The record-union., 1897-01-07
IN THE ASSEMBLY.
A Short Session and an Adjournment
for Caucus Work.

A Short Session and an Adjournment
for Caucus Work.
The Assembly convened at $50 a. m.
yesterday. the Speaker in the chair
After the opening, Mr.. Dryden of San
Diego rose to a question of privilege.
He had been represented in the Rec
ord Union report of Tuesdays pro-
| ceedings as having offered substitute
for Mr.. Caminetti's funding resolution
of Monday. This, he said, misrepre
| serted his position, as it was his es-
lrecial desire to embody the Government
Ownership clause of Mr.. Belshaw's res
oiution and also to place the Republican
majority of the House on record as op-
posing the great body of voters of the
State of California.
(The name of Caminetti was substi
tuted for Belshaw in the Record
Unions" report by inadvertence)
The Speaker announced that the spe
cial order was the reading Of the report
of the Committee ON Rules.
READING POSTPONED.
Mr.. Dibble moved to postpone the
reading of the report for ten minutes
He afterward withdrew this motion,
when Mr.. Bridgford moved to postpone
the reaGing until this morning. Mr..
Dibble offered as an amendment that
1.-THE reading be postponed until after
noon, to be made special order directly
after convening. Mr.. Caminetti stated
that the minority of the committee
Messrs. McCandlish and Mcclellan, had
not been present at the deliberations of
the committee, not having been notified
of the meeting, and he hoped Mr.
Rridgfords motion would prevail, that
they might have time to consider the
report
Mr. Chynoweth, Chairman of the COM
nittee, stated that there had been no
intention to be discourteouS on his part
as the meeting place and hour had been
announced i'm the House he had sent
no notification to the members. He
wished every courtesy and privilege to
be extended to every member ON the
floor, and hoped the postponement
would be made.
Mr.. Dibble withdrew his amendment
and the motion to postpone until this
morning prevailed.
ARRANGING THE COMMITTEES.
The Speaker announced that he would
work on the arrangement of the stand
ing committees during the day and
evening and invited all members to call
upon him at the Capitol and state their
views and preferences thereupon.
THE MILEAGE REPORT.
Mr.. Breiling, Chairman of the Com,
mfttee on Mileage, offered the report of
the committee, which embodied a reso-
luton that warrants be drawn for mile
age of members and for per diem of
temporary attaches appointed by the
Chief Clerk for the opening work of the
session.
The Clerk read the report, including
the list of members, With mileage Of
each, and also the list of attaches with
per diem. This precipitated quite a
shower of objections, corrections, etc,
and resulted i'm the withdrawal Of Mr.
Breiling's motion to accept. The re-
port was recommitted, and Mr. Breil-
ing announced that the committee
would hold an evening session, at which
all objections might be presented.
COMMITTEE CLERKS.
Mr.. Cutter offered a resolution that
appointed, be entitled to a clerk, except
TIC 1CIiiIIlllISt OIl w dyS anu Means,
which shall be entitled to two clerks:
that the Ways and Means and the Judi
ciary Committees shall each have a Ser
geant-at-Arms; that the Ways and
Means Committee and the Com
mittee on Revision shall each
have stenographer and re-
porter; that the per diem of
each of these attaches shall be 50. ex-
cept the clerks of the Judiciary, Ways
and Means and Revision, whose per
diem shall be SS.
Mr.. Belshaw made a vigorous protest
against so many committee attaches,
and declared that several of those men
toned were wholly unnecessary.
Mr.. North claimed that there were no
unnecessary ones, and said that many
gentlemen not on those committees did
not understand the immense amount of
work imposed upon them.
Mr.. Belshaw, having been a member
of the Ways and Means Committee.
thought he did understand, and he felt
sure they were not all needed.
Mr.. Chynoweth said that he was as
anxious for economy as any member,
but having understood that these at
taches were necessary he had approved
the resolution. On Mr.. Belshaw's state
ment he was willing to have all unnec-
essary appointments withdrawn
Mr.. Sanford offered an amendment
that the San Francisco delegation and
the Democratic minority should each
be allowed a clerk and a Sergeant-at-
Arms.
On motion of Mr.. Bridgeford, action
on both amendment and resolution was
deferred until this morning. when it iwll
the Committee on Rules
TO IMPROVE A CHANNEL.
Mr.. Belshaw offered Assembly Joint
resolution as follows:
Whereas. There is an open ship chan
mel between San Francisco Rav and
Antioch for vessels drawing Twenty-Five
feet of water, with the exception of a
distance of from one-half to three
quarters of a mile in Suisun Bay; and
Whereas, the water at low tide on said
bar is sixteen feet in depth. therefore
be it
Resolved, By the Assembly. the SEN
ate concurring, that our Senators in
Congress be instructed and our Repre-
sentatives therein be requested and
urged to take such action as shall re-
suit in an estimate by Government en-
gineers of the probable cost of dredging
said bar to such depth as will admit
the safe passage of vessels drawing
TWENTY-FIVE feet of water het weeu said