davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
LIBELOUS ARTICLES
MUST BE SIGNED

CALL HEADQUARTERS ,SACRA-
MENTO March Ex-senator Warehouses;
little bill designed to compel the down
trodden reporter to sign his own stuff,
and, with the proprietor of his paper, as
sumo responsibility for it, passed the As
sembly to-day on final passage by a vote
of AZ TO 20.
1t did not pass, however, without good
stiff fight. Melick of Pasadena, Sanford
of Mendocino, Feliz of Monterey and
half dozen others, among them Wade of
Napa, all lined up against the measure
and fought it until it was carried.
Melick offered amendments striking out
some of the more radical features of the
measure which were voted down. Sanford
made a play for technical delay, and
Feliz of Monterey ably seconded him.
Johnson of Sacramento made it the oc-
casion for one of his famous anti-news-
paper dissertations. He said the bill was
not designed to hurt the bright young
men who do the writing; on the contrary,
1t would improve their position. 1t was,
however designed to compel the cow
ards and assassins' who run the San
Francisco dailies and persist in showing
I'D all sorts of legislative crookedness to
take the responsibility.
Mr. Valentine of Los Angeles was de-
cidedly in favor of the measure, but so
tempered his talk that no animus was
apparent.
Johnson attempted TO shut off debate by
moving the previous question, but San
ford forced him to withdraw and consent
to ten minutes more of argument, when
the bill again came up at o'clock in the
afternoon Then il was passed and or
dered returned to the Senate.
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
MUNICIPAL BONDS
PROBABLY lNVALlDAIED

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACHA-
MENTO. March 16.-The desire OF TINS
ct+, 10 rebond itself TO the extent or
slo0 600 has had the effect of uncoverlng an
error in the statutes made by the Legis-
Iatyre of 1897 that has probably invail-
dated every bond issue made by munich
pal corporation.
The mistake was brought to the atten-
tton of Grove l.. Johnson yesterday by
Ia,oes p. Devine, corporation counsel for
+bie CITY and Mr. Johnson at once intro
diIced in the Assembly a bill which
etraightens the matter out. Under sus-
nensf1n of the provisions OF the consttu-
tjaI' he got 1t passed through Its three
readings and passage with no voice IN dis
seli; NJ Devine's letter to Mr.. Johnson.
which is as follows, fully explains the err
ror he has discovered and its bearing
upon municipal affairs:
SACRAMENTO. March 1e, 1899
Hon Grove l., Johnson Assemblyman-Dear
sir. hand you herewith an act which
Rave prepared for the purpose of restoring to
The act Of March 49, 1889, commonly known
ss the municipal improvement bond act.
sections G and s thereof, as they stood when
amended by the act of March !. 1893. found
at mage 81 statutes OF 1898. These two sections
as / explained to you this morning. were by
what was evidently a mistake of the Legisla-
ture, eliminated by the act OF 1851 found at
page 10. statutes OF 1891
The restoration OF the two sections repealed
to the general act Of March u. 1858. Is abso-
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
A GENERAL SCRAMBLE
AMONG SENATORS

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, March 16.-The Senate is getting
denoraliZed. Having fixed the hour for
adjournment, the Senators are all work
ing to secure the passage of their indi-
vidual measures, and 1t is now a poor
plan to look for a Senator in his own seat.
A large delegation of Assemblyn1en is in
constant attendance, and legislation is
rushing
The lobby is filed with underworked
attaches, watching bills which will pro-
vide for their payment, friends of Sena-
tors who want bills jumped forward on
the files and brought al once to considera-
ton; more friends of other Senators who.
having kept bills at the lower ends of the
files auring the greater part of the ses-
sion, now want to make sure they will
not rise from the several graves so neatly
provided for them. They have ali been
here for weeks, but now they have sud-
denly jumped into aggressive activity.
and every one is constantly on the move
Headed by Charles L. Patton. the San
Francisco Exposition delegation dfstrfh
uted itself among the Senators during the
afternoon and added to the subdued buzz
of conversation that played an accom-
paniment to the orators who would talk
despite the flight of time. The Scott
forces-three in number-gathered around
Davis desk and talked earnestly Ref+
man between rollcalls polIed the Senate
or tried to-on Richards boxing hill
that has lately wandered in after wealth.
ering the Assembly; delegation of
teachers tarried long enough to raise q n
San Francisco Normal School was passed !.
the major and Jake, his man Friday.
spend In the lobby all the time they can
snare from that of the Assembly, and al
together, like ''ringed" tree, the Senate
is blossoming furiously before 1t dies
After considerable discussion the Senate
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17

