The record-union., 1891-07-24
SCALPS ARE SCALPS.
The Coyote Industry More Fortunate
Than the Ramie.
No Truth In the Report That Claims
for Scalps Would Not be Paid
The Act is Valid.

Somehow report got abroad the other
day = probably through some interior
"special'' reporter of the San Francisco
press-that hitch had occurred in the
matter of the payment of claims arising
under the new law offering bounty for
coyote scalps. At once doleful howl
was set up along the border of the south
ern coyote belt; it penetrated the noun
tain recesses of old Tehachapi, and rolled
down and across the desert wastes until
it was heard along the shores of the Salton
sea, and even upon the plains of Arizona.
There the coyotes themselves heard it,
and held grand jubilee, at which Were
sung the praises of those astute State Off
cials who had been credited with the dis
covery that the law was defective.
But there will be rejoicing again
throughout the coyote belt, while across
the territorial border the rejoicing will
turn TO wailing, for Controller Colgan
says the statement sent abroad was with
out foundation. The following editorial,
which appeared in the San Francisco
Chronicle yesterday, rather surprised
both Controller Colgan and State Treas
urer McDonald:
at is reported that the State Treasurer
has refused to pay the demands made
upon him for the bounty provided by
law for killing coyotes No fund was
designated by The Act Offering the bounty
from which the payment can be made,
and the Attorney-General, SO it is said,
has sustained the Treasurer in his re-
fusal to cash the warrants sent him for
coyote scalps. II this shall prove cor
rect. there will be none mourn over the
miscarriage OF tie law, except those who
have made coyote hunting q business and
! the Sheep-owners, who have sought to
make the State at large pay for what they
ought to accomplish at their own eX-
penSe."
| Controller Colgan's Office, and learned
that the statement was about as incorre9 It
as 1t could have been made. Deputy Con-
troller Douglass says that not only have
no warrants for coyote-Scalp claims been
drawn by MIR. Colgan on the Treasury,
but not even one Of the numerous claims
is in the hands Of the Controller as yet.
The Secretary Of the State Board of Ex-
aminers still has them IL his charge, and
neither the Controller nor the Treasurer
has had an opportunity to refuse to pay
them.
Mr.. Douglass states, in reference to the
| Attorney-GeneraPSo opinion on the cues
/ ton OF the constitutionality of the Act,
! that Ii was just the opposite to what the
! Chronicle would have it appear. Instead
of saying that the Act was unconstitu-
! tional, he wrote letter 10 the Controller
! (and not to the TreaSurer) giving it as his
/ opinion that it was clearly constitutional,
and advising that claims for the scalps OF
coyotes killed after March 81, 1891, should
! be paid. Although the act did not make
any appropriation, he held that, accord
! ing to the decision of the Supreme Court
| in the case of Humbert VS.. Dunn, this
was not necessary. The opinion was
given on May 18th, and on the following
day Controller Colgan issued circular
for the information of the public on the
! important subject.
! Mr.. Douglass states further that the
warrants will be drawn when the claims
are presented.
state Treasurer Mcdonald said the
article had misquoted him entirely. He
has not had warrant presented for pay
ment for coyote scalps, and considers that
! he has nothing to protest about. He
stated that he proposed writing to the
/ paper quoted to set himself right in the
| matter.