The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-11
A THOUSAND SCANDALS
The Shocking Record of the Last
Session of the California
Legislature.
A Republican Majority That Did
Nothing Unless Paid for
Doing 1t.
Vote Brokers and Their M~ethods-Ths
Election of Felton-The Rivalry
of the Bosses.

SAN Francisco, April lo.-The final ad-
1ournment of the California legislature,
commonly termed the legislature of a
thousand scandals, affords n fitting oppor-
tunity for q review of the work of a body
that has been fortunate enough to gain u
national notorlety.
The democratic overthrow iu this state
last November was due to two influences
the money of Senator Stanford, and the
popular detestation of Buckley, the blind
democratic boss of San Francisco. The
money was used to secure the election of
members of the legislature pledged to vote
for .Stanford's reelection. The senator's
agents we're not particular about the quail
ity of the men sent to Sacramento. All
they asked of a candidate for legislative
honors was a satisfactory assurance that If
elected he would vote for Stanford. The
result was hat such an aggregation of cor
rurtion and stupidity was in the
state capitol as made even the Buckley leg
islature that preceded it respectable by
comparison.
There were ninety republicans in it to
thirty democrats. The republicans elected
eighteen out of twenty assemblymen from
San Francisco and all of the five senators
whose terms began this year. OF this en-
tire crowd there was possibly one honest
man. Buckley was out, but it was soon
found that the public had gained nothing
by the change of bosses. Crlnmlns ana
Kelly. the owners of the republican delega-
ton from the metropolis-the former a sa-
loon Keeper and the latter Il professional
contractor-were quite as disreputable as
Buckley, and much more deficient IN the
art of covering their tracks.
When the legislature met. the burning
question was, what boss should control IT..
The power OF the state administration was
wieide BY Dan Burns. whose indlscretlon
in leaving a shortage of about S3l,O 900 in his
accounts as secretary of state nine years
ago had been overlooked in consideration
of his subsequent acquisition of wealth IN
Mexican mines and his Invaluable services
in nominating and electing Gov. Markham
last year. Mr.. Burns had threatened to re-
tire Crimmlns and Kelly from politics, and
the deadly feud thus leGun between the
state and city bosses was the key of many
subsequent proceedings that otherwise
would have been ine1plicable.
Early in the session a square test OF
strength occurred between Burns and the
city firm on the question of the r~eorganlza-
ton of the San francisco fire department.
Kelly and Crimnins, who had formed an
alliance with the remnants of the Buckley
machine, won. About the same time the
elect ic load scandal cropped up. A rigid
investigation would have established the
fact that thirty members of the legls-
lature had formed a voting trust for the
purpose of selling their influence in bulk.
and that they had a regular Headquarters
where they met to transact business. But
the investigating committee had no desire
to find out this or any other damaging Cir
cumstance, and it reported that nothing
could be discovered.
When the contest for the seat of the late
Senator Hearst came up the situation was
ocular. The majority of the republican
members were in the market. The San
Francisco delegation, whose votes We're
handled by Crimmins and Kelly-especially
Crimmins. for Kelly is said to have been
almost frozen out OF the tirm-was secured,
along with half a dozen Others. by M. ii.
De Young. Nobody pretends to doubt that
this was purely a commercial transaction.
M. H. Estee received the active support OF
stanford's lobbyists, and he had every
reason to believe that when the
the Stanford sack would be
opened literally in his behalf. Charles N.
FELTON,, a millionaire himself. was backed
by the presence and influence of John d:
SIreckles, a gentleman whose political
strength is bnilt on his wealth, and who
has been brought up in the belief that when
he wants anything the way to get it Is to go
after 1t with money. But Mr.. FELTON, had
the astuteness to proclaim ostentatlously
that he was not going to make a money
fight, and would not allow his friends to
spend a dollar in his behalf. This confined
his boom to modest p oportions at Fl st, but
greatly facilitated operations at the critical
moment. The office-holding contingent
was ouriously divided. The federal brigade
was all at work for FELTON,; the state Off
o,o1c ,,,rchnl1I ~ no,, pr,rpp ..nra fo,
Estee, and the municipal place holders
from San Francisco, under the lead OF
Crlmmins, were pulling for De Young.
This was the situation when De Young
withdrew. He had discovered, as he said
that Stanford's brokers were paving $4,000
apiece for votes for Estoe. He had found
as he did not say, that he could not bu,
any more votes for himself than he alread,
had without stirring up a scandal tina
would follow him to Washington. Felto1
had offered to withdraw in his favor, know
ing that the deal was impossible. ID,
Young's votes could be turned over f.
FELTON,, but Felton's could not be turned
over TO DE Young. So the journalist with
drew, and his supporters marched in a soil
body into the FELTON, camp. Such are tn
advantages of discipline in a force loyal e.
Its boss.
The fight was now reduced to a duel be
tween Lstee and FELTON,. with Dan Burn
In on one side and OF
TIE ODHef. one general ueDGnulIS on TN
Stanford bank account Tor his Inilitar
chest, the other GA the modest savings o
FELTON,, SpreckelS ana pelhaps the Standart
OIL trust, with which association of philan
throplsts Mi. FELTON, Ig closely conuected
Suddenly came the waste basket explosion
1t was announced that in the waste bt ske
IN a private room in the state library sew
eral greenback wrappers had heen found
along with a torn assembly roll-call marke,
in the handwriting of Assemblyman Dib
BILE, the leader of the republican majorit
and also of the FELTON, forces, with ~calcula
lions showing the purchase of votes 70
fe ton. For u moment Estee stock rule
high. But when it WAS discovered that tn
torn rOll-calls referred, not to the senate
rial fight, but apparently to another matte
altogether, and furthermore, that Este
himself had found the scraps in the vast
basket, there was a revulsion of feeling
And now a strange thing happened. Whel
the next ballot was taken Estee's men de
serted HIM almost In a body and went owe
to FELTON,, who was elected by nearly tn
solid republican vote.
Why was this so? The knowing ones ar
not yet fully agreed upon all the insid
causes of so unexpected q result, but som
things are pretty we'll settled. In the mrs
place it 10 certain that at the last momer
Estee was paraiyZed by the withdrawal O
the Stanford sack. Why was this expecte
support withheld? The mystery was mex
plicable at first, but later Developments i
Il. 81 nuIy,{ ac..Io 4I,Ar -.-~- 1.-l