The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 8, 1903, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1903 MASTERLY INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR OUTLINING POLICY OF NEW ADMINISTRATION ——— PROSPERITY ABOUNDS IN | CALIFORNIA | Our Flag a Guaranty of Equal Rights | to Every One. { Deprecates Effort to Create a Class Prejudice. f ACRAMENTO, Jan lowing 7.—The fo! is the address delivered dee upon his e State Cap- arly outl will he e policy | | as chief executive of the State and | | | pursue ates the important measures at w - 2 the s AT SRS Rt SRR PROMISES A WISE 3 AND ECONOMICAL ‘ ADMINISTRATION | % | nd the people of ifornia: It is the chief executive of | g office, to | road principles | ring his ad- affairs of state, and of the Legislature to matters which he may > To attempt would not be wise who approaches the of ex- moreover, the has been | the retiring of ass his acts ston the advantages te acquaintance with 3 1 | { ! — - all possible precaution | and other preliminaries to | | the trrigation laws, a course of action to | which ct { | | necessary proceeding, because the evil | | dertaking, because it | legal | however. should not dtscour STA1E TrusT FOSTER OUR INDUSTRIES Private Ownership of Forests Fatal to Water Supply. Present Timber Land Legislation Is Inadequate. o set forth above, be guarded against by rmend NEEDED REVISION - | OF CALIFORNIA'S ! IRRIGATION LAWS 2 -t EGISLATION which promises to be of inestimable benefit to the arid West has recently been enacted by Congress, whereby the proceeds of | sales of the public lands in certain States { and Tes torfes may be used for the crea- tion of irrigation works. No State has a deeper interest than has ours in this mo- mentous inovation in national policy; and, | in order that we may secure the largest possible benefit with the smallest loss of time, it would be well to provide operation with the Federal authorities, at least in the measurement of the flow of streams, the surveys of reservoir sites or co- the practical as operation of the act. This subject, well as the matter of our forests, I a commend to the thoughtful attention of the Legislature. Of equal importance is the revision of all parties In the late el pledged their candidates. This is a mc the existing very serious m are numerous a t is also a difcult mvolves numer and economic problems. Th ge attem | Pegenintance itk at reform, but should only Ineite to Bt cady laid before th | | | sreater efforts to accnumphflh results which s mbly. That the <1|:|;es—i | | | would be so greatly beneficial d to tions idance of the Legislature | | | which members of the Legislature, as weld . t message will recelve | | |as t officers, stand pledged. cons and, wherever | |+ - e poss v be acted upon, is the earnest | | [ | | ’ £k now succeeds to th | e ighen o e & 8511 || | LABOR OF YOUT | ex ¢ | | o " | the new Gover- | 3! IMPERILS WORK | the impressive | & - - | | to appreciate fally | GOVERNOR PARDEE DELIVERING | rest upon me, | 6 | & - own limitations | %— = X % % el | DUCATION is the greatest interest fore me—stand- | s \ with the care of which the State pledge to the people | stands charged. Fully one-haif of to you, gentlemen > best that in me lies | economical and hope ma that the operation T also of all go erefore welcome, a whose State impels freel PROSPEROUS ERA | IS NOW ENJOYED | BY OUR CITIZENS | | with whic day for our savings | is widely | is | ty cople and of a few trial conditions as these may wel we are wis m any course which might produce ze for the w of the essen a stable pros- pe is a reasonable ent with the blessings we by and the avoidance of dissensions which would interfere with th ady movement of industry. We | ay, therefore, well deprecate the efforts | ©f those who, however honest in their mis- acomplish little; and capital, without helpless. HAVE reserved till the last a matter which holds as large responsibilities for the Legislature and the Gov- ernor as any other, and which calls for renewed seri- ous consideration at each biennial session. tenance of so many State institutions, boards and com- missions renders the financial problem a troublesome one at next two years it is certain to be all times. During the unusually difficult. for the general fund much s Forty-ninth fiscal year Fiftieth fiscal year. 3 Fifty-first fiscal year....... Fifty-second fiscal year .... Fifty-third fiscal year. ir fate should always be before { ADVISES CAUTION { IN LEGISLATING | ]‘ ON INJUNCTIONS | C ’ OMPLAINT t our is frequently for agair courts alleged to be a too freque ill-advised use of the writ of in- our ' UNDUE ECONO Briefly stated, the The tax bill passed by the last Legislature provided a levy naller though this rendered a low tax rate po year, which was very agreeable to taxpayers, it will make a serious drain upon the surplus whic lating in the treasury for some years. conditions are will be made clearer by the following fig- ures, which show the amounts directed by law to be raised for the general fund for each of the last six fiscal years: The main- situation is this: than is usual. Al- ible for the current year. had been accumu- Exactly what the 82,553,602 00 .. 2,553,602 00 . 4,000,722 00 2,946,222 00 2,750,0C0 00 ture. The present Legiclature and the executive must face the serious fact that the general fund will be almost de- pleted by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1903, and the new fiscal year will commence with so small a balance that, between July and December, before the taxes for the coming year are paid in, the fund will be exhausted and it will be necessary to resort to borrowing from other funds in order to pay the State’s creditors when their claims ma- Later on, the amounts so borrowed must be returned to the funds from which they were borrowed. 