The San Francisco call., 1897-01-26
Outside of San FranciscanS
There Are Few Speak
ers in the Assembly.
Most of the Hard Labor of the
Session Is Done During Com.
mlttee Meetings.
Members Working Industriou:1y al
Afternoon aud Night Sessions
That Last Very Late

SACRAMENTO, CAL. Jan. Is. The
Assem- bly, is fairly getting used to the har-
ness OF legislation, and athougn halliday
sessions have been the rule during the
past three weeks. for the purpose of giving
the com mittees an opportunity of meeting
and work ng upon the bills, which to-day
reached the total of 5t9, fair progress has
been made.
Committee work is much more import
ant than the mere onlooker would think.
The welding of similar bills into one
uniting the good features and eliminating
the bad features of all saves whole days of
time to the Assembly. For instance, two
members of the House have ON more than
one occasion introduced bills, some OF
which were duplicates of others, word for
word. Then Senate bills have come in
duplicate of Assembly bills. The doubles
are thrown out. and half dozen Eills on
the same subject and to the same purport
are fused into one. Add to those com BIZ
nations the bills reported upon adversely
and the pile of about thousand bills in
both houses will be materially reduced.
While the Assembly may have appeared
to be taking things easily, the same peo-
worked like wolves in full chase after a
fat porker. They have afternoon sessions
and night sessions, and the reporters have
their hands more than full in chasing
around after the fifty committees into
which the mem bership of both houses Is
divided. The present session has deyel-
oped the fact that the Capitol building is
much too small to accommodate the COM
mittees. Several have been obliged to
hold meetings in uncomfortable corners
of the library. Others met in the base
ment; others in the attic and others in the
Assembly and Senate chambers. Their
afternoon sessions are long, sometimes
continuing unfit after the dinner hour,
and the evening sessions are often pro-
tracted until after midnight.
The Republican majority under the able
leadership of that shrewd tactician, Judge
Dibbe of San Francisco, and the Demo-
cratic m inority-part OF it fused with the
lost cause OF f(PopuIism-under the leader
ship of the quiet but willy Cam1netti, seem
to be determined to do the right thing for
the people, although the Demo-Pops spend
much valuable time and wind in trying to
make political capital out of the mistakes
OF the majority.
The Assembly, this session, has not yet
given any striking illustration of brilliant
oratory or craftsmanship. With the ex-
ception of the San Francisco delegation,
il seems to be made up of new material of
different mold; not SO snowy as their
predecessors, but bent on business. Not
much time has been wasted in speeches,
and in fact there are not more than half a
dozen men in the House who can make a
speech that even the unthinking gallery
will applaud. OF these half dozen Dib-
BILE stands at the head, and those who
have heard Judge Dibble speak in public
may be able to form good estimate of
the rest.
Belshaw has some fire, but is impetuous
and is liable to say the thing in haste that
is afterward repented of at leisure. North
is also fluent with the huency of urbid
flood in the snow-melting season, but the
big white polkadots in his necktie attract
the attention of The spectators too much
from the subject matter of his remarks,
dazing or hypnotizlng them with white
spots on their minds. Treacy of San Fran
cisco speaks from the shoulder, and Leon
Dennery uses the stuffed club of oratory
in surprisingly agile and gymnastic way.
Kelly, Henry, Pohlman and Jones do not
aspire to the laurels tina. crown the brow
of the orator. They introduce bills and
work for them in quiet and effective way.
Cutter is a ferocious speaker, and is at his
best in cyclone.
It would be much easier to point out the
speakers who are missed than those who
are here. Spencer of Lassen, who made
so gallant fight at e last session for
woman suffrage, Jud Brusie of Sacra-
mento and few more whose voices are
not heard in legislative halls are among
those whose loss is the most conspicuous
remain untitled.
But it requires great occasion to bring
forth great speakers. The occasion has
not yet arisen In the life of this session,
and when it does who knows but that a
Kelly, q Damon, Chynoweth, a Robin
son, a Guy, Brei1ing. Burnham or a
Price may not arise in his seat and stir
the gallery with the unwonted thrill OF
| eloquence that comes from the heart,
coating the tongue with honey and gold
as in olden days when heroes moved the
souls of men co deeds of daring and re-
nown.
The San Francisco delegation this even
ing agreed to report favorably upon
Treacy's Assembly bill 427, which pro-
vides for the establishment OF municipal
hospital for dipsomaniacs and morphine,
opium and alcohol inc ebriates, in munich.
palities of the first class, namely, San
Francisco. The bill has already been pub
kshed in THE CALL.
The Assembly Committee on Prisons
this evening agreed to report favorably
Ennis bill appropriating $4,000 for addi.
tional machinery and tools for the State
rock-crushing plant at Folsom.