The San Francisco call., 1895-10-19
MEALS OF THE DEPUTIES TO BE
LIMITED HEREAFTER TO
THREE A DAY.
PRAYING FOR TELEPHONES.
STATE INSTITUTIONS MAY AGAIN BE
PROVIDED WITH HELLO
INSTRUMENTS.

this afternoon, Attorney-G eneral FitZger-
aid being engaged in attending to the af-
fairs of the Railroad Commission. There
was another batch of accounts for supplies
used in the State penal institutions and in
sane asylums to be audited, and the men,
bers of the board made running COM
mentary upon the methods in which
these accounts were presented and the
price paid for similar articles in different
asylums.
How is it." queried Secretary of State
Brown. that eggs cost q cents in the
northern part of the State and south of the
Tehachapi they cost only 10 cents"
''Those are Eastern hens down there, :"
explained his Excellency, "they produce
better and work cheaper"
"Down at Whittier they want two more
cows" said Secretary Brown, land as they
had milk bill of $40 against the State last
month l think it would be advisable to get
them"
whats this" Governor Budd sud-
denly exclaimed, "a dictionary for the
State Board of Education to cost $14?
Why, this book was compiled in England
and the spelling is not correct in it.
don't believe in purchasing it. If Super
intendent Black wants a dictionary let
him purchase one compiled in America.
This bill don't CO."
Then lot of bills for supplies and sal
aries for the State printing Office came un-
der consideration. They received the sig
natures of the members until a plum bing
bill in the sum of $500 80 was reached.
Here's something else don't GO" said
Governor Budd, as he cast glance of re-
proach over his spectacles at Secretary
Markley. 'Now, this may be all right,
but bills of this nature may always be re-
garded with suspicion. This will be laid
aside for investigation.
Sheriff Whelan OF San Francisco, accom-
panied by his attorney, w. H. Metson,
was among the first in the Governors
office to-day when the board met. The
Sheriff wants the money which he claims
the State owes him for transporting prison
ers and insane persons from San Francisco
to the different prisons and asylums in the
State. He declared that since the organi-
zation of the board it had continually re-
fused to allow his bills, alleging errors in
them, and on account Of this he had some
$1,000 or $1,000 tied up in the hands of the
Examiners, and was compelled to borrow
interest on it.
The reasons that the Sheriff's bills were
not allowed, as explained to him by Sec
retary of the Board Markley, were: First,
he persisted in taking evening trains for
Stockton and Napa, thereby consuming
parts of two days when, if he took the
morning train, he could get back that
evening. Second, that he charged for
meals at Folsom and San Quentin when
the Wardens of those institutions had in
formed the board that they furnished
meals free to all sheriffs and their deputies
who came with prisoners. Third. that
Sheriff Whelan and another Sheriff were
the only officers of the kind who
refused to comply with the order of
the board to return receipted bills or
vouchers for all money paid out by them.
Fourth, that whenever the Sheriff or his
deputies took a patient to Stockton their
claims showed that they left on the even
ing of one day and arrived back in San
Francisco at 0:45 next morning, yet they
always charged for three meals when it
could not be understood how they could
need more than supper and breakfast. In
connection with this they charged for
meals at Lathrop, en- route from Stockton
to San Francisco, at 70 cents apiece, when
the price for meals at that place was but so
cents.
Furthermore" Secretary Markley said
sheriffs in the State put together. Your
bills are made out caTelessly vouchers
from Stockton are put on Agnews bills and
in one place you charged $40 for railroad
fare when you meant 40 cents"
In answer to these charges, Sheriff
Whelan sad that the law compelled him
to take a patient to the asylum as soon as
the commitment was made out. This was
always done just before the ad adjournment
of the court for the noon recess. He could
not hold patient until the next day, be-
cause there were no facilities for keeping
him.
Governor Budd called attention to rul-
ing OF Acknowledgement Fitzgerald that
when any time less than twenty-four
hours was consumed in transporting a
prisoner the board could only allow one
days pay.
Attorney Metson took exception to this,
and said that it was a constitutional pro-
vision that eight hours should constitute
days work
In regard to vouchers Sheriff Whelan
said he was not surrounded by a gang of
thieves, and did not propose making his
deputies demand recelpted bill every
time they ate sandwich and drank a cup
of coffee.
He did not care if the Governor and all
the rest of the State officials were willing
to do it. He was not. If the Board of
9SAeAiihCAo WouiS llOI pay lot meals at
Folsom and San Quentin, all they had to
do was to say so, an3 he would tell his
deputies that they must go to the prisons
to eat. If they only allowed so cents for
meals at Lathrop, that was all right. and
he would cell his deputies.
1.-The Governor of the State does not con-
slider 1t an insult to attach vouchers to his
bills, said Governor Budd, land he is at
least equal to your deputies -
The Sheriff said that he had to take the
word of his deputies for their expenses.
and he paid them accordingly. He had
paid them in good faith, and he wanted
the State to pay him. The Governor said
that he understood that the Sheriff had no
means OF knowing whether his deputies
told him the truth, and that the board in
tended to remedy this by making change
in their methods. Sheriff Whelan was
then informed that in the future each dep
uty would be compelled to swear to his
own bill.
''In this way" Secretary of State Brown
said, "lf they commit perjury we will know
what to do with them.''
The board took no action in regard to
the past CLAIMS OF the Sheriff, but told
him they would probably do so at the next
meeting, when there viii be a full meeting
of the board. In the meantime Monday
will be devoted by the executive to max