The herald., 1897-03-07
Makes Slow Haste to Pass
Pending Measures
NO QUORUM WAS PRESE MI
While Senate Clerks Dr0ned Thrf
Second Reading Files
FinaI Adjournment Is Set for this slxts 9 q
Of narch, and Great Rush Will
Begin on Monday
Snecial TO The Herald

6pcclal TO IHe t1erdlu
SACRAMENTO, March 6.-Althong@
it is possobly only a week before qua
adjournment, and both houses have ,onG
calendars that would seem to reouut
the closest attention of every mein Der
from now until the gavel falls fin any.
very little was done today by feV
house. and the senate worked ava St
the second reading of bills all day v i,n-'
cut a quorum, except every now ape
then when the doors were closed, ano ttt
sergeant-at-arms was sent out to rtlind
up absentees, who, five minutes lter.
had drifted away again. No effort Wag
made to pass any bills of importancs ,i
those against which there was any 80
sition.
On Monday no doubt the legisla
will get down to business harder han
ever, and bills will be rushed thrt ten
at lightning speed.
That Is not a policy, however, coi.~..-
Give to good legislation, and will in
evitably result in the defeat Of meas
ures that, If there was fair opportunity
to discuss and study them, would pass
and prove beneficial on the statute
books. Among the bill that are
to be discussed next week the county
government bill, which is pending be-
fore the assembly, demands long and
careful study. A number of amend
ments were added today; the most Inn
portant gives justices of the peace IN
cities four-year term instead OF two.
Dibble today, in imitation OF the
United States congress, 1 suppose, las.
Sunday, moved to hold a Sunday ses-
sion tomorrow, but Guy and number
of others protested, and he withdrew the
motion.
Nothing was done with the Examines
scandal today, but something, 1t IL an
nounced, will drop Monday, when the
Western Union manager Is to appear
with kilograms alleged to have been
sent to, various senators and prominent
politicians in connection with the bin
| over which the bribery charges arose.
1t Is announced today that a-pumber OF
libel suits are to be begun, against the
Examiner. ex-Judge A. L. Frick Of Oak
land has already begun one, and 1t Is not
improba BILE that Senator VOORHEES, may
also take a hand. Frick asserts that
the Examiner has sent its representa-
tive to him, saying that If he would help
them get votes to keep the salary Of
Henry P. Dalton unchanged they would
"call everything off between them" He
says he will base his claim of malice for
statements. +.ts
The committee proposes to order the
Western Union and the Postal COM
panies to produce all kilograms that
passed between the Office In San Fran
cisco and Hearst in New York within
the past three weeks. 1t Is said these
| kilograms will show upon what the Ex-.
aminer based it's charges, who were the
sources of information and other mat
| ters, which the committees conducting
| the investiga ton want to know. 1t is
| also rumored that application will be
| made to the United States courts to ex-
clude the Examiner from the mails II
| 1t continues to attack members OF the
! legislature without foundation, and its
representatives will be excluded from
| the floor. 1t is more than likely, how
ever, that most of these threats will
amount to nothing, as the general 9enti-
ment seems to be that the Examiner II
| fighting to prevent legislators finding
out any of the facts, and that the m0De
dignified thing to do, considering thu
lateness of the session. is to drop the
whole matter.
| The Joint committee to Investigate the
affairs of the state printing office met
shortly after 2 o'clock this afternoon
Senator Dickinson presiding. State
| Printer Johnson, Harry Rogers, foreman
of the stats printing Office and other
heads of depart1neflt4 from the onlce
were present as Witnesses. r. T. Devlin
appeared as the state printers attorney.
| Senator Sewell moved that all witnesses
be excluded during examination, ex-
cept the witness on the stand. The mo-
ton was seconded by Caminetti. As
| semblyman Dennery and Senator Gil-
lette objected to this Dennery called
attention to the fact that Witnesses had
| not been excluded from the room during
the investigation Of the Examiners
| charge of bribery. If witnesses were
excluded, said Dennery, it would hook
too much as if suspicion existed tnas
| there was collusion.
The committee decided that witnesses
! could remain and State Printer Johnson
was called to the witness stand. He
was asked If there was a deficiency IN
| the state printing Office at the time as
sembly bill 262 appropriating $4,000 was
Introduced. The answer was. mo" Re-
plying to a question by Senator Dick
| inson. johnson explained that all claims
against the state printing office were
passed upon by the board OF examineraI
| Before the bills went to, the board h9
checked over the bills and ascertaineo
that they were correct. He described
| the various departments ana the du-
| ties of the foreman over each. There
| was one time-keeper, Talbot WaniA
who kept the time Of employees from
cards prepared by the department fore
man. In purchasing supplies for the
printing department 1t had been the
custom to observe the provisions 81
statutes and advertise for bids tor Z
period of thirty days.
While there is a good deal or regfeS
| that the senate defeated the Omaha exs
position bill. yet even II 1t had passes
the legislature 1t would have probably
met veto of the governor. a. ap-
propriations are so large that AL up>
necessary items like that are certe1n
| to be killed.
The senate today refused to make auI
| appropriation for the purchase Of ma
! for encampment grounds OF the s4so
| militia. The legislature does not oeom
| particularly friendly to militia ana -
- rt- .s.,,ox-;o ttor for fta use II uk013k