The record-union., 1897-01-04
SACRAMENTO MONDAY.


stand that the Senate will be organ
lied to-day. AS. to the Democratic con-
tingent on the several committees? !?
aus soon see Jeter appoint them as have
Flint do it. The new members will be
sworn in by Flint.
BRANDON FOR SECRETARY.
Frank J. Brandon was chosen as the
Republican nominee for Secretary OF
the Senate. One reason for this was
that nobody else tried for the place,
and another reason was that if any
body else would have had the temerity
to try for it they would have been
showed under deep (probably). Two
years ago, when the old veteran, Mar
Gus D. Boruck, stood for the place,
Brandon was nervous. He had reason
to be. He sat upon the cold dark stairs
by the Senate Chamber waiting, with
the reporters, for the result, and won
by a single vote All that was changed
yesterday. Brandon did nothing but
smile. He had a walkover.
RATHER HEATED.
Then the breeZes began to circulate.
The next thing on the programme was
the selection of a candidate for Ser
geant- Long before the eau
Gus assembled it was recognized by all
those who did not wish it otherwise that
Leslie Blackburn would be the man.
The fight put up against Blackburn by
Denison was only interesting In that
it was a foretaste of what may be
expected when the opposition against
Senator Perkins lines up. 1t is an old
sore that has not yet healed over, and
Blackburn happened to be ON the Per-
kins end of the string. If there had
been no hitch in the seating of Ala
media delegates at the Republican State
Convention last summer; If there had
been no contesting delegation at the
National Convention at ST. Louis later
on: if there had been no allegation
made that Senator Perkins had violated
a pledge in the Hilborn-Frick contest,
.eslie Blackburn would probably have
been chosen as nominee for the posi-
ton of Sergeant Arms by acclama-
tion, and no waves of bitter words
would have broken upon the shoals
raised by the glistening bones OF other
wares. AT Least SO it is said.
THE FIRST SKIRMISH.
But it was losing fight for the
Denison combination. The southern
Senators had grappled with the prob
lem, and in doing so had got a hold
ON the loose string which, when pulled,
raveled out the entire fabric. There
were some rather heated words, 1T Is
true, but they availed naught. and
when Smith of San Francisco and Mar
tin of Oakland had been buried be-
meath the ponderous votes of the Sen
ate, the Perkins managers had won the
first skirmish of the campaign.
Then comparative quiet settled over
the caucus, but the Senators were tired.
There was practically no opposition to
Coffey for Assistant Sergeant alarms,
and he was declared to be the nom
Tree.
But the question of allowing Lieuten-
ant Governor Jeter to preside over the
Senate without contest had not been
settled, and was sprung upon the
weary aw-makers.. That question,
however, was too weighty for them to
grapple with without first fortifying
~
meet during the evening and decide
upon some line of action.
There seems to be no important
change in the probable distribution of
patronage as indicated in yesterday S
edition of the Record Union" j. S.
Duckworth of Monterey still seems to
be warm favorite for the position of
Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and it
is contended that he will be chosen
without serious opposition, though At
kipson of San Francisco is still in the
ring and comes to the scratch smiling.
TERROR STRIKES APPLICANTS.
CONSERVATION has entered the ranks
of the applicants for positions carrying
much pay and no work, ON account of
the prevailing opinion among legisla-
mittee's report, recommending that the
number of attaches of both houses be
cut down to one third of those en-
ployed during the last Legislature,
ought to be adopted.
Since the first legislator set foot in
the Capital City last week, the persist
ent applicants for easy positions have
been at the ratio of 16 to /, with sew
eral townships to hear from So sweep
ing a cut in the number of employees
as that proposed has put the frenzy Of
despair In many constituent who for
the past two years has lived on hopes
of State aid, and not much more, and
as consequence tin1id members from
distant counties are groaning under
the awful weight of promises given
which 1t will be morally impossible for
them to fulfill. 1t is needless to state
that such pangs of conscience take no
effect upon the hardened hold-over
Senator or the Assemblymen who have
grown gray in making promises and
subsequently evading the same.
RETRENCHMENT.
At the last session of the Legislature
the question of reducing expenses was
wildly agitated in the Senate, on the
Republican side by J. c. Holloway of
Cloverdale, D. l.. Wilmington of San
Diego and several others, while among
Democratic members Elliott McAllister
of Marin, "Grizzly' Martin of Placer,
J. H. Seawell Of Ukiah and others, took
up the cudgels. The pressure brought
to bear was so strong that Committee