1,750,000 00 State Government does in any one year MY BRINGS DEPLETION OF GENERAL FUND. Fifty-fourth fiscal year The cost of conducting the not vary so much from year to year that the general fund levy can be reduced a mtillion dollars without causing the expenditures to exceed the revenues. The demands upon the general fund in recent years have exceeded three million dollars annually. And, even when receipts from other sources than taxation are added, the revenues of the year are still bound to be exceeded by the expenditures, if the levy is no larger than it has been for the last two years, and especially for the forty-fifth fiscal be higher. expenditures. — From Governor Parde Owing to the conditions just described, it is inevitable | that the levies for the general fund for the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth fiscal years should be much larger than the levy for the fifty-fourth. It is only fair that it should be distinctly under- | stood in advance that this, however regrettable, cannot be | avoided, and that it will be due, not to any extravagance | of the present Legislature, but to the policy of its prede- 1 cessor in reducing the revenues more than it reduced the | | In justice to the taxpayers, above a certain figure. To keep taxes within bounds, and, | at the same time, to rehabilitate the general fund, it will | be necessary for (he Legislature to make a sincere endeavor to achieve economy by retrenching every needless expense. Th~ necessity for economy is too plain to be questioned, and while there are many improvements in connection with ths State’ institutions which could be made with good effect— while, indeed, many of them are so much needed as to be | really urgent—only so many of them can be undertaken | as can be provided for by a reasonable tax rate. # (| I And State taxes, therefore, will taxes cannot be raised | s Inaugural Address. ! - KA | therefore be my indeavor while at the head of the ex devartment to act in this spirit and respect the Independence | of each of the » departments. But, on the other hand, there should alway be such cordial relations between the con- comitant branches of the State govern- ment that no one of them should ever hesitate to advise d counsel with, or even offer criticism to, the others. There- o | | o junctions. Properly used, this writ = eave property, life and liberty. Improper- ly used, it may become an instrument | of oppression. Without it the rights and privileges of individuals would be often fmperiled, if not destroy I would therefore advise great caution in legis lating in the matter. While it will be well to look thoroughly into it, I am strongly of the opinion that hasty legis- latlon might be very bad legislation OF GOVERNMENT taken zeal, would strive to create classes | the passage of ill-advised or hastily con- among our people where no classes are | Sldered laws on this X SONEL pisoe or ought 1o exist, and who would endea- | US under ereater o B a vor to array those who labor with their | ("0 W DOW have. b those whose livellhood is | « -— v 3 1 r ways. Under the Ameri-| | | flag, with its guaranty of equai| | WISE DIVISION [ there is noroom for classes l | pedl | . pithow casi ot ‘mitigence,( | OF THE'POWERS | i pital and inteiligence, all £ to a common end, can do ! things. It is the duty of the State to bai each of the three, so necessary shall be given protection and that none of them : But | always borne in mind that as but little opportunity to look after its own welfare; and, therefore, its and privileges should be the more lly guarded by the State. But the rights and privileges of all persons should be, and will be, preserved and guarded by the State £0 long as we are true to the merican ideal; and any attempt to divide our citizens into classes according to their occupations, or to found political parties upon so-called social distinctions, will be the first step toward the disin- tegration and downfall which have been the fate of all nations that have entered upon such a course. Greece, Rome, the h Empire, all =il to pieces as soon ses were recognized in the state. | HE experience of a century ha proved that the divikion of goverr mental powers between the legisla | o+ tive, the judicial and the executive departments, each with its limitations well defined, both in our nation and in our States, was a wise provision on the part of those who framed our constitu- tions. Sometimes this division of author- ity leads to vexatious delays and some- times the Government appears to lack vigor in righting wrongs or instituting re- forms. But, in the long run, this division of powers is conducive to that orderiy progress which contains the best assur- ance of the greatest good to the greatest number. 