The morning call., 1895-02-14
SWARMBD ON THE
CAPITOL GROUNDS.
SAN FRANCISCO'S CALAMITY DEL
EGATION GIVEN A HEARING
IN THE HOUSE.
CITY CORRUPTION OUTLINED.
THE GRAND JURY AND CHIEF CROW
LEY CRITICIZED BY THE
MINISTERS.

SACRAMENTO, Feb 13.-San Franclscans,
decorated with ribbons marked "Clylc
Federation in big letters, swarmed over
the Capitol building to-day. Ihey arrived
in Sacramento at 2:15 P. NJ, having MADE
the trip from the city on a special train IN
half the schedule time. A procession was
formed at the depot and the visitors, 1l3
strong, marched to the Capitol with Rev.
Mr.. Ollie and 1. J. Truman at their head.
A pause was made in the rotunda when
scouts were sent out to reconnolter. Ihe
plan was to first invade the Senate. An
attack on the Assembly was to follow, ana
then the Governors office was TO be IN
vaded. The plans were changed, however,
because of necessity, and the committee
separated to meet again IN the Assembly
chamber at 4 o'clock when recess mad
been taken by the legislators to receive
them.
The lobby and gallery were thronged
with ladies, while many were on the floor,
where seats had been reserved for them.
DIR. Ollie and l. j. Truman were escorted
to the chamber by Mr.. Powers OF the San
Francisco delegation. 1t was several min
utes before the House became quiet. Then
Speaker Lynch introduced l. j. Truman,
the president of the Civic Federation. Mr..
Truman said the Grand Jury, as body,
was not up to the times. San francisco
needed an investigation committee in
order to get better and cleaner govern
ment. He talked at length of the bill in
troduced by Speaker Lynch, which he
called the Waymire bill, and introduced
DR.. Ollie. H. n Clement, Rev. DR.. Nc
Clish and C. Wesley Reed followed. Mr..
Reed asserted that Chief Crowley stood as
a bulwark between reform and the police.
He announced that the foreman OF Grand
Jury had said to the Chief: Certain houses
exist in certain portion OF the city and
should be closed" The Chief answered:
"The houses do not exist. i know better
than you; if they did exist my officers
would close them.' This man, he said,
was Stewart Menzies. The reason they
asked for an investigating committee was
because San Francisco was not a sovereign
institution and her grand juries were pow
erless to inquire into misdemeanors.
Rev. J. II. Irwin, Judge A. w. Thomp-
son and the Rev. Mr.. Filbin also spoke.
The latter stated that he believed every
citizen of San Francisco, except the ward
politicians, ward-heelers and men with
criminal instincts, favored the movement
he espoused, and that the papers that
claimed otherwise misrepresented public
sentiment.
After the meeting in the Assembly
chamber the delegates were invited into
joint session of the San Francisco delega-
tions from the Assembly and Senate.
Rev. DR.. Ollie made the same sweeping
statements of his belief as before. He was
called to task in the first place by a mem
Der of the Assembly who thought it very
discourteous to refer to bill introduced by
Speaker Lynch as the "Waymire BILL"
George Dexter told of the good the pro-
posed investigation committee would do
by being strictly non-partisan.
Powers OF San Francisco pointed to the
danger that would arise should Governor
Budd appoint on the committee one strong
Democrat, one Populist who had been a
strong Democrat, and one weak Republi-
can. "Do you mean to cast reflections on
the Governors honestly" was demanded.
mot in the least" was the answer.
Governor Budd is a personal friend of
mine and know him to be honest, but the
water of pure spring is often polluted be-
then urged that if the committee were par
tisan it could injure honest men and be-
smirch the regulations of honest citizens
by calling them up for Investigations with
a lot of rogues.
G. w. Reed recognized the force of this
and thought it would be wiser to have the
committee consist of two Republicans and
two Democrats. Senator Biggy protested
that there was no politics in the question
whatever. 1t was a matter of reform that
was being asked for on non partisan
grounds. A. w. Thompson claimed that
there was no danger of finding Populist a
Democrat as the Populists had ali been
Republicans. A long discussion then en-
sued as, to whether the election frauds
would not be righted by revision of the
laws on primaries. Later in the day the
Civic Federationists waited on the Judiciary
Committee of the Assembly and Senate
and urged their cause. They started for
the city at 8 o'clock.