The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-22
INVESTIGATING
FERRY DEPOT
FOUNDATIONS.
UNITED STATES ENGINEERS
MAY PROBE CHARGES
OF FRAUD.
ADOPTION OF AN ASSEMBLY REso-
LUTON WHICH IGNORES THE
GOVERNOR.
CRUSHING OF A FILIBUSTER
A TRINITY COUNTY AssEMBLYMAN
CIRCUMVENTED BY THE
SPEAKER.

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 21.-The ferry depot
foundations may be investigated by
commission which will not only be non
partisan in character, but expert on details
relating to work OF the kind called in
question. By the adoption OF a concurrent
resolution to-day the Assembly ignored
Governor Budd entirely in the matter and
requested that Colonel Menden and Major
Heuer of the United States engineer corps
investigate the foundations. There was
cons iderahle opposition.
Dixon of San Francisco, who introduced
the resolution, explained that the attack
had been made upon the Harbor Commits
sioners by partisan commission, and he
thought the matter should be looked into
by competent engineers and be taken out
of the hands of the Democratic executive.
Cutter thought such action uncalled for
He urged that if it had not been for Gov
ernor Budd the investigation would per-
haps never have been made. The Gov
ernor, he said, had started in all right, and
he was willing to trust him to do his duty
in the matter.
MeKelvey of Orange also opposed the
resolution. at is a disgrace to the State"
he said, ''the way public officers are at
tackled. An official cannot make move
but some other official is interfering and
crying fraud. 1 am unwilling to abet such
thing"
Powers of San Francisco wanted to know
whether the two gentlemen named in the
resolution had consented to act.
Dixon explained that they were United
States officers and would have to act.
e. u
ceased when assured that no expense
would attend the investigation.
Hatfield of Sacramento thought the reso-
luton should be adopted. The matter
was of great Importance. 1t was only
right that the most expert engineers
should be employed to investigate the
work.
Bledsoe attempted to have resolution
substituted for that of Dixon's. He wished
to request Governor Budd to transmit his
message and report on the ferry founda-
tions. The resolution was lost.
Dixon's resolution carried by vote of
SO ayes to 26 noes. The resolution now
goes to the Senate.
Only one more day remains in which
bills can be introduced. A feeling of un-
rest has seized upon the House. There is
no longer any dawdling. All are hurry
ing, and if member tarries he is hastily
thrust aside and the legislative machine
continues its grinding.
The first event of interest to-day arose
over the proposition to count the votes in
the Collins Mcdonald contest. Huber, the
chairman of the Contested Elections Com
mittee, asked that the resolution be
adopted.
Bledsoe of Humboldt thought that since
they had not counted the gubernatorial
vote they should not try to count the votes
for the legislative offices. Pendleton of
Los Angeles explained that the Governor
was not a member of the Assembly and
they had no rights in the matter
Powers of San Francisco urged that the
time left the Legislature was too short for
the House to be able to spend any of it at
this late hour in counting votes. Dinkel-
spiel also opposed the resolution on the
ground that the House could not afford to
have any of its members away during the
period when decisive action was necessary
upon other important measures.
1t was explained that the County Clerk
would be required to bring the ballots to
the Capitol This put the matter in a new
light Phelps of San Mateo and Waymire
of Alameda urged the Legality of the pro-
ceeding, and the resolution carried
Belshaw made an attempt to have the
bill repeating the appropriation for the
INDECENT poor reconsidered. This was
beaten also.
A joint resolution by the Committee on
Parks and Forestry, that Congress be re-
quested to build free wagon road from
Mono Lake to Yosemite Valley, carried
The Committee on Claims recommended
the granting of $11s, 900 for the payment OF
the claims of the attaches of the constitu-
tional convention.
A plea was made for the district fairs bv
the Committee on Agriculture, which
asked that they be maintained at half the
ordinary expense. Half the usual appro-
priation was also recommended for the
State Fair.
The bill to make the use of barbed wire
illegal was reported adversely.
The Contested Elections Committee
recommended the payment of $6414 to pay
the expenses of the contestants and con-
testees in three cases investigated. OF this
sum $1,000 was for attorneys fees.
Dixon made an attempt to have the
cigarette bill, which was carried yesterday,
reconsidered. Although large interests are
at stake, and strong lobby is working to
have the bill, which prohibits the manu-
facture of cigarettes, beaten, the attempt
at reconsideration failed.
AT first it seemed that it would carry
The friends of the bill rallied to its sup
port. Powers moved call of the House
seconded by Dinkclspiel and Bledsoe, but
this was unnecessary. The motion was
lost by vote of 35 to 80.
The Senate bill ordering the State Treas
urer to pay over to the Veterans Home
Association all the moneys, checks and