The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-05
His Power Did Not Apply to the
Contingent Expense Bill
for Attaches.
MANY OF THE SENATORS TALK.
They All Had Reasons to Give for
the ExtraVagant Expenditures
InduIged In.

SACRAMENTO, March 4.-"Ill stand by my
guns" That was the answer Governor
Budd made as to what he proposed to do
TO fulfill his campaign pledges. Governor
Budd made economy the keynote of his
prediction speeches. He stated that he
intends to keep his promises. This means
veto on many items in the general appro-
priation bill and a rebuke to the legislators
for their extravaganza.
The Governor intimated to-day that if it
been within his power he would have We
toed the contingent expense bills ap-
preparation money for useless attaches. a
volume in his office giving the law on the
subject was well thumbed and showed In
dex marks that he had studied the legality
of veto. But the law passed in 1891, after
enumerating the officers and attaches of
the Senate and Assembly, adds proviso
that such other attaches as may be deemed
necessary may be appointed The Senate
deemed AGA necessary and the House
nearly as many, and no discretion was left
to the Governor
The Governor declares that this law
should be repealed and that an act should
be passed limiting the number of attaches
and defining their duties. Senator With
lilSbOn has lHITOuuCSu SUCH a Dill. Inc
Senate can find money to pay useless at
taches for work not performed, but when
Senator Smith introduced bill raising tie
appropriation to pay many of the weekly
papers for publishing the constitutional
amendments from $125 to $3.50 the Senate
promptly voted the amendment down.
This was done to-day. 1.-THE Senate can
waste money for its own amusement, but
when it comes to paying the debts of the
State owed to the country press then it
cries retrenchment. Can a single Senator
point out an instance during the present
session where the Senate has curbed its
own OK trayagance? The Legislature went
to the devil by one vote in the Assembly
today
This is the summary which Senator
Wilmington makes of the legislative record.
He referred to the victory of the railroad in
politics when the scalpers' bill came up in
the lower House.
There is a strong organization in this
State" continued Senator Wilmington,
(which has it's influence with the Legisla-
ture. 1t has power over weak members
by threatening local bills. 1t goes as far as
it dares, but there is one thing which pre-
vents resorting to extremities it is timid
and most of the legislators are honest,
though some may be weak"
"What do you think of the record of ex-
travagance? was asked.
cit has been an extravagant session."
was the reply. 'I saw that there was no
hope for economy when Senator Seymour's
retrenchment proposition was beaten.
There was no use to argue and talk; the
Legislature would not retrench. All that
remained for me to do was to enter my
protest with my vote. / have sought by
bill which l introduced to prevent ex-
travagance in the matter of attaches by
succeeding Legislatures, knowing that l
was powerless to stop the waste of money
this session"
Senator Arms CD made a brief COM
ment. 1.-THE dominant party has not
kept its pledges so far as retrenchment
goes,' said he. In a general way he
thought the Legislature had not ac-
complished much. at now becomes the
duty of the Governor to fulfill the pledges
of the Democrats by cutting out all un-
necessary appropriations" concluded SEN
ator Arms.
''Neither party has kept its pledges in
the matter of appropriations, said Sen
ator Smith (R.). "Otherwise I think the
Legislature has been fairly good one."
Senator Smith was called away by illness
in his family on the day that the general
appropriation bill came up. He returned
much displeased to find that the Senate
had loaded the appropriation bill with
amendments calling for more expendi-
lures of money. He blames members of
Io@l -; Co I ~
respect.
'I think the Legislature has been an i'm
provement on past Legislatures. The
trouble has been that the Republicans
have had such big majority that they
have had so many more friends to provide
for. They do not seem to understand that
the agriculturists are laboring under a
heavy burden. 1t would have been better
if the Legislature had been more evenly
divided. Then the dominant party would
have been checked in its tendency to ex-
travagance. There are many excellent
conservative men among the Republicans.
If there had been nearly as many Demo-
Gratis as Republicans in each house then
these Republicans would have been able
to have held their party back from making
useless expenditures"
Senator Aram (R.) thinks the Legisla-
ture has been conservative body.
Although it has been extravagant in the
matter of attaches, the amount so dis
bursed he regards as bagatelle in the whole
amount. He was surprised to learn that
the Senate and its Finance Committee had
raised the general appropriation bill half a
million dollars beyond the amount it bore
when it came from the Senate, but thought
it a difficult task to lessen the amounts
asked for in any great sum, as there were
so many necessary calls for the expenditure
of moneys.
Timothy Guy Phelps thought the most
important saving of the present Legisla-
ture would come from the repeal of the
law allowing State aid to indigents. This
he figured at about 100000. Next he
placed the county government act. the fee