Report of a majority of border county delegations, on joint resolution of Legislature of Nevada, asking the cession of territory east of the summit of the Sierra Nevadas

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BANCROFT
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY

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THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

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REPORT OF A MAJORITY

OF

BOEDER COUNTY DELEGATIONS, ON JOINT RESOLUTION

OF LEGISLATURE OF NEVADA, ASKING THE CESSION

OF TERRITORY EAST OF THE SUMMIT OF

THE SIERRA NEYADAS.

G. II. SPRINGER STATE PRINTER.

Ubraiy

RE FORT.

MR. SPEAKER: The delegations to whom was referred Joint .Resolu-
tion of the Senate and Assembly of the State of Nevada, respectfully
urging the Legislature of the State of California to cede to the State of
.Nevada all the territory of this State lying east of the summit of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, would most respectfully report: That they
have carefully considered the suhject matter set forth in the preamble
to said resolution, and fully concur with the same, so far as relates to
the preference of natural boundaries over artificial lines, in the separa-
tion of communities into independent governments; and that great
injustice is often done by the adoption of artificial instead of natural
division lines between States. But your committee cannot, so fully,
concur with the views of the Legislature of the State of Nevada, to the
effect that it will inure to the great benefit and accommodation of any
Considerable number of the citizens of the State of California to change
the fixed boundary line between us and our sister State, to the uncer-
tain meanderings of the summit of the Sierra Nevadas. And when we
take into consideration that the present boundary line has become well
understood, a change, in the opinion of your committee, would only
tend to confusion and prove detrimental to the public good.

We therefore recommend 'that no further action be taken in the
premises.

G. W. GIFFEN,
For Majority of Delegations.

Supplemental Report of Border Delegations.

Boncroft

REPORT.

MR. SPEAKER: As the memorial under consideration was submitted
to the present Legislature mainly at my suggestion, it having received
no due attention at the hands Of the previous one, I deem it not im-
proper for me to supplement the report of the delegations to whom the
mutter was referred, by one relating more particularly to the counties
which lie entirely within the territory in question, and which I have the
honor to partly represent — Inyo and Mono.

In the Constitutional Convention of this State, the boundary question
was the most hotly contested one of the entire session, the debates
thereon occupying more than a week's time. It was repeatedly declared
that the summit of the snow-line of the Sierra was the undoubted natural
western boundary of the proposed State. But the ascendant political
issues of that day somehow seemed to dictate the formation of a State
line much farther west than that finally adopted, which was agreed to
as a compromise.

Upon the admission of the State, Congress left the matter open to the
further consideration of the Legislature. Since, however, by the form-
'ation of Nevada, the National Congress has, by authorized surveys,
twice fixed the boundaries as it now stands.

In the opinion of the undersigned, a fair majority of the people of the
two counties desire the change, but the question has never been agitated
sufficiently to excite a well defined expression. A tenable reason for a
change has been that hitherto the people have been practically unrep-
resented in this Legislature, but such will be no longer the case under
the operation of the new apportionment.

The chief and only exports of the counties are the mineral products,
and bullion is heavily taxed by Nevada.

Considering that no such tax is imposed by California, in a business
point of view there can be but one conclusion, i. e., the inconvenience of
isolation and other disadvantages not necessary to recapitulate at
length, can be better borne by said counties than they can assume
political and geographical place within the Silver State.

Our State government of the future can but rely upon the immense
natural wealth of the counties in question for a considerable proportion
of her revenues, and from this standpoint the proposed cession would
be too ill advised to be seriously contemplated.

PARKER,
Of Inyo and Mono.