Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-01
Senator Lukens' Bill
Passed by the
Senate
Berkeley Is Favored by
Thirty-Nine to
Nine
Senator Sanford Grows Humorous and
Introduces Bill to Have State
House Built In Big
Automobile
By Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 2S.-The first
skirmish in the fight for the removal
of the capital from Sacramento to
Berkeley resulted in a victory for
Berkeley when the senate this after
noon expressed itself in favor of chang
ing the seat of government to the uni
versity town and by a vote of 80 to 8
passed Senator Lukens' bill submitting
the question to the vote of the people
at the next general election.
A two-hours debate preceded the
vote, which was taken at 6 o'clock. The
bill had been made a special order of
business for 4 o'clock and every MEM
ber of the upper house except Senator
Cartwright was in his seat at that
hour. A number of state officials, for
mer Lieutenant Governor Alden An
derson and many visitors were on the
floor and saw the flag of Sacramento
go down in defeat
Lukens Favors Berkeley
Senator Lukens opened the debate
and in dignified speech set forth the
advantages of Berkeley as the capital
of the state He said 1t was a move
ment of the people, by and for the
people and that the movement was evil
dence of the widespread desire to
change the seat of government; de-
clared that it was not a new movement
but one that had been agitated for at
least four sessions and dwelt upon the
convenience to the whole people to
have the capital in the university town.
Sanford and Belshaw led the oppo-
sition. Sanford offered a substitute
In TO-. e., L.,
automobile upon which the capital was
to be built and moved about ito suit
disgruntled politicians and real estate
men,"
Sanford Is Facetious
He treated the matter in light vein,
wanted to insert Ukiah in the place of
Berkeley; declared it was nothing but
a real estate boom and read what pur-
ported to be a telegram from the cham
ber Of commerce Of Ukialr offering 1000
acres near the insane asylum as site
for the capital. He characterized the
movement as preposterous, absurd and
unbusinesslike.
Belshaw of Contra Costa attacked
Louis Titus as the alleged instigator
of the movement and declared that it
had been started for the sole purpose
of helping Titus sell his lots in Berk-
eley. Belshaw in turn was severely
censured by Senator Leavitt for hav-
ing descended to personalities in at
tacking Titus. Leavitt Indignantly de-
MED that 1t was a real estate scheme
and fiayed Sanford, a Democrat, whose
hobby he said was the initiative and
referendum and who believed in leav-
ing everything to the wisdom of the
people, but who now opposed letting
the people decide whether or not they
wanted their seat of government
changed.
Wants Better Climate
The feature of the debate was a
speech in a happy vein by Willis of
Redlands, who was frequently applaud
ed He dwelt upon the bad climate Of
Sacramento at this time Of the year
and spoke of the beauties and inspira-
tion of Berkeley. "Of what good is
your beautiful capitol" asked he, "if
you can't see the dome for these tule
fogs?" And, referring to the water
here, said: "Why, you have got to
bindfold yourself to take bath"
Senator Mckee spoke for Sacramento
and Anderson of Santa Ana said that
while personally opposed to the change
constituents and vote for it. Welch of
San Francisco and four Of the Demo-
Gratis voted with the opposition.
The vote stood as follows:
Ayes-Anderson Anthony, Bates,
Black, Broughton, Carter, Greenwich
Hartman, Irish, Keane, Kennedy
Leavitt, Lukens, Lynch, Markey
Mattos, Mccartney, Miller, Muneter
Nelson, Price, Rambo, Reilly Rolley
Savage, Walker, Weed, Willis, Wolfe
and Wright.
Noes-Bell Belshaw, Boynton, Cam
inetti. Curtain, Mckee, Rush, Sanford
Welch.