The San Francisco call., 1897-02-16
Yet the Minority Will Have to
Vote for the New Bills
Introduced.
How the Finances of the State Will
Benefit Through R cent
Disc, ,oSureS.

refusing to grant the appropriation, and
when they tried to In troduce two bills for
appropriations aggregating the same sum
they confessed that they had been wrong
from the start, and that all their state
ments as to the printing office not need
ing the amount asked for were unfounded.
They proclaimed with much blus ster that
the Office did not require that sum of
money; that to grant the appropriation
would be equivalent 20 throwing it into
the gutter, and then when they found that
their opposition would very likely close
the office, and, worse than all, that ter
ribe realization of horror that Buccaneer
Johnston had obliged all the minority's
appointees to walk the creased plank into
the briny deep, they were willing to give
the So. coo for the same period as origin
ally asked for, but they offered to eat the
$4,000 crow in two bites so that they
might not run the risk of choking them
selves.
But even this poor consolation is denied
them, for the Republicans, with Dibble as
steward, have carved the crow and will
serve it cold and clammy to Caminetti
and his colleagues outside the back door
of the banquet hall.
The doors will be thrown open at II
o'clock and the minority will be invited to
take seats at the first table. Caminetti
this morning by way of whetting his
appetite for the indigestible dish, INDUCED
in a few sarcastic remarks regarding the
affair, and insisted that experts should be
appointed to examine the books of the
State Printer and report upon them to the
Assem- bly,.
He hoped that since the bookkeeper of
the State Printer and the State Printer
himself we're not able to explain the ac-
counts the expert might be more success
fu. They are in the stocks, and the small
boys of public opinion are pelting them
with rejected eggs, deceased cats, old
shoes and other articles of bric-a- brac.
The best they can do is TO call the bad
boys bad names. They cannot consist
Ell ly refuse 10 vote for the appropriation
OF $4,000 divided as tits, for Dibble's bills
are fac-similes of those which Caminetti
and Shanahan wanted to introduce. While
1t is OF no use for them to bray or make
any other kind OF Characteristic noises
they will nevertheless kick up a big dust
to- morrow and the air will be resonant
with the brays of buncombe.
1t is likely that the Republicans will
cause an investigation to be nj ade of the
accounts of the State Printer. Not that
they suspect that everything is not all
right there, but for the purpose of reliev-
ing Johnson of the onerous burden of
accusation which he has thus far borne
too patiently and too meekly. They e1-
pect, also, that the facts to be uncovered
by the investigation will be of great value
to the Legislature and to the people in fix
ing the responsibility for waste and ex-
travagance where il rightly belongs.
The discussion has been productive OF
this much good: 1t has turned the
searchlight upon Deficiencies in State in
stitutions and las turned the legislative
mind to the consideration of proper pre-
ventives for these financial rathoIes AS
a consequence, two bills are now before
the Assembly Committee on Retrench-
ment and they will be reported favorably.
The first of these is S34, by Anderson.
1t provides that no board, department,
commission or institution which does not
maintain or support inmates shall be al
lowed to create any deficiency.
The second bill will be presented in the
Assembly tomorrow by Melick. 1t was
drafted by John G. Wray, clerk of the
committee. 1t is designed to prevent
EN- mbezzlements and defalcations such as
have been reported from several State
institutions, and which are made possible
by the large contingent funds which are
not under supervision of the Controller or
of the State Board of Examiners. In
some of those institutions this orphaned
contingent fund ranges from $4,000 to
$50. 600.
The bill provides that all moneys be-
longing to the State, received by any
source whatsoever by the board OF trus-
tees or board of directors, as the case may
be, or by any officer authorized by law to
receive the same of any of the State asy-
lums for insane, feeble-minded children.
and deaf dumb and blind. of any reform
school or normal school, and of any
State institution for the care, training or
aH mr. Of
than the State prisons, shall render to the
Controller at the close of each month, in
in such form as the Controller may pre-
scribe, a sworn statement of the
money received during the month
and at the same time, on The order of the
Controller, pay the same into the state
Treasury. This money shall be paid out
after approval by the State Board of Ex-
aminers. The contingent fund of all
these institutions shall be handed over to
the Controller i'm mediately after the act
goes into effect.
Turning to another, loftier, aye, a
holier subject, it may be truthfuly said
that the morals OF the people of the State
could not be placed in the hands of a COM
mittee more qualified by nature, training
and disposition than the Assembly Conn
mittee on Public Morals. Bettman of San
Francisco is chairman, and, while ne has
not yet taken molly orders, his piety-of
the early klnu-DlaZeS from MS scarlet
necktie and throws a rich sunset glare
upon the rest of the committee. Then
there is Power Of San Francisco.
auburn-haired and ascetic; Ryan of
San Francisco. who knows no evil;
Allen of San Francisco, born without
original sin; Golf of San Bernardino, a gay
captain in the army of the n. G. c.; Har-
ris of Los Alamos, who never went
down the line" in his life, and Cutter of
Marysville, who lacks nothing save the
inter and the shepherds crook They
held a meeting tonight in the Assembly
Chamber, and exhibited a knowledge of
poolrooms, bunko games, book ma aking
and bucket-shops that was truly amszing,
and would lead the spectator TO believe
that in the dim and foregone past they
had been sinners themselves and had re-
formed.
1t was wonderful, a blessed spectacle
indeed when Emmons of Kern appeared
before them, and urged the committee to
report favorably upon his bill for the sup
preston of bucketshops and pretended
speculation in grain on margin. His face
suffused with righteous indignation when
Bettman spoke and he thundered: when
the gentleman says there is no opposition
to his bill he is mistaken, for some of the
best eople in San Francisco have been
before the Senate committee protesting