the consti-
OF the Belshaw measure. |
He said that Yosemite was the legal
of the state and as such could |
not be given away to the United States |
government or anyone else. He de-
MED that the property was merely held |
in trust. He quoted the law, the con-
and the language of the orig
nal Yosemite grant to prove his con-
tention.
At the conclusion of Curtin'S speech |
Senator Coggins moved the postpone
ment of further debate until Thursday, |
February 2, and his motion was Sec
onded by Belshaw, father of the Yose-
mite bill.