The herald., 1897-01-08


days large percentage of these seekers
after employment at the expense of the
state will be vending their way home
ward, good deal wiser and Slightly
poorer than when they came.
THE SENATORIAL CONTEST
Though the general opinion is that the
senatorial contest is virtually settled by
the caucus nomination of George c. Per-
kins, there are those who still insist that
either Shortridge or Waymire, or some
other man than Perkins, will after all
walk off with the prize and leave Per-
kins in the cold. Just on what hypothe-
sis such a belief is founded it would be
difficult to tell. Had Judge Fitzgerald
entered the contest several weeks ago,
he could have rallied a strong following
and would have given Mr.. Perkins
close run, to say the least. But the
judge is not, nor has he been, a candidate
for the position. He informed me today
that the mention of his name in connec-
ton with the senatorship was entirely
without his consent. Next Tuesday the
two houses will vote for senator. and in
all probability re-elect Perkins.
SHOWERS OF BILLS
In the assembly yesterday it fairly
rained and hailed bills. For some time
it looked as though clear majority of
the members, if not two thirds, We're on
lIlc llOOI cdCil waving d
paper in his hand and clamOring for rec
ognition by the speaker. The few men,
bers who remained seated, reading news
papers, writing letters to their friends
or pairing their finger nails looked lone
some. The indications are that larger
number and a greater variety of bills will
be introduced this session than have
ever shown up in any previous leg!sla-
ture. Every member has come hither
1oa1ad down with rnSnOn Sibi1itias and
with new laws or amendments to old
ones occupying his thoughts to a de-
gree that is liable to produce headache,
if nothing worse. While some of these
propositions for legislative action are
impracticable and perhaps ridiculous,
others are really in the line of progress
and should receive most careful consid-
Grafton. AS Senator Bulla remarked
privately 'It is time the people of
California divested their minds of the
notion that new laws should scarcely
ever be passed, because they are expert
mental, and experiments in legislation
are dangerous. All legislation that is
progressive is necessarily an expert
ment. and 1t is only by such Legislation
that the people can advance and attain
desirable ends. Without experiments in
the way of new laws we would forever
stand still" This was said by the sena-
tor with special reference to the pro-
posed constitutional amendment for CIV
ing to the legislature full power to con-
troll the subject of taxation and revenue
AFTER THE RAILROADS
Speaking of new bills. suggests the
fact that Judge s. B. Gordon, of Los
Angeles. is III hot pursuit of the railroads
doing business in this state. He sends
me a copy of a bill he has drawn en-
titled. "a New Railroad Policy for
California" The judge has been study
ing up the laws bearing on the relations
between the state government and rail-
road corporations, and he believes he
has found a plan by which the people Of
California can legally appropriate a
large percentage of railroad earnings
for public use. Briefly stated. his bill
amounts to this: A railroad franchise
being a public utility, the company
owning such franchise is justly entitled
to an income sufficient to pay all reason
able expenses and keep its properties in
order, and Il net income on the actual
value of the property and the money
invested but no more. If the charges to
the public give the corporation more.
the excess Is an overcharge and should
be turned into the public treasury.
'Watered stocks and bonds should re-
ceive no consideration whatever" The
actual Investment on which income
could be alone allowed is the cost of
duplicating the railroad property. AL
though part of the railroad income may
be derived from interstate traffic, the
state has complete legal power to tax