Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-05


but there Is one feature of that legisla-
tive record to which he does not point
at ALL This feature Is his vote on
March 2, 1908, for three bills introduced
and lobbied through both branches of
the legislature in the interests of the
Southern Pacific railway.
Had not Governor Pardee stoutly re-
fused to put his name to the measures
the Southern Pacific today would have
the water front of Oakland so firmly In
its grasp that no other railway could
ever secure terminal facilities at that
point.
The railway gang did not have enough
votes to pass the measure over that
veto, but 1t is still fighting to secure
such absolute control of the Legislature
that it's tools will adopt and send UP to
Southern Pacific governor duplicates
of the three bills adopted with the aid
of Ben w. Hahn in March, 1903.
Introduced Three Bills
Three bills were introduced on that
occasion, two of them being presented
| to the legislature by Assemblyman
Rolley and Senator Selvage of Hum
boldt county. In urging the passage
| of these bills the "oublic spirited" legis-
| lative agents of the Southern Pacific
said that the bills should be passed
Just to give Hammond and other rail-
way builders and promoters working In
| Humboldt county chance at terminal
facilities on the Eureka water front"
| These two bills were hustled through
the assembly and rushed to the senate,
and then and only then did the people
| of Oakland awaken to the fact that one
of the most gigantic steals on record
was being engineered through the upper
branch of the legislature. Anyone could
see that the two bills already intro
| - i 49,
| but were for the sole purpose of giving
absolute control of the tide lands of
Oakland to the Southern Pacific.
From the start Senator Hahn of
| Pasadena was one of the foremost
workers for the bills. He voted for
| them from start to finish, whereas sew
eral senator's voted for one but not the
| other.
Voted for the Fiske Bill
The third bill, known afterwards as
the Fiske bill, was then introduced
through the speaker Just to safeguard
the rights of the people, 1t made it
possible for the railroad to so record it's
claims to right of way over the tide
water lands that no other road could
ever get in at all. That was the way
the rights" of the people were to be
| "safeguarded."
The first of the three measures in
|
Humboldt county removed from the al.
ready existing law the so-called 200
foot restriction. Rights-of-way had al
i ways been granted over tide watel
lands, but it had always been provided
/ that no company should take a right.
of-way in excess of 200 feet in width
The new bill provided that the railway
should take as much land on the tide
water as was necessary for the right
of-way and to protect 1T. In other
words the Southern Pacific could take
all the available ground "to protect
| it's rights of way.
Hahn was one of the senators who
voted for this bill.
The second bill was a measure of re-
peal. In the original law it was pro-
vided that the use of tide water lands
did mot apply to public land within
the corporate limits of any town or city
or within three miles thereof" The
bill repealed this old law absolutely.
Hahn was one of the senators who
voted for this bill.
The third measure was the Fiske bill.
already explained. Hahn was one of
the senator's who voted for the Fiske
bill.
Senator Leavitt of Oakland was the
one who exposed these measures and
1t was due to his exposure and the great
popular outcry which followed that
Governor Pardee vetoed the three
measures and saved the Oakland water
front for the people
The county non-partiSan committee
has issued the following statement con-
cerning Senator Hahn and calls unon
Republicans Democrats and Socialists
to unite in defeating Senator Hahn and
in electing Charles w. Bell for the state
senate:
Opposes Popular Election
"There has been a demand all over
the United States for an amendment to
the constitution of the United States
changing the method of electing the
United States senators so that the peo-
pie of each state should have a direct
voice in their selection. No one thing
tends to graft more than the selection
OF United States senator's in the state
of California by the members of The
legislature. Session after session there
have been rumors of United States sem
ators purchasing their election before
the California legislature. If the selec-
tion was made directly by the people
there would be but little incentive for
the railroad to own members of the
senate and dictate their vote by the use
of money and railroad passes.
ION February 23 1903. Senator San
ford called up assembly Joint resolution
No. 8, which was a resolution in favor
of the election of United States senators
by the people instead of the legislature,
and when the votes were counted Sena-
tor Hahn was recorded as voting
against this assembly resolution. on
February "a a vote was taken on re-
consideration and Senator Hahn voted
against reconsideration. If the peo-
pie of the state of California are not to
be trusted to elect their own United
States senators then Senator Hahn's
vote was right. but we believe the peo-
pie of Pasadena and other sections of
this state are better fitted to elect
United States senator's than Senator
Hahn.
Senator Hahn's Public Economy
Ever since the organization of the
state the legislature of California has
dug into the pockets of the people for
every dollar they dared. Within Sena-
tor Hahn's term the patronage allowed
by the Republican caucus has been as
high as $500 day to each senator
during his term of office. In 1908 Sena-
tor Hahn employed, during the session,
his son Herbert Hahn as page at $50
a day, but during the session OF 1905
Senator Hahn, after using up all his