university for educational purposes exclusively, may be similarly exempted from county and municipal taxation; provided, that residents of California shall be charged no fees for tuition unless such fees be authorized by act of the legislature.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 12, relative to exposition at San Francisco in 1901, of products and industries of Pacific Ocean countries.

[Adopted March 3, 1899.]

Preamble. WHEREAS, An exposition of the products and industries of the United States, the Hawaiian and Philippine islands, and other countries, is proposed to be held at the city of San Francisco, state of California, beginning May first, nineteen hundred and one, and continuing to the end of the year; WHEREAS, Such exposition, though originally proposed to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the admission of California into the union, will also commemorate the third anniversary of Admiral Dewey's victory in Manila bay; the former, following the discovery of gold, inaugurated a new epoch in history, the latter opened forever the gates of the commerce of the eastern world to the United States; WHEREAS, Such an exposition will be national in character, gratifying alike the patriotic pride of the people and their desire to stimulate our foreign and domestic commerce; WHEREAS, The course of events guided by the valor of our soldiers and sailors make the time and place fixed for such exposition propitious, and our duty imperative to hold the commercial advantages sure to accrue to our country therefrom; therefore, be it

Exposition

at

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That we reFrancisco spectfully urge the president, and the congress of the United States, to make a government exhibit at said exposition;

in 1901,

That we further respectfully urge an appropriation by the United States in aid of such exposition;

That our senators be instructed, and our representatives in congress be requested, to use all honorable means to secure such government exhibit and appropriation;

That the governor of California be requested to forward to the president of the United States, the senate and house of representatives, and our senators and members of congress, a certified copy of these resolutions.

CHAPTER XXV.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 18, relative to Yosemite national park.

[Adopted March 6, 1899.]

WHEREAS, By an act of congress approved October first, Preamble. eighteen hundred and ninety, the tract of land in the state of California described as townships one (1) and two (2) north, and townships one (1), two (2), three (3), and four (4) south, all of ranges nineteen (19), twenty (20), twenty-one (21), twenty-two (22), twenty-three (23), and twenty-four (24) east, also townships one (1), two (2), three (3), and four (4) south of range twenty-five (25) east, and also townships three (3) and four (4) south of range twenty-six (26) east, excepting therefrom that tract of land known as Yosemite valley, granted to the state of California for a public park by an act of congress approved June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, as the same has been surveyed out and accepted by said state, have been set apart for a public park, and the same is known as the "Yosemite National Park"; and

WHEREAS, The said park by the said act is placed under the exclusive control of the secretary of the interior, with power given to the said secretary of the interior to make such rules and regulations as he may think necessary or proper for the management of said tract of land; and

WHEREAS, The purpose for the creation by congress through said act of said Yosemite national park was to preserve the timber within the boundaries thereof and to hold the lands therein as a public park; and

WHEREAS, It appears from the records of the general land office that there is within said park three hundred and fiftyone (351) valid claims of title, which claims cover an aggregate of 53,931.15 acres, and unpatented claims covering 327.97 acres of land, making a total of 59,259.12 acres of land within said park owned by private individuals; and WHEREAS, For many years prior to the enactment of said act of congress, the individuals owning the lands situate within said park and for which title has been obtained, were accustomed to use the same for the purpose of raising and grazing stock thereon, the raising of said stock forming one of the principal industries of Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Merced counties; and

WHEREAS, By the rules and regulations governing said park as formulated by said secretary of the interior that "no person other than transient visitors will be permitted to be within the park without the written authority from the secretary of the interior," thereby preventing the owners of said valid claims within said park from using their said lands and following their legitimate business, thus depriving several counties of a source of revenue; and

Grazing of stock in

national

park.

WHEREAS, The grazing of stock within said park will materially keep down the undergrowth thereon and thereby have a tendency to prevent the spreading of forest fires and will more fully preserve the timber therein as intended by the provisions of said act; and

WHEREAS, There is within said park a larger area of land than is necessary for a public park, and that in a large portion. thereof there is no timber of any consequence; and, therefore, be it

Resolved by the senate of the state of California, the assembly Yosemite concurring, That our representatives in congress are requested, our senators are instructed to use every effort that is honorable to have the area of said park reduced and to cause the formulation of rules governing said park which will permit the owners of lands therein to graze their stock upon said lands and within said park as they have heretofore done; and be it further Resolved, That the governor of this state is hereby directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to each of our senators and representatives in congress.

