The San Francisco call., 1897-03-20
J:TER'S VOTE
PASSES THE BILL
Finish of a Close Contest in
the Senate on Coyote
Scalp Claims.
There Being a Tie, the Lieu
tenaDt.Governor Decides
With an Aye"
But MOrehouse Questions the Right
OF the Presiding Officer, and
Lawsuit May Ensue.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, March 19.-One
OF the closest and most interesting con-
tests of the session occurred in the Senate
to-day over the coyote scalp bill, appro-
priating $2S7. .615 for the payment of coyote
scalp claims.
After long and warm debate at the
morning session, it was lost by one vote.
Atthe afternoon session it was decided to
reconsider it, and the vote on the final
passage, after call of :he House, which
brought every mem Der into the cham Der,
resulted in a tie. President Jeter asked
time for careful perusal OF the measure,
and then voted in the affirmative, thus
sending the bill to the Governor, who, it
is understood, will sign il. When Jeter
announced his decision, many of the
members could scarcely restrain their de-
sire to applaud.
When the measure was reached on the
file. B ulla opposed its passage, stating it
as his belief that large portion of the
claims were fraudulent, and that the
Board of Examiners had no right to go
into the question of determining which
were Just and which were fraud ulent.
Simpson claimed that the State was un-
der contract 10 settle these claims and
that 1t would be to It's discredit to re-
pudiate them by refusing to pass the bill.
He admitted that many of the claims
might be fraudulent, but he thought most
of them were genuine.
Pedlar said that in his section of the
State (Fresno) there we're large numbar
of claims held by farmers who had acted
il good faith in aiding to rid the State of
the pests.
..I,
in favor of the bill. Boyce and Stratton
opposed it.
Smith advocated its passage and asserted
that large majority of the claims from
Kern County were held by individuals,
most of them poor people, in sums rang
ing from IS to SIS. He had full conf
dence in the ability and power of the
Board OF Examiners to segregate the good
from the bad claims, and hoped the bill
would pass.
The roIlcall showed 20 ayes and 10 noes.
This was one short OF the necessary num-
ber to pass the measure. Wilmington
changed from aye to no and gave notice
of reconsideration.
After the noon recess Wilmington moved
for a reconsideration OF the bill. He
called attention 10 the report of the Board
OF Examiners, which recommended the
appropriation, and which, he said. threw
every safeguard around the measure TO
prevent fraudulent claims being paid.
The motion to reconsider was adopted
by a vote OF % ayes 10 II noes.
Wolfe spoke against the measure, and
, the rollcaIl on the final passage OF the
bill resulted in a tie vote as follows:
Androus, Aram, Beard. Chapman, Deni-
son, Dickinson, Doty, Flint, Franck,
GIeaves. Holloway, Jones, Langford, Lin
der, Pedlar, Shine, Shippee, Simpson,
Smith, Withngton-TotaI, 20 ayes.
EBerr, Boyce, BIaunhart, Bulla. Dwyer.
+ Feeney, Gillette, Hall, Henderson, La
Rue Luchsinger, Mahoney, Morehouse,
Prisk. Seaweli, Stratton, Tower, Trout,
VOORHEES,, Wolfe-Total, 20 noes.
Lieutenant t-Governor Jeter, after a brief
consultation with the secretary, remarked,
'.The vote seems to be a tie."
Senator Smith called for the decision of
the chair.
President Jeter answered: "I would ask
the indulgence of the Senate for little
while The chair has paid but little at
ten ton to the bill and would like time to
read it. | do not know Just what its pr o.
visions are"
He perused the dill for several minutes
and then spoke as follows every word
being listened to with almost breathless
expectancy:
II was not present when the debate oc-
Cured on this bill during the morning
session. and should like to ask for in
formation as to whether the claims that
would be covered by the amount of this
appropriation have been passed upon by
the Board of Examiners.
Wilmington, rising with copy Of the
= boards report in his hand, read there
from as follows:
IT Board OF Lxnniners report that
the number of uanatd scalps for which
certificates have BET :. issued is 57,523, ag-
gregating the sum of $2S7. 6l5 The board
respectfully recommends that an appro-
priation be made TO pay these claims"
Wilmington added: This bill was also
drawn by the Board of Examiners"
at was also provided, - asked President
Jeter, "that the claims must further be
passed upon by the Board of Examiners"
Smith was promptly to the rescue.
There can be no question about that.
The language OF the bill is emphatic"
Then came the momentous decision OF
the chair. sin view of the facts con-
nected with this bill, " he said, II suppose
. the chair may be permitted to explain, as
well as the members on this floor. Assum-
ing that the State Board of Examiners has
recommended this appropriation and has
provided for an investigation OF these
claims, and further understanding and
preciating The States obligation to pay
all Just claims, the chair will vote ave. I
will further state that I think it is bill
that should go to the Governor"
Morehouse made the point that ali bills
must receive majority of the votes of all
duly elected mem bers of each house. and
questioned the chairs right TO cast the
deciding vote on measure of this kind.
Simpson declared that the President
had the right to decide under the circum-
stances
Jeter quietly put an end to further con-
troyersy by remarking: "Some other
tribunal will have to pass on that ques-
tion."
1t is stated that the Supreme Court has
IL mum Der OF similar cases upheld the
course taken by President Jeter.
The Jdc Levy Bill.
SACRAMENTO, CAL, March 19.-When
the tax levy bill, which had passed the
Assembl yesterday, came up in the SEN
ate tonight Chairman VOORHEES, of the