Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-11
ASSEMBLY.

The Assembly was called 10 order at 70 a. NJ.
by speaker LaI;uc. After prayer by tine Chap
lain. and the usual preliminaries, the third
reading of bills WAS taken up The first was As
sembly Bill No. -, by Wallacc-;ln Act TO provide
for taxes upon the incomes of railroad corpora
tons who shall fail 10 pay their property taxes.
The author of the bill made quite lengthy
argument. and endeavOTcd 10 answer the arsu-
/ menl made against the bill ON the previous day
by Mr.. Booth.
Johnston said he was going to vote against the
bill, and alt bin that tax incomes. II was in di-
rect opposition to the fundamental principles Of
Democracy.
Flynn said he was going TO vote against the
bill. believing, in his heart, that the bill was
neither Just, fair nor proper. He was unalter-
ably opposed to the bill. He had 50 far voted
for all bills which he thought were proper and
for the best interest of his constituents and the
State at large. He thought the Assembly were
going little too fast on the matter of revenue
and taxation, and that before the session is over
one will know exactly where you stand
Every bill that is referred 10 the Committee on
Ways and Means comes back recommended 10
pass and is rushed through by the Assembly,
in some eases without scarcely any debate.
Campbell of SOnOma argued III favor OF the
bill, and quoted from Charles Francis Adams
upon the subject.
Booth replied to the last speaker, claiming that
the opinion Of Adams did not convey the same
idea ;s was being construed from it by the So
noma AS>cmblyman.
Coleman said he thought the discussion of the
bill was taking too great a latitude, and he
hoped the itITtncrcOlSlucIatlOlO OF me OH NOulu
be deferred until it was known what became of
the other measures introduced on the same sub
ject. He agreed with Mr.. Flynn that the ' rail
rOading of railroHd bills through the House
was not proper.
Nicol said it looked as though some of the leg
i>lation i done purely in spirit Of revenge.
( They were apparently trying 70 cripple It great
industry. which unqueStiOnabiy has made the
American people what they are to-day He was
afraid greater portion OF the proposed legiSlG-
ton. and especially thls bill, would result III
great damage. They were throwing out q boom
eruug that would return when least looked for.
with terrific force. He then with characteristic
sarcasm referred to the Atwcll and Barry-Doyle-
Ieycr~On bills and wanted to know what kind
OF mOnStrusitieS they We're. lie said at least two
dozen cOmmunstic bills have been introduced
already at this session The Barry bill says we
will kill the railroads and the Wallace bills 90
. further.
RYAN said he was ready and should vote for
any honest measure. lie had carefully cunSid-
cred this bill and was OF the opinion II was bad :;
Il bill the people did not want, and one th1i
should not pass. lie agreed with ASSemblYmen
Flynn and Coleman that measures We're being
forced through the House with undue haste.
Those bills should remain with the committees
long enough to be thoroughly considered and
digy>tcd. Let the committee substitute one bill
for all this rubbish, and let it not discriminate,
but embrace all corporations. and say 10 them
Obey the laws or surrender your corporate eX-
istcncc" lfthc Democracy pass this bill. - con
cludcd the seakcr. '' It Will evidence the fact
that they have outiivcd their usefulness rs
DartN. and let them 90 GOWN INTO NbllAlOn WIN
itand all kindred legislation
stephens ofSau Joaquin advocated the passage
OF the bill twas in fIil accord with his Sympa-
thcS and those of his constituents.
Terry was of the opinion that il would be
proper and in keeping with other legislation to
Introduce bin 10 hang the President and Di-
rcctor> of every road VINO did not pay their
taxes
i member sitting near by asked if that bill
would come within the scope of the Governors
Weaver said they had cut of the heads of the
railroad corporations already. and now II Gp-
peared from the reading pf the bin that they de
sired 10 consigu the headlcss bodies to the ctCr-
nal buruings. This he exclaimed, " is going
a little 100 far
Brcckinridge said he would vote for the bill
for the reasons urged by its author. ApOlO9cti-
calIy, he remarked that he was here to represent
his constituency and not his own individual
views.
