The record-union., 1897-02-16
duced to reduce them.

over as unfinished business, and from
the present outlook it will have the
boards this morning.
The Senate Finance Committee will
meet behind closed doors at noon to-
day for the purpose of beginning it's
investigation of the coyote scalp mat
ter.
George A. McCalvy, formerly book
keeper in the department of the Secre-
tary of State, has been subpenaed, and
will go through a storm of questions
which may and which may not throw
light on a dark subject.
1t is also rumored that before the
committee has finished its investigation
Secretary of the Board of Examiners
Markley will be called, and that even
Governor Budd will be requested to
tell what he knows.
HE RESIGNED.
H. c. CrOcker Sergeant alarms to
the Senate Judiciary Committee, last
evening handed in his resignation to
Chairman Simpson. Just what was the
nature of the trouble was not inquired
into, but the fact remains.
BRAUNHARTS WILES.
Braunhart made a very smooth play
at last nights session of the Senate.
From the first he has battled against
leaving the salaries of the county Off
of
present, and while in a hopeless minor
ity bided his time.
1t came last night, and but for the
alertness of Smith, who did not wish to
see his pet measure, the county govern
ment bill, disfgured by bugs" the San
Francisco delegation would most likely
have found that the fixing of the sala-
ries of county officials had been left en-
tirely in the hands of the Board of Su-
pervisors. Braunhart quietly intro
duced an amendment to the section ap-
plying to San Francisco embOdying the
change, and there We're none present
from the city to say him nay. But
Smith was there. and he jumped on
Braunhart's amendment and began to
talk This was not what Braunhart was
looking for He believed in peace and
quiet and in order to pacify the fiery
Kern County man withdrew his amend
ment as quietly as he had offered it.,
and the war clouds were dispersed as if
by magic Smith smiled at his move,
and Braunhart chuckled at his. Both
were pleased, apparently.
A PLETHORA OF BILLS
A day of pretty steady work in the
Assembly yesterday was succeeded by
an afternoon and evening of busy COM
mittee work Evening sessions begin
tonight and there seems a general in
tention in the House to get down the
long and increasing files as fast as pos
sible There is need of it. In the AS
sembly the bills have reached No. $40,
and in the Senate 102, total to date
Of 1878. with, apparently, no prospect
of cessation at present. The con-
gested state Of the files at the close OF
the session and the certainty that
many bills viii die there. indicate
strongly the necessity for the consid-
GRAFTON of some such measure as has
already been introduced-one dividing
the legislative session into two parts,
between, with the provision that all
Introduction of measures except by a
three fourths' vote of the House must
be completed during the first part of
the session: that in the interim these
measures shall be discussed by press
and by people. all legislative visits to
public institutions shall be paid and
the committees ready to report, leaving
the last part of the term free from all
preliminary confusion.
A cursory study of the daily histories
bills are duplicated and sometimes
twice duplicated. wasting much value
time. a case in point is the concate-
nation of butter bills" which attained
its climax yesterday in the introduc-
tion Of the fifth Assembly bill, prohib-
iting the sale of short weight rolls of
butter. The Comm5ttee on Agricult-
ure had but just reported recommend
ing one and Withdrawing two more,
when No. ) on this grave and all-im-
portant subject was cast into the ring.
Another result OF this plethora Of
measures is that every man who intro
duces a bill or a resolution makes a
struggle 10 get ii accorded special ia
vors in the way Of advance on the files
or immediate adoption. Yesterday af-
ternoon exactly forty minutes was
expended in trying to get a certain res
olution Immediately adopted which at
last was sent to the committee where
It belonged in the first place a curl
Gus calculator figured that the fruitless
forty minute discussion cost the State
about SO. The Record Union" is not
responsible for the figures. but they are
probably pretty nearly right.
BONDS FROM MIDDLEMEN.
4. w North Of Y0lo introduced
bill ytst- rday, which provides some
protection for farmers and fruit
growers from the financial uncertain-
ties Of the middlemen. The principal
provisions ale as follows:
Any person doing business in t.
State or who snail hereafter do busi-
ness as q commission merchant, agent
factor or broker for the purpose of
dealing IN. receiving. selling or dispos-
r- Of farm proSt1cp Of any kind unoy,