The San Francisco call., 1907-03-05
.G|LLETT FAvORS
BILL To REMOVE
STATE CAPITAL
Says He Will Afix His
Signature to the
Measure
CITIZENS QUESTION
Executive Swayed by the
Three-Fourths Vote
of Legislature
NO RECONSIDERATION
Assembly Refuses to Permit
Another Vote on
Matter
: NO RECONSIDERATION
By George A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1Oo7 EIGHTH SIRE


SACRAMENTO, March 4.-"I shall
sign the bill providing for the sub
mission of the question of the capital
removal to the people" said Governor
Gillett today. st would be ridiculous
for me to refuse to sign bill passed
by virtually three-fourths vote of
both houses" continued the Governor.
There is no use dallying about it It
is question for the people to settle.
The Legislature has spoken unrnis-
takably, and if there could have been
any doubt about it before that doubt
was removed today by the vote in the
Assembly on the motion to reconsider"
The hope of the Sacramento contin-
gent went glimmering this morning
when Grove Johnson's attempt to Sc
cure a reconsideration of the vote by
which the capital removal bill was
passed on Saturday. The refusal to
reconsider was by vote substantially
as decisive and one-sided as was that
by which the bill was passed Recon-
sideration received only II votes as
against II in the negative. Individual
changes in the vote .or reconsideration
indicated no change of heart on the
main question
JOHNSON'S LITTLE RUSE
Johnson based his argument in sup
port of the motion for reconsideration
on an expressed desire to amend the
title of thefbill so that it would read.
An act to change the seat of govern
ment from Sacramento to some other
place" He argued that If the people
were to vote upon a change of the seat
of government all aspiring cities should
be given a chance. He did not en-
phasize the fact that with a half-dozen
contenders in the race none would Sc
cure a majority of the votes and Sacra-
menro would win hands down. without
an effort
The Senate Is to have an opportunity
to vote on the Stetson primary election
bill. A quorum of the Senate election
committee held a brief meeting today
and by vote of four to six recon-
mended the bill out. Welch. Belshaw,
Boynton and Cartwright voted for the
favorable report. which was opposed
by Chairman Walker and .Leavitt
Senators Greenwell. Savage and Hart
man. who. with Leavitt and walker,
would have constituted a majority.
were absent. The action of the COM
mittee came as surprise to ma
jority of the members of the Senate,
who had been given to understand that
the measure would be permitted to
slumber peacefully in the committee
pigeon holes and a fight on the floor
of the Senate avoided.
Now If the bill can be forced up to
a place on the file where it will reach
third reading fight will be precipi-
tated and in all probability some party
dirty linen washed. The fact that the
organization men in the Senate are
firmly convinced that the stetson bill
was drawn and Is being pressed for
the purpose of enabling Ex-Governor
George c. Pardee to become a popular
candidates for nomination to the United
States Senate will have more real eff
feet in accomplishing its defeat than
will the frailties of the measure itself.
Other Senator'S insist that the Stet-
son bill is not a direct primary bill
and that they are in no way bound to
support It, They claim that they have
voted for the submission of a consti-
tutional amendment which will enable
the next Legislature to enact direct
primary law and thereby fully redeem
the platform pledges of their respec-
tive parties.
These latter are correct at least in
part. The Stetson bill. beyond its pro-