The San Francisco call., 1897-02-18
Dibble's Bills Providing
Seventy-Five Thousand
Dollars Passed.
Some OF the Assembly Minority
Eat Crow by Voting for the
Measures.
considerable Filibustering Fails to
Defeat the Second Re-
lief Bill.

N~AS4NA@hG I'm ~, OAL., rep. lf.-OdIpl-
nettl was the first to eat his dish of State
printing crow, and he did it to-day with a
comic grimace as he voted "aye" on Dib-
ble's bill S63 appro7riating $40 600 for the
relief of the State Printer. Power OF San
Francisco and Landsborough of Sacra-
mento also broke away from the flibusters
and voted for the bill. But on No. 664,
also by Dibble, approprating $50 600 for
the support of the office for the remainder
Of the fiscal year they voted no with the
rest of the minority. thus putting them
selves IN position of refusing to support
measures which they themselves had
offered or attempted to offer on the day
before
Camlnetti's action in voting for the
$40. 600 appropriation and refusing 10 vote
for the $35 900 appropriation is looked
upon by the knowing ones as an indica-
zion that Governor Pudd may sign the
one and veto tie other.
Tie bills before the House this after
noon were Dihb,e's S63 and S64 and Shana-
hams S65. No. 863 appropriates $4,000
and entitled "An act for the relief of
the State Printing Office and making an
appropriation 10 pav the deficiency for
the current fiscal year that may be found
TO exist in The appropriation for the sup
port OF said printing office for the said
year at the date of the approval OF this
act" Nc. S64 is entitled IAN act ms king
an appropriation for the support of the
State Printing Office for the remainder of
the forty-eighth fiscal year" Shanahan's
s65 appropriates $4,000. and is entitled
AN act making an appropriation for leg
islative printing for the thirty second
session of the Legislature"
Shanahan, in speaking on his bill, said
that the State Printer had spent money
without any authority OF law, and that
tn Dibbe bills expressly validated the
violation of the law by he State Printer
II don't say" he added, 'that State
Printer Johnston is dishonest, but rather
that he is mistaken as to the law
D.bble was quick to set Shanahan right
He said that Shanahan's assertion that
the bill was intended 10 cover up any de-
Jinquency in the State Printing Office or
to validate any act of the State Printer
was entrely unwarranted by the facts.
The purpose OF the bill was to appropriate
money to paw the wages of employees, who
had rot received a dollar from the ate
for several weeks The object OF the bill
was to confine the appropriation to the
payment of bills incurred for printing
legislative matter only. Since the open
ing Of the present session of the Legisia-
ture a large amount OF public printing
other than legislative, such as reports of
State officers, etc, had been done. and the
printers had not been paid Tor that work,
nor had the material used in it been paid
Fnr han nh oO+ nf h. kl1
provide for the deficiency which had been
created. The peculiar wording was in
tended to overcome the law passed by the
last Legislature. When the appropria-
tion was introduced en- January II there
was no deficiency in the printing office,
that having been created since that time.
30 that in reality the deficiency has been
incurred in technical violation of the law
OF 1895
n 863 had been prepared to meet the
deficiency incurred by a technical viola
ton OF the statute. 1t proposed a relief
for the State Printing Office, which it was
in the power OF the Legislature to give.
1t should be remem bered also, urged
DIbbe, that all this money must be dis
bursed under the direction Of the State
Board OF Examiners. 1t was the only way
IN which the exigencY could be met If
Shanahan and the Democrats associated
EN- mployes OF the State Printin Office he
and they should insist on his bill. There
was no other way of paying those people
except by relief bIli.
As soon as Dibble had finished Gutter of
EUba introduce a substitute to the effect
that Asse mb!y bills 863, S64 and S65 pre-
senttd q case OF urgency and therefore
should be read the second and third time
and placed upon final passage.
The House went into com mittee OF the
whole and the Fl clustering of the minor
ity was proceeded with. Shanahan pro-
posed ar amendment to No. S63 which
would destroy 1t bv making il unconsti-
tutional, and Caminetti made mysteri-
Gus speech TO the effect that there was
more behind the contest than the State
Printing Office matter.
The speech of the day was made by
"Old Man" Dryden OF San Diego, fusion
ist and advocate Of some new system of
distribution which apparently does not
include the distribution of wages to en-
ployes of the State Printing Office. His
speech was cunnlngIy pnrased and was
meant as cloak to hide the real partisan
motives which impeled him to vote with
the Dem ocrats against the printing en-
ployes. He began by saying that he stood
between the con:ending parties "that
seemed to be trying 10 make political cap
ital out of the affair" 1t was apparent
afteTward to his hearers that no matter
where he stood he voted early and often
for the Democratic programme.
The battle ragged for several hours, the
minority flibustering by offering substi-
tutes and by resortIng to the time-worn
devices usual on such occasions until the
previous question was called and the bills
placed upon final passage.
When the roll was called on 863-the
$4,000 priation-Caminetti did not
answer to his name. Landsborough led
the bolt from the minority by voting aye,
and he explained that the bill would re-
lieve the distress which existed among
the printers in the State office.
Power of San Francisco followed. at
is time 10 settle this thing, he said. "a
great many people have been working in
the State office for three or four weeks and
can't get their money. Therefore vote
for the bill"
Caminetti rose at the conclusion OF the
rollcaI and said: "Mr. Speaker, | vote
aye" Then he looked cunning. He did
not proI ose that the federated trades
should Jump on his neck for bill 1858. But
he and the remainder OF the minority
voted against No. S64-the $780, appro-
priation. Both bills were finally passed
by 45 ayes to % noes.
Shanahan's No. S65 was defeated. The
oltls were ordered transmitted TO the
Senate, and Caminetti and Shanahan
gave notice that tomorrow they would
move reconsideration.
Inc bllls were taken up in the Senate In
the evening and were passed there.
North's Assem- bly, concurrent resolution @,