The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-15
M'COPPIN'S ACT STANDS.
The Senate Passes the Street
Car Bill With All of Biggy's
Amendments.
ONE RESULT OF THE EXPOSE
The Influence of the Octopus" Is
Fast Waning and Its Grip
RelaxeS.

SACRAMENTO, March 14.-Senator
Biggy's statement has had one effect.
Had it not been for his action the Senate
would certainly have passed the bill in the
interest of the Market-street combine, re-
pealing the McCoppin act and permitting
the street railways of San Francisco to re-
fuse transfers and to charge more than 5
cents on most of its lines.
When the bill came back from the
printer to-day all of the amendments
which Buggy had insisted upon were ac-
copied with scarcely any dissent The
Freeman bill was restored to its original
condition, that which existed prior to the
Southern Pacific's successful effort TO sneak
in amendments, and beyond that a proviso
was added that the act should not be con-
strued to repeal the McCoppin act in any
way. The bill was then declared to be sat
isfactory to all, and was sent back to the
printer.
So little bravery on the part of Senator
Buggy, coupled with the earnest efforts of
Senators Burke, McAllister, Wilmington
and others, has saved San Francisco from
another scheme of the octopus.
AS the bill now stands, it is said TO be
chiefly of value to help out certain rail
road-bOnd projects in Los Angeles
Another instance of the woeful decrease
that has taken place in the influence of
the Southern Pacific Company since the
expose of the Senate combine" by Buggy
of San Francisco came to light tonight
when the Ubiquitous anti Robinson, anti
stopover bill was withdrawn from the
urgency file.
The bill was placed on the urgency file
by Speaker Lynch. 1t was so amended
that it had no terrors, but if the Southern
Pacific had had its former power the bill
would have been transmitted to the Senate
and reamended into shape there and then,
brought back TO the Assembly and the
amendments concurred in by it.
Dodge of Alameda, Bledsoe of Humboldt
and several other gentlemen were loaded
to the muzzle with red-hot arguments and
cleyerly worded amendments, with which
they intended to effect the final and utter
Generalization of the measure.
When the bill was reached Speaker
Lynch announced that a Senate bill re-
lating to leasing agricultural lands would
be inserted, and before any one quite real
lied what was happening he ordered the
new bill read a second time. 1t took a
half minute for the House TO recover its
presence of mind. Then Bledsoe began
frantic howls TO attract the Speakers at
tention. But it was Lynch's own bill that
was concerned, and that gentleman leaned
back smilingly in his big chair and paid no
attention to the uproar that almost
drowned the stentorian tones of Clerk
Branch's voice. When the clerk had fin
ished reading the substituted bill Lynch's
head reappeared above his desk, and when
Bledsoe began to object he announced
that the objection came too late. 1t was
further explained that the substitution
had been decided upon last night.
The withdrawal of this bill is an ad-
mission that DR.. Robinson has once more
beaten the Southern Pacific. 1t is now too
late for it to be revived in any form.