The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-05
SMALL AMOUNTS GIVEN.
One Hundred and Fifty Dollars
Was the Limit Offer for
Proper Votes.
LAIRD OF MoDoC TRAPPED
He Was Promised Help on His Coyota
Bill If He Assisted the Rail-
road People.

SACRAMENTO, March 4.-On coyote scalp
hung the fate of the scalpers' bill to-day.
Thirty-eight men were voting against the
measure. A call of the House was ordered,
and for nearly an hour a scene of confu-
sion ensued, futile motions for adjourn
ment varying with equally useless de-
mands that the call of the House be dis
pensed with.
There was hurrying and scurrying on
all sides. Those managing the railroads
fight fitted from desk to desk among the
! doubtful, or those who were thought open
! to argument. These arguments were of va
rious kinds.
Mrs. Cummings of Los Angeles, one of
the smoothest takers of the third house,
/ who acts as engrossing clerk and at the
| same time is able to convince the most OBJ
| durate of reformers of the evils of their
ways, camped on the trail of Hall of
Placer. She talked long and earnestly and
eventually Mr.. Hall began to see that
really the bill was not SO very iniouitous.
He knew it had been amended so as to
make it harmless. AS a consequence,
though he had consistently voted against
all the amendments and to-day voted
against the bill at first he changed his
|
make the last two of the forty-one who
passed the bill.
The other one of the important pair was
Laird of Modoc. That gentleman is in
| tensely interested in the passage of the bill
appropriating $4,000 for the payment of
bounties on coyote scalps. There is hardly
a member of his constituency above the age
of years who has not one or more of the
malodorous but valuable bits of hide. 1t
was impossible for the holders of warrants
to shovel them at the banks, for his county
has no banks. AS result the entire pop
ulation are looking eagerly to their repre-
sentative to secure them their money.
That was what settled to-day's fight
When the railroad people found they had
forty votes they charged on Laird. Thomas
Of Nevada, with his oily tongue and win
ming smile, showed that the bill in oues-
ton did not concern the people of Modoc
in the least, since they did not have rail-
road. Not one in a thousand of them
would ever come in contact with scalped
ticket; in fact they were their own scalp
ers, the coyotes being the sufferers
They were not opposed to the railroad
and they did want their money for their
coyote scalps. This, Mr.. Thomas con-
vinced Mr.. Laird, he would be likely to
! get if he would only change his vote from
''no" to "aye" and make the required for
| ty-one. Of course if he stood out against
them he could expect no help in getting
| his own bill passed.
| There was no threat made. 1t was only
a suggestion. The seed was planted in
fruitful ground. however, and the result
was that determination was evolved on
Mr.. Laird's part to vote for the passage of
the bill. He did so contrary to the ad-
vice of number of his friends. His ac-
| ton gave the Southern Pacific temporary
victory. fft
1t cost Mr.. Laird the passage of his own
pet measure, though. 1t came up for pass
age as soon as the railroad bill was passed.
By the time it had been read the anti
railroad people had recovered from their
astonishment and saw why it was Laird,
whom they had counted on, had "fallen
| down" Immediately there was another
rush of interested parties. A word, nod
of establishment followed by one of assent,
went from one to another. The fate of
Laird's bill was fixed. When it came time
to vote his former allies produced the
knives they had been quietly whetting and
ruthlessly slaughtered it.
| A number of extra railroad votes were
cast for it. There were more anti-railroad
| people who voted against it. AS result
the bill received only thirty-five votes.
! This is six less than what was required
| There were thirty-three votes cast against
the bill. Kenyon of Los Angeles was one
| of the supporters for the railroad people.
| He had voted for the various amendments,
| his idea, he explains, being to get the bill
| up for its final passage. When the vote
| stood at 81 to SO they swarmed about him.
/ His vote had not been cast and they did
not know how to place him. but took it
| for granted he was with them. His decided
negative made him the subject for various
arguments and appeals. These were all
without effect, however, and his vote was
| registered "No."
! Another of those who were called upon
at the last moment was John o. Day of San
| Francisco. Mr.. O'Day is a Democrat and
comes from violently anti-railroad dis
trict as well. He has introduced various
anti-railroad measures, and yet his vote
went to the Southern Pacific. Bill Ses-
sion's presence at the San Franciscan's ell
| bow all during the trouble indicated the
source of Mr.. O'Day's political decisions.
81 am anti-railroad," he said, in explain
ing his vote. "But you see, Session and the
Republican leaders they put in my boy as
page. Now, when they did that promised
to help them on the first railroad measure
that came up. This is it, and voted for
the bill to keep my promise"
Mr.. O'Day considered this explanation
ample. There can be no doubt about the
fact that it was as truthful as it was lucid,
and Mr.. O'Day's conscience is entirely at
rest.
o. H. Huber of Los Angeles and L. J.
Dwyer of the Thirty-third District San
Francisco, voted against the bill to the end.
These gentlemen were classed among those
with railroad tendencies in THE CALL few
days ago. They protest their freedom from
any such ties and are firm in their assur-