Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-31

Correspondent at Sacramento" but he
was unavoidably absent.
"Some Observations and Experiences
of a New Senator was the subject of
Senator Bells remarks, which were ex-
temporaneous, with the assistance of
one small sheet of notes.
Senator Bell declared at the opening
of his remarks that owing to the fact
that he had been unable to prepare a
speech he would probably wander con-
siderably, but his hearers Indicated by
their applause at frequent intervals
that if he did occasionally stray from
his line of thought he struck a good
road leading directly back, and that
while he wandered he made additional
interesting disclosures.
Tells of Lonely Feeling
Senator Bell was introduced by Chair
man Moody to speak on the subject,
How 1t Feels to Plot Alone at Sacra-
mento," and the guest joined in the
laugh. He said that after having lived
several months in Sacramento with
certain associates it was refreshing to
experience genuine handshakes and
real expressions of good will.
Senator Bell said it was his first
Legislative experience, and presumably
as punishment for not being a cor
poration man he was given seat away
back in the rear of the room.
II had an idea" continued the SEN
atOr, that owing to the enormous
amount of business to be transacted,
and at great expense to the state, the
! Legislature would get right down to
| business; but 1 was seriously disap-
pointed, for there was adjournment
after adjournment merely to give the
schemers an opportunity to arrange
for useless and expensive patronage"
Senator Bell then told of the scores
of appointments made for political
purposes For instance, there were
seven postmasters to serve forty sem
ators, and there were many stenog-
raphers who did not stenOg."
Excluded from Caucus
He also told of his experience, re-
| lated in telegraph reports at the time,
of his exclusion from the Republican
caucus, He said he had been warned
before going to Sacramento that Walter
Parker was lying in wait for him be-
cause Bell. eight years before, when he
was clerk for the board of supervisors,
had placed stick in one of Parker's
schemes.
"At that time Parker called me a
red headed clerk, and l felt confident
that he would endeavOr to get even
with me. l had no idea that l would
be invited to the caucus, though
COnSlQeTeu Jndl ndu as lQuCn flgnt
there as did Bunkers, now in prison
for bribery and who went to the legis-
lature as a Democrat. Bunkers, how
ever, was what they term a good
dog. Shortridge was another of these
good dogs, as his subsequent actions
proved.
AT this caucus they did not en-
deaYor to ascertain how to do the work
for which they were sent to Sacra-
mento, but to determine how much
they could steal without publicity. 1
use the word steal advisedly. for men
were selected for useless positions and
to do dirty work for their masters.
Dragged Down by Associates
There were some men who came to
Sacramento absolutely honest in their
intentions to do the right thing by
their constituents and to the people
generally, but i'm many cases they soon
fell down"
He gave the name Of one Southern
| California senator who, one evening at
a dinner a few days after the opening
of the legislature, made an excellent
speech on clean citizenship, and after
ward voluntarily declared to Senator
Bell that he expected 10 be in the same
class with the Pasadena man; yet only
two days later this same senator began
| fighting for every disreputable meas
ure that was presented.
! II ascertained afterWard," said Sem