The herald., 1897-01-20
Prevalent Among Our Sacra-
mento Legislators
sAdAcITY IS AS NEEDED
As Integrity II the State Is to
Benefit
San Francisco, as Usual. Has Her Lit
tie Want-A 100000 Building
This Time


Especial Correspondence to The Heraldl
SACRAMENTO. Jan. 1s.-The legis-
lature is now fairly and fully down to
business" with a prospect OF keeping
at work almost constantly during the
usual business hours from this date till
the close of the session, March 1st, or
some time thereafter.
In some respects this will be one of the
most important legislatures ever elected
in California. 1t has already chosen
United States senator to serve for six
years. 1t is In session a. a period when
BUSINESS DEPRESSION
Prevails to a discouraging degree.
Among numerous classes of persons en-
gagged in legitimate industrial enter
prises, many existing laws are unwise
and need to be altered or else repealed.
Tremendous demands for appropriations
will be made on the one hand, and on
the other there is loud voice coming
up from the populace, saying. Econ
omize economize!' and so a goodly
amount of sagacity as we'll as integrity,
is needful among the members if they
are to legislate in way that will really
auNdnCe tHc DcSb lnlcICSlS VI tHC StdtC
al large. The grinding of personal axes
and the conferring of special privileges
upon a few persons or classes clamoring
for them, win never promote the general
welfare, and he who thinks such legisla-
tion proper or just is unfit to be a law
maker for great state or even for the
smallest municipality. A few such al
legged Statesmen" are here, unfortu-
nately for their constituents. Yet they
are as wise as a majority of the voters
by whom they were sent here; otherwise
they would now be at home.
SAN FRANCISCOS WANTS
The great Toll Taker by the Sea-
wants another new building, and wants
it at the expense of the state. This may
seem strange as the Windy City is noted
far and near for her extreme modesty
and her reluctance to asking or even
accepting anything that she does not
pay for our of her own municipal pocket.
The bill that will soon come before
the legislature relative to San Francis
cos wants proposes an appropriation of
$500, 600 for the purchase of a lot in
that city and the erection of building
thereon for the use of certain state ofi1-
GERS and commissions"
The bill provides that for the purpose
Of selecting a site and arranging for
the building and supervising its con-
struotion. a board of three commission
ers is appointed who shall have COM
plete control of the building while 1t Is
being erected and after it is finished
The term Of office OF these commission
ers, who are to be appointed by the
governor, is fixed at four years
Whether the need of such a building
is great or small. the people of the
state outside of the big city may be
asked to pay their proportion of the cost
involved in such an enterprise 1t may
be urged in support of the scheme that
ii would afford the owner of San Fran
cisco vacant lot a chance to sell it and
pocket the value which the whole COM
munity produced; it would give en-
ployment" to a few hundred unem-
ployed men, and thus postpone the time
when they are likely to become anar-
chists, paupers or suicides. and.it would
furnish a steady job for board of COM
missioners at fat salaries. For these
reasons If for TO others, the bill will
have hearty supporters.
LOS ANGELES 1NDIGENTs.
District Attorney Donnell of Los An
geles is here on a special mission look
ing to a reduction of public expense
in that county in the natter of support
ing INDECENT persons. He showed me
a rough draft of a bill he has drawn
which he thinks will meet the case.
Los Angeles county is SO famous for
its salubrious, healthful climate, that
it has become an asylum for INDECENT
persons of various classes and grades
who throw themselves upon the public
and must be cared for. Major Donneli
thinks he has plan in his head and his
bill which, if enacted into law, will
enable Los Angeles county to save
nearly 100000 a year which now goes to
the support of helpless persons who
should be cared for by other counties.
APPROPRIATION MANIA.
Among the scores of bills already in
troduced the proportion that calls for
appropria tions is enormous, 1t would
seem as if some public officials i'm agine
that the state treasury is a mint where
money is coined al the will of the treas
urer. and that the chief duty of the
legislature is that of providing ways
and means of expending it. The mania
for making appropriations of public
funds is disease quite prevalent
among modern Iegisla tors and one
which taxpaying constituents should
watch with tender care and ceastless
vigilance.
PLENTY OF WORK.
After enjoying holiday and Sunday
in such ways as best suited them, the
members of the legislatur today again
settled down to business.
Ilclc 10 cuOQS u NpIh on ndnQ IN caCn
house to fully engage the attention Of
every committee and every Individual
member, be they ever so industrious.
In fact. business of various kinds is
piling upon them every day so RAPIDLY
that there may be danger Of their getting
showed under before the expiration of
the legal sixty days.
TREASURY LOOTING SCANDAL.
The scandal growing out of the alleged.
looting of the state treasury through the
liberal methods of Chief Clerk Duck
worth. continues to be the chief topic of
comment and discussion both in and out
of legislative circles. Several Republican
members of the assembly have declared
their Intention to heartily cooperate
with the Democrats in all proper meth
DDS that may be adopted to ferret out
the irregularities, favoritism, and every
plan that has been or may be resorted to
for the purpose of distributing patron
age among persons who hang on to the
coat tails of members and plead for Jobs
at the states expense. These Repub-
lican members appear to be sincere and
in earnest in their protesta tions against
the raid already made on the contingent
fund. Until there is proof to the con-
trary' they should. be credited with good
intentions. although they represent
political party whose time-honored Gus
tom has been to treat a public office as
a private snap.
THE GOVERNOR HAS GOT THEM.
A member of the Republican caucus
confulittee said to me a few hours ago: