The herald., 1895-02-18
THEY TRY THE C|NCH GAME
San Francisco Merchants Have
Little Scheme
THEY WANT ALL CONTRACTS
Three Commissioners at Fat Salary to
Control the Patronage
The Country Legislators Discover the Scheme
and VIII Have Something to Say
About 1t

J. 0. Koephi, the President of the Mer-
chants Association, has returned from
Sacramento, where he went last week, in
company with Max Meyberg and Major
Furrey, to explain to the legislators the
objections of the merchants of this city TO
bill introduced by Senator Seymour.
Briefly stated, the bill provides that the
offices of trustees of the different state in
stitutions be abolished and that the man
agement and supervision be placed in the
hands of three commissioners, who will
each draw salary of $4,000 per year, and
who will have carte blanche as to travel
ing expenses, that the state will have to
pay. In addition they will be empow-
cred to make all contracts for supplies, etc
The merchants of Los Angeles at once
realized that the bill was intended to place
in the hands of the proposed commission
ers a power that would be more injurious
to the business interests and proper man
agement of the state institutions than un-
der the present system. 1t was further
discovered that the measure was scheme
OF the San Francisco merchants to
'cinch" all the business accruing from
the state institutions, and it was whis-
pered that Senator Seymour of San Ber-
nardino had fathered the bill with the
tacit understanding that that he would
be appointed one of the commissioners
upon his promise to obtain the votes of
the Southern California delegation in the
Legislature.
The San Francisco business men figured
that the two other commissioners would
be appointed from that city and that they
could control with that influence all the
contracts for the entire state. The cat
jumped out of the bag, however before
the deal could be consummated, although
the bill was reported favorably by the
committee to the Senate 1t was then
that the Los Angeles merchants We're
warned of the impending danger if the
bill should pass, and they at once repaired
to the capital. Subsequently other coun-
ties in the state have been advised of the
true character of the measure, and pro-
tests have been pouring into Sacramento
against the measure becoming a law
Governor Budd" said Mr.. Koephi,
twas i'll while we were in Sacramento and
we could not see him about this measure.
We have received, however, sufficient in
formation from influential sources that
convinced us that the bill could not pass.
While it has been given out by interested
parties that this bill had the sanction of
Governor Budd, | am satisfied that the
chief executive never contemplated such
a corrupt measure. 1t is true that he is
dissatisfied with the manner in which
some of the state institutions have been
managed by the trustees and that he be-
lieves that some iobbery has been going
on, yet his ideas of reform do not con-
form with the provisions of the proposed
bill
THE Governor would like to see bill
passed creating the office of one salaried
commissioner, who shall have supervision
over the acts of the trustees now in exist
ence and to be hereafter appointed, and
who shall have no executive powers what
ever; that commissioner duties to ex-
tend only so far as the acts of the trustees
are concerned, and report such acts of
mismanagement and improvements in the
administration of the different state in
stitutions, as he may deem necessary.
''You will at once see," continued Mr..
Koephi, ''the vast difference between the
Seymour bill and Governor Budd's idea.
The commissioners under the former
would require only couple of years, if
they were so inclined, to make them in
dependently wealthy. They could steal
and demand commissions on contracts
they closed and the merchants would have
to submit to their demands or lose the
contracts"
After having satisfied themselves that
the bill had no merit and was looked
upon at Sacramento as vicious, the Los
Angeles delegation retruned.