The record-union., 1896-02-15
A MARES NEST-INSUFFERA
MENDACITY.

In the annals Of Journalism there
never has been such a shameless in
stance Of insufferable mendacity. such
an unblushing example of attempt to
mislead public judgment and deceive
the reader, as in this case of the mares
nest discovered relative to the Belshaw
funding resolution of the last Leg
islature the mendacious work being
confined mainly to the San Francisco
Examiner" and the San Francisco
".Can."
The whole story relative to that res
olution and all recent Developments
concerning it may be briefly told. It
columns, and it's truth is verified by
Governor Budd, his late Private Secre-
tary, the present Private Secretary, the
Chief Clerk of the State Printer, the au-
thor of the resolution, Mr.. Belshaw, the
records of the late Assembly and the
testimony by wire of Congressman Ma
guire.
Yet in the face of the indisputable
cisco Examiner" deliberately and un-
blushingly repeats the lies it originated
concerning the matter, and roars about
the "highwaymen" who "juggled" with
that resolution. 1t goes so far out of
its way also as to falsify the records and
lie about the minor details of the af-
fair, and on it's editorial page to fatty
contradict the statements on its local
page The "Call'' did much the same
in a feeble-forcible manner
Let the honest reader see how plain
tale of unvarnished truth puts these
mendacious sheets to the wall. The
facts, as demonstrated in the mouths
of the witnesses named and in the face
| of the records, are simply these;
Assemblyman Belshaw in the last
Legislature introduced a concurrent
resolution opposing the passage of the
Reilly funding bill then before Congress,
and asking the Governor to transmit
the resolution to the California. dele
cation.
The resolution passed the Assembly,
was at once transmitted to the Senate.
passed that body and was returned in
due order to the Assembly. So solic-
itous was its author to have it at once
forwarded, that he took the original
document from the desk and went with
if to the Executive Department, where.
by direction Of the Governor and over
his signature. Secretary Colnon for
warded it by wire of the Postal Tele-
graph Company, and the cost was paid
out of the Governors contingent fund
Concurrent resolutions, unlike joint
the Governor. This. therefore, along
with some two dozen others, never
reached the State Printer for incor-
poration in the statute book, because
the Governor alone gives the chapter
number to the printer. 1t would seem
that the Clerk of the Assembly, finding
that Belshaw had filed the resolution in
the telegraph office, properly made
copy of the resolution from the journal
records, certified to it, indorsed it, and
thus made it the original. 1t was duly
registered in the Assembly registry
book. which shows the entry of fact that
| il had been sent to the Governor. This
new original was tnereupon fled in
the archives of the State, where it now
peacefully reposes.
Congressman Mcguire reports by wire
from Washington that he duly received
the telegraphed resolution over the sig
nature of the Governor, introduced it in
the House of Representatives and it was
duly referred. The Congressional Rec
ord shows the same facts. That is the
whole case. There is absolutely moth
| ing else in it. These are all the facts
regarding it, and every one of them is
established by records and testimony
simply incontrovertible. and that are
lot capable of being disputed or contro-
verted without wiIlful lying.
Yet in the Examiner" of yesterday
the leader editorial opens with these
words, ''The corporation highwaymen
who kept the Belshaw anti-funding res
olution out of the volume of the stat
utes Of the last session. etc" The "Ex-
aminer" on its local page of the same
date shows that the original resolution
was taken from the clerk and tele-
graphed to the Congressman. The state
ment of the Chief Clerk of the State
Printer makes it perfectly clear that
why the resolution did not enter the
statute books was because the author
of it ignored the constitutional provis-
ion. took it out Of its usual course and