1t is proper that each of these three departments of government should be Indepenedent, and that no one of them should ever attempt to Interfere with the lawful prerogatives of the others. It shall - 3 nd | | | | rec | our 1 1 bespeak from the members of the Legislature, both Senate and Assembly, from the other officers of the State gov- ernment and from the judiciary, on all occasions and at all times, a full, frank and free offering of advice, counsel and criticism to and of the chief executive, And in turn I shall take it upon myself to advise and counsel with the other branches of the State government, as custom and law direct. | - — | DUTY OF STATE TO FOSTER ALL OUR INDUSTRIES WO of the most important indus- tries of the commonwealth are those of mining and agriculture, including | | i 3 under the latter term viticulture and horticulture, dairying, stock-raising nd lumbering and all the industries di- ly connected with the soil. These are source of a great share of our wealth, reputation and our prosperity. In the | their development there have been illus- tfated not only the limitless resources which pature has bestowed upon Califor- nia, but also the indomitable energy of people. For, without the latter, the would have remained as valueless v were while the land was in the ion of the several races which preceded us. The goldseekers who were drawn here by Marshall's discovery were ploneers in a double sense; for they mnot only explored a strange land, but in ex- tracting the precious metal they were compelled to develop a new art. With characteristic American ingenuity they overcame stubborn difficulties, and so thoroughly did they and their successors master the business that California has since been called upon to supply the world with practical and theoretical min- ing men. The triumphs of our agriculturists have been no less remarkable. In this case, as in that of the miner, great nat- ural opportunities were accompanied by formidable obstacles. so far away that our crops are trahs ported greater distances.than those of any of our competitors. Only a rich soil and a singularly favorable climate, coupled with an enterprise which never permits itseif to be conquered, could have made it possible to produce grain for the European markets in competition with the nearer wheat fields, or to transport our fresh fruits across thousands of miles of desert and mountain to the Eastern centers where they are sold. Our markets are It is the duty of the State carefully to foster these great industries, to see that they are not oppressed by unequal taxation or other unfair conditions and to make liberal provision for the scientific research and training sary to insure our future leadership in these directtons. There is an increasing dependence upon sclence in all the orac- tical arts and the husbandman and the miner of the future must be better edu- cated than those of the last century. o+ - < - FORESTS SUFFER OWING TO WANT OF NEEDED LAWS gl NOTHER fundamental considera- - tion, to which we cannot too often return when discussing what will most surely promote the greatness of our State, is the necessity of protect- ing our natural resources from needless | destruction or waste; and of all our re- sources there are none which stand more in need of safeguarding than our streams and forests. A large part of California is a semi-arid land, in which irrigation is elther a necessity or an advantage; and cver great areas of fertile soll the only measure of production is the measure of the water which is available. The relationship between streams and forests is an intimate one, and the for- mer are best guarded by protecting the latter. Our forests are our great natural reservoirs. Where the mountain sides are clothed with abundant forests, which de- lay the run-off of the winter rains, the need for artificial reservolrs is not great. It'Is claimed, too, that the amount of our annual rainfall has steadily diminished as our mountains have been denuded of their forests. 2 If, in a country as moist as Germany, the preservation of the foresis is deemed S0 important that their ownership cannot be trusted to orivate interests, and thelr which -are neces- | management is one of the most import- ant conc s dof the Government how | much more important is it for this State, | by averting the danger of destruction of | its forests, to save itself from such a fate as has overtaken Spain and other semi-arid countries of the Old World! | Our. national Government, seeing this | great peril imminent, has created a series of . forest reserves which will pro- |tect forever the headwaters of nu- | merous streams flowing into the {8an Joaquin and other valleys. | But there millions of acres of timber lying outside the forests reserves. Re cently the title to these lands has been passing from the Government of the | United States to private parties with a apidity which h excited justifiable rm. One great manufacturing corpo- {ration has acquired no 1 that 40,000 acres. A single enterprising :culator | who has been engaged for several years in buying out smaller owners and the | makers of original entri is credited with trolling no le than 1,000,000 acres. Several other investors are cur- | rently reported to have acquired from 20.- {000 to 100,000 acres. The methods by which | these great tracts of timber land have been transferred to private owners are discussed in the last annual report of | Beere ¥ of the Interior Hitchcock. He | charges that a system of making whole- | sale entries in the names of persons who {ere hired for the purpose has been in- | 2u urated by speculators, who immediate- | cauire the title from the entrymen, ond that in this way, at a cost of ‘only about $250 per acre, ownership is ac- | quired of timber which in some Instances [1s werth forty times as much. |as a fraud is so eas this one has proven to be it will be | practiced; and Secretary Hitchcock an- nounces it as his conclusion that unless | certain acts of Congres: the stone and timber act of 1878, are soon re- pealed or amended, the result will be | “the complete destruction of the timber on the unappropriated\ and unreserved public lands.” o / TIMBER CUTTERS ARE DESTROYING THE TINY TREES G % HE rapid passage from public to private ownership of the forests of California which are not included in the forest reserves will be looked upon with misgiving by every thoughtful So long | and so profitable | person, because it is hardly probable that private Interest will tend to such use of the forests as will long insure their pres- ervation. And though, from the legal oint, this 1s a Federal question, the ate has a deep interest in its solution. During several sessions, the Secretary of the Interior has appealed to Congress, though, so far, without success, to change the laws which make it so fatally easy for corporations and speculators to ac- quire the ownership of the forests. Rec- | ognizing the prospective interest wkich the State of California has/in this | matter, it may be wise for the Legisla- | ture to address Congress by resolution, | setting forth what, in its judgment, ought | to be done. But worse than the rapid cutting of our vast timber is the utter t of care for the protection of the second growth. Dead and fallen timber, stripped bark and limbs, rejected butts and tops are al- lowed to lie where they fall. In a short while the ground, exposed to the sun, is covered with a new growth of tiny trees, which, if allowed to grow, would, in haif a score of rs, cover again with grate- ful shade the land upon which the rains of winter fall. And thus our streams would still retain the slowly fed sources of thel summer fullness. But, ere this second growth can gain a development that makes it a protection to the thirsty soil, ere it can become sturdy enough to fight | ts own way, the fallen debris left by the | timber-cutter is swept by mountain fives, | and the little trees are killed before th bave the opportunity to do the work that nature designed them for. And, in the piace of the cool, damp depths of forest- shaded mountain sides, holding, like | sponges, the rains of winter to give them ! slowly up in the spring and summer to | the mountain streams and rivers of the plains—in place of this we have bare. baked mountain sides, gashed and gullied by the winter torrents, which thus run riot and are lost to those who need them | most in the heat and dryness of succeed- ing summer. 23 only so, but in half a century this second growth, having done its work dur- ing these years, would, iI permitted to exist, itselt again become a source of wealth. And thus our friends, the trees, merve a double purpose to our growing wants. 1 call the attention of the Legislature to the instant need of some action to pro- tect our present forests and promote the growth of new ones in the place of those no longer ours. Let some protection be given: at least let the danger of ires. as | nia | upon its right to have ev B the revenués Tatsed by the Wemce Government is expénded for education in one form or another; and in this Califor 1s merely yielding to the stromgly marked tendency in all governments, which, where they once grudgingly gave a small pittance for the education of the people, are now content to see it become one of the largest of the State and local and even national 'expenditures. New York State, counting State and local out- lays, spends $30,000,000 annually upon her public schools; and California, with a rec- ord of more than $7,000.000 a year, is, in proportion to her population, equally lib- eral. The cost of our public schools is not far from § for every man, woman and child in California; but the object is rec- ognized as a noble one, and no taxes are - paid more cheerfully In these matters California is where she belongs, front rank of progress. . she expends as much for schools as*any of the St in the Union; it there be exceptior are but two r three But exce marked by an. adyancing st California cannot afford to record of what she has accomplished. A ready several of the Western States sur- pass us in the percentage of chil nd school, and it will not d outstripped in this compe t n btain its borders And € at least some education. uld be ashamed that so large a proportion of her children do not go to school at all. There may be two reasons f this. One is the overcrowd- ing of the schools in some of o cities; and the other is labor is becoming m anufactories increase. Of botl tions California may well be ashamed. Let us provide school room enough for all our children; and then see to it that every California child shall go to school at least six years. The State has a selfish inter- est in demanding this, while humanity and charity will applaud the act. Above all, California should, once for all, refuse to allow the growth of child laber within | | her borders. I commend these matters to the careful consideration of the Legisia.. ture. _;’_ e fact that child freque: XN STATE TAXATION | FOR SUPPORT OF HIGHER SCHOOLS e Y the adoption, at the recent ejec- tion, of a constitutional amend- ment, the levying of a special State tax for the support of high schools Is authorized; and thus there is taken an- other long forward step. It is the dectston of the people, expressed by the baliot, that the State government may undertake the partial support of the secondary sehools, and also that these should become, in the | fullest sense, a portion of the general ystem. In dealing with a matter with which they are so well acquainted as they are with the common schools, the instincts of the people can be trusted But, in the practical application, some difficulties may arise, owing to the un satisfactory condition of the State rev. enue system. And for the present, and for some time to come, the advocates of State support of high schools ought to bo content with a very moderate special tax. There are at present 139 high schools in the State, and they have an enrollment of more than 14,000 pupils. The comstitu. tional amendment and the legislation to Continued on Page 5, Columa L. A