Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-21
ANOTHER DOODLE LEGIsLATURE7

What conclusions eastern people likely to reach
concerning the state government of California
suit of reading the trial reports of the senatorial
boo6ers? Unquestonable evidence has been produced
to the effect that per of the senators in the last
legislature bought as job lot for $1400 The in
ference is plain that Doodle freely offered and was as
freely accepted in other transactions during the
sion. When such crime comes to light many more
apt to be hidden. The official record of grating,
which marks nearly every page during the session,
shows the character of the legislative body whole
in light that is shameful to the state of California
But what must the eastern reader think of the stand
ard of qualification for what should be the proud and
enviabe position of California state senator? A
sample picture of the convict senator from San Fran
cisco is drawn by the Sacramento Union, which speaks
from intimate knowledge Says the Union Take
Bunkers for example; he appears lowbrowed ignorant
malicious, lying, sordid greveling creature unfit at
any point of character for such responsibilities at
ach to senator Such is the estimate of Republican
senator from San Francisco made by the newspaper
representative the state capital of the Republican
party in this state.
One California senator in prison stripes, three
in the shadow of the prison and probably others who
ought to be doing the ocksep That is necessarily the
conclusion of the reader abroad who sees the report
of the trial progress Sacramento And if the
reader has liking for calculation he probably will
figure up what it would cost to buy majority vote
in the California legislature the basis of the esab
lished market rate of $3.50 per senator.
OF what avail is it for San Francisco and other lead
ing cities of the north to strain themselves in efforts
to attract homeseekers from the east in face of the
fact that such characters Bunkers and French both
of San Francisco allowed to represent them in the
state senate? What do attractions of climate and soil
amount to compared with evidence that those COM
munites allow disreputabe persons to represent them
in the state legislature?
AS the Union truly remarks: THE fact that men
of this stamp the legislature is demonstration of
the corruptness of political life in the counties which
send them; they in the legislature because they
could depended upon pull the strings of dirty egs
lative intrigue"
The effect of such revelations eastern observers
should alone afford enough for the people of Cali
forna to purify the legislature, The development of
the depends largely upon the attraction to it of
homeseekers from abroad and such disclosures now
come from Sacramento calculated to repel rather
than to attract strangers.
At this time next year shall be in the heat of
campaign involving the election of legislators for the
of 1907 With the object lesson in sight Of the
terrible example presented by the legislature of 1905,
the people should demand radical change in the char
acter of its members of the legislature Such change
will be necessity if hope to attract the better ele
ment of population from abroad.