The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1903-10-25

senator VIII closely consult the punitive
clauses of the bill, he will find that if
his criminal constituent does vote in
each of the three counties he will, If the
law is enforced, be allotted from two
to twenty years in the penitentiary in
which to regret his action
Hawes was authority on trusts and
probate law, and one of the sanest men
in California, but his will in which he
endeavored to leave his property away
from his wife and daughter, and de-
vote it to the Monteagle University
which he proposed to found, was set
aside by a verdict of a jury which
found that the testator was insane.
AAA
The wag of the Assembly of 1863 was
little Jack Watson" Of Los Angeles.
from one of the cow counties who was
fluent in speech but unlearned in legis-
lative ways. The bucolic legislator had
reported a fence law, and was entitled
to the floor for speech. He unfolded
huge roll of manuscript and ADJUST
ed his spectacles. Whereupon grace
less member of the San Francisco dele
CATION arose and said, Mr.. Speaker, L
move to strike out the enacting clause
of this proposed law" Il second the
notion said another. Does the gen.
tleman in charge of the bill yield for
the purposes of this motion?' said the
Speaker. The pending orator turned
to little Jack Watson" and inquired,
What will be the effect on the bill
of this motion, Mr.. Watson, in case 1
yield?" 'It will be the making of the
bill'' said Jack, with emphasis. Ger
| tainly 1 YIELD said the orator. The
motion was put and the House enthus-
| iastically voted to strike out the enact
ing clause, and when the gentleman
| attempted to go on with his speech he
was called to order, for there was moth
| ing before the House. He turned to
| little Jack Watson for an explanation,
| hut that gentleman fed to the cloak
| room.
Afterwards, the bill was re-reported.
II was very lengthy. and as soon as 1t
was read. one member after another
| arose and moved to exempt his county
from the operation of the law. Each
motion prevailed, until there was left
| in the bill only the county of the
author of the bill and the unrepresent-
! ed county of San Benito. Then some
wag moved to exempt the county of the
author. Against his indignant and
wrathful protest the motion prevailed,
and San Benito county alone was
blessed with a fence law which. If 1t
had ever been enforced, would nave
made it difficult for an industrious
sheep to get a living.
AAA
Among the legislators was gem
, tleman from San Jose, who had been
educated by his father, an old fashion,
ed Methodist minister, in the pulpit
style of speaking with an ejaculatory
''eh" between sentences.
The Democrats of the Assembly with
the cooperation and under the leader
ship of NJ. NJ Estee of Sacramento, VINO,
although a Republican, was negro
phobist, We're attempting to defeat the
passage of an Act allowing colored
men to testify in courts of justice. The
gentleman from San Jose was stren-
uously denouncing the opponents OIL
the bill why, Mr.. Speaker" said ne,
"there is a negro barber in the town
of San Jose eh, who is morally, intel
lectually and physically superior to
two thirds of the members of this
House eh." At once there was an in
terruption and a storm. The unfor-
tunate orator was "haled" up to the
bar of the House. and it was voted
that he be reprimanded by the Speak
er, and be required to apologize to the
House for the obnoxious language. He
listened to the reprimand in grave
silence, and then offered his apology.
"Mr. Speaker said he, II intended no
disrespect to this House, and I apollo
gize for the language used, but'-here
a memory of his wrongs overcame
him, and the Methodist style of elocu-
ton was resumed-"When I arose to
speak eh. gentlemen laugh at me eh,
and then interrupt me eh, and they de-
ride me eh, and in my anger, when L
am in possession of a fact of this kind,
I am apt to let it slip, eh.''
AAA
A proposition was made to purchase
several hundred copies of Woods Di-
gest. for the use of members of the
legislature and State Officers. Before
vote on this measure" said a Sena-
tor from far northern county. "I
| would like to know whether Woods
Digest comes in bottles or boxes"
AAA
| Stephen J. Field was then Chief JUS
tice of the Supreme Court of Califor-
MIA, and later Oscar L. Shafter, who
was a great lawyer and a brilliant con-
Iversationalist, and Silas W. Sanderson,
man of alert perceptions and quick
wit, were added to the appellate
bench. The Court never lost its digni-
| ty but ii was mindful of Lord Coke's
saying that "the Bench was grateful
to the barrister who occasionally re-
| lieved the tedium of judicial proceed
| ings with a little honest hilarity"
AAA
| On one occasion, an advocate re-
ferred many times during his argu-
ment to "a constructive fence What
| is a constructive fence" whispered
Shafter to Sanderson. "I judge from
the argument replied the latter, that
| it is a place where there ought to be a
| fence"