The record-union., 1895-09-28
ATTORNEY -GENERAL'O s COMPL PLIMENTS
Judge Fitzgerald Came to the Capt.
tai in Good Spirits.
He Had Something Good to Say About
Public Institutions-Board
of Examiners.

yesterday. The only members present
were Secretary of State Brown and At
torney-General Fitzgerald.
One of the first matters brought up was
bill from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1t was of such Dimensions that one OF the
memb of the board remarked that
from what he had observed of the work
ings of the bureau he did not take much
stock in it.
Reference being made to the contro-
versy which has waged between the State
Board of Equalization. State Controller
Colgan and Attorney General Fitzgerald,
the latter temporarily laid aside couple
of claims he was looking over and said,
regarding an expression in the More
house letter to the effect that the law re-
quires the Attorney General to have his
office at the Capital:
1.-The same law provides that the Su-
preme Court Justices shall reside at the
Capital The law also provides that the
Attorney-General must be in attendance
on the Supreme Court. l have no i'll
feeling regarding what has transpired
during the last few days, but we Will see
who lasts the longest-those other fellows
or the law"
Mr. Fitzgerald was about to resume his
nN0stlSALiOu Ol Lu6 CldiluS WhoA sOLuO-
body in the room referred to the warm
weather we are having just at present
and the chances of cholera reaching San
Francisco from Honolulu.
NOT AFRAID OF IT.
whenever cholera prevails in Homo
lulu, China or Japan" said the Attorney
General, sit has a tendency 10 make
every body here feel as though they were
going to be attacked with the cholera
In ho loot fox dow ! ba had
that gone feeling and haven't been as
well as l would like to be-"
Secretary OF State Brown suggested that
Mr.. Fitzgerald might have been drink
ing too much water.
The Attorney General replied, good
humoredly, that he drank but very little
water. 81 don't care much about the
cholera, /" he said. 81 have been through
all the great yellow fever epidemics that
had occurred in the country from which
l originally came. l was in st. Louis in
1858, when the cholera ragged there
furiously, and l was not sick either"
Then someone else remarked that if
Mr.. Fitzgerald could escape being at
tackled by The cholera under such circum-
stances ne ought TO stand a good show OF
coming out unscathed in personal con-
hict with the heavy-weights and light
weights of the State Board OF Equallza-
tion and Controllers Office
He did not respond 10 this, but gave his
attention to the business before the board.
GOOD WORD FOR THE STATE FAIR.
In examining a claim sent in by the
State Agricultural Society, the Attorney
General ran across an item which he took
a couple of minutes to think over. 1t
proved to be all right and he remarked
that il would be to the States interest if
the State Fair was kept open for thirty
days.
TWO REJECTED CLAIMS.
When the claims OF T. A. Pedlar for
SIS and E. Leake for Sl35, for clerical
services rendered the State Board of
EQUALIZATION, which have been in the
hands of the Secretary for the last four or
five weeks. were taken up, Attorney
General Fitzgerald Draced himself In his
chair and said:
1--WE cannot allow these claims, when
The law says we shall not. There is my
opinion as 10 the legality of the claims,
and l am going to stand by it. The mem
bers of the Board of Equalization know
the law as we'll as l do regarding the mat
ter. 1t distinctly states that they are en-
titled to outside clerical assistance only
when they are travelling. These claims
viii never pass me as long as l am
member Of this board"
AN OVERLOOKED OPPORTUNITY.
Another break in the proceedings of
the board was caused by one OF the news
paper reporters present finding an invi-
tation from Warden Hale of San Quentin
to the Attorney General to attend the ex-
ecution of William NJ. Fredericks, which
took place on the 26th OF last July, Sec
retary of State Brown handed the invita-
ton TO Mr.. titZg gerald. who, after asking
where it came from, said:
well, you see the law requires the
Warden of the State Prison to invite me
to be present at all executions, but il does
that | ba of an QY
ecution. didn't know L had the thing"
ECONOMICAL COMMISSIONERS.
A little breeze was stirred up when the
claims for travelling expenses of Messrs.
Henry Is. Field, y. III. O'Brien, John
Boggs, NJ. Goldberg, G. q. Clnch and J.
+. Sheehan of the Yosemite Valley Com
mission were read. The claims in the
aggregate amounted to S463 20, which Sec
retary of State Brown said was the cost
of the June meeting of the board.
The members OF the Board of Exam
iners could not understand how it was
that none of the \ osemite Commission
ers, except Gold berg, charged for their
railroad fares. Attorney General Fitz-
gerald thought it was probably an over
sight.
The claims were allowed after some
further discussion.
SELDOM DIE THERE.
Secretary OF State Brown opened his
eyes when on examining claim of
=, 200 81 from the Board OF Supervisors
OF Sacramento County Tor the support of
l62 INDECENT persons over % years of
age, that there should be so many pa
tients of that age 10 the County Hospital
claim, however, he said he would sign it.
but IL was cut down to -, lS9 81.
During its discussion Attorney q en-
eral Fitzgerald remarked that. in bis
opinion, the Sacramento County Hos
pital is the finest institution OF its kind
in the State.
AN ESCHEATED ESTATE.
Albert J. lie Breton, an attorney from
San Francisco. addressed the board on
behalf OF jacques }. Martini and Marie
Louise Martin, contestants for the $4,000
estate of Jeane Martin, deceased, which
was escheated 10 the state. Martin died
in HornltOS, Mariposa County, in 1891.
After the estate was sold. and there being
no one 10 claim the money, the Public
Administrator deposited it in the State
Treasury. The Atiorney-General in.
formed Mr.. lie Breton that proofs of any
OF the contestants title TO the money
would have to be made before the Con-
troller and Treasurer.
Mr.. lie Breton replied that the Con-
troller informed him that the proof first
would have TO be made before the Board
of Examiners.
"You just tell him to make that state
ment in writing over his own signature"
said the Attorney-General. After the
proofs of title have been made before the
Controller and Treasurer, those officials
must then report the matter to the Board
OF Examiners ior final action. We Will
require just such proof as would be re-
ouired in court. and unless that is done
the money will mover go out Of the treas
ury."
erTc1,