The San Francisco call., 1907-03-11
SAN QUENTIN JUTE BAG
SCANDAL IS HUsHED UP
Boynton Loses His Fight in
Senate to Have Contracts
Annulled
TAKE STRANGE STAND
Curtin and Miller, Demo
Gratis, Join Forces of the
Programmes
TAKE STRANGE STAND
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
IOO- EIGHTH STREET.

SACRAMENTO, March 10.-By refus-
ing to employ the implements Of an
unscrupulous opposition, Boynton Of
oroville lost his fight in the Senate to-
day to have the contracts awarded TO
the San Quentin jute bag spectators
annulled
Curtin OF TuoIumne and Miller of
Visalia joined forces with the pro-
grammers and present the not incuri-
Gus spectacle of Democrats shielding
Republican prison board responsible for
an admitted act of official irregularity.
Boynton could have won his fight on
the floor Of the Senate last night, but
Curtin, who had no more rational rea-
son for joining the programmes than
his intimate friendship with Lynch Of
San Luis Obispo, protested against
vote on the minority report and had
the matter made a special order for
this morning.
Curtin in opposing the adoption of
the minority report today, declared that
the Attorney General had pronounced
the sale of Jute bags for 1907 Illegal
and that for this reason the Legislature
had no business TO request the prison
board TO do something that lay clearly
within it's province and duty. He
added that he did not propose to be a
party to a withdrawing. The argu-
ment sounded very well, but the fact
Of the matter was that the minority
report had been disposed OF overnight.
and that Boynton was paipably out
tricked by consenting 10 accede TO the
request of the Tuolumne tactician.
Boynton arguing for the adoption of
the minority report and the cancella-
tion Of the contracts awarded to the
spectators reiterated that Fairfax
Wheelan OF the Southern Pacific Milling
Company had secured option on 2,o0o,-
600 bags within two hours after the
price had been fixed by the prison
board, and that there was ground for
the belief that the sfldavits in his
possession might not have come from
farmers.
Lynch said that the prison board was
admitted 20 be above criticism, both
by the majority and minority Of the
investigation committee, and that the
Senate should refrain from telling IL
how to act. The failure TO advertise
the bags for this year as required by
law was due, he said. to the mistake OF
a clerk.
The motion to lay the minority re-
port on tie table was lost by tie
vote, which stood:
For the bag grabbers-Bates, Broughton- Cur
tin Hartman, Keane LesVitt. Lynch, Marley.
Mccartney Miller, Rely, Roley, Weed, Welch.
Willis Wolfe Wright-17.
Against the grab b-baggers-Anderson, Anthony.
Bell, Black Boynton, Csminetti- Cartwright,
Greenwell, Kennedy. Mattoe Mckee, Auenter.
Price. Rambo. Sanford. Savage. Wslker-l7.
Belshaw OF Contra Costa, who is to
be succeeded on the Prison Board by
Lieutenant Governor Porter. was pres
ent when the session began, but was
not around when the roll was called.
Boynton's motion on the adoption Of
the minority report was lost by an
exact reverse of the vote recorded to
lay il on the table.
To be ostensibly consistent, Curtin
then moved and carried the resolution
20 lay the majority report on the table.
Boynton said tonight that he pro-
posed to institute proceedings at his
own expense TO enjoin the sale of the
bags to the grabbers.
Lynch believes the board will can
eel the contracts Of fits own volition.
Lynch is a cattleman and made appli-
cation for 5000 OF the bags himself. but
he is too wealthy 10 be accused of OPP
posing the minority report for this rea-
son. Many farmers in his district have
applications filed for the bags. and his
action is generally believed to have
been inspired by a defense of their in
foresfs