The San Francisco call., 1897-02-19
BraunhartS Bill Fails of
Final Passage in the
Senate.
The Measure Provokes One Of
the Most Interesting Debates
of the Session.
S x Member Favor and Thirty. Three
Record Their Votes Against
Its Passage.

OuCeQ at InlS session OF lne Legislature.
Braunharts much-discussed and equally
much-amended bill failed of final passage
in the Senate this morning by an over
whelming vote, and none of its friend s
saw even enough hope ahead to warrant a
change of vote and q notice OF reconsider
alton. So it is as dead as Dickens door
nail.
1t provoked one OF the warmest and
most interesting debates of the session.
and evoked what was one of the highest
individual oratorical displays since the
disposition of the United States Senatorial
question. To Senator Wolfe of San Fran
cisco fell the honor of speaker eloquent.
he took up the gauge OF battle against the
measure Immediately on the close of
Braunhart's opening argument, and
though he occupied but fraction OF the
lime of mis- predecessor be had the SYM
pathy OF house and lobby with him when
he resumed his seat.
Wilmington, Mahoney, Morehouse,
Smith and Bert came TO " olfe's support,
while Braunhart had the distinction of
being the sole cham pion of the ill-fated
measure.
The measure, which provides for a re-
duction of streetcar fares from 5 cents
each to eight for 25 cents, was the first
on the third-readlng file this morning. 1t
had passed the scrutiny of the Committee
on Corporations and the San Francisco
delegation, and the adverse report of the
Committee on Rules and Revision, sub
mitted this morning, was therefore in the
nature of bonn bsnel to the author of
the measure. The bill was declared by
this report 10 be unconstitutional.
Eraunhart saw all his homes and ami hi
tlons shattered in this new turn of affairs
and his bitter disappointment found vent
In strong denunciation, though on strictly
parliamentary lines, of the mem bers of
the offending committee. Withing ton,
the chairman OF that committee, and
Dickinson were especially singled ont bv
the irate Senator. He severely criticized
the action of Wilmington in Withholding
an adverse report until the last moment
and declared that the opinion OF two Or
dinary lawyers (referrlng to the Senators
from Marin and San Diego, respectively
had little weight with him as to the con-
stitutionality of bill. He charged that
similar measures had been passed by the
Senate and had been voted for by the
Senators mentioned.
Braunhart cited facts and figures which
he claimed showed that the street rail-
ways, and especially the Markets. street
Company, could stand the reduction con-
templated. Pretended friends OF the
measure, he charged, had stabbed it in the
back, and efforts had been made to kill it
in com mittee. He declared that while
not one of the hundreds of thousands of
men, women and children who would be
benefited by the passage OF this bill had
been ent here TO cham Dion their cause
the clipper, the stock-jobber and
the beneficiary of wateTed stock had been
here to "browbeat and intlmidate," and
that fake petitions and meetings OF clubs
q hGn Ral lnd "a oTn
mittees to influence them against the
measure. He made light of the opposi-
ton OF the railroad employees, and asserted
that their fears OF reductions in salaries
were uEfounded, judging from past e1-
periments of this kind in other cities.
Senator Wolfe began by stating that he
would refrain from discussing the m after
from constitutional standpoin and con-
tinued:
Il shall not attem pit to reply to the slurs
and sneers OF my colleague. We ought to
be honest in our views upon questions
presented to US. l want to say that noi-
withstanding all the gentleman has said,
l rise in opposition to this measure.
The gentleman has magnified the i'm
portance OF this proposition. You would
think alter listening to him that San
Francisco had risen en- masse in favor of
this bill-that the men and women and
children were standing upon the high
ways and byways waiting Tor this Senate
to come 10 their relief and pass the
Braunhart 21I-cent bill.
Il have no kilograms in my possession
asking for the passage of this measure. |
have not been even spoken to by any one
in reference to this measure, except by
those men who are here to-day-those
men to whom the Senator sneerngly al
luded to as these gripmen and conduct
ors.' have been spoken to by these men,
and l say that L will submit to their judg-
ment. l will place their intelligence side
by side with that of the gentleman who
has just taken his seat. l will take their
judgment and word in preference to his
unsupported statement on the floor of the
Senate.
'These few gripmen and conductors
who receive the high wages of 81 80 per
day represent 1000 or 5000 in San Fran
CISCO, who by their earnings upon the
streetcars raise families and educate their
children. These few men represent as in
telligent ana hard-working a class OF la
boring men as can be found in any city of
the world.
They came here in opposition to that
bill, and The only message that has been
sent to ME is the message that the gentle
man also received. That was a petition,
signed by over 5000 of these men, protest
ing against the measure. In the district
which l have the honor TO represent there
reside between 600 and 700 of these men,
AHu IOuT OF I'VE IdlWays nave tnelr
termini in my district. Upon the petition
here to-day are the signatures of 500 or
800 OF my constituents asking me to op-
pose this measure, and l support their
views without fear of the d anger of being
misconstrued in San Francisco.
"My belief is that this bill is in the
direct interest of the Market-street rail-
road and that no other railroad will bene-
fit from it. The remaining street railroads
in San Francisco that are now indepeu-
dent and competing lines will be wiped
out. These will be absorbed by the Mar
ket-s treet Railway Company. 1t means
further than that, and 1 base my asser-
lions upon the judgment of these men
who represent organized labor. I think
that the result of this will be to reduce
their wages. They believe it and believe
it with them, and therefore l am opposed
to this measure.
II have spoken lately, while in San
Francisco, to all classes OF people, and
they were not people who hold stock in
any of the street railroad corporations,
and l found the almost unanimous senti-
ment among the laboring men and the
business men to be opposed to this meas
ure, and am going to take their judg-
ment add view upon this matter without
considering those OF the distinguished
Senator who has just preceded me-"
he declared that the Sutro and Presidio
roads would be compelled to go out of
business, and that this was an attempt 10