in any shape or form. Under the Egnrovi..
sions of the BILL he explained, If 60 per
cent of the people of that portion or the
county asking for division affixed their
names to a petition the wheels OF county
division commenced to revolve, the In
curing of expense commenced and must
be met by the taxpayers whether the I'LL
innate result was reached or not.
He believed it was an inopportune Tune
to talk of saddling extra expense upon
the taxpayers of any county by creating
new places for hungry ofiee-seekers and
broken-down politicians, who would re
joice at the passage of the bill, Atten-
ton was called to the fact that there was
now upon the files of the House q petl-
ton from the people of San Luis Obispo
County asking that their taxes be re-
mitted, and he was surprised that they
Should want additional burdens thrust
upon them Knowland claimed that he
was opposed to. the bill upon &c genera ira
principles and further because ne pc
iieved it would be the stepping-stone for for
those who desired to annex Alameda;
which city he represented. to the city OF
Oakland Mead said II 5000 people IN
district wanted county division they
should have it, but that view of the prop
ositfon did not seem popular, and after a
cali of the House the measure was de-
feated Burnett gave notice or recon-
SideratiOn.
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
SAN FRANCISCO MAY
HAVE A NORMAL SCHOOL

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO. March 1.-THE Governor per-
rnitting, San Francisco will have nor
NAL school despite the extngulsner
placed upon it by the Board OF Education
last January.
The school will not be an expense to the
city. however, for the State will care for
it 10 the extent of $50 900. The bill allow
ing the appropriation and providing LOT
the establishment of the school was pass
ed by the Senate to-day.
It was not an easy fight, for the Sen
ate showed a decided unwillingness TO
allow San Francisco anything more in the
State school line. Wolfe supported the
hill. 1t was one of Assemblyman Hoey'
measures. and he made the successful
fight for it on the floor of the Senate II
came up under an urgency resolution anu
whom II was nut under consideration Cut
ter moved that the. bill be denleo +5e1, SCI
ond reading. Bulla seconded the NOTION
but it was declared out or order.
Wolfe then explained how the schooI
came to be abolished ana now IL We tde
now being run by the subscriptions, OF the
nuniIs He said the $4,000 the Dill pro,
yided would be ample to run the school
for the next two years, ana py .tarT,e tli1
will he made Dwyer also Warmly sup
norted the bill. and then Dickinson rose
to oppose it: Dickinson oecISaeq are tilSe the
only ones who wanted the schooi were the
nuDi1s who are now attending IL, Wno' LlS
Pa were being stirred into agitation oy
tho +eachers and the teachers themselves
who wished to hold their posliilS9ns; IS +ba
sTf I thought the $50 900 Would run tnT ne
robnoi for two years. said Dickinson, i
wo1IId vote for the bill as an eXperlIIn.enl,
b,I+ know ii will not. The san Dleso
noru7aI school was the cheapest ever
eaw but that started on $50.OO0 TWO years
ago and here they are up he4e ~"
ing for $1,000 more. -, +ba
Sr1ith had as much more to say on lne
snbiact and he said it in the line OF oppo-
sition He called attentlon 20 Soo6 dSo bIIt
tbaf fhe bill at first called for SZUOUVV, put
that this had been cut to S20,OO9. he pre-
dfrted however that the school would De
9Sltino for more from the next LeglSia-
tire The State had sufnclent nu1lper
ygas onnosed to spending State money on
"notber in San Francisco or anywhere
else He believed the State money ShouId
he exDended in schools for 1ndustriaI
training rather than professional training
and he commented severely on the 1act
that to enter the only industrial Schools
the State supported boy or girl must rrst
become a criminal. Burnett and Braun
then Wolfe took up the cudgel again and
talked twenty-one votes out OF the Sen
ate, bv which number the bill passed.
The vote was as follows:
Ayes-Ashe, Bettman. Braunhart, Bur
nett. Curtin. Doty. Dwyer. Feeney, Hall,
Hoey. Leavitt. Maggard: Morehouse,
Mutt. Shortridge, Stratton, Taylor, Wolfe,
Flint Laird. DaviS-H.
Noes-Boyce, Bulla, Dickinson, Jones,
La Rue, Prisk, Powell Sims, Smith, Trout
It required two calls of the absentees
to bring the number up TO the necessary
twenty-one, and then even then it was
secured only after Laird. r.d who had voted
There was great applause when the re-
suit was announced.
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
FARMER:

