The record-union., 1891-03-07

police force as sacramento City. Two
years ago my friend Mr.. Hart, who was a
member of the Assembly, introduced 4
bill increasing the police force of this city
to 80 members, / think. The Police
Commissioners of Sacramento, acting
under that bin, elected % policemen.
When the time came for them to draw
their salaries an injunction was laid
against the payment OF the warrants of
any OF these % men The case was tried
in the Superior Court, and was decided
in favor of the policemen. 1t was ap-
pealed to the Supreme Court, and more
than one year from the time these men
We're appointed a decision came re-
versing the decision of the lower court,
and leaving these men without the sal
aries each one Of them had earned. For
one year they had worked for nothing,
and up to this time they never have re-
ceived dollar. / introduced a bill,
therefore, allowing the people of this city
to vote upon the question of paying the
Indebtedness accrued in that matter. That
vote will take place next Tuesday. On
the same day introduced bill i'll the
same line, giving cities of over 1900 in
habitants the right to increase their police
force upon a certain ratio. The only OBJ
ject / had in introducing the bill was that
it would allow the Sacramento police force
tc be increased constitutionally.
With regard to that bill, there is not q
liltiliDcT oH bItS 1Oof tIlstl SOilcllCi per
sonally to vote Tor it. Several came TO
me and asked me With regard to the mer-
its of il. / tod them, and / told them
that it would affect the whole State, but
the only interest / had in that bill was
that 1t would allow the Sacramento police
force to be increased. l arose when the
bill came before the Assembly and advo-
Gated it, stating those facts. / do not
think [ was half a minute in explaining
the merits of the bill. l repeat again
there is not a man on the floor of this AS
| Sembly who was personally solicited by
me to vote for the bill. 1t was passed
! and signed. The day of its approval by
! the Governor l am not informed. L
never even went to see the Governor to
ask him to sign the bill, but it did pass.
| Now the charge is made that in further
| ance of the support which l should give
| to this bill that certain places OH the po-
| lice force of San Francisco were TO be
! given to me. In every respect it is abso-
| lutely false, and never one word was said
| to me by any man upon any subject OF
that character ] am not acquainted with
any one of the Police Commissioners OF
san Francisco. | never received a letter
| from either one or all of the Police Com.
missioners of San Francisco upon that or
any other subject whatever. Inever was
offered any inducement OF any kind by
any man in reference to the police force
/ y
against it; lei them prove it.
/ was told, and there were rumorS up n
| the floor of this Assembly, that Mr.. Andy
| Lawrence, reporter on the Examiner,
was attempting to blackmail me upon the
floor of this House by different measures.
| On last Saturday started for San Fran
cisco. Before left l met Isadore Alex
ander, reporter of the Examiner, upon
the floor of the Assembly. He came to
me and asked me if [ had been offered
any places Epon the San Francisco police
! force. L told him at once no; nothing of the
| kind had ever been suggested to me by any
person. He said, at is stated that a GER
tain man in San Francisco is Offering to
sell positions granted by you, and that
your influence will get them" l said, .'It
| is false; l have talked to no one; l know
nothing about it, and that was the first
intimation that had with regard to any
thing of the kind.
But an hour OF two afterward, when 1
was on the train, Mr.. Lawrence, against
whom heard these insinuations before,
came to me and asked me if | knew a
man by the name of Jones in Sacra-
mento. 1 said: Yes; knew several -
He said: 'Who are they?" 1 said: II
know Charles L. Jones, a lawyer Of re-
pute, and L know Mr.. Jones, an ex-
Trustee of Sacramento City, and / know
a Mr.. Jones upon the floor of the Assem-
bly,, and there are probably others by the
same name who l am not informed OF
and cannot recall at this time" He said:
"Do you know anything about Mr..
Jones who has q place to sell on the
police force?" I said: II do not" He
said: Have you been granted any places
upon the police force?'' 1 said: II have
not" He said: ''Have you started in to
do anything on that line-have you prom
ised any piaces?" and l said yes; /
promised to use my influence with GER
tain gentleman in San Francisco to get a
friend of his on the police force, and
suppose that, being the author of the bill
and being somewhat prominent in the
Legislature myself, l might have some
influence in getting the man a position
He asked me who it was. L said an old
friend of mine-Ed. B. Reed, the ex-
County Recorder of San Francisco.
have letter here respecting it, and told
him l would at the proper time assist his
friend in getting a man upon the force.
Mr.. Lawrence then left Inc. l felt GER
tain that there was an attempt being mace
by him to bring me into some ill-repute
| l returned to Sacramento on Sunday
night.
On Monday morning a Mr.. Billeau ap-
preached me in the SergeGnt-at-Arms
room and asked me if | would recon-
mend man for place upon the police
force i'll San Francisco, that there was
money III it. said, mo, will not" anC
/ came right into the Assembly from HID
at that time. He tried to detain me to
talk with Inc about it, but | came imme.
diately into the Assembly Chamber anG
left him.
On Monday afternoon, because 1 be.
lieved then there was a conspiracy on foot
not only against me, but against the
body of which | am a member, to bring
into ill-repute the actions of this Assem-
bly,, l went to my brother and told him
; of the facts, that there was a job being
put up, and that l would get away with
them.
On the next morning I met Mr.. Law
renee, Tuesday morning last, in the cor
ridor. l asked him what there was about
that; he smiled, and said there was moth.
ing. | saw Immediately, from what he
said, that he meant otherwise. l imme-
| diately went downstairs, because my
brother was not in the Assembly at that
| time, and l desired to consult friend
and l went to see the State Printer OF
California, to whom no man is closer Il
me in Sacramento City. 1 met him com.
ing out of the door; we stopped at tho
foot of the stairs, and l started in to OK
plain this matter TO him. just at thai
moment Judge j. w. Armstrong, who
was interested i'll the bill then before the
Assembly, came rushing halfway down
| the stairs and called to me to come uI
| quick, rs the bill was before the House
| left Mr.. Johnston then, saying that ]
would see him later about the matter.
In the evening was sitting at my desk
when the Committee on State Library
| brought in a report indefinitely postpon.
ing certain bill. l then arose and asked
that the report of the committee bt
adopted and that the bill be indefinitely
postponed. 1t was done at that time
| knowing that was satisfactory to q friend
lNfr .toI =
Library.
A mare carnn to my desk saving that .