The record-union., 1899-03-21
BILLS THAT ARE NOT LAWS.
FAILED TO BE ENROLLED IN
PROPER TIME.
Sent to the Printer Only an Hour
Before Adjournment-Wh
the Governor Says.

The fact that the Legislature ad-
journed before a number of bills were
enrolled, signed and presented to Gov
ernor Gage has probably nullified a
number of Assembly and Senate meas
ures of more or less importance.
The Governor and Judge. Dibble, as
well as many others who have investi-
gated the question, hold absolutely that
all bills that were not enrolled, signed
and presented to the Governor While
the Legislature was in session are lost;
that the signature of the Governor TO
such bills cannot cure the defect, and
that all laws which were not enrolled
and signed. and then presented to the
Governor while the Legislature was in
session, are dead and useless.
Among the bills said to be in the cate
CORY of the unfortunate is that appro-
priating $250,000 for the Pacific Ocean
Exposition at San Francisco There are
many other measures of greater or les
ser Importance to various persons and
interests throughout the State, but it
is impossible to give an official list of
them.
A Record Union" reporter endeav-
ored yesterday afternoon and last night
to obtain a correct list, but Governor
Gage positively stated that he could
not furnish list until late to-day.
Il am very busy with these matters
nDw," said he, land l cannot furnish
list before tomorrow. l myself do
not know just what bills are affected,
but it is absolutely certain that all
bills that were not signed, enrolled and
presented to me during the session of
the Legislature are void. My sigma
ture could not save them
Judge Dibble, who advised with the
Governor on the question yesterday,
said at the office of the State Printer:
In my opinion there is absolutely no
question concerning these belated bills
They are all dead, and the Governors
position is logical and correct. He will
not be guilty of the folly of affixing his
name to bills that have not been en-
rolled and signed. The fault was not
with the Enrolling Clerks either, but
with the Legislature. We ought to
have turned the clock back, or got
around it in some way; but it's too
late to mend this now, and our San
Francisco exposition bill is lost along
with many other measures Of more or
less importance"
In speaking of the statement of Chair
man Rickard Of the Assembly Enroll
ment' Committee, to the effect that
Governors Markham. Budd and Others
had signed bills under similar circum-
stances, Judge Dibble said:
Il do not think the matter ever came
up in such shape before. I know we
reused Waterman out of bed at 2
O'Clock in the morning and made. him
receive bills which We had already en-
rolled and signed. As L said before,
there is no question that the bills are
lost"
When asked to give a formal inter-
view on this subject, more in detail.
Judge Dibble said, II must refuse to
be interviewed on the subject
Inquiry at the State Printing Office
elected the fact that the bills reached
the office at an hour so late that it
would have been impossible. to print
them and return them to the Legisla-
ture Before adjournment.
The legal problems involved in the
propositions before the Governor are
covered by Section 52S of the Political
Code and by Joint Rules %, 20. 80 and
81 of the Legislature
Among other things, Section 52S of
the Political Code provides as follows:
Whenever any bin. joint or con-
current resolution, is passed to en-
rolment, by either the Senate or AS
sembly, the Committee of Enroll
ment of the house in which it orig
mated shall transmit the same,
without delay, to the Superinten-
dent of State Printing, who shall
receipt for all such bills and reso-
lutions, and proceed at once to have
the same printed, in the order in
which received, etc. So
soon as printed, one copy, with
proper blanks for the signatures Of
the officers whose duty it is to sign
enrolled bills shall be printed on
bond paper, which, together with
the engrossed bill, shall be sent to
the Committee Of Enrolment Of the
house in which the bill originated.
Said committee shall compare such
copy with the engrossed bill, and If
it is found to be correct shall present
it to the proper officers for their
signatures. When such officials
shall have signed their names there
on, as required by law, it shall be
an enrolled bill, and shall be trans
mitted to the Governor for his ap-
proval. II the same is signed by
the Governor, and becomes a law,
the printed law shall go to the Sec