The San Francisco call., 1897-03-22

SACRAMENTO, CAL, March 21.-
Though the Legislature has adjourned
sine die, and Bert Packard has disap-
peared, ana Assem- blyman Power of San
Francisco has been exonerated in the eyes
of the Assembly from all guilt in connec-
ton with charges of bribery in reference
to the coyote-scalp claims bill, it is only
the beginning OF the emu that is in sight,
according to the opinion of the more
thoughtful.
As the matter was left by the Legisla-
ture the fact was made clear that Bert
Packard had been using money in the in
terest of Assembly bill 410. better known
as the coyote-scalp bill. How he had
utilized this money however, is not by
any means certain.
The older heads. familiar with legisla-
tive methods, believe that shrewd lobbyist
as Packard is acknowledged to be, he may
have fallen victim to even more cunning
manipulators Of men, and that his purse
was lightened without drop of the
golden rivulet having gone to flood the
fortune of any legislator.
However this may be the fact remains
that both Bert Packard and II. A. Blodgett
of the Kern Valley Bank, in view of the
startling disclosures made in the fourteen
kilograms read to the bly, yesterday,
stand before the pu bic with a heavy cloud
upon their regulations.
future their part in the sensational finale
of the session of the Assembly may be the
subject of investigation by Grand Jury.
Should this transpire the guilty Assem-
to light and to punishment.
At this writing the whereabouts of both
Packard and BIodsett is unknown. The
former is reported to have gone to Carson,
New, and the latter is reported to have
vanished from his usual haunts.
So much for the suspected bribers. But
there is store of trouble ahead appar-
emily for those who were instrumental in
bringing them out of the shadow. Now
that the excitement of the chase, so to
say, is over, and calmer reflection has
taken its place, the course pursued by the
subcommittee. consisting of Assembly
men Burnett, Anderson and Melck, in
seizing and forcing open the box of West
ern Union kilograms and making public
the contents of fourteen of them is re-
ceiving as much attention as the facts
disclosed by those dispatches.
Few attempt to defend their cause from
legal standpoint. ana some go so far as
to say that the Western Union Telegraph
Company has cause of action not only
against the members of the sub-commit-
tee, but against Constable c. w. Long OF
Truckee who seized the box of kilograms
on the strength of teIegraphic subpoena
issued by the committee and against
every member of the Assemb bly, who voted
to have the contents of the entire fourteen
kilograms read.
Making public the contents of tele-
graphic or telephonic message by any
person, whether an employe of the trans
mitting company or by an outsider, is a
felony under the law, and is punishable
by i'm prisonment or fine or by both. 1t is
believed from the public expressions OF
Superintendent Frank Jaynes of the
Western Union Telegraph Company and
of ex-Judge Carpenter, the counsel of the
company, that proceedings will be taken
to bring about the prosecu tion and pun
ishment of every person who has been in
strumental in violating the contents of
the box of teleerams.
1t is claimed that there is no authority
under the statutes or in the constitution
for the wholesale seizure of telegrams as
by decisions of the courts it has been
clearly laid down that kilograms must be
produced only on the proper order of a
court after such kilograms have been iden-
tilted by specifying the date. the names of
sender and recipient and the substance OF
such messages.
Such prosecution will not be under
taken, it is said, in any vindictive spirit,
but a. matter of self-protection to the
telegraph company.
1t is asserted by some of the tele-
graph people that the episode of the
seizure of these teiegrams will materially
affect the business of all telegraph COM