The herald., 1897-01-26
Wilmington TOOK WATER
Before the Fiery Bantam From
Los AlgeIes
BAYN CLIMATES SENATOR
Gets Himself Seriously Disliked BY His
Colleagues
The Newspaper Men Sit Upon Him Good
and Hard-Mr. Wilmington
Crawfished.
Associated Press Special Wire

SACRAMENTO, Jan. Ex-senator
wilmington succeeded in making him
self more unpopular today than any
man ever did in two sessions of the legis-
lature, and this session IS not yet half
over. If San Diego wants any meas
ures worked through the senate, and
her representatives have already asked
for few, she will have to rely on the
efforts of her energetic and able assem-
blyman, w. r. Guy, Withigton is per-
soma non grata with not few Of his col
leagues, and this afternoon he added a
few more to the list by gratuitously in
| sulting Senator Bulla of Los Angeles,
than whom none stands higher in the
| senate.
At the conclusion Of the senate, Sem
ator Bulla took the big man from the
agricultural districts of San Diego to
task, and for time it looked as if a per-
sonal encounter between the two would
| result. Bulla is small but compactly
| built and is as full of grit as the proverb-
ial egg Is full of meat Wilmington is
| large, raw-boned man, without an ounce
of superfuous flesh, and is said to be a
game as he is aggressive. But it was not
his game today, and he took water be-
| fore the fiery Bulla
1t all came about in consequence of a
| resolution which Wilmington had sneak
| ed through, which debarred the newspa-
per men from getting copies of the meas
ures proposed by the senators. 1t is most
| important that the press get such copies
| in order to\post the public as to the char
acter of legislation that is being carried
on. Wilmington had a grievance-he has
! had many since coming here, whether
| e.. IL IL. III IL
| struction of his action is that he had to
take it out on somebody. His reason for
| introducing the resolution he after
ward explained, was that he had heard
| that a newspaper man had got nineteen
| copies of a bill in which he was interest
| ed. When called upon to name the
| newspaper man he refused to do so, and
| then came the clash with members of
! the press; but, as Rudyard Kipling
would observe. that is another story.
| The offensive resolution was as follows:
Resolved, That the sergeant -at-arms
| be and he is hereby instructed and di-
| rected to provide no persons other than
| senators, the senate committees and the
| statutory officers of the senate with any
assembly or senate bills. and he is espe-
| cially instructed not to furnisA to per-
sons not so connected with the senate
| any bills or other documents in his
charge for distribution.
Half an hour after this resolution was
passed the newspaper men got 1t and
glance told the object of it. The situa-
ton was explained to Senator Bulla,
who promptly gave notice of reconsider
alton, and tackled on an amendment to
the effect that the newspaper men be in
cluded in the list of privileged persons.
Senator Bulla acted in perfect good faith
but the senator from San Diego immedi
ately raised howl and jumped into
personalities.
II regret to have to say" said he,
that invariably the objections to good
legislati ton come from the senator from
Los Angeles"
Senator Bulla was stunned by the at
tack for a moment, but before Withing-
ton had regained his seat he was on the
floor demanding question OF per-
sonal privilege. He emphatically de-
MED that he was standing in the way of
good legislation, and declared that
Wilmington had violated the ethics of
parliamentary usage.
IF the senator had understood my
statement" said Wilmington, there
would have been no occasion for his
denial"
IF you understood what you were
talking about you would not have made
any such statement" retorted Bulla
from his seat
The senate adjourned shortly after
this, and down the line to Wthington's
seat filed half dozen newspaper cor
respondents and Senator Bulla. The
newspaper men asked the big man from
San Diego what he meant and Senator
Bulla demanded an explanation of
Withington's language.
Senator Wilmington, in the parlance
of sporting circles, crawfished He told
Bulla that he had been misunderstood
You said that objected to goodlegls-
lation," said the senator from Los An
geles THAT is the second time you
have used such language. What do you
mean by it?'
mo, no; l object to the interference
of the press"
Where has the press interfered?" de-
manded voice, and Wilmington turned
and looked at a newspaper man nearly
as big as himself. Il have been told that
nineteen copies of bill were given to a
newspaper man."
Who is the newspaper man?" was
asked.
Il am not under investigation.
WELL you have made a broad asser-
ton, and you include the entire press
We will make an investigation of the
case"
You can investigate me-" snapped
Wilmington.
perhaps we WILL" said the other
calmly and Withington's strong looks
falled to lower lash in the newspaper
mans eye.
Wilmington experienced similar
scenes with nearly every newspaper
man on the floor, and Bula was nor
through with him either The senator
from Los Angeles was mad clear
through. and the gentleman from San
Diego. who has posed as the reformer
of the senate, had hard time explain
ing things. He will probably be more
discreet when talking of Senator Bulla
in the future. He apologized
Another delegation of newspaper men
waited on Senator Wilmington at the
meeting of the judiciary committee
He denied what he had said in the SEN
ate chamber, and contradicted himself
number of times in trying to extricate
hinGef from his difficulty He said
that he did not think the bills were for
newspaper man at ALL but for some
one else. He was told that if any man
in the profession had done such a thing
he could not occupy a desk in the sem
ate chamber; that if the senate had, NOT
the power to expel such a man the press
had. and would; that the newspaper
men put themselves on a plane a shade