mission was a byword and its indorse-
ment of any measure an assurance OF de-
feat This session he said, the commls-
sion had given the Legislature pracucaliy
a COPY of the Civil Code, submitting II
at a time when it was impossible 10 give
il proper consideration, and there was
following it somewhere in the hands OF
the printer a Civil Code that, Boyce Sald
would probably be out in time 10 pc con.
sidered by the grandsons OF the @ SedlauIIo 1,,tlo
nresent. Boyce was the only one VINO
spoke on the bill. 1t was hve MINUTES
10 l2 when Leavitt moved tnat the Sehane I!ii
consider Senate bill 622 rms was ta oIll
Sode Commissfon The bill was on the
enecfaI file of appropriations and claim
bills, and under the proceedings that ME
"I Davis moved to amend the motion by
intending the entire file, and this gave
Rovce an opportunity to object ana 20
sneak and Boyce has no use for the CODE
Conn3fssion nor its labors nor its ex-
penses nor its members nor anything tnat
Is theirs and there being put rev
minutes more he proceeded to utilize them
In words -. a. -, ,,d
still he talked, the friends OF the meas
1ra began to grow nervous, and finally
noint Of order was raised. Boyce was not
snea king to the question. Ihe point Oh
order was declared a good one ana boyce
SAT down. The amendment went TO
YES and no vote. The response to the can
was about even and division was calleu
for There were eleven ayes ana seven
noos aiph+een in the House, and the next
tbingg Vas an announcement that the
House was adjourned until tomorrow a.
ba1f mast nine There was no quorum.
To-p1orrow the bill for the expenses OF
The Cnde Commission will be brought up
as a claim bill, one exempted from {he {1
rule limiting consideration 10 Assembly,
'itII All Senate bills will now be dropped
hack into unfinished business ana an coIh- tLo
roitfees were ordered to return to the
IN ianretarv any bills they may nave on
hand. It is the beginning of the end
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
the legislation of their own the Senators
cared particularly about
BURNS LATEST
SCHEME IS TO
TAKE A RECESS
The Mexican Will Try Illegal
Means to PrOlOng the
Joint Convention.

CALL HEADQUARTERS. SACRA-
MENTO. March 16.-One of the last
schemes of the Mexican candidate for
forcing the Legislature to elect him
United States Senator is the prolonga-
ton of the joint convention on Satur-
day. If the voting tomorrow does not
result in bringing to his standard any
new votes he proposes to take seVeraI
ballots on the last day and force
recess until evening, thus getting a
final opportunity to threaten and ca
jole the members.
There is considerable doubt, however,
whether under the Federal statute (re-
quiring the Legislature to meet daily
and take at least one ballot for Sen
ator) a candidate chosen after such
recess would be legally elected. There
is no instance where that procedure
has been attempted. The purpose OF
the law is to compel a meeting at noon
on each day The statute was enacted
to prevent deadlocks resulting from
different political parties getting con-
troll of the houses and refusing to meet
in joint convention. This often nap
pened where violent partiSanS pre-
ferred no Senator to the election of one
belonging to the party which in joint
convention would have a majority.
No such thing as a recess is con-
templated by the law and no limit is
by It placed upon the number of bal
lots which shall be taken. There is no
doubt that the joint convention may
vote as many times as it pleases, and
for that purpose it may sit all day
but whether 1t can take a recess and
meet again is doubtful Indeed. a
recess in parliamentary law is prac-
tfcaIly an adjournment. No provision
is made in the law for a recess.
A meeting must be held at noon each
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17

