The herald., 1897-02-17
Over the State Printing Office
Investigation
JOHNSON c'@s DIsLIKED
By Refusing to Do Work for Any State
Officer
A Bill Paused Legslizlng the Building Of
Bicycle Path to Santa nonica.
Routine Work

ised fight over the state printer was
postponed until tomorrow, and only Il
little skirmishing took place today
| When the hour Of eleven arrived this
morning the assembly lobby and gal
leries were crowded with those who had
come to see the battle. By mutual
consent it was postponed until tomor
row, the only contest today being over
Caminetti's resolution demanding the
names of Democrats recently discharg-
ed from the printing office, and the
cause of their discharge. This resolu
ton was emphatically voted down by q
strict party vote, the minority protest.
ing violently, but without avail
The reason the principal fight was
| postponed was because the majority
have resolved to introduce bills appro-
priating $4,000, but so drawn as to avoid
| the constitutional objections to the first
bill made by Governor Budd in his veto
message AS these bills and the ac-
companying policy were not definitely
settled. majority preferred to post
pone matters until tomorrow, and the
minority was anxious for more time
| also.
| And while the legislature was
sparring for time the state printer was
busy getting himself more fully tangled
up. To his row with the governor he
has added another with State Controller
Colgan. The latter wanted some
warrants, and sent to the printer for
| them. This morning the orders were
returned untitled, with an accompanying
| note: Respectfully declined for lack Of
| funds. A. A. Johnston, per H.
H. is Hadley, whom the governor al
leges is at the bottom Of all the trouble.
| The state controller took no stock
in this excuse, and accordingly wrote
this note to the board of examiners:
Gentlemen: I beg to enclose here
with two orders on the superintendent
of state printing for printing
necessary for my Office, which have
| been returned to me with the
notation attached thereto. Under
Political Code, as amended In 1895, in
the event state officer shall consider
the decision of the superintendent Of
state printing unfair in his declination
Of an order for printing, he may refer
| the matter to the state board of exam
| iners, which board shall determine the
| matter. This decision of the superin-
tendent of state printing consider un-
fair and unwarranted, against public
| policy and detrimental to the proper
conduct of the business of the state I
therefore refer the matter to your hon.
orable board, with the request that the
superintendent Of state printing be re-
quired to fill this order at once
The board of exasainers consists of the
governor, attorney general and secre-
! tary of state, the latter two candidates
for governor themselves. AS the con-
troller is Republican, ditto the secre-
tary of state and the attorney general,
this letter makes a very interesting
complication.
The fight on state officers by the state
! printer did not stop at the controller,
put includes all state officers. The ad-
1utant general, for instance, found that
there were some errors in an important
military order. The error was that the
word captain appeared in several places
where the word should have been cor
poral. The order was sent to the state
printer with the request that the errors
be corrected at once, so that the order
could be mailed to different military de-
partmentS of the state. The reply of
the state printer was that he could not
make the corrections, as he had refused
to do any printing for any of the state
officers, that for the time being he could
only do that work which was absolutely
necessary, namely, legislative printing.
This action of the printer, which is
virtually an effort to coerce the legisla-
ture and the executive branches Of the
state government, is causing much dis
cussion and debate. The general opin-
ion Is that it is very foolish move on
the part of the state printer, as the only
result will be to make him more enc
mics. especially If the warrants are not
issued and the legislature and attaches
have to go to money brokers to discount
their salaries. There is a strong senti-
ment growing against the state printer
among the Republicans, especially since
1t Is now reported the shortage in his Of
flee reaches $150,0O0, extending over sew
eral years, and the most conservative
members agre that the party, to clear it.
self, must investigate, and if fraud or
shortage is found, impeach Johnston.
Valentine this afternoon succeeded in
passing the following bill in the assem-
bly,. 1t provides for a bicycle track
from Los Angeles to Santa Monica:
THE legislative or other body to
whom is entrusted the government Of
any county, city and county, city, or
town, may, under such regulations, re-
stri&tions and limitations as it may pro-
vide, grant franchises for the con-
struction Of parks and roads,
either on the surface, elevated, or
depressed, on, over. across, or under,
the streets and public highways of any
such county, city and county, city. or
town, for the use of bicycles, tricycles,
motor cycles, and other horseless We
hicles,. for term not exceeding fifty
years"
I understand that the track will be
begun Immediately. The Sacramento
wheelmen have a road five feet wide
from this city to Folsom, made largely
with decomposed granite from Folsom
1t cost only 5000 to build for the entire
twenty miles. The same material at
trifling cost can be obtained for Los An
geles If desired.
Melick introduced a bill today oblig-
ing all state institutions to turn their
contingent funds into the state treasury
Assemblyman Hill offered q resolu-
tion this morning which Speaker Coombs
considered such reflection on the gov
ernor, and SO impertinent that he ruled
1t out of order. Here 1t is in full:
Resolved, That the governor of the
states be requested to inform the as
sembly within five days Of the amount
of his patronage In the state printing
office. and of the number and names OF
the persons who have been employed in