Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-13
Senator vrOoman was not conaning himself to

Senator Vrooman was not confining himself to
the question.
Vrooman-Mr President. / believe that
the senators who have preceded me in the dis
cuSSlon OF this question have talked about
everything from Adam and Eve down 10 the
present time and | submit, sir, that, inasmuch
as /, fortunately for myself-perhaps for my con
sutuents-belong to that party lRepublican) in
this Senate upon which some reflections have
been cast, lSubmit that have right 10 review
this question, and that have right in my ne
ply to cover exactly as much ground, if am able
to do 50, aS those who have preceded me. Why, |
sir, this entire discussion has been based upon
the proposition that we have been here a certain
length OF time and that we have failed 10 do
anything. The measures upon the file have
been referred to the Railroad Commissioners.
have beentalked about and the proceedings of
the entire session have been reviewed by the
Senators who have preceded me upon the other
side of this question, and l certainly have
right to reply. I.Say then, sir, that were
called together for the purpose of proposing and
submitting to the people of this State an amend
ment TO Article MIL of the Constitution. We
were called together for the purpose of tormu-
lating and submitting TO the people of this state
an amendment TO the organic law, which, II
adopted by the people, would enable them to
assess upon and collect from railroad corpora
tons their just share of the taxes, and thereby
would compel them to contribute their just pro
portion toward defrayins the expenses OF the
government.
Now, sir, during the first two weeks Of the Ses-
sion certain propositions 10 amend Article NIL.
of the Constitution, in accordance with the Sug-
gestionS contained in the Governors proclama-
ton, Were presented to this Senate. Three out
OF four of these propositions were introduced by
I conservative Senator'S Knight and Mcclure.
They were held by the committec-compoSed of
four radicals and three conScryatves-teru nearly
/ four weeks and were reported back 10 the sen
/ ate without recommendation. Last Friday twOOf
these propositions were, upon motion of cOuServ-
atiVe Senator's taken up and read the first time,
and one OF these propositions IS the special order
upon the second reading file for to-day; when
We have reached that point OF our dellbcratiOu,
when we come 10 the place where We can pass
I a necessary proposition IN less than three days.
we are met by Il motion TO adjourn sine die Now,
sir the Senator from Placer says that the senator
from Nevada and those with whom he has been
voting have been making special orders of mat
tcrs from day TO day, and that they have reSorted
to that sort of tactics for the purpose of delay
Del Nallc-Will the senator allow me "a Qucs
tom
Nrooman-Ccrtaiuly
Del Nalle-What bill is that which you refer
Vroomau-Rcycnue Bill No. 30
Del Nalle-Docs the senator know that il viii
have to go TO the other House and il Will take
about two weeks TO pass IL thcref
Vrooman-I do not: | know that we sent
proposition of that kind To the Assembly SNtur-
day last just few minutes before adjournment,
and it came back from them to-day, III less than
thirty minutes after the House had been called
to order and il has passed that House with
amendments and ifthey can do that with an uu-
ant Il one as that which we are now considering.
Now, Mr.. President, was surprised 10 hear the
Senator from Placer Senator who IS generally.
So accurate in his statements make such mis-
take as he did make in saving that the cOuScrva-
tiveS as they are called upon this floor, had de
layed business by taking up special orders.
Now sir my recollection of the proceedings Of
this Senate is to the effect that we have only
taken up revenue bills, and that we have
only made such propositions special orders rs
were Intended 10 remedy existing defects i'll the
~ law F.ffl Ia. nj |
direct his attention to the fact that the bii!s
which he says have been delayed by means OF
these special orders are Assembly bills, that
they have come into this House, and thht they
are upon the second and third reading files, aud
that after we shall have adoptcda constitutional
amendment and sent II into the Assembly, and
while the Assembly is considering whatever
constitutional amendment we may send there,
we will have ample time TO take up these As
semby bills that are upon our second and third
reading files. And | submit to you, Senators,
that aS Il legislative proposition, if we have
three or fourbills pending upon our lille OF equal
Importance II Is our. duty to take up the
bill the lowest down upon the file
Why, sir, what is the sense of the Senate tax
/ ing up an Assembly bill and acting upon that
and letting our own bills remain upon the tle
when those bills if passed by us, have got to 30
( to the Assembly for their consideration and for
/ them To act upon l say in every instance, that
| we ought TO take up those bills that are lowest
down upon the files and pass them and send
them into the other house, so that they
may consider them while we are consider
: ing Assembly bills here. ! submit, sir, that in
asmuch as We are on the eye OF considering one
! of the most important measures that We
/ were called together to consider, mas
/ much sir as there never has been any test
vote upon that measure, 1t Is our duty To re-
! main here and 10 consider that measure and
/ vote upon it before voting to adjourn sine
| die or TO fix time for such adjournment.