refused to concur in the Assembly amend
ments TO Langford's free market DILL ne
Assembly amendments We're the striking
out the Senate amendments and leaving
the bill where 1t was before the Senate
got to work upon it. The Senate would
not recede from Its position, and Lang
fort, Leavitt and Stratton were appointed
a committee to confer with similar
committee from the Assembly to come
| TO some agreement on the terms IN
| dispute. The Senate amendments changed
| the location from the block lying between
Davis, Pacific and East streets to section
4 of the seawall. The Assembly changed
/ 1t back again.
Senator Ashe took a fall out of the
! clerk of the Assembly by submitting
resolution requiring him to 90 ms duty
! sented TO him for his signature before
/ they were sent to enrolment. Ashe said
/ the bills had been piling up awaiting the
! hurried without delay. The resolu-
! ton was passed and was sent over to the
! the clerk of the Assembly came back,
! stating that he had signed all bills for en-
! rollment which had been submitted 10
him.
| The appropriation bill was called UP and
was put to vote in order to hurry. it
over to the Assembly and let the As
! the Senate added. 1t went through with
/ out opposition except from Laird who
! voted no because he said he did not
/ think 1t was proper TO rush such mea-
/ sure through as the bill had been rushed
| The time-worn bill to establish a State
convict-bult road from Sacramento to
| Folsom came up again in the form of As
! sembly bill 6S1. There was hot debate
! over the measure, and II was denounced
/ as an entering wedge for the establish
ment of such highways all over the State
| The bill was finally defeated. Taylor CIV
! ing notice. of motion to reconsider.
Wolfes bill to raise the Bank CommlS-
| sion from three to five numbers was put
! to closing vote. It was lost by ayes
! to q noes. Wolfe then changed his vote
! and gave notice of a motion to recon
! slider. Boyce's bill to remove the restrtc-
/ ton by State law on the speed of street
/ cars was passed. 1t is a measure to per
NIT the rapid running of suburban cars
/ after they leave city limits and get be-
yond the Jurisdiction of local ordinances
! restricting their speed. Braunharts in
come tax bill was defeated. The bill was
not considered exactly suitable, and the
vote on it was to many of the Senators
as much an expression of opinion on the
subject of an income tax as 1t was vote
on the measure.
Boyce's bill to abolish the Code Com
mission cut a rift in the monotony of the
evenings proceedings, but only small
one for his bill was showed under. He
wanted to reconsider but announced his
intention too late and was declared out OF
order On speaking to his bill Boyce took
occasion to roast the Code Commission
and rdicule its labors. There was no
reply to his remarks and the bill was
beaten by 19 noes to ayes. Senator Bulla
being a Code Commissioner was at his
own request excused from voting.
Boyce declared that at the last session
of the Legislature the report of the COM
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
"We'Ye Got the Rain Now; How About the Senator?'

day, and 'if no person receives a ma
jority on the first day the joint Assem-
bly, shall meet at II o'clock noon of each
succeeding day during the session of
the Legislature and shall take at least
one vote until a Senator is elected"
This law has been held to limit the
action of the Legislature, and in the
absence of provision for a recess none
is legal. @
If the Burns touts attempt to bulldoze
members in this way their scheme will
be stoutly resisted by the followers of
Grant, Barnes and Scott and if they
vote solidly it will not be possible to
carry it out. The suggestion, coming
as it does from Burns, shows merely
how desperate the Mexican is getting
in the last hours; like a drowning man,
he is now grabbing at straws, no mat
ter how elusive. No intelligent person
can see what possible good it will do
him to set apart a few hours on the
last day in which to exercise his final
dying tactics.
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
ASSEMBLY BILLS ONLY
GET SENATE NOTICE

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, March 16.-The Senate has COM
mitted the last act which binds it to an
adjournment 1t adopted a special joint
rule this evening regarding the considera-
ton of bills which closes the doors to the
consideration of any but Assembly bills.
The rule provides that no Assembly bills
shall be considered by the Assembly and
no Senate bills shall be considered by the
Senate, except bills from each House in
conference, after midnight tonight. Ex-
ception is made. however, to the appro-
priation bill, the tax levy bill, amend
ments to the county government, consti-
tutional amendments and bills detailed by
notices of motions TO reconsider. BY
amendment in the Senate claim bills. for
repairs on State buIIdings and for the re-
lief of state commissions. were also ex-
empted from the terms of the rule. As
amended the rules were adopted
AS consequence all this evening the
Senate was busy rushing Senate bills
through on urgency resolutions and off
the urgency file. 1t was the last chance.
and business ran past the Senate as fast
as the secretary could draw the. bills
from the desk. The whole special file
was finished up. and that included all
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
JOHNSON LOSES
A FAT LEGAL FEE

