The morning call., 1895-01-15
BLEDSOE At THE WE'LL.
The Same old Fight Bobs Up Serenel!
IN the Assembly.

| The Same old Fight Bobs Up Serenety
in the Assembly.
| SACRAMENTO, Jan. Ia. The Assembly
forgot that it should begin proceedings
with prayer and had gotten well under
way this morning before it recovered
| itself and called upon the colored chaplain
to perform that duty, and then Bledsoe
rose to his biennial attack upon the well.
For the past two or three days there has
been displayed in the corridors of the
Capitol the legend, "Oysters and short
orders served downstairs" 1t was the re-
vival of the famous old well in the base
ment-that scene of scandal of so many
sessions. With it came Bledsoe's oppor-
tunity, and he did not wait. He offered a
motion that the sergeant-at-arms be
directed to at once close up the well "and
that the restaurant and saloon now being
conducted there be discontinued"
Bledsoe wanted to explain what he knew
about the well, but a motion came so
quickly that the matter be tabled-which
is not debatable-that all talk was cut off
until after voting. Several members
wanted to have some say about the matter,
but only those who could condense their
speeches to sentence, and got that SEN
tence out before the chair ruled, were sue
cessful. The motion was tabled by large
majority, and then the tongues of the
members were released on the plea of ex-
planning their votes, the tenor of which
was that restaurant was a necessity; that
there were no liquors sold so far as known,
and that bond had been given by the
present well operators that no liquors
would be sold there. After battery of
this sort of thing had been carried on for
some time there was a general scramble to
change votes from no to aye, thus increas-
ing the emphasis with which the motion
was laid on the table.
Then Bledsoe rose up to explain his vote
and to offer protest against the action
taken. He had asked the Attorney-Gen-
eral three gu estions and had received the
reply which he read as part of his pro-
test, setting forth that the Capitol building
was in charge of the Secretary of State
and that the building was exclusively for
State purposes, and restaurant where
liquor was sold could not be lawfully con-
Quoted within the building. This last an
swer was something of an evasion of Bled-
soe's question, which was, Could a restau-
rant be conducted there2 However, in
presenting his protest Bledsoe said he
knew that liquor was being sold, and that
new dry well with ham and eggs and
such things in it would not be profitable
enough to pay the cook, but that did not
save the motion. 1t was laid on the table
with such force as to indent the table.
After the session representative of the
Secretary of States office took Bledsoe to
task for his statement that liquor. was be-
ing sold at the well, charged him with
making reckless and unwarranted state
ments, and offered him long odds that he
could not prove what he had said. The
debate became so pointed that had Mr.
Bledsoe been disposed to be hot-headed it
might have developed into scene to be
hereafter referred to in the picturesque his
tory of the well.
''They may not be selling whisky there
to-day, but the purpose in plain enough.
They intend to sell it Just as soon as this
thing settles down. / will not say that
you know it, but everybody knows it."
said Bledsoe.
tBut you said before the Assembly
whisky was being sold there now?" said
the Secretary's man, "and I will bet S1OO
to 81 that it is not true and that YOU have
not witness to it."
81 am told by competent authority that
it is true and / believe it and that is
enough. Furthermore I am given to un-
derstand that A. J. Rhodes, ex-saloon-
keeper and political boss, is back of it.
There is no necessity of waiting till we
smell the whisky in this room. EVERY
body knows that restaurant is not needed
here and would not pay. The end of the
whole scheme is the whisky trade. Now
that we are on the subject" continued
Bledsoe warmly, 81 may say that the Sec
retary of State had no right to grant the
right to anybody to run restaurant here.
A restaurant is clearly unlawful, because
this building is to be devoted exclusively
to State purposes. Neither has he any
right to accept anybody's bond that liquors
shall not be sold. Has he accepted such
bond?'
He has not yet, but the bond will be
forthcoming tomorrow
"Oh, tomorrow" said Bledsoe signif-
cantly. "Well, tomorrow l shall intro
duce my motion again, and keep on intro |
ducing it until it is carried"
Secretary of State Brown said in regard |
to the matter in controversy that he him |
self had introduced resolution in the
Il