The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-31

ton: / am opposed to that resolution or
TO that amendment for the reasons That L
have already expressed, and for other
considerations which l desire nov, briefly
to submit. To that amendment the gen
tleman from San Diego. Mr.. Works, has
proposed a substitute which IS TO be
ing the discharge of the committe wholly.
| am opposed to this second amendment
and hope that it will be voted down. 1t
would not conform to the dignity OF TINS
House to discharge the committee ana al
low witness, who has been commanded
to appear at the bar of the, House, to
escape in that way. 1t would be a sur
render of the power and dignity Oh the
House and it should be voted down
Now, as to the amendment OF the gen
tleman from San Francisco, Mr.. White.
/ trust that the House will not adopt that
amendment. I believe by doing so the
House will express it's opinion that the
work of this investigating committee
should now cease, except so FAR as IL may
be necessary to deal with these witnesses,
If there be more than one, who have not
appeared In response to the subpoena of
the committee and the command Of the
House. 1 believe that the work or this
committee has been of very great service
to the State of California.
l believe that it will result in the adop.
ton by this House and in the passage Oh
the Legislature and in the approval or the
Governor of this State of the bill Whlch
l have proposed as Assembly bill NO 349,
making 1t a felony from this time for
ward for any candidate for the united
States Senate to attempt TO deDauch the
politics of California. And that has peen
the curse of this State for twenty years.
1t did not commence in the year 1899 or
1898 It commenced, so far as ! know, ana
1t may have commenced carrier, put LII IL
commenced within my recollection IN 1851
when a candidate for the United states
Senate, belonging to the party to which
belong, began a campaign of corruption
to secure the election of candidates in the
different counties of this state TO the
Legislature who should be pledged by an
implied agreement to vote for him Tor
Senator of the United States.
That campaign was followed by another
campaign four years afterward, Mn lt,l
to which I belong made his campaign on
the same lines and secured the election OF
a Republican Legislature The Legisla-
son was chosen in his stead, but
the practices which we now con-
denim were pursued in that campaign,
within my recollection and within the
recollection of many of the members of
this body. And in 1886, two years after
ward, when there was existing a vacancy
in the office of Senator in the Congress OF
the United States. distinguished and L
will say pure-minded gentleman belong
ing to another party in this State. secured
the election of a Democratic majority by
hundreds of thousands of dollars of
money in this State-corrupting the poll
tics in every, county in California |
don't say that this was in violation of the
law and don't say it is violation of the
lay to-day, but l do say that IT was an
evil practice, that it was a vicious prac-
tice, that it resulted in the debauchery of
the politics of California, and l believe
that the investigation that has been held
in this Assembly by the committee whose
report we now propose to adopt will bring
about a cessation of these evil practices
by the adoption of a law which will pre-
vent millionaires from buying the election
of legislators upon the express or implied
agreement that they shall be elected
Senators in the Congress of the United
States.
But it did not stop there. Four years
later the term of the Senator who
had been elected in 1884 was about to ex-
State a campaign of corruption and de-
bauchery, and man who had been known
as great political boss spent money like
water in every county in California and
which should re-elect the gentleman who
was chosen in 1884 in this hall without the
expenditure, l believe, of so much as
cigar. But the evil was carried on dur
ing the primaries and in the selection of
candidates for the Legislature in the var
rious counties, and the Legislature of 1891
was the product of the money that had
been thrown into the campaign by the
gentleman who was managing the cam
paign of the Senator in Congress who was
then absent in Europe. | speak but the
truth / speak that which is known to
every man familiar with the politics of
California. And from that day to this
another campaign was made on the same
lines. In 1896 another campaign, per-
haps not on so gigantic a scale cam
paign managed by the gentleman whose
presence we are demanding at the bar of
this House-was conducted for the cleo
ton of Senator and for the choice of a
Legislature whose members should be
pledged by an implied or express agree
mo n gentleman
ator in the Congress of the United States.
And so these evil practices have con-
tinued until to-day and here we have the
testimony produced before the House
showing that another campaign of de-
bauchery has been carried on and that
gentleman came here expecting to be
elected Senator in the, Congress of the
United States because his managers had
assisted in electing members of the Legis-
lature in the different counties of Cali
fornia. Let us stop these evil practices.
Let us make 1t felony for any candidate
for the United States Senate to pay
any money to candidate for the
Legislature, whether he has been nomi-
mated or not, and let us make it a felony
for any candidate for the Legislature,
whether he has yet been nominated or
not, to receive money from any person
who expects to be a candidate before the
Legislature for United States Senator
upon the express or Implied agreement
that he will vote for that person for the
high and exalted office of Senator.
Now, / do not intend to cast reflections
upon those gentlemen who have been
chosen to the high office of which L speak.
They found those practices in vogue. They
have pursued them. There were no laws
upon our statute books making it crime
to pursue these practices Nevertheless,
1t is crying evil, which it is the duty of
this Legislature to stop now and forever.
Suggestion has been made by the gentle
man from San Francisco, Mr.. White that
this investigation might bring about the
passage of joint resolution in this Legis-
iature in favor of the election of Senators
by popular vote. l was, in my own
mind, somewhat undecided as to the
merits of that proposition. i now know
these practices transferred TO the political
bic for millionaires to debauch the po-
litical conventions of California. I be-
lieve that by the enactment of laws such
as l propose, and by the passage of an
other bill which ! have introduced, we
can prevent this evil in the future. I will
not discuss the question of the election
by the popular vote at this time, because
1t is scarcely pertinent. only throw it
out as a suggestion But l say now that
all the good that can be has been &C
complished. and If 1t were not for
the improperly of discharging the
committee when a witness has re-
fused to. answer, 1 would be willing
to vote for the immediate discharge of
the committee in order that we might go
on with our legislative work. But | hope
now that the good that has been ac-
s-l7.