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, March 16.-Assemblyman john
sons attempt to lay hold of his legisla-
tive bootstraps and lift himself toward a
fat attorneys fee was rudely stopped by
the Senate to-day by the denial of a sec
ond reading for his bill, No 90S.
Johnson's bill is to make certain per-
sons now classed as incompetent wit
nesses in certain actions competent when
called by the executor or administrator
of an estate in a suit against such estate.
There is not much to the bill until 1t
becomes known that Johnson is attorney
for the executors of two big estates now
being sued, and, curiously enough, if he
could only get the testimony Of certain
witnesses now incompetent he would
stand a much better chance of winning,
and if his bill, No. 90S, is read correctly
il will be found to allow such witnesses
as Johnson wants to give testimony. 1t
is good to be both lawyer and legislator.
The bill was denied second reading on
the recommendation of the committee
that il do not pass.
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
LEGISLATURE WILL
NOT HELP THE
RACE GAMBLERS

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, March 16.-The Legislature
will have none of the proposition made
by the promoters of the gambling game
at Ingleside to enact a law that will
have the effect of nuIiifying the action
taken Monday by the Board Of Super
visors of San Francisco. The racing
com bination was given TO understand
this yesterday. but it was not until
Corrigan and his reinforcements ar
rived on the ground last night and were
made aware of the situation that they
came to the conclusion that their case
is hopeless so far as the Legislature is
concerned. No legislator could be found
who would stand sponsor for any meas
ure antagonistic to the interests of the
people of the metropolis so far as they
are affected by the pernicious racing
game at Ingleside.
When they came to Sacramento seek
ing relief the Ingleside gamblers eX-
pected to receive support and comfort
from the representatives of the Cali
fornia Jockey Club, who are managing
the racing game at Emeryville. In this
they were disappointed, and because of
it a merry war is now being Waged
between the opposing factions. with
the advantage on the side of the En-
eTyNlle gamblers, WHO aspire 70 GACIu-
sive control of the game that is filling
the penitentiaries with criminals.
The reasons that have actuated the
California Jockey Club people to with
hold their support from the effort being
made by the Ingleside gamblers to set
aside the will Of the Board of Super
visors of San Francisco are made ap-
parent when it Is stated that the con-
tract under which the two tracks are
now operating and by the provisions
OF which racing shall be conducted at
each track on alternating dates during
the season, expires in May. With the
expiration OF this contract Will end any
listing between the owners and man
tracks.
The interdicting of bookmaking and
pool selling at Ingleside Will have the
effect of closing the track. Then when
the contract now existing expires the
Emeryville people will be able to race
every day in the year and will corral
within their own treasury the ill-gotten
gains that are now divided between the
two tracks.
Under conditions as they now exist
both tracks are bonanzas. therefore it
is not to be expected that the Emery
vile gamblers will play fair" and by
doing so surrender an opportunity now
afforded to hog" the profits and double
their income. Because of these facts
the Emeryville gamblers have refused
to aid the Ingleside gamblers, and with
the falling out between them comes the
opportunity for honest men to come to
their dues
The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
ASSEMBLY ACCEPTS
APPROPRIATION BILL

CALL HEADQUARTERS SACRA-
MENTO, March 16.-The general appro-
priation bill did not require ten minutes
in the Assembly to-day for concurrence
in the Senate amendments and final pas
sage by the lower House.
The amendment created no debate, not
even that badly sliced State Fair appro-
priation was commented upon. The few
scars left upon the document by the gen.
tlemen of the upper House were cheer
fully accepted as a matter of course, and
the States biennial dip into the treas
ury was passed with no voice against it.
Angeles. who moved that the Assembly
concur in the Senate's amendments. They
were read adopted and the State has a
pIethorfc pocket with which to weather
through the forthcoming two years.