The morning call., 1895-01-24

ton of an lnqulsltlon committee, OUTSIDE
the Legislature, with power to investigate
almost everything and everybody.
R. B. Carpenter, George G. Ross and
Robert A. Friedrich, constituting sub
committee of a committee of seven APP
pointed by the Union League Club, arrived
tonight. The other members of the COM
mittee are John H. Dickinson, A. P. Will
liams, George A. Puppy and M. Cooney.
This committee of seven reported to the
Union League Club last night and the sub
committee comes as the result of the adopt
ton of that report. 1t will ask the Legis-
lature to investigate the recent election IN
San Francisco and to order recount OF the
Gubernatorial vote. The members of the
committee declare that it is not proposed
to unseat the Governor, but that the Union
League Club is anxious that recount be
had to determine if any fraud has been per-
petrated and to fix the responsibility for
such fraud should fraud be found.
Another committee came up tonight
with objects similar to that which brought
the Rev. DR.. Ollie here. 1t is composed of
A W. Thompson, Henry E. Highton and
Joseph Leggett. These members OF the
committee will confer with the Assembly
men and seek to have an Assembly or
Legislative committee appointed to Lexow
the whole State, San Francisco included.
1t is proposed that the frauds alleged in
recent election throughout the State shall
be investigated; that police affairs, from
the appointment of Gunst down, shall be
the subject of inquiry, and that an over
turning of affairs in general shall be started.
Let San Francisco attend to her own local
affairs If she wants to investigate let her
investigate She has grand juries and all
the necessary legal appliances for such
purposes. This is not State matter. This
summarizes the opinions OF many of the
legislators at the Capitol.
Promptly at IL o'clock the special order
for that hour, the Ewing resolution calling
for an investigation of San Francisco Police
Department, was taken up in the Assem-
bly,. Cutter of Suffer and Yuba entered
the breach with a substitute that Ewing,
Spencer Reid, Davis and Guy be named as
the committee, with proper powers, and
that they report on or before February 10
next Waymire of Alameda presented the
resolutions OF the Civic Federation, adopted
at the recent meeting in San Francisco.
matter by referring it to the standing Com
mittee on Public Morals. Ewing indig
nantly opposed this, declaring that if there
was to be an investigation this thing
should be met right now. He produced
some more resolutions. Langenour wanted
it referred to the standing committee. If
there was an investigation called for at
San Francisco, the Grand Jury was the
proper authority to conduct it. If there
were to be wholesale investigation by the
Legislature, he thought his county might
have one, too, at the expense of the State.
This sally provoked some laughter, and
Bulla took up the subject in the same vein.
Il favor this motion" he said, ''because
I'm opposed to the resolution. 1 believe
that San Francisco is on a very fair aver
age for morality with the rest of the State,
and certainly it should not come here beg
ging for relief, even if it is as bad as it is
painted. If the big city cannot take care
OF itself we will build fence around it and
paint the sign on the fence, This is an
asylum of incompetents,' and will take
charge in regular form as ward of the
State. Laughter and applause.] But 1
don't believe in any of this. San Fran
cisco is all right and is capable of manag-
ing its affairs, and 1 am opposed to the
resolution and favor its reference to the
standing committed
This bit of hot talk brought Powers of
San Francisco to his feet in defense of the
big city. He said the city was not out on
any begging tour and was entirely able to
manage its affairs and did not need the in
reference of any outside committee. A
vigorous, wide-awake, reform Mayor had
been elected on the lines of cleanliness and
reform. The Mayor was backed by a
strong Republican Board of Supervisors
and had already begun his campaign
against vice. a Legislature that had
loaded itself up with unnecessary attacks
for no other reason than to rob the treasury
had all it could attend to in investigating
itself, and would cut poor figure in setting
itself up as censor of public morals. San
Francisco would investigate itself when it
was ripe for it.
Cutter said these arguments might have
applied equally well to the city of New
York. That city had shown how badly it
stood in need of investigation, but no
investigation would have taken place had
not the Legislature so ordered. Nor would
any take place in San Francisco until the
State Legislature ordered it. "Ripe for it!''
he exclaimed; "a place that is as rotten as
San Francisco p which little joke provoked
some laughter.
Waymire spoke for the special commit
tee, and the motion to refer was defeated
by vote of 30 to As. The matter was then
made special order for tomorrow. Phelps
emphasized the necessity of so doing. cit
was a very important NATTER he said.
1.-THE Grand Jury of San Francisco could
not make this investigation as could a
committee properly delegated by this
House, which will not be fettered"
Many legislators expressed their senti-
ments upon the Lexow business tonight.
Thomas of Nevada looked at the PROPOSE
ton like thiss "If this resolution'is taken
seriously what is to prevent me and every
member of both houses lacking on amend
ments that will send this committee Junk
citing about the State investigating every
town and county in it. Why not?
Do you suppose Nevada City is so much
above the average of San Francisco morals
as to refuse to entertain committee that
came there to squander the States money!
No? I'm against this proposition. Let