The San Francisco call., 1899-02-11

: MENTO, Feb. 10.-Governor Gage has
assumed the right to dictate to the Sen
ate Of the State of California as to what
it shall do, and has selected one of the
least popular members of the Demo-
cratic minority to act as his mouth
piece.
-: Very naturally the Senate, and par
: tieularIy the majority members of the
Senate, object to being made the in
StruInents by which the Governor per
forms the wonders of his will. This,
how Wever, is a small matter when COM
pared with the Indignation that is be-
ing manifested because the Governor
: has. selected Sammy Braunhart, the
SENATOR from San Francisco, to act as
his. herald. 1t is bad enough, they say,
to. have the Governor of the State at.
tempt to dictate the course of the su-
pfeme law-making body, but to have
= him promulgate the dictates of his
Will through Braunhart is an insult not
to be overlooked or to be allowed to go
-unpunished. So it is that the word has
been passed around that Braunhart is
: TO he sat upon, it being understood that
the sitting process is to be applied only
. I'M snch matters as concern the Will OF
the. Governor.
The. particular bit of legislation that
has induced the Governor to attempt to
constitute himself the upper house OF
= the legislative branch of the State
government concerns the consolidation
!. of the lines of the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe and the San Francisco
and San joaquin Valley railroads. A
BRIEF history of this proposed legtsla-.
:: tion Will be necessary to a full and
complete understanding OF the Gov
. eTnor'S action.
T.. early in the session Senator Simpson
introduced a bill in the Senate author
izfiig the purchase or lease by rail
r6ad.of roads or portions of roads be-
longing to another railroad. 1t should
be: understood that when the Valley
road was purchased by the Santa re
III was necessary to close a gap OF about
eighty-three miles between the present
. terminus of the Valley road ON the
northern side of the Tehachapl ana
:. tha northern terminus of the Santa re,
.ofl~the southern side of the mountains,
in order TO make a continuous trans
continental line to San Francisco. In
order to cover this break at the least
expense the Santa Fe effected a con-
tract with the Southern Pacific Com
many by which certain roads owned py
Inc Santa. Fe in Mexico were trans
farred. to the Southern Pacific Company
in return for the right TO use the line
,of,the Southern Pacific Company over
the efghtv-three miles between the ter
.T5iniIs of the Santa Fe and the ter
minus of the Valley road. Inc Dill IN
.. troduced by Senator Simpson was IN
tended to legalize this transfer OF IN
:. SIMPSONS bill was referred to the
Committee on Corporations, Where 1t
"a
:siGeyed that certain alterations IN II
@W6iIld be necessary. It was then agreed
that. a: Substitute bill containing the de-
sired. and necessary changes be SUD
:roitfad 10 the Senate and recommended
for passage. It was at this point IN
the proceedings that Senator Braun
hart. appeared on the scene with OH
which he proposed to nave supstItutSu ~.
for the substitute bill agreed upon py
the r0mmittee Braunhart's bill, when
scrutinized. was found to contain pro
visions which practically defeat the
purposes for which the proposed legls-
iafion is intended.
. . II was Just here that the fine 1tallan
hand of the Governor was made ap-
:parent. In defense of his proposed sub
.stttute: Braunhart stated that he rep
resented Governor Gage in the matter
and that the substitute bill was drawn
I'D AT. the Governors request and IN ac-
.,c0rdance with the Governors views on
the subject; that the Governor was not
favora bic to the bill proposed by the
committee and that if it were passed
:bv"the Senate he would veto it. In re-
ply to this astonishing statement
BraunFart was informed that while
Mr.. Gage is recognized as the Governor
of the. State he must not seek to con-
stitute himself the Senate of the State;
shat. the Senate will pass such laws as
1t deems just and proper and if they
do: not meet with the approval of the
Governor he can exercise his right of
veto: also that the Senate can pass the
iaws. oyer the Governors veto.
=. Braunhart having been properly sat
upon and through him the Governor,
the. substitute bill of the Senator from
San. Francisco was voted down and the
committee formulated its report recon-
intending for passage the committee
substitute bill.
Braunhart now declares his intention
to act as the defender of the Governor
on the floor of the Senate when the bill
comes UP for final passage and will at
tempt to substitute the Governors bill
for ii. In the meantime the Senator'S
are nursing their wrath and awaiting
a favora BILE opportunity to demonstrate
10 the Governor that he is not the
l.tnhnle shnM.n