/ For my part. strand believe that / voice the
/ sentiments of those who have been voting with
. me during this extra session. have always
ha.ae afnlu nm f1atX rap vi a NtfR "a
for any proposition that Will authorize a legal
| and valid assessment of railroad property. And
/ ! challenge any senator TO point To Il single
( word or act of any OF the conservative senators
I tending 10 show that they have not been, or are
{ not now ready to vote for any such proposition.
l believe, sir, that we can agree upon an amend
| ment 10 the Constitution concerning revenue:
and it is our duty to do 50. At least, we should
! remain here until after we shall have taken q
test vote upon the proposition, 50 that the people
. can sec who are in favor of, and who are Up-
I posed to. giving them the much needed relief.
For my part, sir, hope that this extra session,
the product of an " extraordinary occasion.
viii not adjourn sine die until every possible
Z hope OF an agreement upon a proper revenue
bill shall have been exhausted: and | sincerely
hope that this motion Will be defeated.
Mr.. Knight-Whcn u young man h@.n.S 70
, practice medicine he has the utmost confidence
in all that he has read in mGs;cal works, and
generally begins by dosing his patient with
: every remedy that he has ever heard mentioned
or read about, and, i'll consequence, many of his
i
/ he loses confidence in medicine and then quits
+ il altogether and then, no doubt. many patients
{ die, because they do not get any medicine. Then
he drifts back to that happy medium by which
I alone he can do some good. He adopts con-
ScrvatiVe plan in his practice, and does some
good in the world, no doubt.
Now, sir, that seems to me to be about the con-
dition that this Legislature has been i'll. We
came here by the Governors call under the
/ whip and spur of excitement, and we have seen
doctrines enunciated here and brought out here
vthi oh IN M nu ALI Opst
I their provisions. The WallaceOHian theory.
that the railroads do not belong to the railroad
/ people, but belong TO the people of the State
] provisions in the Barry bill confiScating other
peoples property for the violation of an imprac
ticable law.
Now, sir, if there is a part of my political his
tory that feel proud of, it is that | have been
( able upon this floor in some manner by my vote
/ to put a stamp of condemnation upon that kind
of doctrine. Had the State of California taken
! the kind of medicine which it was proposed in
! this extra session to administer to her, it is my
opinion that while it would not have killed
her, ii would nevertheless have retarded her in
dustries and her enterprises at least ten years.
Now. sir, we have just got at that point where
/ we can probably accomplish something that is
/ reasonable and right; and have been in great
hopes that this Legislature would continue in
session long enough to pass some just and rea-
sonable measures that would accomplish this
object.
The Senator from Placer county has been
| alluded to two or three times; and /
! call his attention to two propOstionS-One
si has mot not ae any Special orders @ until %ithih
the last two or three days, and then only upon
one bill (revenue bilD. Then, again. he says
/ that we have Obstructed legislation. / can sim
ply say that he cannot point to one single
vote, he cannot point to one single
speech that has been made from our SIDE of the
house by which there has been any obstruction
Z whatever. propose to vote against the amend
ment of the Senator from Humboldt to adjourn
Friday, and then also to vote against the orig
/ inaf resolution, because think we ought TO stay
here long enough to pass some measures which
! viii be reasonable, just and beneficial to the
people of this State.
Cross denied, as had been charged by Reddy
against all the conservatives, that he had, since
! on any measure before the Legislature He was
opposed to caucussing except on partisan ques-
I tions, and would like to know if the Senator
/ from Mono could say as much.
The roll was called on Ryan's amendment,
/ which was lost by a vote of l. ayes to 26 noes.
The vote then recurring on the Assembly reSO-
luton, the roll called with the following
/ result
-Ayes-Baldwin, Brooks, Buck Chandler, Cox,
Del Vale, English, Filcher Foster, Fraser
Johnson, Kellogg, Langtord Lynch, Maddox,
Murphy, Rcddy, Reynolds, Spencer of Napa,
Spencer of Stanislaus, Sullivan, Taylor, Wolf
skill-23
Noes-Cronan, Cross, Dougherty, Harrigan
Keating Kelly of San Francisco, Kelley of
Solano, Knight. Mccarthy. Nelson, Perry, Rou-
tier, Ryan, Vrooman Whitney, Wolfskill-l5.
Absent-McClure and Wallis.
Resolutions were adopted allowing SIS to G.
H. Ray, for repairing the locks of members
md 10y $50