Year: 1874

having superior title, so long as ne re-
sides on the land and complies with the
pre-emption laws. 1t provides it shall
not restrict the right Of bona tde miners
to search for metals, nor shall it interfere
with the grazing of animals on unfenced
lands.


CoWdery, Democrat, has made his
great speech in his bill to strike the word
"white from our system Of laws. He
made a rather loose but truthful argu-
ment in favor of it. His bill is not yet
acted upon.


The debate on the State printing claim
in the Senate last Friday was an inter
esting one. 1t appears there is large
claim for State printing. The Controller
has an expert who cut it down. The
Board OF Examiners has one who would
not agree as to the value of the work.
By consent two others were appointed,
who cut the bill Of the State Printer down
worse that the Controller did. The Ex-
aminers go back on the award, and now
the State is asked to settle the matter.


The Senate spent a whole day over the
right Of the Controller to cut down bills
over the expert" fight, and over The
whole question generally, and then de-
clined to engross the bill to pay the claim.
1t will, however, come up in another
form and the fight be fought over again.
1t is pleasant to reflect we are to have
new deal on State printing systems soon,
by which the State will own her own Of
flee and do her own printing.


During the recent campaign the Sacra-
mento Record made it point against the
Governor that he was constantly recciv-
ing an illegal monthly salary as a mem
Der of the Board of Examiners. The
Union as persistently denied it, and the
Examiners regularly drew their pay.
The ground taken was that the Consti-
tuition expressly provides the salary of
no officer Of State shall be increased dur
ing his incumbency; that the 81 900
year allowed the Governor as Examiner
made his salary $4,000 per annum, when
the law expressly declares it shall not eX-
ceed $1,000 per year. Very few people
believed the charge, but all who examin-
ed the law spassionately came to the
same conclusion as the Record. The
matter went to the judiciary Committee
of the Senate and that body by large
majority has reported First, that the
salary is illegal second, that it should
never be drawn /; third, that it must be
paid back. Edgerton is member of the
Judiciary Committee and refused to sign
the report. See, however, what he did
do. Knowing what the committee would
report, and that Pendegast had been ap-
pointed to draw up the report, he attempt
ed to forestall action by rushing into the
Senate with bill authorizing an action
against the Examiners for the recovery
Of the grab" You may imagine how
the majority of the committee look upon
this action. To put it in the mildest light
it was very tricky. The truth is that Ed
gerton, who was to be the great Dolly
Warden leader, is daily losing caste. He
is looked upon as o dodger. He has taxi
en- no straght-out grounds. He lodged
in the No-Fence question and put in an
amendment to that measure in opposition
to the expressed views he had held on
that measure, and directly in the inter
est of the cattle men. He may have been
sincere. / do not allege he was not. But
he established by that and his many like
acts that his frmness is a myth He can
make brilliant speech and that is the
end ont. lie is universally recognized
as one Of the Senators who has the least
influence in the Senate.


OTHER MATTERS.


On Tuesday the debate on the bill to
abolish capital punishment took place in
the Senate. Senator Finney took the af-
firmative in long and able speech. The
ground he traversed has been often trav-
cled. His arguments were affecting and
strong for his side. There is no need to
epitomize them. The objections to the
death penalty are known to every man.
Roach replied to him in favor of the law
as it is. His argument resulted simply
in the conclusion that the same argument
and reasons in favor of the abolition of |
the death penalty, would and does apply |
to the inhiction OF any penalty whatever.
The bill has been made a special order. |


Laine's bill to cut down the salaries of |
State officers has been introduced and re-
ferred. 1t has created breeze among
officers and commissioners and will meet !
with a powerful opposition. The same
Senator put forward a bill to levy tax
for all local and special legislation, in or
der, he said, to discourage it, and to
make it source Of revenue to the State
The bill was so plainly unconsttution
that it died at the first blow.


The Assembly, after a warm fight, !
passed the bill to continue the annuity to |
General John A. Sutter ofS3, 600. A bill
to allow j. w. Marshall, the dscoverer
of gold, his 500 month has also been
introduced. SCHNEIDER.


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KUATX