The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-25
Evening Session.

At the evening session the first thing
done was to postpone all motions 10 re-
consider land there were severaD until
Monday next. ,-o
Upon request of Simpson, S. B. 2'S
to amend Sections 1797 and LBS CT
the Code of Civil Procedure, relating
to guardians and wards, which was Oh
the second reading file, was taken up
read the second time and ordered on
file for third reading.
COYOTE BILL PASSED.
Then the time-honored coyote scalp
hill. history number, 227, was reached.
and the old, old, battle was on again
The bill as in days of yore, appropri-
aates S2S7, 61S.15 to settle the CLAIMS u
citizens who have bales of wolf soaps
in their inside pocket.
Smith of Kern started the troupe, ana
told how he had been vilified by the
press of his section for supporting ehe
old bin in 1898 and 1897. He gave a
brief. clear. history of the coyote scalp
claims and of the legislative actlon OH
the same. He said there was no rea-
on why the State of California snouia
not honor it's obligations just as 90 the
citizens who compose it. He explained
that the present law goes further than
those which preceded it, having oeeh
drawn to meet the views OF Governor
Gage 1t was provided that every
claimant would be obliged to bring d
suit in court to establish the valloity OIL
his claim before being paid
Smith referred to the drought-strlck-
en- sections of Monterey and other coun-
ties. many of the residents of when
held claims for scalps against tine STATE
and who with that paper in their pos
session. were obliged to eat the bread
of charity. He urged that the Dill De
passed. and that the honor of the STATE
be maintained
Curtin also spoke in favor of the bill.
He .said there were I'M his county CIuoi-
.umne) scalp claims which were as genu-
inc as any ever presented for payment
TO any State. He insisted that hold
.ers of lust claims should not be made
TO suffer because there were those IN
existence which were unjust. The
present BILL he said, put every claim
TO the test before it could be paid.
Simpon made a strong plea for the
sbill and thought the State, like the
. people who compose it, ought to live up
TO its contract. He insisted that the
u)ill be passed and that honest claims be
paid: dishonest ones being hedged IN
by the provisions of the bill.
Shortridge in opening his remarks,
quoted from 1.-THE sweet-voiced singer,
Madge Morris" something about the
lone coyote tapping the brackish water
from an alkali pool and then running
cut on the desert to howl. In getting
at the history of the BILL the speaker
read from the message of Ex-Governor
Budd to show that there was S4oO00oJ
in the treasury when he laid down his
office. and then referred to the message
of Governor Gage to prove that the
treasury was empty. when his admins
tration opened. He explained that
the State would not be called upon to
pay the claims until the year 1900. and
he insisted that its just bills ought 20
be paid He said it was crying shame
that the man who held just claim
against the State. and which the State
repudiated. had not the right to bring
suit for his own. He favored the bill
because Laird introduced 1t, Smith fav-
ored it, and because he was in favor of
making everybody pay their honest
debt
Bettman said that while there were
no coyotes in San Francisco he pro-
posed to vote for the bill because he
believed in the State paying honest
debts
Morehouse opposed the bill on the
ground that there was no provision to
determine which of the many claims
were valid, and because it fixed an APP
preparation in advance of any know
ledge of the sum needed.
Gillette thought the bill went too
far in that it appropriated S2St AU0-
enough to cover all claims, valid and
invalid. He supposed that S150,000 of
the claims were invalid, though that
fact might never be determined. He
was inclined TO look upon the bill
with disfayor.
Bulla said that he had in the past
opposed the bills to pay the coyote
claims because there were so many bad
claims, unsegregated that they vitiated
all the rest. He said the present bill
submitted all.claims to the courts which
would pass upon their validity and with
that safeguard it WAS only just that
the people be allowed a chance to pre-
sent and prove them. He favored the
bill
Doty said under the provisions of
Section 3 the bill provided that
every plaintiff should pay all court
costs He believed that the bill had
been drawn in favor of the speculator
probably of the legal speculator-and
against the interest of the POOR man
the man who caught the wolf. He OPP
posed the bill.
Dickinson looked with favor on the
argument made by Doty. He said the
bin was not intended to benefit the
poor man. He warned Shortridge
against being carried away on the
wings of fancy, painted so as to leave
TIE impression that the bill was in the
interest of the man who caught the
scalp for it was not. He said he
had voted for the bill two years ago
hut being suspicious of the present one
he considered it to be his duty to vote
against it, He said he had never been
able to understand why the bill drawn
by Governor Budd and passed by the
Legislature two years ago had been al
lowed to die.
Davis said he had supposed that the
bill would be passed without opposi-
tion He had been amazed at the argu-
ments presented against the BILL that
because a man was wealthy his claim
should not be allowed. He favored this
bill.
Laird said the payment of the claims
was a matter of honor with the State
Smith closed the debate and at 1875
O'Clock the roll was called the friends
OF the measure mastering nineteen, the
opponents. eleven votes, and call oil
the Senate was the result.