Mineral land bill in congress.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 21, relative to the mineral land bill.

[Adopted March 6, 1899.]

Resolved by the senate and assembly of the state of California, jointly, That we earnestly urge immediate consideration of the mineral land bill now pending in congress, and respectfully request Hon. T. B. Reed, speaker of the house of representatives, to recognize some member of the California delegation, to call the same up for consideration before the close of the present session.

Resolved, That the secretary of the senate be instructed to transmit by telegraph a copy of the foregoing resolution to the speaker of the house of representatives at Washington, D. C.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 10, relative to leave of absence for Dr. George I. Drucker.

[Adopted March 6, 1899.]

WHEREAS, Dr. George I. Drucker, a member of the state board of medical examiners, finds it necessary to restore his health, and on account of business, to leave the state; therefore, be it

absence

Resolved, the senate and assembly concurring, That permission Leave of is hereby granted to said Dr. George I. Drucker, to leave the fo state of California for a period not exceeding six months from Drucker. the first day of March, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 7, relative to irrigation of San
Joaquin valley.

[Adopted March 6, 1899.]

WHEREAS, The right of conservation and appropriation of the Preamble. waters of the streams of the state for purposes of irrigation, under wise and judicious restrictions, and in such manner as to give an equitable distribution thereof, must be accorded; and

WHEREAS, Every foot of the great San Joaquin valley, comprising the counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern, with an area of over seven and one half millions of acres, might be irrigated from the waters of the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, Fresno, San Joaquin, Kings, and Kern rivers; and

WHEREAS, The physical and climatic conditions of this valley render it impossible to till the land successfully and with certainty without an artificial supply of water for irrigation thereof; and

WHEREAS, Much of the valley is too arid for cultivation without irrigation, and with water will produce abundantly of all the staple fruits and cereals, and would be worth vast sums of money, but without water produces nothing with certainty, and is comparatively valueless; and inasmuch as irrigation means population, progress, prosperity, and wealth to this valley; now, therefore, be it

Joaquin

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That our sen- Irrigation ators in congress be instructed, and our representatives therein ofan be requested and urged, to take such action as shall result valley. in an estimate of the cost of by engineers of the federal

government, and a proposal of a plan for the extent and circumstances of restraining works to confine and husband the waters of the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, Fresno, San Joaquin, Kings, and Kern rivers, where a dam or dams on each of them can be best located, the amount of water that may be utilized, and a secondary system of main irrigating canals leading therefrom, and tertiary distributing facilities, and such other necessary works as will provide for the sufficient irrigation of the whole valley of the San Joaquin, and to enable the valley to be divided into districts, and the amount of land that may be irrigated in each, and that following such report, an appropriation may be made by congress to defray the cost of the same.

Resolved further, That the chief clerk transmit by mail a copy of this resolution to each senator and congressman from California, at Washington, D. C.

CHAPTER XXIX.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 22.

[Adopted March 8, 1899.]

Preamble. WHEREAS, Owing to the light rainfall to date in this state, in many of the counties in which stock-raising is being carried

Grazing in forest reserves.

on, there is such a scarcity of water and grass as will result in great loss of stock in said counties; and WHEREAS, The Stanislaus, Sierra, Mariposa, and Sequoia forest reserves will afford large amount of pasturage for stock and without injury to the timber thereon; therefore, be it

Resolved, That we earnestly request his excellency, the president of the United States, and honorable secretary of the interior to permit the owners of cattle, horses, and sheep to pasture the same within said Stanislaus, Mariposa, and Sequoia forest reserves during the year eighteen hundred and ninetynine.

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be by the secretary of the senate immediately transmitted by wire to Honorable Marion De Vries, Washington, D. C.