The San Francisco call., 1897-03-02

State he had praciiced law for many
years.
Then Dryden, who is a Populist. be-
came fippant, and added: 81 will say
that While the Senate of the State of Cali
iornia is an honorable, dignitied and wise
body, 4 resent with sLorn the imputation
| of that paper that Senator is worth $500
and an AS EN- blyman only $150."
Toland said he thought that an imputa-
tion founded upon anything shown in the
Examiner article had been cast indiscrim-
inately by the Examiner against every
mem ber of the Legislature who had been
put down as voting for the bill. There
was no justice in the assertion, and, while
he recognized the power of newspaper
''like that" he demanded the respect due
to his personal rights as represen iatlve
of the people; "and If the Examiner or
anybody" he added. lean trace to any
improper motive any action that have
taken upon that bill l demand that it
start upon any investigation and pursue
it to conclusion. Illicit or iIIegitimate
use of pCwer have no fear of as long as
have the consciousness of having done
my duty as best / could, and l care not
for anybody's imputation. and care not
what power they have to disseminate their
assertions"
Mcclellan introduced the following reso-
luton:
WHEREAS, The Examiner on Friday, the 26th
day Of Fe bruary, charged that the members of
| this House had been bri bed TO vote for Assem-
bly, bill 273,. Introduced by Mr.. Caminetti,
therefore be it
ReS0 Ued, That committee of five be ap-
pointed by the Speaker to investigate those
charges, said committee to report not later
than Wednesday,. the Sd day of March.
Shanahan moved the adoption of the
resolution.
Waymire obtained the floor and said:
II move to- lay the resolution on the table.
l am tired of these Investigations. We
have had enough of them. Nothing ever
comes of them. Let us stop this foolish
ness and go ahead with our business"
The roll was called on the motion to lay
on the able and eliciteu the fact that
Mehck, Strain and Waymire did not want
an investigation into the charge of bribery
preferred against every member of the
Assem- bly,. They did not give any reason
for their strange action. There were 48
noes and ayes.
Then the resolution was unanimously
passed.
Later i'll the day Keegan introduced
resolution giving the committee on in.
vestigation full power to send for persons
and. papers, to administer oaths, to
examine witnesses, and to perform all
other necessary acts for a thorough
examination oi the charges made by the
fake journal. The resolution was unani-
mously adopted.
During the evening recess Speaker
Coombs appointed the following as the
committee on investigation: Belshaw of
Contra Costa. Clark of Alameda, Hill of
Humboldt, Mead of Los Angeles and Ryan
of San Francisco. Mead and Ryan are
Democrats and the others are Republicans.
None OF the committee voted for the
Caminetti bill.
The committee had a. preliminary meet
ing tonight in room 73 and organized by
electing Belshaw as chairman. 1t was
decided to ask the Assem- bly, for clerk, a
sergeAnt-at-arms and a stenographer, to
be selected from the present list of at
taches, SO that no additional expense may
be incurred. The meetings will be held
in the Supreme Court room, the first at 2
o'clock o-morrow afternoon.
On suggestion of Belshaw it was decided
to nold all the meetings openly, the COM
mittee having nothing to conceal. The
first witnesses examined will be the six
Examiner correspondents, namely: "Blin-
ker" Murphy, Edwin II. CIough, L. L.
Levings, Franklin Hichborn, G. IA. Jessen
and Isador Alexander. They will be in
terrogated as to what they know about
the alleged bribery. If they know moth
ing, which, "beyond the shadow of
doubt" they do not, the managing editor
OF the Examiner Will be subpenaed and
asked whether the wholesale charge in
the Examiner has any foundation, even
in dreams. Should he decline to answer
he will be imprisoned for contempt.
He will be required to give the names of
the Assemblymen whom the Examiner in
its anonymous way charges with being
perjured scoundrels and bribe- takers, for
legislator who gives or receives bribe
is perjured scoundrel. If he cannot give
those names OF the names of his inform
ants, and it is beyond the shadow of
doubt" that he will be unable to do so,
the lie and the fake will be crucified in
sight of the whole people as another
loathsome monument to the enterprise of
the new journalism" which is making of
San Francisco and of the State a byword
for the tongue of scorn and derision.