The San Francisco call., 1907-02-28
REFORM AMENDMENT IS
DEFEATED BY SENATE.
Effort to Limit Attache
Expense to S5o0a Day
Given a Setback
TO BE RECONSIDERED
Trifing Change by Demo
crat Excuse for Ac-
ton Taken
By George A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET


SACRAMENTO, Feb s7.-Alleging
Democratic interference as an excuse
for the violation OF their caucus agree
ment, flying wing Of the Republican
majority in the Senate defeated today
Senator WoIfes constitutional amend
ment which, If adopted, would have
placed an absolute limit of $500 day
on the attsche expenses Of each house.
The amendment was refused passage
By the narrow margin Of three votes.
A reconsideration for tomorrow morn
ing will probably result in Its adop-
ton.
II was made only too painfully ap-
parent in the Senate today that an ex-
tremely slender excuse would serve as
a Justification for continued depletion
OF the State treasury with some Sena-
tors. Ostensibiy because g Democratic.
Senator was permitted TO interject.
change of the few words in the meas
ure the demands of the people. the
appeals Of the Governor of the State
and. the agreement of the party caucus
were calmly ignored. Great is the
party. It's integrity must be preserved.
even II it does cost the people of Cali
fornta an unnecessary ss5,000 bien-
niaHy.
The Wolfe constitutional amendment
is the one suggested by Governor Gil
lett. II provides a limit of $500 a day
for each house. or total of $1,000 &
day, which subsequent legislatures may
spend for employees. 1t contains no
provisions touching the increase of
Compensation for Senator's and Assem-
biymen. nor for the extension of the
constitutional Limitation on the dura-
tion of legislative sessions
CHANGE Is THRILLING
In the caucus that grabbed s25 a day
fr~ i-rf = 1 to-
with Leavitt, BelshAw. WEIGH, Wright
and some other Senators, fought the
graft that had served more than any
other one thing TO bring the sitting
Legislature into public disrepute.
While the Senators who were out for
the limit grab were justifying their ac-
tfon by the specios.s statement that
the public's defeat Of the expense linn
itatiou amendment submitted at the
last election was an Invitation 10 dig
as deep possible. the Governor in
sheer disgust was demanding the sub
mission Of an amendment. touching only
the subject of attache expenses, which
he and every member of the Legislature
knew would be adopted promptly by
the people, who refused to extend the
sessions or increase legislators per
diems.
During the general discussion yester-
day Senator Wolfe courteously ac-
cepted an amendment offered by Can't
netti which served oy the change of
word TO remove ambiguity. The
amendment wes made in the open
Senate without word OF protest from
the men VINO this morning used the in
cident as an excuse for boiling their
caucus agreement.
SENATE IN BAD TEMPER
The Senate was obviously in a bad
hrff 1a orfa
never dreamed that his accepted party
measure would be scalped. He had not
got far with il when he discovered
the trouble he was in for, and in sheer
desperation he called the majoritys at
tention to the caucus agreement
Senator Price replied promptly that
WoIfe's statement was the first intima-
tion he had ever had that a Senator
was at liberty to disclose anything
done behind the sacred doors OF eau
Gus
Freed by a party leader from his
compunctions about the peculiarly sa-
cred character of a caucus, Price said
he purposed. TO set himself right with
people and press; TO proclaim that he
had voted in the interest of the peo-
pie. But g Democrat had been per-
mitted to tinker with the amendment
agreed upon in the latest caucus and
rather than submit to the people any
thing in which Democrat had had
helping finger. he would vote against
the Wolfe amendment
CHANGES OF VOTES
Obviously the alleged tinkerIng
done by Caminetti, which by the way
was done with the full consent of Sena-
tor Wolfe and without objection on the
part of any Senator, could result in
no political capital for the irrepressi-
gardless Of any intent to the contrary
the ever present statesman may have
entertained.
Behind 1t all lies the indisputable
fact that a few Senators, by no means
majority. 90 not wish to submit to
the people a proposition which carries
only a Limitation on attache expenses.
If they may combine with ii a propo-
sition to increase their own salaries
they know it viii be defeated and that
is exactly what they want. recon
sideration tomorrow viii undoubtedly
result in the passage OF the amend
ment.
The Senators who voted in the af-
firmative were Anderson, Anthony.
Bates. Bell, Belshaw. Black. Boynton,
Bronghton, Caminetti, Cartwright
Hartman, Keane. Leavitt, Lukens. Mat
tos. Mccartney, Mckee. Rambo, Reilly,
Rolley, Weed, Willis, Wolfe, Wright
"a
In the negative. Carter. Curtin,
Greenweli, Kennedy, Lynch, Markey,
Miller, Muenter. Nelson. Price, Rush.
Sanford, Savage, Walker, Welch-15.
STANDARD POLICY FORM
The Senate paid Senator Leavitt and
the committee on insurance a remark
able and altogether unusual compli-
nent today, when without debate ii
passed the committees standard form
bill by a unanimous vote.
The insurance companies were rep
resented here today by T. C. Coogan
who, as attorney. has represented the
combined insurance interests before the
committee, and Havens of the Liver
pool. London and Globe, Palaehi of the
Hartford and Folger of the German
American.
Their failure TO secure a single mega
tive vote does not mean that the bill
is TO become law without any amend
ing. There are some amendments
which will undoubtedly be incorpor-
eted by the Assembly later, 10 be
threshed out on the floor of the Sem
ate, but even in this particular only one
Senator, Lukens, gave notice that he
reserved the right to support those