CALIFORNIA. 



the law: the other was tried in the Federal circuit 

 court and the decision was against the law. Both 

 were appealed, and a decision of the United States 

 Supreme Court. Nov. Hi. sustained the constitution- 

 ality of the law. The decision a fleets other States 

 where similar laws have been made. 



Celebration at Sonoma. The semicentennial 

 of the raising of the hear flag at Sonoma was cele- 

 brated June 1:5. Of the 32 Americans who raised 

 the Hag in 1846, but 3 are living, and only 2 were 

 able to attend the celebration. A facsimile of the 

 old flag was raised by these 2 as part of the exercises, 

 which were followed by a barbecue. 



State Waters. A river convention, held in 

 January, appointed a committee to go to Washing- 

 ton to urge Congress to take immediate steps for 

 the preservation and improvement of the great 

 water ways of the State, the Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin rivers. A plan has been submitted for the 

 drainage of the lower Colusa basin. 



The citizens of Santa Barbara have asked the 

 National Government to reserve from settlement 

 two sections of wild mountain land, embracing Zaca 

 lake, for a national park. The National Govern- 

 ment has already reserved from settlement the 

 summit of the San Bernardino range overlooking 

 the wide valley of Los Angeles. 



Land Frauds. The British consul general at 

 San Francisco, Mr. Warburton, has prepared a 

 special report on the subject of frauds on persons 

 in England who have purchased land in California 

 on the representations of agents of land companies 

 and syndicates. It is found that the price charged 

 is many times the real value of the land, and most 

 valuations are based on the fiction that the beautiful 

 small properties of Santa Clara and Riverside are 

 the standards of value. Settlers are duped by being 

 required to pay a third of the selling price in cash, 

 which in almost every instance is more than the 

 property is worth, and then to give mortgages for 

 the remainder, which insures reversion to the 

 vender. 



In conclusion the consul general says : " In call- 

 ing attention to the frauds committed on colonists, 

 and in giving this advice, it is far from being my 

 wish to deprecate the advantages of the soil, climate, 

 etc., possessed by this State. My object is solely to 

 protect my too-confiding fellow-countrymen against 

 the schemes of dishonest men." 



Judicial Decisions. In a suit against certain 

 stockholders of the Pacific Bank, the Supreme Court 

 of the State decided that the stockholders are per- 

 sonally and individually liable for the debts of the 

 corporation. In so doing the court has done nothing 

 more than give a judicial interpretation to certain 

 clauses in the two Constitutions of California. 



A decision of importance to benevolent societies 

 was rendered in June in a case against the board 

 of directors of a French benevolent society by a 

 member who sought to annul the election of the 

 trustees of the corporation, on the ground that cer- 

 tain persons who voted were not members of the 

 -ocicty. The evidence showed that 7 members 

 who voted had some time previous to the election 

 suffered their monthly dues to become more than 

 two months in arrears, but that at the time of 

 the election each hud paid all arrears. The 

 plaintiff claimed that the failure to pay dues for 

 more than i wo months at a time forfeited all their 

 rii^lit-; as members, and that they could not again 

 'in- members without admission in the regular 

 way. Judge Shaw held that the acceptance of the 



f1 '"- liv a htyot tnis kind after such dues had 



in arrcar- long .-nough to operate as a forfeiture 

 of membership under the by-laws, the society hav- 

 ing knowledge of such arrears and the right of for- 

 feiture at thu time of such acceptance, operated as 



a waiver of such forfeiture and prevented the 

 society from afterward declaring or claiming that 

 such forfeiture had occurred. 



The Supreme Court decided in the case of a trust 

 clause in a will that what may be called an indefi- 

 nite trust is null and void ; and in a case decided 

 in February the same decision substantially was 

 rendered, in favor of the natural heirs. 



By a reversal of the decision of Solano County 

 Superior Court the Supreme Court has virtually 

 recognized the right of the owner or lessee of tide- 

 marsh lands to the full and exclusive use of the 

 lands for hunting. 



Political. The Legislature of 1895 passed a 

 primary election law applying to counties of the 

 first and second classes, providing that all political 

 parties should hold their primaries at the same time 

 and place and with the same election board, which 

 should be nonpartisan. This has been declared 

 contrary to the new Constitution, which prohibits 

 special legislation. The opinion said in effect that 

 the purpose of the act being to prevent frauds at 

 primary elections, and thereby to purify elections, 

 every consideration dictates that such beneficial 

 legislation should apply to the whole State, and not 

 be limited to the counties of the first and second 

 classes that is, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 



Under the Election Commission act the Mayor 

 of San Francisco appointed a commission of 2 Re- 

 publicans and 2 Democrats, but very soon after- 

 ward the question of the constitutionality of the 

 law was raised. The Auditor refused to approve the 

 bills for the first month's salary of the board, and 

 the matter came before the Supreme Court in the 

 form of an application for a writ of mandate to 

 compel the Auditor to approve the demands for sal- 

 ary. The court refused the writ and dismissed the 

 proceeding. It was declared that the act on its face 

 bore evidence of having been passed by a Legisla- 

 ture ignorant of or at least blind to the plain re- 

 quirements of the Constitution. 



The amendment to the Constitution providing 

 that all persons not previously registered, on apply- 

 ing for registration as electors, must be able to write 

 their own names and read the Constitution in the 

 English language went into effect this year. 



The Republicans met in State convention at Sac- 

 ramento May 5. A platform was adopted favoring 

 a woman's suffrage amendment to the Constitution ; 

 approving the efforts of United States Senator Per- 

 kins in the Senate for the benefit of Californian in- 

 terests ; approving the action of the National League ; 

 favoring the free and unlimited coinage of silver at 

 the ratio of 16 to 1, and the making of silver as well as 

 gold a legal tender in payment of all debts, both 

 public and private ; pledging the party to good-roads 

 legislation ; demanding national legislation against 

 undesirable foreign immigration, and favoring such 

 treaties and conventions with other nations as shall 

 provide for a reciprocal deportation of demented 

 and criminal classes, so as in time to give each na- 

 tion its own to provide for ; demanding that only 

 nonsectarian free public schools shall receive pub- 

 lic aid ; declaring that, for the protection of the 

 farmer, the Government shall reduce the transpor- 

 tation rates on staples to foreign ports, and favoring 

 the use of a limited part of the customs received for 

 such purpose ; pledging the party to legislation in 

 favor of the dairy interests ; favoring " such aid and 

 protection as will relieve the miner from unneces- 

 sary burdens, enable him to obtain and develop his 

 mining property, and will promote and encour- 

 age the business of all kinds of mining, including 

 that known as ' hydraulic mining,' whenever and 

 wherever the same can be carried on without injury 

 to the other interests in the State " : affirming that 

 tariff laws should be revised on the basis of the 



