Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-21
LEGISLATIVE GOSSIP.
Some Things Talked of-The History of the
So-called Deadlock.

LIE AiOutu OAooCO anu LIS cars OpcA IllST6 Is
plenty of food for thought and any amount of
talk to hear. 1t is true there is less of the
old activity observable in the lobby, and the
third house is much less prominent in its
movements, but while numerically less, it has
lost none of its cunning, nor does it run its
parallels or form its lines of offense and de-
tense with any less strategic skill The great
questionable absorbing one-is the
so-CALLBD DEADLOCK.
Now, in truth, there is no deadlock at all.
Legislation is proceeding in exactly the or
der intended by the Constitution and the
laws, and the talk about deadlock is pure
fiction, gotten up and maintained for the ex-
press purpose of binding the popular vision
and obscuring the real questions at issue. In
pronouncing that there is no deadlock is not.
however, denying that there is an effort to
delay certain legislation, and a strong effort
to accomplish certain unworthy ends. In
pursuit of such policy, upon the so-called de-
bris bill is saddled the fiction Of the alleged
deadlock" In view of that situation, a
brief and concise statement of the facts as
read by the impartial observer from the pages
of the legislative history of the present term
is both interesting and convincing, and fully
demonstrates the predatory statements herein
made. The bill for the repeal of the drainage
Act, more popularity known as the debris
bill, was introduced in the Senate, and came
from that body to the Assembly after pas
sage had with all the appearance of spite
work. IL was pushed through as if anger
was the motive power and with no evidence
of part1sanshlp, for this same body of men
passed, at the last session, the Act to pro-
mote drainage by large majority. The re-
pealing Act was not passed until committee
of the Senate had reported to it
SUSTAINING THE ACTION
Of the Commission. The Senate had no new
light upon the subject-matter proper. all the
official reports sent TO that body and all the
new statements made being precisely in line
with the arguments used and the scientific
demonstrations made, which induced the
Senate to pass the original bill year ago.
But the repeating Act was passed by the
Senate and sent to the Assembly with evil
dences of haste, which added new force to the
conclusions regarding the spirit of spite or
anger which actuated the Senate. However,
thus far the proceedings were all regular and
in the usual order of legislation. In the
Assembly the bill was received and taken
| out of its regular course for the first time by
being referred to a committee to which it
would mot have regularly gone. That COM
mittee reported the next day, whereas had it
gone to the regular committee it might have
taken the allotted ten days. Thus nine days
advantage was given to the bill, and thus far
every movement was in its interest But it
appears that at this point the attempted
haste was checked by wise legislative rule,
for the bill went, as it must under the law, to
81 l,IL 80 ls,E - h. ILL
REGULAR COURSE.
| It will be seen, therefore that thus far the
recorded history of the bill shows nothing
unusual, save in the matter of its reference,
and of this its friends cannot complain. 1t
likewise appears, and is conclusively shown
| by its history, that it has not and does not
now delay legislation, and that it is not the
cause of any deadlock, and that SO far as ii
is concerned there is no deadlock, and that
| there is not nor has there been solitary Stun
bling block to prevent the Legislature as
| body proceeding regularly with all its af.
fairs. None but willfully prejudiced minds
| can possibly arrive at any other conclusion.
But the listener in the lobby and the spec
tator on the outside, and the inquirer on the
inside, will discover, if he has grain of wit,
that there are other important matters be-
fore the Legislature which are attempted to
| be used to delay legislation. He will also
discover that if there is any delay whatever
it does not arise out of the condition or situa-
ton of any bills, so far as their legal status
| is concerned but is the illegitimate offspring
of lobby Influence, selfish men and interests,
and party conspiring. He will discover that
THE APPoRTIoNMENT BILL
Is huge white elephant on somebody's
hands that the Executive Committee of the
Republican State Central Committee had the
exceeding bad taste recently to come to Sac
ramento and hold a meeting in the State
Capitol building and counsel with legislators
to secure the passage of an spportionment
bill. The Republican party has, he will dis
cover majority ia both houses of the Legis.
lature, and that the responsibility of any new
apportionment must rest with it. Now,
the Democrats, who in this instance
are in the middle of the stream and likely to
be swept along with the current, believe that
if the Republicans make the reapportionment
they will do it SO as to make it quite certain
that Republican will be chosen United
States Senator. Several apportionment bills
have been introduced, and the Republicans
MAKE NO CoNoEALMENT
That whatever apportionment bill is passed
it shall work to Republican advantage The
rule in the Assembly that two thirds vote
Is necessary 10 LAX e up d Dill OuG Oh us
order has been the cause of much confusion of
ideas on the outside, but those conversant
with the rules of deliberative bodies, and even
the lobby, which seldom has any qualms of
conscience admit that its application is alto.
gether in the line of wisdom and the right,
and promotive of good legislation. Without
it bare majority could tske up business out
of order, and by combinations could favor the
lobby so as to put its pet measures
at the top of the file constantly. The
Speaker, for enforcing the rule, has been
the subject of much criticism, and no
little abuse, but it is clear to the observer
that no blame can attach to him. If there
was no such rule the Assembly would over
rule his decision, and thus demonstrate his
error. The Democrats in the Assembly, it is
apparent, appreciate the situation, and it is
an open secret in the corridors and lobby that
they vote to sustain the decision of the Chair
to maintain the so-called deadlock and to de-
feat the apportionment bill. Ii, therefore,
legislation is retarded, that bill and not the
debris Act is to blame for it. The fraukest
of the lobby admit this when pushed to the
wall, and only smile grimly when less honest
ones insist that the slickens bill is the leaven
of the trouble. But beyond all this the
looker-on viii notice that there are a number
of other bills such as concern water and
water rights, irrigation, riparian rights, and
three or four
EXCEEDINGLY BAD BILLS
Concerning taxation, all of which have an
influence upon the present situation. Some
of them are of designing order, and belong
to that class of legislation for which men
forego their personal judgments for the sake
of making political capital with constituent
cies. These bills play important parts in de-
laying legislation. Generally every bill that
has from one to ten opponents, but for which
there is manifestly majority in its favor,
leads all these individuals to sustain the two
thirds rule, and oppose It's suspension in any
case, in the hope of thus defeating the legis-
lation against which they are arrayed, and
which they know in their individual capacity
they cannot defeat. There are about
SIX HUNDRED
Different propositions, or bills, before the
two houses OF the Legislature. Every
one of these has antagonized somebody.
Each individual would be glad to get up the
I'LL ba raost 5ocirnuS eborIl6 mass but itS