Farley explained his views on the question.
and said he would support the bill most heart
lurdock of san Francisco opposed the bill.
and told an amusing story applicable to the
subject under consideration. that caused
laugh to pervndc the House and restore good
I feeling.
Beard spoke in favor of the bill. and was
given Ia much emphasis.
Kerrick. who about this time had become sur
fcicd with e buncOmbe' speeches, aS he said,
moved the previous question.
Icll of McudOcinO arose. and very intig-
nant TO think that the gentleman from San Joa-
gun should dare to move the previous question
when Il bill of 80 much importance was under
consideration and in the midst of such an inter
eSting debate. He said that when he arrived
here some few weeks ago he heard from all
sides that the railroad company desired an III
come tax bill and desired no other Tie was
surprised AZ the sudden change of many mem
DerS of the Assembly. Why, he asked, are we
to-day ass,liled on all sides by parties who de
clare this bin to be unconstitutional and un-
just What. ne desired to know. had causcd
this sudden revolution or change of heart > He
said he did not charge any member with adj
yanciug the interest of The niiroad but il
struck him in quite a strange light
Cutter opposed the bill because il was an alb
s0lute discrimination against orc class, and
therefore unconstitutional.
keeler. in lengthy and able argument op-
posed the bill. He reviewed it in its entirety
pointed ont its defects showing the manner in
which ii diScriminates against one class. and
therefore, being class legislation. is mcoustitu
tional.
Barry said he was not opposed to the bill for
the same reason that other members werc-it
being unjust-i0r he did not believe that any
legislation ut the railroads was unjust but he
believed II was unnecessary, and hence would
vote against ii.
Wallace was very much astonished at the Ian
guage used by many of the members especially
his friend Barry and again appealed to the
House to rally to the support of his bin.
The bill was then passed by the following
vote:
Ayes-Barnes, Beard, Bibb, breckenridge,
[ Briceland. Callahan, Campbell. Clark, CoOmbs,
Crumpton, Doty. Farley, Fleming, Fortna Gaus-
sail, Granger. Hail. Hamilton Head, Healy,
| Hershey Hunter, Kerrick, LeverSon. Martin,
Mathews McCaSkCy, Mcdonald, McIale Muir
ply, O'ConnoT, Parker, Peterson, Plover, Rawle,
Riehl, Simon. Stephenson, Storkc. Terry, Town
send Wallace, Wheat. Yell. Mr.. Speaker-t3
Noes-Barry, Booth, Bowers. Brown, Cami-
netti. Carter, Cary Coleman, Culver. Cutter.
Faw Field, Flynn, Harvey Heath, Irwin, John
ston, Kceer, LewiSon, Mckinley, .Murdock,
Nicol, Reeves. Ryan. Stewart. Sweetland Wal
rath, WeaYcr-S.
Recess until , +. NJ.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 81, which
had been made a special order for o clock was
taken up and considered AT the reaSScmbling of
the Assembly. 1t was introduced on the lSt of
April by Mr.. Wharton, and from that fact some
members charged that it was joke on the part
of the author 1t reads
Resolved BY the Assembly the Senate concur
ring That the charters and franchises of the
Central and Southern Pacific Railroad Com
panieS are, and of right Ought 10 be, declared
forfeit, and the AttOrucy-Gcneral is hereby in
Stricted to at once institute proceedings in the
proper Court to enforce such forfeiture
Wharton tthe author started out by asserting
that the property of the railroads was the prop
erty of the State, intrusted to their management
for the use OF the State and the convenience Of
the people. lfthis is true he said and ii is true
because this Assembly in adopting the Wallace
resolution, Il few days since, said so, we have q
right To do as this resolution says Has the railroad
company deserved to have its charter forfeited
and its franchise dissolved? He said that Stan
the people most tyrannically had levied trib-
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