The San Francisco call., 1909-03-18
ACT MAY MODIFY
ISLAIS PROJECT
Senate Resolutions Call for In
vestigation of Water
Front Titles
Assertion Made That State Has
Never Relinquisf1ed Owner
ship of Lands
Especial Dispatch to The Call

! Especial Dispotch to The Call
CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAM
BER OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SAC
lRAMENTO, March 17.--The prosecution
of the Islais creek inland harbor pro-
iect may be greatly modlned py the
action of the senate today. That Dody
adopted a resolution introduced by
Wright of San Diego, chairman OF the
joint harbor committee appointed two
years ago. calling upon the governor
and attorney general to investigate
the titles of privately owned water
front lots in the harbors of San Fran
cisco, Oakland, San Pedro, Vallejo and
Eureka.
1t was asserted on the floor during
debate upon the resolution that the
state has never relinquished ownership
of the 19 blocks of land which figured
SO prominently in the fight for and
against the Islais creek bill. Ii that
be so-and the resolution directs the
attorney general to find out-then the
state will not have to expend $l.000,00
in purchasing the land after condemna-
tion proceedings have been successful.
ACT OF ADMISSION
The resolution quotes the language
of the act admitting California into
the union, which provides that the nav
igable waters of the state shall be
held in trust by the state for the use
of the people of California and of the
United States. On this language is
based the contention that the state
could not ALLEVIATE any land below the
line of high tide, and that consequently
the state still owns lands on the water
front of the various cities named, al
though these are claimed and assessed
to private individuals.
The resolution was amended in COM
mittee to exclude Oakland and on the
| floor today Wright further amended 1t
to exclude San Pedro. In proposing
this amendment Wright said that the
governor was in favor of the investi-
cation.
Thompson of Los Angeles objected to
the exclusion of San Pedro from the
resolution, whereupon Caminetti offered
as a substitute the original resolution
including Oakland as we'll as San
Pedro.
CAMINETTI IN THE FIGHT
This move brought Caminetti into
conflict with Leavitt, the latter in
sisting that the title to all the har-
bor front of Oakland had been finally
adjudicated by the supreme court, and
the former insisting that such was not
the case. Leavitt declared that the in
clusion of Oakland might result in liti-
| cation which would tie up the water
| front of Oakland for years and keep
out new transcontinental railroad.
Caminetu talked of 'hocus pocus to
compromise the rights of the people,
We have already appropriated ST.
100000 TO buy up lands which we al
| ready own" declared Caminetti re-
| ferring to the Islais creek bond issue.
! Wolfe thought the resolution should
read: Resolved that the attorney gem
eral do his duty" and opposed its
adoption on the ground that it would
help to defeat the Islais creek bonds
when they are submitted to the voters.
He said that Attorney Matt Sullivan
of San Francisco had written to him
| ideprecating the adoption of the resoIu-
ton on behalf of the IsIais Creek and
Mission Promotion association He
said the attorney general could be
trusted to do his duty and so could the
governor.
CLUB FOR THE SELFISH
This resolution will be used as a.
club by the private and selfish interests
which tried to defeat the Islais creek
| bills. declared Welch. When Curtin
| interposed Welch declared that he had
never been a friend of the Islais creek
and that he had talked himself hoarse
! in opposition to It,
to pay for improvements whicf might