The San Francisco call., 1899-03-15
GENERAL APPROPRIATION
BILL In THE SENATE

CALL HEADQUARTERS. SACRA-
MENTO, March 1.-THE Finance Com
rnittee of the Senate finished its consld-
Grafton of the general appropriation Dill
this evening and the measure was 1nme-
diately reported to the Senate. 1t was
then taken up and before the adjourn
ment of the night session the bill had
been read the second time and the amend
ments had all been fought out. There
was a very short attendance and that
probably helped matters along, for the
speakers had no reason to get beyond
cold facts in their arguments.
The consideration of the bill went along
smoothly until the sections relating TO
the agricultural fairs were reached, and
then the same old fight over the fair ap-
preparations was brought up
Smith moved 10 cut out all that part
of the bill which provided appropriations
for each of the agricultural districts Cur
tin opposed the amendment and declared
that both parties had been pledged to sup
port the fairs and the Senate could not
consistently deprive them of State aid.
Ashe spoke in the same way. Braunhart
supported the amendment because, he
said, the fairs were no longer what it
was intended they should be; they should
be exhibits of farm products, he said, but
in reality they had degenerated to mere
horseracing and horseracing the Senator
did not want.
Leavitt wanted the appropriation left in
and Davis followed him with the same
demand The country. people wanted the
fairs kept up, he said, and they expect
ed their representatives to see that they
received proper support. Mutt, Jones,
Luchsinger and RoWell also spoke against
the amendment and then Smith rose TO
say there was not ranker swindle in
the world than these same district fairs.
The fairs are given way to conventions,
h6 al "
TO give fair the county government act
allowed them to draw on their own
grace TO the State" said Smith, "and it
Is a shame that the State Will allow it
self TO be swindled by these institutions"
The amendment came TO O. vote and was
lost.
Braunhart raised another row over an
amendment allowing book-making as well
as pool-sellfng al the State Fair. II was
explained that pool-seIl1ng was the old
method of betting and bOok-making was
now the accepted method. and so should
go into the pill. The amendment was
adopted.
Then Bulla raised another fuss by Of
fering an amendment striking out that
making at district fairs Late as ii was,
the Senator's fought over the question and
the amendment was finally adopted This
will drive the festive booksellers from all
but the State fair.
The appropriation for the State Agri-
cultural Society was cut from 1900 to
$50 600.
The bill was not much mutiIated by the
Senators. The allowance for the stock
ton Insane Asylum was cut from S209,OOO
to 800 600; the Southern California State
Hospital was cut from $a3 900 to SSS 900.
The allowance for the purchase of i'm
plements and hose and the care and i'm
provements of the State Capitol grounds
was cut from $4,000 TO $40 .000- The Code
Commission was allowed $4,000 for printing
and sundries The s1S3, 800 allowed for
salaries for the officers and employees of
the Napa Asylum was raised TO sIV, ,fuV
The State Dairy Bureau was allowed
5000.
AS it now stands, the bill totals as fol-
for orphans, $500 900; for schools, 81, 4,S66, :
$50; interest on sinking fund, S2S7 $50; total,
s1I O63 O7S 16. To this must be added
81 l25. 900 in special appropriations, bring
ing the total up to over $l2 900.
1t was sent at once to the printer after
the adjournment under an order to rush
il through as fast as possible.